I have to leave in a minute

[thetrainsgoby]

But this is kind of important. I'm going to Macedonia. My staging event is September 20th-22nd, and I get to Macedonia the 24th. I'll be there until December 13th, 2009. I'm going to be teaching English to elementary school kids. I'll probably learn Macedonian, although there's a chance I'll be learning Albanian. And I will most likely be

Comments

[bobbirohrs]

wow! Good. Good about all of this. Macedonia is much safer than many of the potential countries on the list for placement. And I bet it is unbelievably beautiful! I'm so excited for you. : )

[thetrainsgoby]

Thank you! It is a very safe country. The crime rate is really low, particularly since there are actually quite a few volunteers there. For such a small country, it's got 104, and there are virtually no violent crimes among them. And it's mountainous, so I'm guessing you're right about the unbelievably beautiful! I'll be in a small village somewhere. I'm really excited too. I hope your summer is going well! You should go to David's going away party! You truly should. That would be so cool!

[alysbrangwin]

holy crap that is awesome! you can vacation in Greece too!

[alysbrangwin]

p.s. I would like to say that I predicted it! you knew before the end of July! happy dancing all around!

[thetrainsgoby]

As always, the infallible Anne-Marie was right! Now, tell me that I'm going to find someone while I'm gone...do it....and then you can too, if you want to. By the way, it seems a little unfair...you know, what with us needing to get clearance before leaving the country, and Kazakhstan being so much bigger than Macedonia (my conservative estimate is 150 times). You can roam free, while I am confined to the mountains and rivers of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Seriously, now I'm all excited again. And you must be, too! You've got like...three weeks left? Crazy!!!

[alysbrangwin]

I'm kinda jealous. you're close to Croatia too. Croatian beaches are supposed to be some of the best in Europa! I'm gonna be in the ninth largest country in the world, so I might not get to go international much at all (though they say that lots of people vacation in Thailand), and I'm not close to Europe which I would have liked. and that whole permafrost thing...you're gonna be hot a lot, I bet! and now I have like two weeks left. I think I'm unprepared. OY!

so what bizarre items did they put on your packing list in your "welcome book?" I had to get hiking boots, and I've never hiked a day in my life! they say that the boots are for the winter when I have to walk to class! I've been around such serious winter.

and normally I am infallible, but that was just a good guess :)

[stormysbest]

2009! Do you get to come home at all before then? For holidays?

[thetrainsgoby]

Well, I'm going to try to fly home next September for my Dad's fiftieth, but there's no real guarantee I'll get back. Pretty crazy, eh?