Istanbul- Part 2

We went to the Topkapi Palace, Turkey's #1 tourist attraction.  It was a beautiful day and we walked around looking at all the rooms that the Sultans use to live in and then visited the Harem. We learned that at one point over 300 women lived in the Sultan's Harem.

 The entrance to the Palace.

 Part of the Harem

All of us at the Palace overlooking the Bosphorus Straight.

After the Palace, we made our way over to the Spice Bazaar.  It was a lot smaller than the Grand Bazaar, but filled with spices, dried fruits, sweets, and teas.

 Dried pepper, eggplants, and some other items. They dry their pepper just like the do in Macedonia.

 When you walk around all you see is piles and piles of spices.

Different kinds of teas.

After the Spice Bazaar, we head towards the water and took a ferry cruise up the Bosphorus.

 All ready for our two-hour cruise.

 On the water.  This is a famous bridge, Faith Bridge, that connects the European side of Turkey with the Asian side.

 Enjoying my Turkish tea on the boat. It got a little cold and windy.

 Afterwards, we grabbed some fish sandwiches.  There are three boats that sell fresh fish sandwiches.

Since it was windy, every time the boat rocked towards the pier the chef threw a sandwich to the waiter.

I could keep going on and on about my trip to Istanbul, but that would take a week of blogging. These were just some of the highlights. We also went to some museums and experienced a Hamam, the traditional Turkish bath.  The women and men go to separate areas and get "washed" and then a massage.  I can say it was an interesting experience; and I can cross that one off the list. 

Istanbul- Part 1

During the Orthodox (Macedonian) Easter, April 15, myself and three other volunteers went to Istanbul, Turkey for a mini-vacation. I have always wanted to see Istanbul; and over the past year many of the other PC volunteers went and looking at their pictures made me what to go even more.

We flew, because there was no way I was going to survive 12+ hours on a bus (one way), and arrived late the first night. We stayed at the Big Apple Hostel, which was perfectly located in the Sultanahmet area. The hostel is run by a family and they were all very nice.

The next day we got up and went to go see the main sites:

Our first stop was Aya Sofia, also called the Church of Divine Wisdom. Its one of the world's greatest buildings.

Inside Aya Sofia.

Making a wish on the "wishing pillar". Hopefully, my wish will come true and I can return to Istanbul one day.

After enjoying some delicious Turkish food: chicken kebabs, pita with humus, and traditional Turkish lentil soup. Our next stop was the famous Blue Mosque.

It's called that because its covered in blue titles. It is the most photographed mosque.

Inside the Blue Mosque. It was not prayer time; so we did not have to cover our heads, but like all mosques....

we had to take off our shoes.

Then it was time for some SHOPPING!!! And there is no better place than the Grand Bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar is HUGE!!! You could get lost in there for days. We felt like we were walking around in circles, but we did not mind. There was too much to see and buy.

Pottery.

Scarves.

And of course belly dancing outfits. No I did not buy one. The interesting thing about shopping in Istanbul is that the merchants do not put prices on their items. Part of the experience is bargaining. At the beginning I was a bit hesitant, but after walking around for awhile and seeing how others did it, I got the hang of it. The trick is to know how much you are willing to pay for the item; and slowly work your way down to that price and then stick to your guns.  If you keep saying the same price, the merchant will see you really want the item; and if it's not ridiculously low, he will normally give it to you at the price you are asking.

Stay tuned for the rest of my Istanbul trip!!!

National Spelling Bee 2012

On April 7th, Irena, Maria, and I took thirteen of our students up to Skopje for the National Spelling Bee.  This was the first time we were bringing students to the Spelling Bee; last year I went just to go check it out.  Our students had been practicing for weeks and they were excited to compete and meet other students from around Macedonia.  In total around 800-900 kids from grades 5-12 came from all over Macedonia to compete.  It was a full day event.  Irena, myself and the students left Resen at around 5am and we did not get back to Resen until around 8pm.

On top of helping Irena with our students, I was also volunteering at the Bee.  Based on last year, they "created" a position for me.......Hallway Monitor.  Last year all the students were in the hallways waiting for their turn to spell and it tended to get a little noisy.  So my "teacher voice" came out a few times.  I wanted to be in the hallways again this year, because I could help out at the Bee and also watch my students compete at the same time.  All our kids did a great job.  They had to stand in line and when it was their turn, they had to write the word instead of the traditional way of "spelling" the word out loud.  Most of our Resen students made it to the finals and two of them got very far along in the finals.

When I met up with all of them at the end of the day, I was expecting them to be tired and cranky, since it was a VERY full day.  But it was just the opposite.  When I entered "their room" (they had claimed it so all the kids knew where Irena and Maria were) I was greeted with a loud "HEY!"  They were still full of energy and talking and laughing about what had happened during the bees.  A big reason why everyone was still in good spirits was because one of our students, Vojo (5th grade), aka the class clown, was acting out scenes from Turkish soap operas and telling jokes.  Even during the three hour combi ride back, he was still joking and making everyone laugh.  Irena and I have already decided that he "HAS" to go again next year, since he is now our Spelling Bee Cheerleader. 

Congressional Procession in Macedonia

A lot has happened in the past few weeks, so this is the first of a few blogs.  About two weeks ago I was called up to Skopje because a few Congressmen were here visitng, and one of them was Congressman Gerry Connolly from Virginia.   In total there were five Congressmen:  Virginia, Washington, North Carolina, California, and Minnesota.  For most of them it was their first trip to Macedonia, for the Congressman from California it was either his fourth or fifth time.  They visited five countries in five days and Macedonia was their last stop.  This "procession" as they call it is something they do about four times a year.  They come and meet with the political leaders in each country and give guidance.  It was a lot of fun getting to meet them all and telling them about Macedonia, the culture, the people, the food, and also what we are doing here as volunteers.  But I think the best part for us volunteers was raiding the American food that they brought with them!!!  Root beer, Dr. Pepper (my favorite), Oreos, Cheese-its, the list goes on and on. We, meaning the volunteers, had planned to go out to dinner afterwards, but most of us filled up on all the goodies. And of course you know we left with some of the food too..... doggie bags!!!

 Myself, along with other volunteers, and our Country Director (the gentleman in the suit and tie) talking with one of the Congressmen (Gerry Connelly) at the fancy Holiday Inn in Skopje.

 All of us, plus our Country Director, with VA Congressman Gerry Connolly and the American Ambassador (center).

Myself and a fellow Virginia volunteer, Jason, with Congressman Gerry Connolly.

As we were getting ready to leave we ran into the Congressman from Washington. He had just gotten back from buying a Macedonian soccer jersey and he put it on to take a picture with us.

It was a great time and it was an honor to be able to sit and talk to the Congressmen about Macedonia and what I am doing here.