Li'l Update

Last weekend, a sizeable group of Peace Corps gals was supposed to hike Mt. Pelister, which is rumored to be the best (marked) hike in the country. Well, first, half of the group backed out. Then the forecast called for rain all weekend. Thus, no hiking for anyone. Since I had cleared that weekend anyway, I decided to go to Bitola (near Pelister) to visit my friend Kristin. We had a lovely little time drinking lots of tea and picking over the past two years. And we found fresh mushrooms. (At a grocery store, not in the wild. And “fresh” is opposed to “packed in a bladder of formaldehyde-esque brine solution.”)

I have spent most of this week complaining about how much work I have to do without actually doing any of it. Well, I have agonized over my Description of Service (DOS) statement, which is supposed to be a detailed résumé for the past two years. For those of you who have been keeping up with my life here, you can imagine that it’s not an easy task. And I have checked a few other things off my list, such as washing my plastic tablecloth, printing a bunch of pictures for my host family (SHH! It’s a surprise!) and creating interesting recipes from my remaining dry goods.

And tomorrow I head to Gostivar to say good-bye to some friends and acquaintances. Friday, I go on to Skopje for my dental cleaning and medical exam, then continue to the other corner of the country to visit my host family one last time. Monday, I’ll probably start heading back to Struga, with an overnight stopover in Veles, which is where the newest group of trainees is currently stationed. Luckily, Monday and Tuesday are holidays, so I don’t have to fill out oodles of paperwork to request vacation time. (Bless you, Macedonia, and your many less-than-successful uprisings!)

Important numbers:
21 – days until I leave Struga for Skopje
25 – days until I leave Macedonia for England
41 – days until I’m home!

If you use these for Lotto, I want a cut of your winnings.