cultural experiences
HOLIDAYS w
S
0 SEMEJSTVO
By Emma Heinlen - MAK 17
A
s the MAK 18’s flocked to their new sites, I
quickly began to reminisce about my move to
Sveti Nikole and my anxiety about meeting my new
family for the next two years. We recently celebrated
my one year anniversary at site by having rucek
with the whole family at the nicest restaurant in
town, my treat, and talked about how excited we
were to see what will happen within the next year.
I live with an amazing host mother, father, and 23
year old brother. Though my host family does not
understand the reference, when describing her to
people at home, I refer my host mother Biljana as
the Real Housewife of Macedonia. She likes to
spend her free time at home making lunch, cleaning,
talking on one
or two phones,
making
crafts
for school, and
entertaining
guests, often all
at the same time.
My host father is
a jokester, which
I am grateful for
as he gets my dry
sense of humor.
And my host
brother is quite
the
socialite,
so I don’t see
him at home
that much. He
speaks excellent
English though,
so
sometimes
when
we
can’t find that right word, he can define or
conclude that the word does not exist in English.
I had many concerns moving into my host family’s
house, but all of those were quickly eliminated as I
16 – Pauza Magazine
began developing my Sveti Nikole dialect. We have
a couple of activities that we do together: rucek
every day, and every Saturday I go with Biljana
to the pazar. My family had volunteers in the past
when Sv. Nikole was a training community, so they
do understand that I sometimes need my own alone
time, but I absolutely love spending time with them.
They are a warm family that has given me limitless
laughs when I have had bad days at work, they have
given me opportunities to meet many members
of the community as well as the entire family, and
they have included me in family celebrations,
weddings, and na gostis throughout Macedonia.
There is a small sense of homesickness around the
Christmas holidays, and for my family in Florida,
Christmas is one of our favorites. For my first
Christmas season with my host family, they included
me in all of their holiday na gostis and celebrations.
I learned how
to make many
different
types
of
cookies,
cakes, and other
delicious foods.
I mastered the
game of tabla
and celebrated
my
successes
with a glass
of
homemade
wine. Not only
my
immediate
host family, but
their
extended
relatives as well
have
opened
their arms to me
and welcomed
me to all of the
different events
that exist during the winter months. The sense of
family was so great that, especially with the snow
and cold, the holiday times were more jolly and
Christmassy than in Florida. Without such an amazing
and inclusive family, I surely would feel differently.