Pinch Me

Breaking news: Paris is a fantastic place to get married. You read it here first.

I could've sworn our boarding passes said "Depart Skopje / Arrive Paris," but it turns out they truly read, "Depart Peace Corps / Arrive Lap of Luxury." Perhaps you remember that TV show Quantum Leap in which everyman quantum physicist Sam Beckett would "leap" into the bodies of various people through history and live their lives for a few days. Each episode would begin with him making the leap and then muttering, "Oh boy," as he takes in his new situation.

Well, Jillian and I felt a bit like Sam Beckett as we made our way down Champs-Élysées towards our hotel. We had "leaped" from Macedonia on to la plus belle avenue du monde. And as we set down our oversized backpacks in a hotel room complete with His 'n Hers matching bathrobes, we didn't so much as mutter "oh boy" as we did exclaim, "Holy s--t!"

So it was a pretty magical weekend. The occasion was the wedding of Jillian's sister Alexandra (San Diego transplant living in Manhattan...you know those voice menus you get when calling 800-numbers? "To pay your parking ticket using your Mastercard, please say or press 1." Yeah, she makes those) and Markus (Finnish-born puppet-master of financial markets). A small contingent of immediate family and close friends were on hand for three days in one of the finest cities in all the world.

This was my first time and it was Jillian's second time in Paris, so I'll spare you all the pretentious, "Ignoring the mindless herd of tourists, I set out to find the real Paris" b.s. We went to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Truimph, Montmartre, the Louvre, and Musee D'Orsay. Like any great city, Paris exceeded my already high expectations. The architecture--which I had seen echoes of in Quebec and, to a lesser extent, New Orleans--makes every street a photogenic panorama of wrought iron and balconies. On the night of the wedding, after the reception had wound down, Jillian and I joined Aline, a friend of Alex's who had performed the ceremony, on a 3am jaunt over to the Eiffel Tower. Unlit at that hour, it nonetheless cut a rather imposing figure against the cloudy evening sky. The streets surrounding the tower were hushed; the evening's last wine had been poured.

At Sacre Coeur

Sitting in swanky Parisian bars, sipping cafe au lait along a sidewalk, eating fresh crepes in a cobblestone square--I just had to let myself giggle a few times at what an incredible time we were all having. The families were together for an instant classic, one of those "remember when" weekends. On our last day together, we ascended Montmartre to see Sacre Coeur, the beautiful Catholic basilica, and to walk the narrow streets for some shopping (ladies) and enjoying beverages (men).

But let me back up: the wedding was just incredible. Held at a hotel situated nicely between Champs-Élysées and the tower, it was elegant in every sense of the word. From getting ready to the ceremony to the drinks-and-hors d'vores reception to the formal dinner reception, the wedding party and guests just floated along on a cloud of comfort and jubilance. Alex looked downright resplendent in her dress, which included a bonafide train. Jillian took it upon herself to be the unoffical, um, train fixer-upper for all of the couple's official wedding photos. The photographer was beside himself with gratitude.

Dan with the Auckland sisters: Jillian, Alex & Jaime

Markus, meanwhile, looked as though he couldn't have been any less surprised that the wedding and reception--in fact, everything surrounding the event--went perfectly. Just a couple of hours before the ceremony, he and I sat down for a couple of beers (at least I think that's what we were drinking...it was called Monaco and it was apparently fruit juice-infused beer) as he pulled some last minute levers to arrange for a bridal bouquet and flowers for the mothers. Totally in control. In fact, the evening's most memorable line proved to be perhaps the single best summation of Markus. As we all climbed out of our wedding attire late that night, a well-imbibed Markus responded to a query about flights the next day with, "Baby, I make things happen!"

That he did. And Paris did the rest. Alas, all things must come to an end. Even Sam Beckett finally made the leap home.

[As always, lots more photos can be found by clicking on "Our Photos" on the right sidebar.]

Hear Him Roar (Ok, Squeak)

We decided some time ago that we were absolutely, positively not in the market for a pet while living in Macedonia. In addition to the responsibility of caring for that pet, there was the whole question about what to do when it was time to come home--could the pet come home? And if so, exactly how many bureaucratic hoops would we have to jump through to make it happen? And there was the whole question of veterinarians and pet health. Simply put, it all sounded like a bit of a headache that we didn't want.

How quickly some convictions die.

But before I introduce little Arye, some background: Bob Barker would be terribly appalled at the lack of pet management in Macedonia. There's little-to-no sterilization performed on cats and dogs around these parts and as a result strays are ubiquitous. Combined with a very different attitude about what constitutes a pet (for instance, it's extremely rare to find households where the cat or dog is allowed inside), and you have a recipe for some rather heartbreaking situations.

The most common situation is that in any given litter of cats or dogs, those that can't be given away are cast out on to the street. Some survive, most don't. It's not an act of cruelty, per se, but simple economics--families here can't support feeding and caring for many animals and since strays are an accepted part of community life, it doesn't seem particularly inhumane to turn puppies and kittens out on their own. For we Americans this can be a bit rough seeing small, malnourished cats and dogs scavenging for food or, even worse, stumbling upon a corpse.

Anyway, we wear our concern for animals on our sleeves, which must be why someone got the idea that we would be an ideal home for a kitten. Whoever it was, I can't be too mad at them--however uncool it may be to drop a kitten on someone's doorstep, the alternative was, well, you know.

It wasn't even our doorstep the kitten landed on, but rather our balcony, accessible only by climbing up on the roof of a carport. Someone undoubtedly enlisted the aid of one of the local kids, who routinely climb up to fetch their soccer balls off our balcony if we're not home. So there we were, having a study session with a couple of students, when we heard some uncommonly loud crying outside. We first assumed those same local kids were torturing a cat (unfortunately, known to happen). Then we peered out. And found a tiny kitten on the balcony.

Based on everything we've read, we're guessing he's around four weeks old. Ok, for starters, we don't even know if it's a "he" because the sex of a kitten doesn't become readily apparent until the sixth week or so. Since kittens should ideally remain with their mothers for 8-10 weeks, this little guy missed out on some quality mom time. He obviously just learned to walk and he's a rather uncoordinated player. He can't yet jump, so every ascension of the family couch or easy chair is an epic climbing expedition.

He's tiny and cute and cuddly. There's basically two things he wants: his food dish full and our laps empty. To say that he mews would be a bit grandiose; it's more like a little squeak, something exhaled from a dog's toy. So far he's confined his exploration of the house to two rooms--well, given that he can't navigate stairs, that's all he can really do.

His spotting pattern led Jillian to say that he appears to be wearing a yarmulke. In honor of that astute observation, we named him Arye (R-yay), which is Hebrew for "lion."

As for our promise to avoid pets while living in Macedonia...that evaporated into the summer air in about two minutes. Besides, what could we do? There's no one to give him over to and we sure as heck weren't about to turn him away. And so far he's been nothing but adorable and fun.

Next week we're off to Paris for the wedding of Jillian's sister and then on to Spain for some sightseeing. Arye will be well cared for by some friends in Skopje. See you in a few weeks!

Girls Leading Our World

When I was told that Peace Corps volunteers in Macedonia conducted a national leadership camp for high school girls every summer, I knew I had to be involved in some way. After years of dedicating a week of my summer, every summer, to a similar program in California, I couldn't imagine not contributing to such a worthy endeavor. Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) here in Macedonia proved to be as valuable as I had imagined.

Arrival at Camp

Last week, this camp was realized in Pelister National Park in southern Macedonia. 80 talented young women from all over Macedonia came together for a week of classes, activities and fun. They learned about topics such as discrimination and cultural stereotypes, self-esteem and body image, career planning, women's health, volunteerism, environment, objectification of women in the media, peer pressure, peace education, nutrition and many others. Oh, and by the way, not only did the girls participate and engage in all these topics, they did so in their second language--English!

Team Building Activity

The girls were organized into 8 groups, each group having a Peace Corps Volunteer Counselor and a Macedonian Junior Counselor. These group leaders kept a close eye on the girls, ensuring their attendance, participation and understanding in the classes. The day started at 8:00 and kept the girls busy until 11:00 every night. Although the girls complained about being too busy, by the end of the week they were so thankful that we packed the schedule with such meaningful activities.

Making Friendship Bracelets

Alas, I did not have a group and I found myself missing the interactions with campers which I know can be so fun and rewarding. My role was a little different than I was used to back in California. As one of the coordinators of the camp, I did a lot of the work required to create and implement the program elements. This year, I was sort of an assistant, learning the ropes of the camp, shadowing the other coordinators, tying up loose ends, while next year I'll be running the show. There is quite a lot of preparation that goes into planning and running a camp of this magnitude --recruiting, staff, training, rosters, program elements, schedules, materials, manuals, facilities, not to mention the financial aspect, which another volunteer is in charge of (thankfully). It was a bit of an adjustment to this new role, but I really enjoyed it and found I was kinda good at it. It actually sparked an interest in me in the area of curriculum development and administration. Who knows...

Bube & Me in Tie-Dye

The highlight of my week though was watching the girls I had sponsored to come to GLOW from our town. We had 5 girls attend GLOW as campers and 1 attend as a senior counselor. I was like a proud mother cheering for them as they contributed something to a class or displayed their excellent English language skills. Many of the counselors commented that our girls were, as a group, the best. They had the most developed critical thinking skills, great attitudes, the most fluency, the largest vocabulary...they were great! I was so proud of them.

The Campers From Our Town

Camp GLOW was not only an amazing experience for the campers, but also for me. Every summer after camp, I always feel incredibly empowered, inspired, and rejuvenated. I questioned whether or not this camp would have the same impact on me. Well, it turns out it did...and I'm GLOWing.