Tweet
Originally posted by Risto the Great
View Post
Larger View http://www.makedonskakafana.com/worl..._diaspora.html
Macedonia – My Second Visit
By Risto Stefov
[email protected]
November 7, 2010
After visiting Macedonia for the first time in the summer of 2008, I promised many of my friends, especially those with whom I could not visit for long, that I would come back in two years. True to my word, I departed for Macedonia on August 22nd, 2010 and returned to Canada on September 24th. I figured this time a month would be enough time in contrast to the seventeen days that I was there last time. Unfortunately, even a month was not enough as this time I had many more friends to visit and as hard as I tried to be with everyone, I still missed some. Again I had to promise many that I would return in two years.
Many of my readers have asked me to write about my current visit to Macedonia so, not to disappoint, I will but this time I will give you only a summary.
It was a nice sunny Sunday afternoon when I departed Toronto for Skopje via Vienna . This time I flew with Austrian airlines on a Boeing 767 300 airplane which delivered me from Toronto to Vienna in less than nine hours without a hitch and with the comforts of economy class. The flight left and arrived on time with only two hours layover before I caught the flight to Skopje on a smaller jet (Boeing 737). I had nothing to declare so customs in Macedonia let me pass. Most of the items I was carrying were things that the Macedonian military officers, who had already been in Canada , had asked me to bring.
It was 12:30 in the afternoon, Skopje time, when I arrived at Alexander the Great airport, greeted by a large cheering crowd. The crowd was not there for me but cheered to welcome me to Macedonia anyway as I walked outside past the airport doors. Among those cheering I recognized my friend Odyssey, a familiar face from Toronto , and my friend Slave, the man I was expecting to pick me up. It was wonderful to be back in Macedonia and to feel its warmth.
As soon as we arrived at Dragitsa’s apartment at Erodrom, Skopje, Odyssey took me for a tour of Biser Trgovski Tsentar where we made a key for the front door of the apartment, purchased a cell phone for me, exchanged Canadian dollars (1 Canadian dollar = 45.6 denars) for Macedonian denars and Odyssey treated me to a lunch of stuffed peppers, zucchini and beans; a truly Macedonian dish with flavour to boot.
This time I had absolutely no problems exchanging my money. Within ten minutes of purchasing the cell phone it was activated, without having to sign a contract or fill out forms. It was a pay as you use phone that only cost me $ 35 CAD to buy and another 310 denars ($ 6.80 CAD) for all the phone calls I made the entire time I was there.
As soon as Odyssey and I got back to the apartment I began to make phone calls to let everyone know that I had arrived and began making plans for my visits. The first person I visited was Tony K., a Macedonian Military officer who I had met the previous year at CFB Borden. He had asked me to bring back some of the things he had left behind when he left Canada . It was my first day in Macedonia as Tony invited me and Odyssey to his home in Erodrom. There we met Tony’s mother, wife and son and were offered food and drinks. I especially liked Tony’s homemade rakija and his mom’s sweets made with figs. Tony has a warm, friendly and wonderful family; a family I would later meet on several occasions.
The next day, accompanied by Odyssey, I met with Klaudija, a lady with whom I had corresponded over the internet. She had found my work interesting and wanted to meet me in person. She is currently working on a project documenting events that took place on the Macedonian front in World War I. We had much to discuss but unfortunately she had little time because of other commitments.
Next on my list to meet that day was Blazhe, another Macedonian military officer whom I had met at CFB Borden. I had a pair of soccer shoes for Blazhe’s son and was anxious to deliver them. Blazhe had asked me to purchase them prior to leaving for Macedonia.
That evening Blazhe and his young son took me out to dinner at their favourite restaurant in Biser Trgovski Tsentar and ordered a number of food items that I had not yet tasted. We were later joined by his wife and daughter. As expected, the company was great and the food was delicious.
When I returned to the apartment Odyssey asked me if I wanted to accompany him the next day on a trip to visit the Kokino prehistoric observatory and a place called Tsotsev Kamen, which I had not heard of before. I was thrilled at the prospect and said yes, especially when Odyssey mentioned that Dushko A. was going to be our guide. But no sooner had we committed to going than we both realized that we had no transportation. Slave however saved the day when he offered to take us in his jeep.
(See http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/191815 )
After returning from our visit to Kokono and Tsotsev Kamen we went to Kratovo and visited the Museum of Rock Art and afterwards had dinner at the local “Kanu” restaurant. On our way back to Skopje , passing through Kumanovo, we went to the Baba Tsana restaurant and met with Tony S. and Sasho I. , a couple of military officers and friends who I had met at CFB Borden.
The next day Odyssey convinced me to go with him to Sv. Kiril and Metodi University in Skopje where we met and had discussions with a couple of professors. Afterwards we went to Skopje centre to photograph some of the newly built statues.
In the evening of the same day I was invited to visit with my relatives in Skopje who were anxious to see me.
The next day I met with Valentina B., her husband and daughter. Valentina is a civilian working for the Macedonian military, who I had also met at CFB Borden.
Right after my visit with Valentina, my friend Tomche V. and his wife came and picked me up for a visit with them. I had met Tomche some years ago over the internet and in person two years ago, before he was married. Tomche is a patriot and cares very much about Macedonia. During our discussions he gave me some insight into life in Macedonia from the perspective of an insider and an outsider. Tomche has lived and worked abroad and is well acquainted with life outside of Macedonia .
On August 28th I met with Dragan S., a military officer whom I had met at CFB Borden a long time ago. Dragan was leaving for Germany the next day so before leaving he invited me to visit with him at his home. Unbeknownst to me he had his mother prepare a number of pastries including a variety of zelniks and bureks. Both Dragan and his mom were wonderful and kind to me. I will never forget the effort they went through to please me. Thank you.
At the request of one of my readers, I asked Dragan to draw me a diagram explaining the Macedonian military ranks but he did one better and gave me a website (http://www.morm.gov.mk) and a link where they can be looked up (http://www.morm.gov.mk/morm/mk/ARM/military_ranks.html).
The same day, when I returned to the apartment, Odyssey convinced me to go with him to a meeting with a number of Macedonian academics and take part in the initiation of a new organization. Some academics had arrived from Bitola , one of whom I recognized as Risto I. whom I had met two years ago. All in all there were over twenty people, but my greatest joy at that gathering was to meet Aristotel Tentov, one of the people who had been working on the decipherment of the Rosetta stone centre text. Unfortunately due to the activities going on and the busy schedule, I did not get to talk to him about the Rosetta project. It was a pleasure meeting all those people and taking part in the initiation of this important new organization about which more information will be released after it is registered.
On Sunday August 29th I was the guest of a group of five officers, Tony S. Sasho I, Tony K. (mentioned earlier), Dejan J. and Gotse S., who attended the long course at CFB Borden in the fall of 2009. Tony K., Gotse and Dejan came by Skopje early in the morning and drove me to an exclusive place in Kumanovo where we were joined by the others. I was treated to a variety of food and drinks including much rakija and a fresh fish baked in sea salt; a specialty of the restaurant. Live music was played and songs were sung by four musicians. The music began with classic American songs and, as the ambiance built, turned to Macedonian folk and revolutionary songs. It was an entire day affair and wonderful to again be with my officer friends who showed me a good time; Macedonian style. At the end of the day Tony S. took me to his home where I met his dad, wife and daughters.
Later the same evening, Blagojche K. from Shtip, another Macedonian military officer whom I had met at CFB Borden, came and picked me up for a visit to his home in the village Tarintsi. There I met Blagojche’s wife and three sons. Later I met his mom and dad and his wife’s relatives. Blagojche’s father-in-law is a professional cook who spared no expense and impressed us with his cooking skills. He even gave me pointers on how to cook healthy foods that taste great. I stayed with Blagojche’s family for two days during which time we visited his in-laws twice. Blagojche and his brother-in-law took us for a long drive to see the sights including the caves in Lasnovo and a dam just being built. Blagojche took me to see the Bargala locality archeological site, several monasteries, the archeological museum in Shtip, and, among other places, the ancient fortress on top of Shtip. It was an incredible sight to see. Thank you Blagojche.
During the couple of evenings I spent in Shtip I was visited by Gotse J. and his family; better known to internet warriors as Homer Makedonski and the famous historian Aleksandar Donski and his wife. Due to time constraints I did not spend as much time as I wanted to with Aleksandar but it was a pleasure for me to have finally met him in person. He has partly been responsible for my interest in history.
On the afternoon of August 30th, Blagojche took me to Shtip where I was picked up by Dejan J., another Macedonian military officer whom I had met at CFB Borden. Dejan took me to his home in Prilep where I spent the next three days visiting. On the way we stopped off at Veles for a couple of hours where we met with Igor G., another officer I had known from CFB Borden. When we arrived in Prilep I met Dejan’s wife Gordana, with whom I had corresponded by e-mail in the past. I was hoping to meet Stefan, their son, but to make room for my stay they had sent Stefan to stay with his grandmother. Actually, Dejan and Gorde, as he affectionately calls her, gave me their room to sleep while they slept in their son’s smaller room; a gesture I will not forget.
Dejan took time off work to take me to visit various places, churches and monasteries including Sv. Preol Brazhenje, Sv. Spas Krushevski, Sv. Dimitrija and Archangel Mihail in Verosh. He also took me to visit Markovi Kuli but this visit had to be done on foot as no vehicle could climb the steep mountain. Being bored with following the winding path up hill, Dejan decided that we would get there faster if we climbed up in a straight line. Unfortunately it was a sunny summer day in Macedonia and even though the sun was behind the mountain on the west side and we were climbing on the east side, it was still scorching hot. I accepted Dejan’s challenge and followed closely behind as he led the climb. Initially, I did not believe I could make it up there alive but after ten minutes or so of numbness in my body I must have gotten a second wind and before we knew it we were at the top of the hill. In spite of my tiredness it was an amazing sight to see. These ancient structures built of stone stood, in some places, over ten feet high. These stones had to be carried from somewhere and by hand. No machine could climb such a steep hill, if one ever existed during the long gone days of ancient times. We took many pictures as we imagined the effort, energy and will it took for the ancients to build such a structure so high above the city. The climb down was a breeze.
During my stay with Dejan we visited his parents and Gordana’s grandmother Dona who, like me, is also from Greek Occupied Macedonia. Gordana, even though she had to work, took time off to visit with us and joined us at some of the sites we went to like Toshe Proevski’s tomb, Mogila, Mechkin Kamen, Makedonium and the monastery commissioned by Toshe Proevski where we also visited his museum. But the bravest of all things that Gordana did during my visit, was to join us on a tour to Zrze Monastery, located some two and a half kilometers up a neck-breaking hill.
On the morning of September 2nd, Gordana watched a documentary on television about Zrze Monastery where it was announced that it was located approximately 700 meters above the last village that was accessible by vehicle. Dejan and Gordana had never been to Zrze before so this was an opportunity for us to visit it. Gordana, however, at the time was six months pregnant, a factor that Dejan and I should have taken into consideration. The ride to the last village was indeed bumpy. I was worried for Gordana but in spite of her pain she held tough. Honestly, if it were up to me I would not have driven on those back roads even if my life depended on it. The ride was that bad.
When we arrived at the last village Gordana was in pain but we figured a bit of walking would help her. Unfortunately her pain persisted and with every hundred or so meters of climbing uphill she needed to rest. It was a bright sunny morning that day and the sun was beaming directly on us as we slowly climbed what seemed to be an endless up-hill climb. When we finally got there, the place was heaven on earth. It was kept cool by a breeze blowing through the large trees and inviting by the green grass and an abundance of running spring water. The place was kept prim and pristine by the monks. The bell steeple in one of the churches at that time was being renovated by several men who turned out to be the last of the old skilled masons from the Albanian part of occupied Macedonia .
After being there a few hours, even Gordana admitted that it was worth the pain she had endured in getting there. One of the monks, who by the way recognized me from the internet, served us coffee and gave us the grand tour. The trip back down was easier but still difficult for Gordana.
Macedonia has many beautiful places but most are inaccessible especially to tourists traveling at a fast pace. No tourist would have the patience to drive or be driven along the road to remote places such as Zrze, so Macedonia needs to re-think its tourist transportation strategy. I suggest helicopters! I said this in jest during my last visit to Macedonia but this time I am being serious. Think of the inaccessible places that could be easily and quickly accessed by special tourist helicopters. Macedonia would be the first country in the world to offer the tourist the best of Macedonia by helicopter. “See the best Macedonia has to offer by helicopter”. A practical and inexpensive choice when compared to the infrastructure that needs to be modernized and put in place to give the tourist comfortable access.
Dejan brought me back to Skopje the same evening because the next day we had a book promotion for one of the books I co-authored with Slave and Doncho. But before leaving Prilep, Dejan surprised me with a pot full of haggis for lunch, a specialty of Prilep. Joined by an archeologist friend, Gordana’s brother delivered the haggis to Dejan’s house where the four of us enjoyed it. We left one haggis for Gordana who at the time was at work.
Dejan’s brother drove us back to Skopje where I met Stefan, Dejan’s son, Stefan’s baba and a couple of their friends.
The book promotion, held on September 3rd, took place in the Army of the Republic of Macedonia Hall and was attended by more than sixty guests. The book being promoted was “ Macedonia in Ancient Times” by Acad. Antonije Shkokljev-Doncho, Slave Nikolovski Katin and Risto Stefov. Odyssey Belchevski, Slave Katin and Giorgi Donevski hosted the event. Among the guests who attended were several Macedonian military officers in uniform.
After the book promotion, Odyssey and I took a cab to visit Dr. Kosta Peev, who is currently working on the 6th and last volume of his dictionary of Aegean Dialects. Dr. Peev has spent his entire life collecting and documenting Macedonian words, particularly those of the south eastern region of Macedonia now occupied by Greece , which are on the verge of being lost forever. We are very grateful to Dr. Peev for his contribution.
September 4th was a rainy day so Odyssey and I spent most of the morning in the apartment analyzing and discussing our experiences in Macedonia . I was sick that day with flu-like symptoms, which I later discovered may have been due to eating too many figs which may not have been completely ripe. My cousin Lena had warned me not to eat more than a couple per day but when I was offered a plate full grown in my friend’s yard I couldn’t resist. I must have eaten more than twenty; so no wonder I got sick!
In the afternoon Odyssey and I visited Makedonka, my friend John’s first cousin, who I had met the last time I was in Macedonia . After that we were again invited by my officer friend Tony K., who this time took us to dinner at his in-law’s house. There we were treated to a variety of delicious dishes, desserts and drinks and got a chance to meet Tony’s wife’s family and brother who is an electrical engineer.
The next day three Macedonian officers, Slobodan P., Marjan S. and Darko T., whom I had met at CFB Borden before, took me for lunch at one of their favourite restaurants in Skopje and I got a chance to catch up and discuss current events and reminisce about their stay in Canada .
Odyssey had organized a meeting and lunch with a number of academics from the University of Sv. Kiril and Methodi and invited me to come along. At this time I took the opportunity to contact my professor friend Robert R., also from the University, and asked him to join us. Among the academics was also the famous Vasil Iliov whom I had met before on several occasions.
After lunch Odyssey and I took a bus from Skopje to Bitola where I stayed with Odyssey for the next three days. The Belchevski family has a beautiful house in Bitola where I met Odyssey’s brother, housekeeper and several of his friends. One of his friends is a singer-entertainer who was more than happy to entertain us for an entire evening.
While in Bitola the next day, I visited with my relatives and did some sightseeing with my cousin Spiro who later took me to Ohrid to visit more relatives. While in Ohrid we went up the mountain and visited Samoil’s fortress and the various churches and archeological sites in the vicinity. We then took the scenic route around the lake and visited the various tourist sites, including the newly build Neolithic village on the lake.
The next day I attended a banquet at Pero’s cottage where Spiro and his friends had gathered to celebrate September 8th. I was their guest of honour and they spared no expense to please me. The main course was roast lamb and an old fashioned pottery pot full of stew baked in an outdoor, genuine old-fashioned oven. Thank you Spiro and friends for the unforgettable September 8th celebration.
The next day Spiro and his wife Lenche took me to various parts of Bitola and Prespa Region starting with a stop over at their cottage. Later we went for a stroll on the beach at Lake Prespa and visited Lubojno and Braichino. Prespa has an impressive number of orchards with enough apples to feed all of Europe .
We had lunch in the afternoon at one of Spiro’s favourite restaurants and afterwards I was picked up by Dalibor S., another Macedonian military officer I had known from CFB Borden. He took me to his village in Kichevo for a couple of days stay with his family.
Before leaving Canada for Macedonia Dalibor had asked me to arrange to send him a large package that he had left behind. The package was too large to ship by air so we made arrangements to ship it by surface. That arrangement unfortunately did not work out so Dalibor had asked me to split the package and just deliver the smaller objects. The problem was a large stuffed “Scooby” doll that he had purchased for his young daughter which would not fit the standard airline luggage. So to make a long story short, my wife and I purchased an acceptable sized sports duffle bag and managed to squeeze the doll into it. However, we kept this a secret from Dalibor. The delivery of the dog was going to be a surprise.
When Dalibor picked me up in Bitola he was under the impression that the Scooby doll dog was left behind. When we arrived at Dalibor’s home however and were greeted by his family, his daughter wanted to know what was in the duffle bag. I said that it was a surprise. At that point Dalibor knew I had delivered the dog. It was a delight to see the smile on the little girl’s face as her eyes lit up when she was united with her favourite toy and long anticipated gift from her daddy.
Like Dejan, Dalibor too had given me his bed to sleep in while he and his wife slept in the little girl’s room, which was unnecessary, but for which I am grateful.
As soon as we arrived Dalibor took me for a walk to his father’s farm, located near the village. There I met his father and was taken for a tour around the garden.
The next morning Dalibor took me to his favourite bakery where we had burek for breakfast and afterwards went for a visit to the Kichevo military base where he works.
Visiting the military bases in Macedonia was one of the things I wanted to do. I was excited especially after I was told that the Base Commander Metodija V. wanted to see me.
While waiting to see the Commandant, as they call him there, I felt just as nervous as the officers who were to accompany me. I am a civilian and have nothing to do with rank and protocol yet I could not shake off the nervousness that I felt all around me.
When my turn finally came, the Commandant’s assistant showed us in. And there was the Commander behind his desk welcoming me, with his impressive voice, by reciting his name, rank and the division to which he belonged. He said that he had heard a lot about me from his officers and was anxious to meet me in person. The Commander was also about to depart for CFB Borden , Canada and attend the short version of the course offered and had some questions for me. Luckily Dalibor was able to answer his questions as he himself had already attended the course.
My visit to the Base was memorable as the Commandant personally took time from his busy schedule for coffee, pictures and a tour of the base, including the museum and the various new facilities that were being built.
After our tour of the base, Dalibor took me for a long drive through the countryside outside of Kichevo through Mavrovo, Debar, Struga and then around Radika Reka and Radichka Klisura. On the way we visited Sv. Jovan Bigorski, the Roman Bridge over Garska Reka, Sv. Gjorgij Povedonosets and then traveled all around Lake Debar . In the evening Dalibor took me to see a soccer match between the Macedonian police and the army, in which he was a participant. Soccer matches between the army and police in Kichevo are held weekly with the army winning most games.
The next day Dalibor was planning to take me to see another part of Macedonia but unfortunately it rained that day so I asked him to drive me back to Skopje .
The next day I met with Mile D., another Macedonian army officer I had met in CFB Borden, who together with his young son took me for a tour of Matitsa along the River Treska, a beautiful place not too far from Skopje . There Mile drove us as high up the mountain as the road could take us and then we walked all the way up to a secluded resort past the dam. It was a beautiful place to visit and so close to Skopje .
Afterwards we drove back via the scenic route through Vodno, visiting a number of churches and monasteries on the way including Sv. Panteleimon on the hillside of Skopje . When we returned Mile invited me to his home and his wife made us dinner.
In the evening I met with Blazhe who introduced me to his father-in-law Nikola B., originally from Kostur Region, so we had a lot in common and a lot to talk about. Nikola has a radio program called Makedonski Koreni which airs at 98.1 FM Radio Rosa and he wanted to interview me regarding my books, especially my history book which two years ago had been translated to Macedonian.
The next day Blazhe drove me to the studio and we recorded about an hour of discussions, which in addition to my books and activities in Canada included my involvement with the Macedonian military officers at CFB Borden.
The program aired on Wednesday September 22nd at noon . After the interview Nikola took me out for dinner and for a stroll around Skopje Centre. Later he took me to his house where I met and had discussions with a couple of his friends and Greek Civil War child refugees from Prespa and Lerin Region.
Late that evening, when I returned to the apartment, I met my old friend Aleksandar S., an ex-military officer whom I had met at CFB Borden a long time ago. Aleksandar took me out on the town and spared no expense to please me, for which I am grateful. That same evening I also met some of Aleksandar’s friends, some still serving in the army, whom I was eager to meet and learn more about. One of his friends who had served abroad had saved an American soldier’s life and was awarded a medal.
Before leaving Macedonia I got the chance to get together several times with Aleksandar who introduced me to more of his friends and who, besides telling me their stories and those of their comrades, also gave me books that detailed their experiences as soldiers.
The next day, September 14th, I took a taxi to what was described to me as the Club of the Detsa Begaltsi. The Child Refugees from the 1946-1949 Greek Civil War, better known as the Detsa Begaltsi, has a group of well organized activists in Skopje who have their own facilities including an office which serves as a library, club and meeting place. Although this office is open to every Macedonian from all over the world, including Albania and Bulgaria , it mainly serves the interests of the Macedonians from Greece.
There I was welcomed by Gjorgi Donevski, President of the Organization and Trandafilka S., their legal representative. I was also greeted by their visiting guests. Gjorgi was impressed with the work I do, particularly with my writing about the lack of human rights for the Macedonians in Greece , Bulgaria and Albania . He also talked to me about the latest projects the Begaltsi are undertaking, fighting for their rights in Greece and their successes in obtaining valuable personal documents for their clients from the Greek government.
Like many Macedonian organizations, the Detsa Begaltsi Organization in Skopje lacks funds to publicize the Macedonian cause so our discussions focused mainly on how we in the Diaspora could be of help. Personally I volunteered my services to translate the historic chronology of events that took place during and subsequent to the Second World War from Macedonian to English. An English version of our tragedy will not only inform the Macedonian generations in the Diaspora who don’t speak Macedonian but it will serve as a historical document for those who want to do research in the future. I also promised the Begaltsi that I would find funding to have the book printed here in Canada at no cost to them. I also suggested that they create a genuine Begaltsi website where all this valuable information can be stored and accessed by everyone. Books are good to have but having a website will make all this information available to everyone who wants it worldwide, at the touch of a button directly from their computer. Unfortunately, funds are also needed to operate a website. So if anyone out there cares about our plight and is interested in helping, please write to me and I will put you in touch with the Begaltsi in Skopje .
The next day I was a guest of my cousin Lena who offered to make a zelnik for me, a process which takes several hours. In Lena ’s case it took four hours but it was worth it. She made three types of zelnik, or banitsa as they call it, in a single pan. It was the best zelnik I have ever tasted. To prove my point I gave a piece to my friend Makedonka and she too agreed that it was the best zelnik she had ever tasted. Thank you Lena , you can be sure I will visit you again next time I come to Macedonia.
In the evening I met with historian Irena B., to discuss the strategy of how to tackle the translation of the chronology for the Begaltsi from Macedonian to English.
The next day, Thursday September 16th, I was invited to visit the Joint Operations Military Base in Kumanovo. My friend Tony S., mentioned earlier, had promised me a tour of the Base and true to his word he arranged it. Visiting military bases in Macedonia is not as easy as visiting a Base here in Canada . One must get permission directly from the Base Commander and have a valid reason for the visit. So I left that to Tony who personally not only arranged it but also drove me from Skopje to Kumanovo. The bonus of the visit was that I was going to meet the Commandant, or Base Commander.
Similar to the Base in Kichevo, visits are made by appointment and one has to wait their turn to see the Commandant, who in this case happened to be a “two star General” or a Colonel-General, one rank above Brigadier-General. On my way I was escorted by a colonel, a lieutenant-colonel and was greeted by a major.
The General introduced himself as Zoran D. and welcomed me to the Base with coffee and drinks. During our conversation he thanked me several times for looking after his officers at CFB Borden. It was a pleasure to talk with and listen to the general who was very knowledgeable about the Macedonian situation in Greece . I spent about two hours conversing with the General who took time from his busy schedule to visit with me. I later found out that he had cancelled a trip to another city just to accommodate me, for which I am grateful.
Afterwards Tony and Sasho took me out to dinner and later Sasho and one of his officers, Boban A., drove me back to Skopje .
The next day I spent the afternoon with Makedonka touring Skopje . She took me by public transit to the centre of Skopje and from there we visited MANU, the theater and a Church. After that we walked up the Samoilsko Kale fortress, back down to Sv. Spas, the old Turkish bazaar and back to Skopje centre.
After that I attended a party held at Berovski Restaurant in Tri Biseri Tsentar which Darko T. had helped me organize. All of the officers I had met with before wanted to meet with me again. But due to lack of time I could not meet with all of them individually so I decided to organize a get-together and brought the entire group together. Unfortunately many who lived in places far from Skopje could not make it but we had a large turnout so we had a splendid party with live music and entertainment performed by a popular entertainer. There I also met Draganche, Orce J.’s friend who sent gifts and other items for the Macedonian officers who were already here at Base Borden.
Before attending the party Darko took me to his home for a drink and introduced me to his mother who was anxious, as she put it, to meet the person who looked after her son in Canada .
The next day, Saturday, I spent with family and friends and Sunday I visited with Tony K. and his mom at their cottage outside of Skopje . Afterwards Tony took me for a tour of the local monasteries and upon our return to Skopje he drove me to Valentina’s home where Valentina had prepared a welcoming dinner for me. Late that evening I got together with my friend Aleksandar at Berovski Restaurant for a late night chat and more food and drinks. One of the specialties served at Berovski is called Alexander the Great. It is a huge dish of roast pork injected with cheese and topped with slices of red peppers shaped like the Macedonian flag. I highly recommend it. The cheese and meat served there is shipped fresh directly from Berovo.
Monday September 20th, I visited and had a chat and drinks with Igor G., mentioned earlier, with whom I briefly visited in Veles. Afterwards I was whisked away by Slavko Mangovski to do an interview for his television program Makedonsko Sonce-tv. In Slavko’s office I met several Macedonian activists including Eftim M., Gjorgi H., Milan A., Stojko S., and Gjorgi A. Afterwards Slavko took us all out to dinner.
The next day I visited with Slave Nikolovski Katin who took time away from his visiting daughter to be with me. Afterwards I met with Stavre C. who gave me a book entitled “Iraqi Freedom – Road to Babylon ” by Metodi Haji Janev, which is about the Macedonian mission to Iraq in 2003. In the evening I got together with my friend Tomche and his wife for more serious discussions about Macedonia , particularly about its economy and future.
The next day Slavko took me to St. Kiril and Metodi University where we met with Professor Dr. Nikola Zh., son of Begaltsi from Meglen Region. Afterwards I got together with Darko, Mile and Marija J., a civilian working for the military whom I had met at CFB Borden. This was also a chance for Mile to visit with Marija since they had attended the school at Base Borden at the same time and had not seen one another for some time.
Thursday September 23rd, my last day in Macedonia I spent with Aleksandar, his friend Aleksandar M. and our mutual friend Dean F. whom I had met the last time I was in Macedonia . It was nice seeing all my friends and as before, I promised them I would return to Macedonia in two years.
On September 23rd, at 2 in the morning Blazhe took me to the airport where at 4:35 a.m. I departed for Canada via Vienna , Austria .
Other articles by Risto Stefov:
Free electronic books by Risto Stefov available at:
Our Name is Macedonia
Comment