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PETAR, 54, IS A SHORT GOOD-LOOKING MAN, VERY FIT WITHOUT AN OUNCE OF FAT. HE ALWAYS WEARS A SMILE AND I'VE SEEN HIM WORK HARD FOR ENTIRE DAYS IN 90-DEGREE HEAT WITHOUT BATTING AN EYE. HE IS ESPECIALLY PROUD OF THE VARIETY OF TOMATO THAT HE GROWS WHICH IS UNIQUE TO THE OHRID REGION. (I AM NOT NORMALLY A TOMATO GUY BUT I WILL VOUCH THAT THEY ARE DELICIOUS.) PETAR GETS UP EARLY TO MILK THE GOAT AND FEED THE PIGS AND CHICKENS. THEN HE WILL LOAD UP HIS BICYCLE WITH FRESH PRODUCE, RIDE 4 KM TO STRUGA, AND DOES NOT RETURN UNTIL HE SELLS IT ALL.
PETAR PAYS A SMALL FEE TO THE CITY FOR THIS SIDEWALK SPACE
DOBRILLA, 49, GREW UP WHEN SEXUAL ROLES WERE CLEARLY DEFINED. SHE DOES THE LAUNDRY, CLEANS, COOKS, AND PUTS UP WITH THE MEN'S GUFF SOMETIMES GIVING GUFF BACK. EVEN HER SONS BOSS HER AROUND WHICH I ASSUME IS A CULTURAL THING. DOBRILLA LIKED ME BECAUSE I ALWAYS LIKED HER FOOD AND COMPLIMENTED HER ON IT. THE LOVE OF HER LIFE IS HER GRANDDAUGHTER, NATALIE, WHOM SHE TAKES CARE OF WHEN HER MOTHER IS WORKING. BOTH SHE AND PETER ARE KIND SALT-OF-THE-EARTH PEOPLE.
NIKOLCE, 31, IS THE COMPETENT ELDEST SON. HE IS AN EXPERT ACCORDIONIST AND KEYBOARD PLAYER AND IS THE LEADER OF HIS BAND, RHYTHM . HE IS SAVVY, INTENSE, AND COMPETITIVE IN THE LOCAL MUSIC BUSINESS. DEALING WITH HOTEL AND CLUB OWNERS HAS HONED HIS POLITICAL AND BUSINESS SKILLS. NIKOLCE ALSO PERFORMS WITH A TRADITIONAL MACEDONIAN DANCE TROUPE THAT HAD PERFORMED IN AUSTRIA IN MAY. OTHER THAN VISITING NEIGHBORING SERBIA IT WAS HIS FIRST TRIP OUT OF THE COUNTRY. HE SPENT TWO YEARS IN THE MACEDONIAN ARMY, SEVERAL YEARS AS A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR, DROVE CAB, AND NOW MAKES HIS LIVING PLAYING MUSIC.
THE MASTER AND HIS STUDENT
NIKOLCE SPEAKS PRETTY GOOD ENGLISH AND WOULD OFTEN ASK ME THE DEFINITION OF ENGLISH WORDS. HIS ULTIMATE PLAN IS TO MOVE HIS FAMILY TO THE UNITED STATES TO ENJOY A MORE PROSPEROUS LIFE AND HE WAS ALWAYS ASKING ME TO HELP HIM DO THIS. BECAUSE U.S. IMMIGRATION HAS A STRICT QUOTA ON IMMIGRANTS FROM EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, THE ONLY THING I COULD TELL HIM WAS TO GO TO MEXICO AND COME ACROSS THE BORDER. HE HAS SINCE ENTERED HIS NAME INTO A MACEDONIAN LOTTERY THAT CONNECTS FIFTY LUCKY MACEDONIANS TO THE U.S. IMMIGRATIONS DEPARTMENT EACH YEAR.
SNEZA (SHNE-ZA) AND NIKOLCE MET AT A DANCE EVENT. SHE IS A COUPLE YEARS YOUNGER THAN NIKOLCE AND DEFINITELY PRETTIER. FROM MISLESEVO YOU CAN SEE HER PARENTS VILLAGE 10 KM TO THE EAST ON THE SIDE OF A SMALL MOUNTAIN. SNEZA IS SHY AND QUIET UNLESS SHE IS EXPRESSING HER DISSATISFACTION IN PRIVATE TO NIKOLCE. BETWEEN THE WORK ON THE HOTEL, THE BAND, AND NOW ME, THERE WASN’T MUCH ATTENTION FOR HER. SNEZA COULD SPEAK A LITTLE ENGLISH BUT DIDN’T LIKE TO. SHE RIDES HER BIKE TO STRUGA FIVE DAYS A WEEK AND PUTS IN EIGHT HOURS A DAY AT A STORE THAT SELLS CHINESE IMPORTS. HER WEEKLY SALARY IS $37.50, LESS THAN A DOLLAR PER HOUR. ALONG WITH RAISING A TODDLER IN CRAMPED LIVING CONDITIONS WITH THE IN-LAWS THERE’S NO WONDER SHE’S FEELING STRESS.
NIKOLCE AND SNEZA’S DAUGHTER, NATALIE, WAS ABOUT TO TURN TWO YEARS OLD AND WAS THE SPITTING IMAGE OF HER GRANDMOTHER, DOBRILLA. SHE IS PERHAPS THE MOST WELL-BEHAVED HAPPY LITTLE GIRL I’VE EVER SEEN AND I NEVER ONCE HEARD HER CRY.
LIKE MOST YOUNG COUPLES NIKOLCE AND SNEZA WOULD LIKE THEIR OWN PLACE. I SUGGESTED TO NIKOLCE THAT THEY MOVE INTO THE HOTEL IN THE OFF-SEASON. NIKOLCE RESPONDED WITH YES-BUTS, "YES, BUT WE MUST PAY FOR THE WATER SERVICE." "YES, BUT WE MUST PAY FOR THE ELECTRICITY." "YES, BUT WE MUST PAY FOR HEATING IN THE WINTER." I REPLIED, "YES, BUT YOU WILL BE HAPPIER AND IT WILL BE EASIER ON YOUR MARRIAGE."
DANIEL, 23, IS BOTH PENSIVE AND LIGHTHEARTED. HE HAD SPENT TWO YEARS IN A EUROPEAN-FUNDED N.G.O. (NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION) MADE UP OF YOUNG IDEALISTIC VOLUNTEERS, A SORT-OF PEACE CORP THAT TRAVELS TO LITHUANIA, ROMANIA, MACEDONIA, AND OTHER LESSER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. IT IS A RULE THAT ALL MEMBERS CONVERSE ONLY IN THE QUEEN’S TONGUE SO DANIEL CAN EXPRESS HIMSELF VERY WELL IN ENGLISH. HE HAS A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR, IS VERY CHARMING, AND POSSESSES HIS FATHER'S GOOD LOOKS. ALL THE LADIES LOVE DANIEL. HOWEVER DANIEL SUFFERS FROM WHAT AILS MOST YOUNG MACEDONIANS LIKE HIMSELF--HOW TO MAKE A LIVING IN A CULTURE THAT IS JUST FIGURING OUT FREE-MARKET ECONOMICS.
DANIEL IN HIS NATURAL HABITAT
SILVIA, 25, NIKOLCE AND DANIEL’S SISTER, IS MARRIED AND LIVES 70 KM EAST IN THE CITY OF BITOLA. I MET HER ON MY PREVIOUS VISIT WHEN SHE HAD JUST GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE. SILVIA SPEAKS ENGLISH FLUENTLY AND ALSO WORKS IN A “CHINA SHOP” WHERE, AS A MANAGER, SHE PULLS DOWN A WHOPPING $50 PER WEEK. SHE IS ALWAYS SMILING AND JOKING AND SEEMS SATISFIED WITH HER LOT IN LIFE.
NIKOLCE, SNEZA, NATALIE, SYLVIA, DOBRILLA, & PETAR
(TAKEN IN EARLY OCTOBER 2006 ON MY FIRST VISIT)
NIKOLA (WHO I WILL REFER TO FROM NOW ON AS “NICK”), 28, IS SILVIA’S HUSBAND. HE IS A LIEUTENANT IN THE MACEDONIAN ARMY AND MAKES THE BIG BUCKS--$100 PER WEEK. HE AND SILVIA MET THROUGH NIKOLCE WHEN NICK WAS NIKOLCE’S SENIOR OFFICER IN THE ARMY. HE SPENT TWO YEARS SPECIAL TRAINING AT FORT BENNING, GEORGIA, AND AS A RESULT SPEAKS ENGLISH VERY WELL. NICK ALSO CREATES ORIGINAL COMPUTER-GENERATED MACEDONIAN HIP-HOP. HE HAS AN ALBUM IN PROGRESS AND PIPE DREAMS OF TOURING IN THE STATES.
NICK AND THE AMERICAN AT THE BUS STATION
NIKOLCE OWNS A SMALL POLISH-MADE 1982 FIAT THAT IS SHARED WITH DANIEL AND PETAR. THE GAS TANK HOLDS FIVE GALLONS AND TOP SPEED ON A GOOD DAY IS ABOUT 55 mph. DRIVING IS ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE AS IT IS OFTEN DIFFICULT TO START, STALLS, AND OTHER CARS ARE ALWAYS PASSING. BUT SOMEHOW IT ALWAYS GETS TO THE DESTINATION. THE CAR HAS A RACK ON TOP AND IS USED FOR HAULING EVERYTHING FROM THE KITCHEN SINK TO BALES OF GRASS FOR THE GOAT. IT ALSO HAULS A MAJOR PORTION OF THE EQUIPMENT FOR THE BAND. I HAVE WITNESSED TWO LARGE P.A. SPEAKERS IN THE BACK SEAT ALONG WITH BAGS OF CORDS, SPEAKER STANDS, AND CLOTHES. A LARGE POWER MIXER AND KEYBOARD (IN HARD CASE) WILL FIT IN THE FRONT. I STARTED REFERRING TO IT AS THE “MAGIC CAR”.
GAS IN MACEDONIA WAS A LITTLE UNDER $5 PER GALLON, CHEAPER THAN IN MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, AND WAS SOLD BY THE LITER (A LITTLE MORE THAN A QUART). OCCASIONALLY I WOULD PAY FOR A FULL TANK WHICH WOULD USUALLY LAST A WEEK.
THE MAGIC CAR WITH KITCHEN SINK
IN MY TRAVELS I HAVE COME TO JUDGE CULTURES BY SEVERAL INDICATORS, ONE OF WHICH IS THE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS. THE FAMILY HAS A YOUNG FEMALE GERMAN SHEPHERD NAMED JOANNA. SHE ACTUALLY BELONGS TO DANIEL BUT HE DOESN'T TAKE CARE OF HER. SHE IS CONSTANTLY CHAINED AND RARELY HAS WATER ON EVEN THE HOTTEST OF DAYS. SHE IS SO STARVED FOR ATTENTION THAT WHEN YOU DO GIVE HER SOME SHE IS OVERANXIOUS AND JUMPS ON YOU WHILE SNAPPING HER JAWS. THEY DON'T UNLEASH HER BECAUSE THEY THINK SHE WILL RUN AWAY AND SURELY KILL THE NEIGHBOR'S CHICKENS. I WOULD DISCREETLY BUY WIENERS AT THE MARKET AND FEED THEM TO HER BUT I EVENTUALLY STOPPED BECAUSE SHE BECAME AGGRESSIVE. THE POOR DOG WILL NEVER GET THE TRAINING IT NEEDS AND WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE A HORRIBLE TIED-UP EXISTENCE. THIS SORT OF TREATMENT OF ANIMALS IS NOT UNUSUAL IN THE BALKANS AS MOST DOGS AND CATS ARE STRAYS. (BEFORE THE TOURIST SEASON BEGINS THE CITY AUTHORITIES OF STRUGA WILL ROUND UP STRAY DOGS AND SHOOT THEM.)
DANIEL ALSO HAS A SMALL CAT, OR BIG KITTEN, IT'S HARD TO TELL. (ALL THE CATS IN THE BALKANS ARE SMALL COMPARED TO THE WELL-FED FELINES IN THE U.S.) THIS SWEET LITTLE ANIMAL HAS NO NAME AND EXCEPT FOR AN OCCASIONAL KICK DOES NOT RECEIVE ANY ATTENTION FROM ANY OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS. SHE WAS WARY BUT I EVENTUALLY MADE FRIENDS WITH HER. WHEN I MOVED TO THE HOTEL AND CAME BACK TO THE FARM TO VISIT SHE WOULD ALWAYS RUN TO ME FOR AFFECTION. SHE ALSO REMINDED ME THAT I MISSED MY CAT, SPOT.
ANIMALS ARE THE SAME EVERYWHERE. THEY SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE WHETHER THEY ARE IN THE U.S., CHINA, PERU, OR MACEDONIA. REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU ARE YOU CAN ALWAYS RELATE TO THEM. THE SAME GOES FOR LITTLE KIDS.
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FOOD
THE BAND
NIKOLCE’S BAND HAS BEEN TOGETHER FOR SIX YEARS AND THEIR NAME IS RHYTHM. (I’M GOING TO NAME MY NEXT GROUP “MUSIC”.) I WASN’T IMPRESSED WHEN I HEARD THEM ON MY FIRST VISIT TO MACEDONIA. HOWEVER, ANOTHER YEAR’S GIGGING HAS MADE THEM VERY TIGHT. THEY PLAY MOSTLY A POPULAR STYLE OF ELECTRIC MACEDONIAN FOLK MUSIC WITH A FEW SERBIAN POP SONGS THROWN IN. FORTUNATELY THEY ARE IN A TOURIST AREA WHERE THERE ARE MANY HOTELS AND CLUBS SO THEY ARE PLAYING ALMOST EVERY NIGHT AND SOMETIMES TWICE A DAY ON WEEKENDS. ON AVERAGE THE HOTELS ONLY PAY $30-$40 A NIGHT FOR THE WHOLE BAND (FOUR PIECES) WHILE WEDDINGS AND PRIVATE PARTIES PAY TWO TO THREE TIMES AS MUCH.
NIKOLCE MAKES HIS LIVING ENTIRELY FROM MUSIC. THIS IS VERY HARD TO DO IN THE U.S. LET ALONE IN MACEDONIA WHERE IT IS ECONOMICALLY DEPRESSED. HE IS A MASTER ACCORDIONIST BUT PLAYS A KORG ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD IN HIS BAND.
ZORAN, NIKOLCE’S COUSIN FROM MISLESEVO, USED TO PLAY BASS LINES ON A KORG KEYBOARD BUT HAS SWITCHED TO A YAMAHA ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR. THIS HAS TIGHTENED THE BOTTOM END OF THE BAND AND HAS GIVEN THEM MORE “PUNCH”.
COUSIN ZORAN
NAUMCEK (PRONOUNCED NOWM-CHEK) RECENTLY PURCHASED A SET OF ELECTRONIC DRUMS GIVING THE BAND A MORE “PROCESSED” SOUND. NAUMCEK HAS A DAYTIME GIG MAINTAINING THE CITY PARK IN STRUGA.
NAUMCEK
KIRE IS A VERY GOOD VERSATILE GUITAR PLAYER AND ALSO DOES MOST OF THE LEAD SINGING. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT--HE PLAYS A VINTAGE 1978 FENDER STRAT! HE’S RECENTLY ADDED A ROLAND MIDI-EFFECTS UNIT AND CAN NOW SOUND LIKE ANY INSTRUMENT. KIRE IS A RARE RED-HAIRED BLUE-EYED MACEDONIAN AND LIVES IN AN ALBANIAN NEIGHBORHOOD IN STRUGA WHERE HIS DAYTIME GIG IS OPERATING A FOOD MARKET FROM THE BOTTOM FLOOR OF HIS HOUSE. HE EXTENDS CREDIT TO HIS NEIGHBORS AND KEEPS TRACK BY WRITING IT DOWN ON A PAPER PAD.
KIRE ROCKIN’ OUT ON HIS ‘78 STRAT
EACH MEMBER OF THE BAND HAS MADE A SERIOUS INVESTMENT IN BUYING THEIR EQUIPMENT. THEIR DYNACORD P.A. SYSTEM IS TOPNOTCH AND THEY ALL PLUG DIRECTLY INTO IT INSTEAD OF HAVING SEPARATE AMPS FOR EACH INSTRUMENT. WHAT THEY ARE IN DIRE NEED OF IS A VAN TO CARRY ALL THEIR EQUIPMENT INSTEAD OF EACH PERSON DRIVING THEIR LITTLE SUBCOMPACT.
BESIDES THEIR LACK OF STAGE CLOTHES (AND A CREATIVE NAME) RHYTHM NEEDS TO RECORD A CD TO GIVE THEM MORE CREDIBILITY IN THE EYES OF THE PUBLIC. (EVERYWHERE IN THE BALKANS PEOPLE ARE IMPRESSED IF YOU HAVE A CD.) ZORAN SUGGESTED THEY JUST PUT OTHER PEOPLE’S SONGS ON THEIR CD AND CALL IT THEIR OWN--YEAH, RIGHT!
ALBANIAN GANGSTER AND HOTEL MANAGER
THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN AT THE SUN GATE HOTEL IN OHRID ON MY FIRST TRIP. I HANDED OUT LONG FAT CIGARS TO THE HONORED HOTEL GUESTS, TWO ALBANIAN HENCHMEN AND THEIR BOSS WHO WERE AT THE TABLE NEXT TO ME. THEY MUST HAVE THOUGHT I WAS SOMEBODY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THOSE CIGARS WOULD COST OVER $25 EACH IN MACEDONIA! WHEN I WENT TO CUT HIS STOGIE WITH A CIGAR CUTTER OL’ TUB-O-GUTS THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO WHACK HIS FINGERS OFF! I WAS NOW THEIR FRIEND FOR LIFE AS THEY WERE PUFFING AND SMILING, THE HOTEL MANAGER WAS BUYING ME DRINKS, AND ALBANIANS WERE DANCING WILDLY INTO THE NIGHT.
THOSE WILD AND CRAZY ALBANIANS!
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