Tag: lifestyle

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Growing Up a Diasporan Series – The Macedonian Home

Toronto Dance Ensemble "Makedonka" Source: Youtube Screenshot

Being a part of a Macedonian home in the Western world is interesting. You have a lot of things to learn, a lot of rules to follow, and a lot of cooking and cleaning to do. These are the circumstances most diaspora members experience in the Macedonian household.

Thankfully, when it comes to keeping Macedonian culture in this household, parents typically push their children to learn how to speak both Macedonian and another language. In my case, like many others, I learned to speak Macedonian first, but then I stopped because I had to learn English for school. I later learned to speak it thoroughly when I was 7. Having children go through this means that the Macedonian culture will still be able to live on in other places. Unfortunately, in many instances,  the culture has had to be put on the back-burner due to the immediate need of a family to assimilate and acclimate to a new location.

Typical Macedonian households, aside from valuing Macedonia’s culture and language, also value education. Parents usually hold their struggle to get here over their children to ensure they work hard because they “came here so you could get a better education and future”—meaning excellent grades must be maintained. This staple argument rebuttal is used to remind children where they came from and how to do something to show that there is a higher purpose to the sacrifices that have been made for them. I would be lying if I didn’t say that this mean getting almost straight A’s for as long as I could remember.

Not only does being in a Macedonian household change one’s habits, it also changes their taste buds. Being in a common Macedonian household means a feast of traditional Macedonian dishes is guaranteed– even for the smallest of gatherings. Whether that is for coffee or for a slava, parents and grandparents try to teach the youth as many recipes as they can to ensure that when they are off on their own one day,  they can learn to make these for their own children, and try to keep their Macedonian culture alive. Don’t get me wrong- I could go for a typical Western meal any day, but burek, gravče and sirenje will always have a special place in my heart.

The Macedonian parenting style in Western culture is very hard to find a balance in. For instance, you might drink your first glass of rakija before you enter high school, but might not be able to go out past 10 pm unless you’re with Macedonians. Unfortunately, having this diaspora lifestyle means that your social life is barely existent unless you’re with Macedonians. For instance, if you had to go to dinner with Rachel from school, you wouldn’t be allowed. However if you were going to a party with Bojana, they wouldn’t care as much- after all, naši sme right?

All of these little lessons taught from Macedonian households that are still adapting to a new society teach great skills of independence, hospitality and heritage. Although unconventional to onlookers, new generations of Macedonians are going to go far with what they have obtained in their household. However, in all of these a common thread of one lesson can be learned, which is to raise Macedonian kids to be proud of who they are. It is the best way for us to help our homeland, by raising Macedonians invested in helping our ancestral land and being able to make changes.

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The views of the author may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Macedonian Diaspora and Generation M.

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Internet Connectivity in Macedonia – Why It Matters

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/%D0%98%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%86%D0%B8_04.jpg
The village of Ivankovci near Veles, Macedonia.

Walking down the roads of the village Ivankovci in Veles, one can truly appreciate the way that the picturesque architecture complements the trees and grasses on the hillside. With peaks reaching up to the sky, the air is pure. The lifestyle is simple and comfortable. But, a trip to the more developed metropolitan areas, such as Skopje, reminds one of the stark differences between the rural and the urban realms of Macedonia. And one important difference is affordable Internet access.

Access to affordable Internet, a privilege that many of us who have gone to *stranstvo take for granted, was scarce in the beginning of the 21st century for Macedonian citizens. This scarcity was particularly problematic because while the rest of the world was quickly integrating the Internet into every aspect of daily life, students in Macedonian schools rarely if ever had access to the wealth of information available on-line. In just under a decade, however, all of that would change.

With the support of USAID, the approximately 460 primary and secondary schools throughout Macedonia now have access to this important resource for education in the modern world. USAID also provided many of the same resources to institutions for higher education. Modernizing education in Macedonia by providing Internet access was accomplished through several programs, spanning the years from 2001 to 2007. The time-line of events and initiatives is as follows:

  • 2001: USAID provided funding to South East European University in Tetovo, Macedonia. This allowed the University to acquire up-to-date technology for its’ computer center and library, as well as hire instructors that teach business administration and computer science and technology courses.
  • 2002: The USAID’s Creative Teaching and Learning Project installed 63 media labs with computers capable of accessing the Internet in 45 primary schools and 18 secondary schools.
  • 2003: Due to the progress so far, only 4% of the whole population had Internet access.
  • 2005: Through the E-School Project, USAID installed computer labs in the primary and secondary schools in Macedonia. First, the 2,000 computers donated from China were installed in all 100 of the secondary schools. Then, another 3,300 computers were installed in wireless labs in the 360 primary schools.
  • September, 2005: USAID’s Macedonia Connect Project helped provide Macedonians with accessible and affordable broadband internet. Due to this step, 550 primary schools, secondary schools, university departments, and educational-support organizations have access to high-speed internet.
  • 2007: The project wrapped up, and approximately 95% of the population had access to affordable Internet.
Wi-fi kiosks attached to schools in villages of Staro Nagoricane municipality.

Granting the rural citizens access this increasingly important commodity certainly helped curtail the education gap between urban and rural Macedonians. Moreover, it also provided the country’s ethnic minorities, the Romani (2.66% of the population) and Albanians (25.2% of the population), access to the same quality education. For a long time there was quite a disparity between the lifestyles of ethnic Macedonians and the aforementioned ethnic minorities. These minority groups primarily live in the countryside, alongside Macedonians of a low-income background. Due to generations of segregation, the Romani and Albanians had experienced a lower quality of life. In their efforts to aid the Romani population, USAID, in cooperation with the Macedonian government, enacted the Roma Education Project, with its goal being:

To close the gap in welfare and living conditions between the Roma and the non-Roma.

To this end, USAID in 2004 provided 269 Romani students in secondary schools and 31 Romani students at university with scholarships intended to  encourage higher levels of Romani enrollment in institutions of higher education. The project also established Roma Educational Centers for out-of-school aid in Skopje, Kumanovo, and Prilep. As for the Albanian population, Zoran Popovski, Secretary of State for Education and Science, said of the Macedonia Connects initiative in a 2005 interview with the BBC that:

It should serve as a very useful tool for interactive communication between multi-ethnic schools.

Internet connectivity in Macedonia, thus, not only serves to connect wealthy urban students with educational opportunities that match those available in many Western industrialized nations. It also enables the citizens of Macedonia to break down barriers constructed due to generations of wealth disparities and ethnically segregated schools and villages.

Now, on to the technical side of the matter. You may be wondering, “just how exactly did they manage to go from 4% to 95% of the population having Internet access?” Well, close that tab and look no further. Joe Duncan, who serves as the G.B.I. Program Lead for USAID, provides the following explanation:

This connectivity was undertaken through a competitive process where a local Internet Service Provider (ISP) was able to build this nation wide network in just 4 years. Motorola provided the wireless technology solution set, Canopy, a pre-WiMAX solution.

Put into layman’s terms, local ISP’s, such as On.net, create Wi-fi clouds through Strix Systems radio-mesh technology. These “clouds” encompass whole towns and villages and are accessible to anyone with a wireless-enabled laptop upon purchasing a card with wireless credits. Glenn Strachan, Macedonia Connects director, explains that “people will be able to view the various wireless solutions within any given spot in Skopje or Bitola and connect to the Internet just as you might in New York City.”

Some of the available Wi-fi hotspots from village Vrapchishte to village Zrnovci.

The transition from only a minority of Macedonians having Internet access at the beginning of the century, to nearly all citizens having affordable access in just under a decade placed Macedonia as 92nd in the world in regards to number of Internet hosts, and 79th in the world in regards to fixed Internet broadband subscriptions.

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*stranstvo: abroad

*pictured above: image of Ivankovci, near Veles, Macedonia.

Notice: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of myself, UMD, and generation M.

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Message from Bitola

Anybody who has ever met somebody from Bitola knows that we hold our city on a pedestal unlike many others. Seldom can any warm-blooded Bitola native hear “Bitola Moj Roden Kraj” and not shed a tear. 500 other recorded songs alone attest to the fact that the city has had a particular prestige in the hearts and memories of its natives and all those who found warmth in its hospitality. Part of our folklore, like elsewhere in Macedonia, talks about the heartache of pechalbari* leaving their homes, and Bitola waiting for their return that would never come. As an emigre who never returned home, I know this separation first hand. I know the pain of being torn from one’s home. However, I also know the pain of watching the life of your city slowly drained.

Part of growing up in the diaspora is coming to terms with the fact that our beloved homeland, so adored in our songs and hearts, is not what currently exists. Having gone to Bitola more times than I can recall over the years, I have seen this first hand. Every year I noticed more and more of my family and friends having gone to stranstvo**. Just on my street alone, friends I knew have moved to Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark—and sadly, even Bulgaria. Out of a scene from Atlas Shrugged, I drive by and see the abandoned factories—vestigial remnants of a once proud and industrious city. Ironically, in a Shakespearean twist, the biggest employer of the city is also slowly suffocating it.

Closed stores in the Old Bazaar district of Bitola

Now, the disease has spread to the very heart of the city, the famed Sirok Sokak. Not only is it a shell of its former self, with no youthful exuberance and carefree idleness to stroll through its street, but it is has become anemic for businesses. Recent reports show that some 12 stores in a row have closed their doors. With uncertainty about the future, and less overall consumer spending, stores and restaurants that once served to distract us from the coming storm have now also abandoned us. Now, reality has set in.

The prime movers and intelligentsia of the city have fled. For a city of the arts that once boasted 1,200 private pianos that filled the air with Mozart, Bitola in 2017 does not even have a proper bookstore to showcase its proud history. For a city which boldly and unapologetically pushed into the future with its first film footage in the Balkans shot by the Manaki brothers, it now does not even have an official theater. In its past, Bitola had running water and electricity before Skopje even did. Now, the city is dotted with abandoned construction sites for shopping centers, garages, and houses—a painful reminder of the hopes and dreams we shared as a city.

Between our love of our homeland and a good vacation, the diaspora often come across a negative stigma when at home. We may shout our love of Macedonia to the world, but we are often asked if our patriotism would remain true if we were to live the lives of our brethren back home. I don’t know how many of us, myself included, can answer in the affirmative. As Bitolchani, we may be sustained by images of our former glory—a veritable European cosmopolitan and City of Consuls– but the truth is, our city is not the city we remember.

Many decades ago, we waited with sorrow and disillusionment for our pechalbari to return. Now, we are waiting for our city to return. Statistics on GDP growth and official unemployment may be used to paint a different picture, but no numbers can cover up the fact that life is pouring out of Bitola. The current system is unsustainable and will inevitably lead to a loss of not just Bitola, but many parts of Macedonia. No party platform can fix this. As the diaspora, our dollars can only go so far in the summer months, before the cold reality of winter sets in. The first step in solving a problem is realizing there is one. As the diaspora, we cannot live on just singing songs about our home and then returning for vacation as more foreigners than actual Macedonians back home. The only way to stop the bleeding is to re-build. We must support our communities, support worthy causes, and develop a true connection to our land and the struggles of its people. Most importantly, we must restore the confidence in Macedonia that is depleted every single day from another person having gone abroad. We have been blessed to call America, Canada, and Australia our homes, and we cannot stand by while the life is drained from the cities that gave us form. We cannot be the disillusioned lost generation that parties aimlessly to drown out the moans of our city. We cannot, and will not, be the pechalbari that did not return.

*pechalbari is the name for Macedonian migrants that sought to temporarily work abroad to save up money and eventually return home
**stranstvo is the catch-all word denoting abroad, but usually referring to the West.

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The views of the author may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Macedonian Diaspora and Generation M.

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Why Coffee Makes Macedonia Go ‘Round

Coffee.

Where would we be without it?

Coffee has been a staple drink since the 11th century when the coffee plant was discovered in Ethiopia and the beans were boiled and thought to have medicinal properties. Its popularity spread like wildfire through the Arabian Peninsula reaching Yemen by the 14th century. From there it was introduced to Istanbul in 1555 where a new method of drinking the coffee was uncovered. The Turks roasted the beans over a fire and then ground them before cooking them with boiling water; a method that is very familiar to us today.

This brings us to where Macedonia’s love affair with coffee began. Coffee was introduced to Macedonia by the Turkish in the 15th century during the rule of the Ottoman Empire. By the 17th century, both the acts of making and drinking coffee were intertwined with almost every aspect of Macedonian life including marriage, politics, and everything in between. It is no surprise then that drinking coffee has now become a concrete part of Macedonian social culture.

While you’re chugging a venti something-or-another during your morning commute, a Macedonian woman is calling her neighbor over to have a cup of coffee. Come back in two hours, after you’ve arrived at work, clocked in, and been through an entire meeting and you’ll find the two Macedonian women in the same place you left them, their coffee only half finished.

Instead of drinking coffee for an energy boost, the people of Macedonia, both young and old use it to interact with each other daily. Like you would invite someone over to your house because you want to spend time with them, a Macedonian person would invite you na kafe which loosely translates to out for coffee. There you would spend at least an hour and a half, if not more, just talking and taking increasingly small sips of your coffee to make it last.

This staple of Macedonian living creates a culture that encourages interaction with others routinely. In fact, it is not uncommon for individuals to have more than two coffees a day because they are often spending time in cafes or at other people’s houses.

Unfortunately, this concept of frequent social interactions has become increasingly foreign to people outside of Macedonia in recent years. Considering the size of the population of Northern America one would assume that society has become more social but that is simply not the case. In fact, in recent years people have become more secluded and self-interested than ever. Being “anti-social” is even touted as something to be proud of by young people on social media.

If there is anything that should be taken away from Macedonian coffee culture it is that we need to take a page out of their book and begin making time for one another. Whether we gather around a cup of coffee or for a round of bowling it doesn’t matter as long as we’re spending time together.

So, the next time you’re in the mood for coffee invite someone along, spend a couple of hours talking, see what difference that makes.

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The views of the author may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Macedonian Diaspora and Generation M.