I am a short-term Ukrainian volunteer with the SFERA organization. I would like to share with you my first impression of this wonderful country.

North Macedonia is a small country, but despite its obscurity, it has many advantages: a good location, a warm climate, and hospitable people. Personally, I did not even hear about it before my volunteer exchange, and it’s a pity for me. But at the same time, the absence of any stereotypes about this country helped me understand it better. For me, Ukraine and North Macedonia are very similar. I noticed this immediately after leaving the airport … The language seemed familiar, so I could snatch some familiar words from the conversations of people passing by. Architecture is also close to Ukraine, except for the mosques that are typical of Turkish culture. Maybe I’m wrong because a month is not enough, to sum it up, but for me, North Macedonia is a mix of Turkish and Ukrainian cultures. Everything I love is just in one bottle!

I really liked the nature in North Macedonia. The western part of the country is strewn with mountains, and all this is in combination with beautiful lakes, rivers, rare animals, and plants, like Magnolia or Chinese cherry, that you couldn’t see in Ukraine. I already had the opportunity to visit Matka Canyon and Pelister, and I’m just in shock at their beauty. The next item should be Ohrid, which was so highly recommended to me by the locals. The eastern part of the country is also awesome but is famous mostly for its historical and architectural places. I am curious to visit it as well.

Talking about cuisine, it was not that special for me, but I would like to highlight traditional Grafche Tafche and Makalo—dishes that you must try. I was fortunate enough to try homemade cuisine, and it was very delicious. The most important product of Macedonian cuisine is cheese. It is an integral part of almost every recipe and dish. So, you will love it in any case!

I’m in love with this country; it makes me feel like I am at home. First and foremost, this feeling stems from the people I met along the way. The most important features of character I identified in Macedonians are kindness, openness, and willingness to help. Most locals speak English very well, and it immediately melted the ice in our hearts and made the conversation very enjoyable. But even if language difficulties were encountered, citizens were always searching for a solution, whether they gestured or found a person speaking in English. It was extremely pleasant for me! I will keep North Macedonia in mind for the hospitable nature of its inhabitants.

Also, I would like to break the stereotype of hitchhiking and couch surfing. We did not encounter any difficulties, although we tried to travel this way for the first time. For me, these trips were the most memorable and pleasant, again because of the people that we were happy to meet.

A very interesting fact to me was that there are a lot of emigrants from English-speaking countries who come here to volunteer or work. They always left very good feedback about North Macedonia and told me that they considered this country very good to stay in.

I am sure that Macedonia has huge, but not yet fulfilled, potential. But still, it’s an incredibly beautiful and hospitable country to which I would like to go back again and again!