Explosion in Albania

Yesterday at around noon, I was sitting in my apartment when I felt and heard a very loud noise, almost like an explosion. It happened again a few minutes later. I didn't know what it was and didn't think much of it, because it was over so quickly and it wasn't that strong.
Later in the day, I heard about this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7299187.stm

Apparently, there was an explosion of old ammunition in Tirana and it was such a huge explosion that it was felt even here in Skopje.

Tetovo

While it would be quite a stretch to call Tetovo a beautiful place, it does have some interesting sights to see. When A. was here, we took a little tour of the town and saw what it has to offer. This is the painted mosque:

It's located near the river and the grounds are peaceful and beautiful, if you can ignore all the litter.

There's also a Bektashi monastery there. The Bektashi are a sect of Islam, I believe, similar to the Sufis or dervishes. I apologize for not being better informed! I'll have to find out more info and post it later. Anyway, A. and I walked to the monastery, but we only looked at it from the outside because I'm not sure they would have let me in. On the way, we passed an old cemetary and then we came to the monastery.

I also spent the day in Tetovo when my mom came to visit, but we did a few different things. For example, we saw an old communist monument that they've built in the old town there.

And what communist monument would be complete without a bust of Marshal Tito?

Lesok

Lesok is a very small town near Tetovo, which is where I work. There's a beautiful church there. The original church was built in the 1300s, I think, but it was destroyed in 2001 during the conflict here. They've rebuilt it now, and it's really beautiful. I went there at the end of December with my mom and then again in January when A. came to visit.

Here are some pictures of the interior, taken in December when my mom came to visit:

There was also a smaller building at the same site, which I think used to be part of a monastery.

And here's A. walking into the building:

I guess people were a lot shorter back then!

Finally, here are some happy little chickens wandering around the grounds of the church.

Better late than never

I realize it's been quite some time since I posted, but over the next few days, I'm going to try and make up for that. I've got a lot of pictures and a lot of things to write, so hopefully there are still some people checking my blog and someone will read them!

End of semester blahs

I have officially decided that it is time for the semester to end. I am tired. Tired of unmotivated students, and also of motivated students. Tired of going to work every day. Tired of planning classes and grading papaers.
However, not to worry. It will soon be over, and at the end of the month I will be home for a visit.
I have a visitor coming this week and I am sure we will do lots of sightseeing, so expect some new photos soon!

Thanksgiving, Balkan style

Last Thursday, we had the day off for Albanian Alphabet Day (yes, that is apparently a real holiday), which, luckily, coincided with Thanksgiving. I decided to host a traditional Albanian Alphabet Day/Thanksgiving feast in my apartment. Here is the festive table:

R. and I, being the resident Americans, were responsible for most of the food. We made roast vegetables, pumpkin pie, apple pie, mashed potatoes, and I cooked a turkey! J. was in charge of stuffing and did a very good job, although, as usual, there wasn't enough. Here are some pictures of the food:

The round pie is pumpkin, while the other two are apple. There don't seem to be any round pie tins in all of Skopje, so we were forced to improvise and use square baking dishes. Square pie tastes just as good as round pie.

All in all, it was a very successful Thanksgiving. It was the first for my Irish colleagues, and I think it gave them a good impression of the holiday. After all, what's not to love about spending the day eating delicious food until you feel like you're ready to burst? The only thing missing was the football!

Where I work

As I've mentioned before, I work in a university in Tetovo, which is about 45 minutes from Skopje. There doesn't seem to be much going on in the town, but it's surrounded by mountains, which are very pretty. Also, whoever designed the university really went in for bright colors, as you can see from the pictures. The buildings come in 3 colors: white, blue, and yellow. The colors mean different things, but I can't remember right now what each stands for.

Here's another picture:

In this one, you can see the mountains in the background. It was a little cloudy that day, so they're not as impressive as they usually look. Also, if you look closely, you can see two of my colleagues, J. and B.