Shayne's Crazy Makdo Life

Partying it Up, Evil-Style

This past weekend, I got to go to the lovely city of Ohrid, which is considered the one and only vacation spot in Macedonia. It's a pretty gorgeous city, right on the lake, with lots of cool historical stuff going on too. I've been there a few times already and have really enjoyed it. Anyways, it was a MAK 9's birthday, and she was having a party at her apartment in Ohrid, so I decided to make a weekend of it and went down on Friday, met up with my friend, Beth, and we both stayed in Struga (a city about 20 minutes away from Ohrid, also on the lake) with our friend, Liz. Lots of good times were had involving cooking, costumes, and Napoleon Dynamite. Oh yeah, the party had a theme- Good and Evil. We all had to dress as something representing good or evil. So, naturally, I went as a devil. As you can see in the pic (with Anya the Angel), it's not the most original of costumes, but we're all working with very limited wardrobes and no thrift stores. I also made applesauce, because we all know how evil apples are (think Adam & Eve and Snow White). The party was a blast and it was fun seeing everyone else's creative costumes. I have other fun pictures, but I have to protect the identities of others from the party ;)

Also, this past Monday, I had the opportunity to speak to a 4th year English Education college class at Southeastern European University (SEE) with another volunteer. Our subject was textbook analysis, which sounds really boring, but we basically just talked about the pros and cons of the book we use, as well as some other ideas about using textbooks in general. We spoke to two classes, and they were both really receptive and had some great questions and ideas of their own, which was really great. Also, the campus is absolutely gorgeous!!! It's so clean and beautiful! Granted, it's only 4 years old and is supported by USAID and other foreign aid organizations instead of the state like the other universities here. But, I was still really impressed with the campus as well as the students. We're hoping to do further collaborations with SEE, which I think will be really successful and a great experience.

Other than that, spring is here and with it comes gorgeous weather, blooming trees, more fruit and veggie options at the market, and much more time spent outside, whether reading, walking around, or bike riding (a hobby I've picked up recently). It's hard to believe that this will be my last spring here! How time flies....

posted by Shayne @ 10:39 PM