P a g e
8
P A U 3 A !
45th Anniversary Celebrations
Howdy! Well, I didn't realize when I got to school that
my camera was out of batteries, so no pics! But I can
at least tell you that the mini celebration was actually
a hit!
I just made some chocolate chip cookies and a huge
birthday card for the Peace Corps- Happy 45th, and
then information about the PC- who we are, why we
are here, how many volunteers we have worldwide,
etc. I actually felt a bit lame, imagining that other
volunteers were probably helping to build a new community center on that day, or have a town picnic, and
here I was carrying this measly plate of cookies that I
wasn't even sure were anyone would like. However, it
turned out to be more than I expected. I was in the
lounge with a teacher who speaks English, and she
was helping me translate my card into Macedonian.
It was a very "Macedonian moment"- we were drinking
our coffee and laughing at my mis-translations, when
some teachers came over to ask what we were doing.
And so in that process, people (some teachers I've
never even met or whom I have not had much contact
with) started asking me more questions about the PC
and about our role in Macedonia. From something I
though would be a just quick snack break turned out
to be a true exchange. The celebration allowed everyone to see me as a friend to the school (it helps when
you "chasti") and to understand why I am here, and
why the Peace Corps is here. Many had no idea previously, and this was the perfect icebreaker. I also realized that we don't have to always do something on a
grand scale. I think we volunteers place so many expectations on ourselves and only think "If it doesn't
involve acquiring lots of money, or if the entire town is
not involved, then it's not worth it". It's nice to have
moments like these as a reality check and to realize
that sometimes, it's just as important to have cup of
coffee and, of course, some home baked chocolate
chip cookies.
Andrea Foy
I wanted to go around to all the English classes
and tell them a little about Peace Corps. My
counterpart thought it was a great idea,
and we tried to make it happen, but we couldn't
get it organized in time. Our school is actually
four (I think) different schools, and operates on
three shifts, but really it's even more complicated than that. I haven't quite figured it out yet.
Since we couldn't get that scheduled, I just
talked to the English Club about what Peace
Corps is and a little about the history. I
answered a few questions, and then we just
moved on to our regular activity, which is, believe it or not, rehearsing some scenes from
Shakespeare. If we actually manage to pull off
the performance in a few months, then I'll have
a real story to tell.
Hope to see you soon!
Erica Stieger