Macedonia
in a foreigner perspective
- Yes, Republic of Macedonia is in Europe and not in Asia
- Republic of Macedonia, City? Struga!
Macedonia
was born in 1991, at the September 8 when it was decided to separate from
Yugoslavia and it was admitted as a Republic by the United Nations in
1993.
Since then Macedonia started to win its own autonomy. But of
course, as a new born country, it continues to be influenced by the past as well. This is seen in cuisine, for example, which now is made up from a mix of traditional Balkans and Mediterranean flavours. If you
are interested in traditional food you should try the famous
Baklava and the different salads. In Macedonia the language Macedonian, a Slavic language, is spoken. Artitecture resembles mostly an Ottoman style and by confession the population is mostly Christian Orthodox or Muslim.
Republic
of Macedonia it’s a country where the nature plays an important role - full of mountains (80% actually), cliffs and lakes (Ohrid
Lake, Prespa and Doiran). Ohrid Lake is recognized as UNESCO natural world heritage and the city of Ohrid, located on its shore, is recognized as cultural world heritage.
In
Macedonia there are more magic cities to visit: the capital Skopje which is full of things to see and do. As a foreigner I advice you to visit this city when coming to Macedonia, as they always have big parties and shows at Alexander the Great Square. For the ones prefering more quiet things, there is for example the city park to have some snacks and watch a movie at the drive-in cinema.
The
third city that I recommend is Strumica, a place full of animation and nice
people, with a big square, a mall, a big park. Located nearly in the mountains surrounding the city are beautiful waterfalls and around Strumica you find big fields full of tobacco plants, corn and grapes.
It’s
awesome!
The
fourth city is Bitola, the second biggest city in Macedonia, which is a center of diplomacy and a very modern
place, with many cultural events, a variety of different sports activities, good hotels and an animated night life.
With this beautiful
places and nature it is normal if you fall in love for this country,
as I did. Especially if you are a sportive person, there are many outdoor activities to chose from, such
as mountaineering,
climbing, caving,
paragliding, skiing and
snowboarding. But also if you are a person
who prefers to make long walks and explore the landscape Macedonia seems to be the right place, offering many old theatres, byzantine churches,
archaeological places with pre-historic remains. Such is the case inCocev Kamen village in Sospko Rudare (Kratovo), where you can admire sacred temples with painted caves.
Besides all this
wonderful places and things to do - as someone going to
live here for nine months - I can assure you that people here
are the nicest that I ever met, maybe even nicer than the people from my
country, Portugal. Such to tell a small anecdote: In
my third day in here in Struga I was moving to my new apartment, walking from the old apartment to the new one loaded with two big bags and two
boxes. Suddenly a couple just stopped in the middle of the way and asking me whether I was needing help. I answered them “Yes, please.”, they picked up my things, put them in their car and gave me a ride just like that, without expecting something in return.
Another example is that of my roommate and fellow volunteer Bella from Germany. In her first day in
Macedonia she took a bus from Skopje to Struga and the lady sitting next to her was really nice, sharing food and
becoming her friends in a few hours.
This is Macedonia, people!
(Matilde Gaspar)
This is Macedonia, people!
(Matilde Gaspar)
