Well it's been a little over a month since my last post, and in that amount of time, I've lost track of time. Lucky for you. I won't rehash the routine of my last month which, despite being a stranger in a strange land, has been relatively normal - or I've just assimilated.
Some key milestones. On Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving), my class of Macedonian Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) was sworn-in. It was quite a nice little ceremony; the U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia actually presided over the swearing-in and the President of Macedonia sent an envoy to give a congratulatory speech.
The next day I loaded up all my worldly belongings in and on top one of the smallest vehicles ever and made the move to Strumica.
The past 3 weeks I have been settling in, getting to know my colleagues, and exploring the villages and mountains that encircle the valley Strumica is located in.
As for what I'll be doing for "work", I am working with the Opstina of Strumica (think: state government) to develop marketing and branding plans, resource and assets analysis, and helping out/volunteering wherever else I can (i.e. teaching English courses, etc.).
As for my situation in general, there are no other PCVs located in Strumica, which is very rare for a town of this size. The nearest PCV is an older gentleman who is working in a village ~7km outside of town. Luckily he comes into the "city" quite often and we meet up; he's an interesting renaissance-type man.
Strumica itself is great. There are ~30K people in the city, so I can find almost anything I need - unfortunately no Starbucks though. There is a broad open pedestrian square in the center that is surrounded by cafes and shops, and right now there is a very large Christmas tree and ice-skating rink (like I said, all-in-all relatively normal).
Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and New Year (Christmas isn't celebrated here until Jan. 7th, like I said, relatively normal)!!
My home in Strumica (the 2nd floor) - and all my possessions on the street as I wait for my landlord...
