ZDRAVO! HELLO! MERHABA!

I am Vera from Istanbul, Turkey, and if you are reading this blog, I see that you are interested in coming to Northern Macedonia or Bitola! Welcome to my blog, and I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures! On September 14, 2020, I began my journey in Northern Macedonia. Prior to my arrival, everything was obscure and misty; however, as the granddaughter of two Balkan immigrant Turks, I knew that Macedonians were not so different from us. The cultural similarities are obvious, from cuisine to literature, architecture to language, and so on!

During my first month, I had the chance to meet amazing people from the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, and Turkey. We had so many opportunities to share cultural ideas and values, similarities and differences, which made us laugh at the end! As volunteers at SFERA, we conducted many projects in which we could help the vulnerable.

Unfortunately, we did not get to travel around as much as previous volunteers here in Bitola due to COVID-19 restrictions; however, we had more time to discover Bitola! People here love going out and meeting up with their friends and family at any hour of the day.

The main street, “Sirok Sokak,” is full of people and very much alive, even if it is at 8 a.m. or 23 p.m. There are many attractions in and around the city, such as Heraklea (I still have not been there), many music festivals (the international classical music festival), the contemporary jazz festival, etc. In addition, the food culture is a major element in the city; people love eating good food and sitting at a restaurant for hours, which I find very fascinating!

I’ve tried so many different dishes here, and all I can say is that Macedonian grilled cheese is my favourite so far. However, I still have so much that I have not tried.

I hope that I will have the chance to discover more! CIAO and I hope you all have a safe and healthy day!