Day 185 - Wednesday - 3/14/2012

Today for Learning English Through Games Club I had planned to teach the group Old Maid, the card game. We started it, but with the group size and mix we had, it was a bit boring...so we switched to a crowd favorite, Spoons!!!  There was a great group of individuals who came to play... We also switched it up this time a bit. I had not yet introduced to this group playing Spoons with partners. In this game version, both parters have to get a spoon, and if they don't they receive a letter in the word SPOONS. The first team to spell SPOONS is out.  This group was very excited and into the game...we had a wonderful time!

Explaining the game

Getting ready for round 1

WINNERS again!

My partner throwing me my straw

Lesson: Laughter really is a great medicine, especially when its people from different age groups!

Day 182 – Saturday – 3/10/11

I was at the American Corner again today for Kid’s Club. Being that it was close to St. Patrick’s Day we celebrated this week.  This week we made rainbow and shamrock crowns. I was so proud of the kids they did a great job coloring their entire rainbow…which was a lot of coloring for some of those little hands.  The kids also did a great job saying the colors again in English.  After the crowns we traced our hands and made leprechauns with shamrock hats.  We also read our book for the week called The Leprechaun.  The kids were so wonderful as I read, many of them would repeat what I had read on each page. They were so sweet.

coloring rainbows

working and working

Fitting the crowns

Working on leprechauns

reading the story

After Kid’s Club was English Club.  Today we started our special music video project.  There were 48 kids today for club…I am so excited how many students are coming to the American Corner for club.  Since we are in the planning stages, we split into groups today for the different languages that will be in the video. The kids seem very excited and enthusiastic about the video.  I got a tear in my eye today… at our last meeting, I had shared with them the song title and artist of the song so that they could look up the video before we started. I figured some of them would look it up and others wouldn’t. I played Ingrid’s song for them on youtube and half of them sang along…I was so moved by that. These kids had not only looked up the video, but had watched it enough to sing along… it was a tear in my eye and goose bump type of experience!

This week was Albanian Teacher Day and International Women’s Day, in honor of these two holidays, several of the kids brought me flowers.  I was so humbled that they thought of me… It is so special to me that they have accepted me with such open arms!

switching from Kid's Club to English Club

Talking about the video

sharing the video- teary moment :)

More planning

A few of the flowers I was given

Lesson: Without even knowing it, you touch peoples lives with the smallest of actions.

Day 181 – Friday - 3/9/2012

The preparations for the Language Fair are continuing.  Today brought the actual essay contest in Kumanavo, Gostivar, Skopje and Tetovo.  Professors from the Language Center went to the different cities to proctor the contest.  The students from Tetovo were hosted in one of the Lecture Halls on the campus of SEE-U. 94 students from Tetovo participated, and all together there were well over 175 students participating in the 4 cities combined.  I tried to put  myself into their shoes… but it wasn’t really possible.  I was a high school student, but other than that my life experiences are vastly different than theirs.  I was not a high school senior who spoke at least 4 languages, I didn’t live in a developing country whose independence is only slightly older than the students themselves.  I don’t know what it feels like to participate in a contest where I could, if picked, bring home what some parents take home as their monthly income (200E).  I should explain why I say some, there are parents who bring home more money than that, but there are also a significant number of parents without jobs…depending on the community for exact percentage, but at least 30% don’t have jobs.  So I really can’t put myself in their shoes.  I hope that each of them was filled with pride for themselves as they wrote today.  I also hope they know, that even if not selected as the winner, they have already won, they completed an essay competition in what is their 2^nd or 3^rd or 4^th etc. language. These students are part of the future of Macedonia.  Getting to be a part of this process was rewarding for me.  

Walking the aisle during the contest

Writing

more writing....

The proctors at SEE-U

Lesson:  I knew before, but I am reminded again, knowledge is power, and language knowledge is part of that.

Day 180 Thursday 3/8/2012

Today was International Woman's Day.  A day to celebrate the amazing women in our lives.  Here in Macedonia this day was recognized with a bigger celebration than I am use to back home.  Celebrations include, cocktails (appetizer buffets, fanta, coco cola, etc), gifts, women going out together, and much more.  Here at SEE-U a cocktail was held for female staff members. It was a very nice cocktail with the typical delicious food.  Each woman was also given a beautiful flower (mine is above) from the university. I thought this was a wonderful celebration and way to recognize women. 

After work my roommate, Rezehana, invited me to join her at Tivioli with some of her friends.  The restaurant/hotel was having live musicians and singers to celebrate the evening.  I happily accepted her invitation.  We got to sit very close to the musicians.  The music was traditional Albanian Folk music, and although I did not know the songs, it was great fun to listen.  As I sat and listened I imaged what songs might be played at something like this in the USA.  Everyone at the restaurant was singing and clapping, so I figured it would be something like classic rock or oldies in the USA that might inspire this same enthusiasm. At first many were enjoying the music with just those sitting around them, clapping, and doing some dance like moves while seated, but then a song came on that inspired a bit different reaction, people started getting up and dancing the traditional dances.  I joined, with a bit of coaxing from the women I was with, but I am so glad I did.  There was not much room in the restaurant, but we found a way to fit around and between tables to make the line.  We also had delicious food, which was no surprise being at Tivoli!  The dancing, singing, and enjoyment lasted well past my bedtime, but it was a wonderful time!



Enjoying the music while still seated

  

The musicians

Dancing- it is typical to have acloth in your hand at the beginning and end of the line

More dancing!

My roommate and I



Lesson: It is good to step out of your comfort zone, dance!

Day 176-179 Monday – Wednesday 3/5-3/7/2012

 This was quite the eventful week!  Classes went as usual, but I had the privilege of starting to teach a Skills 4 writing class on Monday!  The students in my class are majoring in English in the Languages, Cultures, and Communications Department.  I am really looking forward to working with this group of students!

Tuesday brought my Albanian class, yes I am still trying to learn some Albanian.  But this semester I have also started Macedonian. Some may say that it’s a little late, but I think anything I learn even if in the last half of my time here, will be good for me!

The snow has almost all melted…only places where there were large piles is there still traces.  After the warm weekend I am not surprised. The air feels different…but I know better than to get too excited, the forecast is a bit different at the end of the week.

Wednesday was Albanian Teacher’s Day.  A recognition was held at the University, but I was in class and could not attend.  However I was able to go to a master’s defense on autonomous learning.  I had the privilege of working with the now master’s recipient during her process of writing so getting to be there and celebrate with her was wonderful.  She also invited me out to dinner following with her family.  It was a traditional Macedonian restaurant in Tetovo that I had not yet been to.  The first course consisted of two different salads, first the copped cabbages and carrots with an oil on them and the other was the shopska which is tomatoes, onions and cucumbers with parsley and oil, then covered in shredded cheese.  Both of these salads are very traditional and start most meals.  Along with the salad bread was served, grilled and covered in shredded cheese as well.  The main course was a meat tray with chicken, beef, hamburger, meat rolls with cheese and vegetables inside, and then french fries piled in the middle; this was also very traditional.  Although I have no Macedonian knowledge and could only understand some of the conversations, the ones in English, it was so enjoyable.  Being around her family made me a bit nostalgic though… I will treasure my first meal with my whole family when I return!

Unfortunately I had to leave the celebration early, but it was for good reason, I was off to the American Corner for some English Games :)

Lesson: I have always known that much of communication is done without words, but now that I often do not speak or understand the language being spoken, I can really see how true that is.