Haircuts

Why is it so difficult for me to get the kids' haircut? It is not a lack of opportunity....there are salons dotting our neighborhood, tons of them, and a new specialty kid's salon opened just steps from my son's school recently, complete with car-shaped seats and video screens to occupy the little ones during the snip-snip. I guess I am the problem!

Last week, I finally broke down and dragged Arianna to the salon for a cut. She had such spectacular hair, almost down to her waist and it was gorgeous when properly groomed. Unfortunately, it was a bit too difficult for her to manage, and so she often just put it in a ponytail. I would have to fight through the tangles and knots, which was not pleasant for either of us! Given her defiant, independent nature, she never wanted me to interfere, so last week the hair got seriously out of control and I insisted on the cut. She reluctantly agreed, and I was able to convince her to shed a few inches. When the stylist made the first cut and the six or so inches of hair fell to the floor, I almost wept. What had I done???? I felt nauseous and dizzy and filled with regret. In the end, she looked gorgeous and she was beaming proudly at her new look. Her hair looks so healthy and neat now. I was so proud of her, but I still feel guilty!

Collier's hair has been in his eyes for weeks. He is always pushing it out of his face, but I couldn't even begin to imagine him sitting nicely for a stylist--car-shaped chair or not. My friend kept encouraging me to do it myself. Just put on a movie or favorite TV show and just do it. I couldn't bear the thought. What if I messed it up? What if he moved and I cut him? I know he needed it, but I just couldn't do it. Yesterday, I finally gave in, knowing I would see my friend and she would be sure to bring up the topic again. I sat him on the kitchen counter, pulled out the scissors, brushed his hair forward and cut it! He resisted ... a lot. It was probably the longest 30 seconds of my life, but he looks absolutely adorable and you can once again see his gorgeous brown eyes. When we saw my friend a short while later, she commented on how cute he looked and he exclaimed "Yes!" proudly.

What is this strange psychological attachment to my kid's hair??? I guess it is resistance to change and not wanting to see them grow up, but I can't seem to let go. I kept Collier's little locks in a Ziploc baggie, and I wish I had thought to grab at least one strand of Arianna's! I guess I'll have to just be impulsive to get these haircuts done and not put much thought into it. Up next, Anastasia and Alina.....

Sorry it's been so long.....

Wow, it's been a while since I had the opportunity to sit here and type! April was a whirlwind of activities and holidays and it seemed to fly right by. We enjoyed celebrating two Easters-the traditional Christian one at home with our family, and the Orthodox one a week later with our friends for breakfast, and with Mladen and Gordana at their apartment for dinner. Breakfast was at the home of an American friend and his Macedonian wife, who we really like a lot. It was a terrific start to the day and the kids had a great time together. Their neighbor even let us visit his baby chicks, hatched the day before. They were adorable! Dinner with our landlords was equally fun. It was a lovely evening with delicious food--salads, special cheese from Prilep, baby goat meat (which is traditional and the girls absolutely loved), and yummy roasted potatoes. Of course, a little pivo (beer) and rakia (plum brandy) was available too...lol. Gordana prepared a cute little basket of decorated eggs for the girls to share and they really enjoyed cracking the eggs. We always enjoy our visits with them and are happy to be included. Soon they will travel to the US to celebrate the graduation of their children from Virginia Tech. We are so happy for them and wish them the best!

Easter traditions are very interesting here. They dye eggs as we do, but for a very different reason. The egg represents life and it is dyed red, which if I understand correctly, symbolizes the blood of Christ which was shed to absolve our sins. The mother dyes the eggs on Thursday before Easter and on Sunday, she awakens her children by rubbing the dyed eggs all over them to release their sins. One of Chris's coworkers jokes about how awkward it is to still have his mother do this to him as a grown man, but he appreciates the tradition. Gordana decorated her eggs in a really neat way, she placed the eggs in a nylon along with some leaves before dying them, which created a beautiful motif of the leaf on the egg. It was very clever and quite beautiful. At the Easter dinner, the family takes turns tapping their eggs together to see whose cracks first. The person whose egg does not crack is said to have good luck in the coming year. Fasting is strictly observed, especially on Good Friday and no work is done. Most preparations for the feast are completed on Thursday or Saturday. Most people serve lamb or goat, Mladen and a friend chose to share a goat and had it freshly slaughtered just prior to the holiday.

Aside from Easter, April was also a busy month at the Embassy. The new compound was finally made available for moving into and the weekend after the Orthodox Easter, the move was initiated. It was quite a project to coordinate the transfer of property, paperwork and electronics to the other side of town, but it went off successfully with few complications thanks to a dedicated team of personnel. While the staff toiled all weekend long, we "move widows" got together with the kids for some fun and picnicking. After many long nights and even longer days, the move was completed and things are starting to get back to normal, aside from all the unpacking yet to do! The CLO held a contest to see who could guess the closest number to the amount of boxes transferred to the new compound, and I can't wait to see what the final count was! The new Embassy is very nice, a bit sterile now, but it will be quite nice once everything is unpacked and everyone is settled in.

Well, thank goodness that busy month is over, although May is shaping up to be even busier!

Easter Events/Photos

Collier found a few eggs!

Anastasia with her treats.

Fun with friends at the Easter Egg Hunt!

Collier wasn't too sure about the bunny.

The kids enjoyed dying Easter eggs on the patio last night!

The build up to the Easter holiday has been full of fun activities including an Egg Hunt at our house for IWA members, an Egg Hunt at the Ambassador's house sponsored by the CLO office, and the dyeing of Easter eggs. The kids always enjoyed these kind of activities and I am happy that we are able to keep such traditions alive here in Macedonia! Happy Easter everyone!

Kokino/Valley of the Stone Dolls

The kids at Valley of the Stone Dolls

The "Dragon Lady" rock

A photo of the mountaintop at Kokino

The rocks had such interesting texture and color.

Arianna at Kokino
Here are some awesome photos from our recent trip to the Kokino Observatory, an ancient observatory located in the Northern part of Macedonia, and also from the Valley of Stone Dolls, an interesting group of rock formations. We travelled to these sites as part of a tour group arranged by the CLO through GO Macedonia! It was a lovely day to be outdoors and we enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine. Although it felt like we spent most of the day on the bus, it was still a very worthwhile trip and the historic sites we visited were stunning.


First, we stopped very briefly at Kumanovo and learned a bit about the observatory there, then proceded on to Kokino. It was a bit of a tough hike up the mountain due to the odd snowstorm the week before. The slippery conditions were quite challenging on the steep climb. Christopher made it all the way to the top, but Arianna's asthma started acting up, so she and I didn't quite get there. We did go to the base of the rock formation, and the views were breathtaking! While the others were exploring and learning more about the ancient rituals that took place atop the mountain, we kept busy photographing the herd of cattle that was wandering around at the base.

Next, we stopped at gas station to use the wretchedly disgusting bathrooms before heading on to the Valley of the Stone Dolls. We traveled through tiny, winding country lanes to reach the site, frequented by local picnickers, but rarely visited by other Macedonians. It is a neat place with a fascinating history. The rock formations are centuries old, and have the oddest shapes. There is even evidence of new formation being created. The locals believe that the stones resemble a wedding party and the legend has it that the formations are actually the bridal party, guests, and a scorned lover of the newly married husband. The story says that the man had two loves and chose one for his bride. The other lover was so angry she prayed that at his wedding, all would turn to stone. If you look at the formations closely, some actually take on human form. It was fun to compare my perspective with that of the others and try to label the various shapes. What a cool place!

More info about the trip in my next posting.......

Fickle Mother Nature

Yesterday as I was driving out to Bardovci to pick up a friend, I was lamenting about how I never had the opportunity to capture an image of the fantastic snow-capped mountains. En route to Bardovci, the views of the peaks are unobstucted and absolutely breathtaking. I vividly remember the first time I noticed the snowy peaks and how beautiful they were. I was leaving a playdate with a friend who had spent the last several tours in the Middle East, where the sand dunes are unique and cool, but not quite as stunning. We walked out the front door of our friend's house, and the mountains just grabbed us. We paused for a few minutes to absorb the image. Of course, being from Pennsylvania, I've seen mountains before, but none like these. I think the spectacular views of these mountains might be the saving grace of life in Bardovci. All the electrical, plumbing,and infrastructure issues and stress associated with them must simply melt away with those vistas.

I have always wanted to get a great photo of the mountains blanketed with soft, clean snow, but I never seem to have my camera on sunny days, and it seemed to me that with the impending change of the season that it might not happen this year. Fortunately for me, Mother Nature has decided to give me another opportunity! It is now snowing like crazy here! Hopefully this weekend the sun will come out and allow a chance to capture a terrific photo....stay posted!

Today's odd weather reminded me of a really cute remark by our babysitter earlier this month. She noted that March is the month of the woman, with March 8th being International Woman's Day. Hani said that the weather is like a woman, prone to frequently changing her mind. Mother Nature might feel like wearing her mini-skirt and short sleeves one day, but decide to put on her new leather jacket and boots the next. Thus, the weather changes to suit her mood! I thought that was really funny and makes so much sense. Apparently, today her boots are on and her stylish new umbrella is open!

Kale Fortress

The entrance to the fortress.


A view of a nearby Mosque through a "keyhole" in the stone wall.

Well, after nearly a year of living in Skopje, I finally paid a visit to one of the most "touristy" sites in town...Kale Fortress, known to locals as simply Kale (pronounced Kah-lay). I can't believe it took us so long to go there, and I am glad we finally did. It offers fantastic views of Skopje as well as some insight into the historical aspects of the structure. You can learn more about the history of the "castle" by searching wikipedia or your favorite search engine.

Kale seems to be very popular with not only tourists, but also with the many local families who were picnicking in the grassy areas surrounding the castle remains. Hani told me today she actually celebrated her wedding there many years ago. Inside the walls, there was a dog show going on and we were pleased to see so many adorable dogs happily enjoying the sunshine. The dogs were Sharplanina(Sharplaninec) breed and they were so sweet. Sharplaninas are indigenous to the Balkans, specifically the Macedonian mountain ranges, though it is thought they may have originally hailed from Asia. They are a hardy breed, very large and very loyal to their owners, and rumored to be fantastic with children. It was the first time I actually saw one, and now I want one! Owners proudly escorted their dogs around the Kale grounds, carrying the trophies they've earned. They were everywhere and surprisingly they all got along fabulously!

We wandered around the grounds for a while admiring the exquisite stone work and the amazing condition of the ancient structures. It was a lovely sunny afternoon, so the view was clear and gorgeous. We took lots of photos and I hope you enjoy them! I wish I had taken some photos of the dogs, but alas I didn't so here is a link to a site featuring Sharplaninas...http://www.unet.com.mk/sharplaninec/features.htm or google sharplaninec for tons of great images.

Saturday stroll in the Center

A side view of the new monument.

Arianna with "The Golden Cat"

"The Glitzy Girl"


The new Mother Teresa Monument


Saturday we decided to head into the center to purchase new shoes for Arianna. Amazingly, her feet have grown so fast that she is now wearing the same size as me and therefore has laid claim to my favorite sneakers. To reclaim my shoes, I had to find new ones for her, and since it was such a lovely day, we went shopping. We actually found a decent pair rather quickly, thank goodness. Several months ago when searching for dress shoes for Alina, we were forced to pay the equivalent of $20 for some hideous black sparkly flats that I absolutely hate!!! Arianna lucked out and found some cool shoes for a good price.

On the way back to the parking lot at Ramstor, I snapped of few photos of things that I find interesting. A while back, I posted a photo of the Mother Teresa statue and I mentioned that they were constructing a monument in her honor. Well, it is complete and it is a very interesting architectural structure. I especially like the images of the doves on the front of the building and the beautiful wooden door at the gate. Another newer statue of Mother Teresa is placed on the side of the building, though the original remains too. Unfortunately, the descriptive plaque has already been "tagged" by grafitti artists in true Macedonian style. It is a neat place and someday we will venture up to the top balcony and maybe inside...difficult with a stroller unfortunately.

The other photos are of a couple of sculptures that have recently appeared in the city center. A while back, (uh-oh sounding repetitive) the Ministry of Culture announced the commissioning of a number of sculptures to be placed throughout the center. This move really annoyed many people who thought that public funds should be spent on more important needs, and frankly I agree. It is silly to waste money on art when people are starving and begging on the streets, but I do understand the motives in some small way. The pieces actually do attract a lot of attention and I always see tourists and Macedonians alike posing for photos next to them. I have included photos of two of the sculptures that I pass regularly.

Another interesting observation from our stroll: the upcoming election is gaining momentum and candidates have set up a number of campaign offices in the center. They are brightly decorated and attract attention with loud music and video. I was going to snap some photos but wasn't sure how well that would be received!

Just a typical day out in Skopje!