Ok... change of pace here :)

This entry is titled in this manner for a couple of reasons... first, off... no big shocker here, Shell nor I are great at keeping up with a blog :). I feel like I could fill up the internet with all that we could share, but sitting down and doing it has been more difficult. I suppose I've been keeping a sort of "photo diary" of events and destinations on my Facebook page, so be sure to check that out in my albums. If you don't have Facebook, I'm going to start sharing the links on the blog more often. So, as a change of pace for blogging here I'll be doing small bits/updates more often instead of novel-like updates (yes, three paragraphs in blogging for me feels like a novel). Thanks for hanging in there as we go through our blogging growing pains :)

My second reason for the title is the change of pace in Macedonia! We are now officially at our sites in Struga, Macedonia. We became official Peace Corps Volunteers on Thanksgiving Day and moved to site the next day. Relationships are much more important in Macedonia, even at the work place, than they are in America.  Work often comes second to forming strong bonds, often over a cup of coffee.  This isn't to say that there are not many hard working Macedonians or that we haven't gotten small things accomplished in our one month at site.  But, it is certainly a different lifestyle that has many advantages we look forward to bringing back with us to the states.

Here is a brief recap on our sites - Shelley is working for an NGO called Poraka Nova. This organization is one of three in all of Macedonia that provides direct care, programming, and education for 15-20 individuals with intellectual disabilities.  If you know Shell (and you do probably do because you're reading this blog), she is made to work with this organization Macedonia. I'm teaching English at a music high school in Struga. There are about 80 motivated and very talented students that attend this school. Shell and I both work with Macedonians and ethnic Albanians day to day at Struga is a multi-ethnic community.

Enjoy some photos to catch up on some of our adventures over here when not working with our organizations. 

Struga Winter to Fall

Signing off now. Here's a cool little letter we got for the President... no big deal...