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I AWOKE SUNDAY MORNING. DOBRILLA SERVED A BREAKFAST OF TOMATOES, BREAD, CHEESE, BOLOGNA (THEY CALL IT SALAMI), AND TURKISH COFFEE--POWDERED COFFEE THROWN INTO BOILING WATER FOR ABOUT A MINUTE AND SERVED IN VERY SMALL CUPS. A THIRD OF THAT CUP BECOMES SLUDGE LEAVING TWO GULPS OF LIQUID. IT IS A BALKAN CUSTOM TO TURN THE CUP UPSIDE-DOWN AND TELL A PERSON'S FORTUNE BY THE PATTERN OF THE DRIPPING SLUDGE. UNFORTUNATELY NO ONE IN THE FAMILY KNEW HOW TO DO THIS.
THE VILLAGE HAD ALREADY HEARD THAT THE FAMILY WAS EXPECTING AN AMERICAN GUEST. I WAS AN INSTANT CELEBRITY AS FRIENDS AND RELATIVES WOULD DROP BY TO MEET ME. I HAD BROUGHT A BOX OF CIGARS AND HANDED THEM OUT TO DANIEL AND HIS FRIENDS. THEY TOOK PICTURES WITH THEIR CELLPHONES AS WE PUFFED AWAY. PETAR, WHO DIDN’T USUALLY SMOKE (UNCOMMON IN MACEDONIA), ENJOYED HIS STOGIE BECAUSE TITO, THE FORMER DICTATOR OF YUGOSLAVIA, HAD SMOKED CIGARS.
PETAR, THE SHAWMEISTER, DANIEL, AND FRIENDS DARCO AND NAUMCEK
MISLESEVO’S CLAIM TO FAME WAS A FALL PAGAN FESTIVAL THAT MOCKED POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS FIGURES--MY KIND OF TOWN!
(THAT’S NIKOLCE PLAYING THE ACCORDION.)
ON MY FIRST VISIT TO MACEDONIA NIKOLCE HAD SHOWN ME THE FAMILY'S INVESTMENT, A HOTEL NEAR LAKE OHRID. CONSTRUCTION HAD STARTED SEVERAL YEARS EARLIER BUT WAS UNFINISHED BECAUSE OF LACK OF FUNDS. NIKOLCE HAD BEEN DRIVING A CAB FOR MEAGER WAGES AND PETAR HAD LOST HIS JOB IN A LARGE RETAIL STORE WHEN THEY COMPLETELY “CLEANED HOUSE” AND FIRED ALL THE EMPLOYEES BECAUSE UPPER MANAGEMENT WAS FOUND GUILTY OF EMBEZZLING. IN ONE E-MAIL NIKOLCE SAID THEY NEEDED SOME MONEY TO GET SEVERAL ROOMS PREPARED FOR THE UPCOMING TOURIST SEASON. I AM ALWAYS IN FAVOR OF HARDWORKING PEOPLE BETTERING THEMSELVES SO I OFFERED SOME MONEY AT NO OBLIGATION. IN EXCHANGE NIKOLCE SAID I COULD HAVE A ROOM FOR LIFE ANY TIME I WANTED. THE FAMILY HAD ALSO SOLD A PARCEL OF LAND THEY HAD INHERITED FROM THEIR GRANDFATHER TO GET MORE MONEY TO FINISH THE PROJECT.
MONDAY AFTER BREAKFAST NIKOLCE, DANIEL, AND I CRAMMED INTO HIS SMALL CAR AND DROVE TO THE HOTEL. I WAS ANXIOUS TO SEE THE PROGRESS. IT WAS LOCATED 3 KM SOUTH OF THE FARM IN AN AREA KNOWN AS EZERKY LOHZA, A GRID OF HOUSES AND OTHER SIMILAR HOTELS. IT WAS JUST FOUR BLOCKS FROM THE BEACH ON LAKE OHRID, THE MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTION OF MACEDONIA.
THE HOTEL WAS TYPICAL BALKAN CONSTRUCTION. FIRST A FOUR-STORY FRAME OF STEEL-REINFORCED CONCRETE COLUMNS AND CROSS BEAMS IS BUILT UPON A CONCRETE FOUNDATION. (THIS PARTICULAR STRUCTURE HAD A BASEMENT.) CONCRETE AND REBAR FLOORS ARE ADDED. THEN CLAY BLOCK WALLS ARE CONSTRUCTED AND A TILE ROOF TOPS IT OFF. IF IT CAN BE AFFORDED GRAY STUCCO MADE FROM A MIXTURE OF SAND AND MORTAR IS PASTED TO THE SIDES AND FINALLY, IF ONE WERE TO GET REAL FANCY, A COAT OF PAINT. (MOST HOUSES ARE NOT PAINTED BECAUSE IT WOULD BE CONSIDERED IMMODEST.) WHITE STUCCO GOES ONTO THE WALLS ON THE INSIDE, HOWEVER INTERIORS CAN GET EXTRAVAGANT WITH WOOD MARQUETRY AND TILE. (NOT CONSIDERED IMMODEST BECAUSE IT IS HIDDEN FROM VIEW.) THE END RESULT IS A UTILITARIAN AND STURDY STRUCTURE THAT STAYS WARM IN THE WINTER AND COOL IN THE SUMMER. MANY MACEDONIANS WILL LIVE IN THEIR HOUSES WHILE THEY ARE UNDER CONTINUAL STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION. AS LONG AS THEY ARE BUILDING THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR A NEW PERMIT.
NIKOLCE'S FAMILY HAD TWO MORE WEEKS TO PREPARE THE “BARE-BONES” HOTEL FOR THE START OF THE SUMMER TOURIST SEASON. THE BOTTOM FLOOR WAS TO HAVE A COMMUNITY KITCHEN WITH A STOVE, REFRIGERATOR, TABLE AND CHAIRS, COUCH, AND TV. ON THE SAME FLOOR WOULD BE A LARGE SHARED BATHROOM WITH SHOWER AND DANIEL’S ROOM WHICH COULD BE RENTED WHEN THE OTHER ROOMS WERE FULL. THE SECOND FLOOR HAD FIVE SLEEPING ROOMS OF VARIOUS SIZES PLUS A SMALL BATHROOM. OVERALL CAPACITY WAS GOING TO BE BETWEEN 16-20 PEOPLE DEPENDING UPON HOW THEY “DOUBLED-UP”. A THIRD FLOOR WAS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND A SMALL FOURTH FLOOR WAS AN ATTIC TO BE USED FOR STORAGE. THERE WAS MUCH WORK TO BE DONE--LIGHTING, PLUMBING, FINISHING THE INSIDE WALLS WITH STUCCO, MINIMUM LANDSCAPING, ETC.--AND IT WAS BEING DONE AT A SLOW PACE.
NIKOLCE DID A BIT OF EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE BUYING OF THE BUILDING MATERIALS, PLUMBING AND LIGHTING FIXTURES, BEDS, AND JUST GENERAL STUFF YOU NEED TO MAKE A HOTEL LIVABLE. I WOULD SOMETIMES MAKE THE 3 KM DRIVE FROM THE HOTEL TO STRUGA WITH HIM. IN TOWN EVERY OTHER PERSON WE MET WAS EITHER A FRIEND OR A COUSIN AND OUR THIRTY-MINUTE ERRAND NEVER FAILED TO TURN INTO A SERIES OF HOUR-LONG COFFEE SESSIONS. BECAUSE NIKOLCE USUALLY PLAYED GIGS THE NIGHT BEFORE HE WAS NOT USUALLY WORKING AT THE HOTEL UNTIL NOON. SO BY THE TIME WE GOT BACK FROM AN ERRAND IT WAS USUALLY FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON. BEING AN ANAL-RETENTIVE "TIME-IS-MONEY" AMERICAN THIS DROVE ME UP A WALL AND I EVENTUALLY REFUSED TO GO TO STRUGA WITH HIM BECAUSE IT WAS WASTING MY TIME AS WELL. BUT TO NIKOLCE’S CREDIT HE LEARNED TO DO THE PLUMBING, TILE WORK, DOOR FITTING, AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS JOBS.
NIKOLCE THE PLUMBER
DANIEL DID THE ELECTRICAL WIRING. HE HAD GONE TO SCHOOL FOR THIS SKILL BUT WAS NOT LICENSED. IN MACEDONIA GOVERNMENT INSPECTORS DON'T CARE AND IF THEY DID YOU COULD JUST BUY THEM OFF. BESIDES, EVEN IF THERE WAS A FIRE THERE IS LITTLE IN A BALKAN HOUSE THAT WOULD BURN.
DANIEL (RIGHT) AND HIRED HELP TAKING A COFFEE BREAK
MELOTIN, NIKOLCE'S 73-YEAR OLD GRANDFATHER (FATHER OF DOBRILLA), WOULD GET UP EARLY EVERY DAY AND RIDE HIS ANTIQUE BICYCLE 3 KM FROM MISLESEVO TO THE HOTEL. SOME DAYS HE WOULD PUT IN OVER TEN HOURS OF HARD WORK. DURING TITO TIMES IN YUGOSLAVIA HE HAD WORKED IN GERMANY FOR THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AND HAD ATTAINED PROFESSIONAL SKILLS THAT WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE BUILDING OF THE HOTEL. HE WAS AN EXPERT TILE CRAFTSMAN AND DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB ON THE ENTRY STAIRS AND LOBBY. HE ALWAYS CALLED ME "AMERICANSKI" AND SPOKE TO ME IN GERMAN, ASKING NIKOLCE OR DANIEL TO INTERPRET WHAT HE WAS SAYING. THIS WAS FUNNY BECAUSE NEITHER NIKOLCE NOR DANIEL SPOKE GERMAN. SURPRISINGLY I UNDERSTOOD A LOT OF WHAT HE WAS SAYING AND WE SOON DEVELOPED A FRIENDSHIP.
HERR MELOTIN AT THE HOTEL ENTRANCE
ONCE THAT WIRING WAS COMPLETED IT WAS LEFT DANGLING. I CAUTIONED THAT A CHILD MIGHT
GRAB IT AND BE ELECTROCUTED. IT WAS THEN COILED AND SURROUNDED BY A BLACK PLASTIC GARBAGE BAG!
PETAR WORKED WITH MELOTIN ON THE STUCCO AND CONCRETE PROJECTS. I OCCASIONALLY HELPED AROUND THE HOTEL, HAULING BEDS UP STAIRS, HANGING DOORS, AND DOING SOME LANDSCAPING.
PETAR HOISTING BUCKETS OF STUCCO BY HAND
THE FRONT OF THE HOTEL WAS DESIGNED TO BE A MARKET. THE FAMILY HAD ONCE TRIED TO SELL PRODUCE FROM HERE BUT HAD BETTER LUCK IN TOWN. (LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!) NOW IT WAS JUST BEING USED FOR STORAGE. I TOLD NIKOLCE IT WOULD BE PERFECT FOR A RECORDING STUDIO.
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