Kumanovo

We landed at Skopje International Airport and there were 3 members of Peace Corps Macedonia there waiting for us.  They helped us get our bags and told us to head outside and load our things onto the truck.  Well once through the doors there was a large group of current volunteers cheering, holding signs, welcoming us to Macedonia.  We were all exhausted from the journey and all we could do was smile and laugh.  They put all of our luggage onto the back of a semi and we all loaded into a bus and we were off to the hotel.  Once at Hotel Satellite there were more volunteers there to welcome us and help load all of our luggage off the truck and up two flights of steps to where we would be staying for the next 5 days.  Once we got settled we all headed down stairs to the restaurant and were greeted by two Macedonian teenagers dressed in traditional outfits.

This was a traditional Macedonian greeting.  They offered us bread and salt.  It is custom to drip the bread into the salt and eat it.  This custom is saying that even though the Macedonian people are poor and could only afford bread and salt they would still offer it to their guests.

Later that day we also were introduced to the other people who work for Peace Corps Macedonia and that we will be working with for the next 2-3 months during our pre-service training.
The rest of the day we dedicated to relaxing and adjusting to the new time zone.