The Mystery that is Macedonia

When I first came to Macedonia on a visit in 2001, I found this little country so intriguing and breathtakingly beautiful that I happily accepted the invitation to return for a longer period. That ‘longer period’ has now extended itself to several years during which I have had many enriching, memorable experiences. I thought it might be interesting to jot down a few observations about the difference in culture. I appeal to my Macedonian readers not to misunderstand my intentions. What I have observed are customs and habits which are as normal to you as breathing and sleeping, but to someone from an entirely different culture, they are both interesting and noteworthy. It is always thrilling for me to explore how various nations function and it is nothing short of a privilege to experience a foreign culture first-hand.

Hospitality

Macedonians are a friendly, hospitable people. I do not know how many times they have almost literally killed me with kindness. Indeed, I have often staggered out of front doors feeling like a fattened goose at Christmas time on its way to the slaughter. It is largely obvious that Macedonians load their tables with their finest foods when they have guests, particularly foreigners. One such table could groan under platters of sirenje (white cheese), ajvar (pepper chutney), white cabbage salad, kolbasi (sausages special to the Balkans), sarmi ( stuffed cabbage leaves), zelnik (phyllo pastry with various fillings), skara (char-grilled meats) and wedges of white, crusty bread. A personal favourite dish of mine is polneti piperki (stuffed peppers), a dish which often leaves me feeling like its name. Rakija is often offered to unsuspecting foreigners. It is usually a plum schnapps with up to 50 – 60% alcohol content (especially home-distilled) widely found in the Balkans. Men mostly drink it and it is perfectly acceptable to abstain.

What is not permissible in your own culture is sometimes the norm in others and so it is with table manners. Very often you will only have a fork at your disposal (in homes) which is quite a change to the rows of cutlery which can pose a challenge to our foreign visitors in Britain. The tablecloth, rather than side plates, serves to gather crumbs from the bread and then it is shaken from the balcony. (I once received a shower of breadcrumbs on my head while standing on my balcony). When I think of how many times my poor mother had to say to me, ‘Use a plate!’ when I was growing up. I fear she may have to start reminding me again each time I go home.

Coffee Culture

As in most southern countries, there is a rich café culture in this region. Turkish coffee is the sorte préférée although all the others are available. I did not sleep well during my first weeks here due to excessive coffee drinking. I was only ever given coffee and did not know how to ask for something else or to refuse politely during visits. Thankfully, I have since learned. When I got to the bottom of my first cup of Turkish coffee, I had no idea what to do with the residue. Looking at the others, I quickly realized it should not be eaten but rather left for ‘coffee reading’. That is not something I personally find agreeable because some people take it seriously and invite the power of darkness into their lives. Give me a cup of Nescafé any day, if not only for that reason.

The cafés are full everyday around noon and then again in the evening. The unemployment rate is high in Bitola which means that people have time to go out for coffee with their friends on a daily basis. I was surprised at first to discover that cafés, in general, do not serve food. Their sole purpose appears to be for socialising, which is certainly helpful for keeping the figure in check. It obviously works, going by the size of the clothes in the boutiques and the model-like Bitolian women. Bitolian women love to dress up and very often the main street, Sirok Sokak, is like a catwalk in the evening. It was not long before I learned the word doterana – dressed up like a fish supper (loosely translated). This ‘catwalk’ is unique to Bitola, I believe. Personally, I think it is rather sweet.


Mind your Language

Macedonian belongs to the group of South Slavic languages and became the official language of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia in 1945. Prior to that, it was regarded as a dialect of Bulgarian. I decided if I were going to be spending some time in the country, it would only be logical to learn the language. A teacher was recommended who turned out to speak not a word of English, but it was probably for the best. I understood absolutely zilch for the first few lessons, but then I began to make some progress and learned rather quickly out of sheer necessity. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to learn a language which I am actually going to use. A faltering communication is born at first which then develops into a somewhat smoother exchange of thoughts and requests. Then the finer nuances are noticed and before long, you begin to skip the tedious grammatical analysis of every word and just simply speak. Phrases you have heard get lodged somewhere in the mind and you can spill them without stopping to check if they are grammatically correct. Some people start with phrases first, but I absolutely refuse to say a sentence until I have understood its grammatical structure. That is just me and that is how I learned Macedonian. I should say that is how I am learning Macedonian. There are still many words and phrases to adopt.


It is only natural to make mistakes and say the most ludicrous things when learning a language. I once told my friend I was ‘quiet’ (tivka) or so I thought, but what I actually said was tikva, which is the word for ‘pumpkin’. Sometime later I asked that same friend if I should give the waiter a tip, but I confused my words slightly and said baknesh (kiss) instead of bakshish. Perhaps the funniest gaffe was made by an American friend. He appeared at the bus station ticket counter and said, ‘Sakam da povratam.’ (I want to vomit.) He should have asked for a povratna karta (return ticket). I can only imagine the reaction behind the counter. My Macedonian friends have also made funny mistakes in English e.g. ‘sign the contraction’ or ‘David and Toshiba’ (Bathsheba), ‘tears in the salad’ (unable to find the word ‘onion’) ‘jampire’ (jumper) and the one that made me laugh the most, ‘my car doesn’t have any speak louders’… The fun of it all! A Russian friend of mine always talked about ‘linguistic boldness’, i.e. daring to open your mouth and use another language. Qui audet adipiscitur!

Macedonia was under Turkish occupation for 500 years and it follows that there are many Turkisms in the language. Several words spring to mind which are used on a daily basis: epten (a lot), merak (desire), gajle (worry), kandisa (agree with), sabajle (morning), kjef (contentedness), chare (help, way out) and many more. Several idioms also have Turkish roots: pie tutun (literally he’s drinking tobacco) he’s smoking, mu ostana okoto (he left his eye on) he likes something, mu sece umot (it cut his mind) he understood quickly. Idioms lend colour to a language and Macedonian has some unique expressions. I once had friends round to paint my flat and that evening, I left the chaos in the flat and went to a musical event. My friend whispered to me: ‘the village is on fire but granny’s brushing her hair’. I thought she had gone completely mad until I realized she was using an idiom to describe my unperturbed state of mind when my flat was literally upside down. When someone ‘has bumble bees in their head’, it means they are thinking something silly. People who are ‘not grinding flour’ do not get on well. Someone who is ‘selling ripe cucumbers’ is telling lies. ‘Digging a well with a needle’ describes carrying out an arduous task. I think you get the idea...

Something unusual takes place when I start speaking Macedonian. My voice is louder, I start waving my hands about and shrugging my shoulders and I use up far more energy than when speaking English. When I first came to Bitola, I thought my host family were always arguing and fighting, but that was just conversation à la macédoine. Macedonians are not afraid to show their feelings and they expect you to show yours too. Otherwise, they will tut and say, ‘Ah, those cold foreigners!’ It is not unusual to be asked how much rent you pay, how old you are, if you are married and why not if that be the case, how much your shoes were etc… I have now got used to these questions but I found them very strange at the beginning. Now I even tell people how much rent I pay without being asked. There is a preoccupation with money in a country with low wages, yet Macedonians give from their modest means while we in the West give from our surplus. This has touched me time and time again. When Macedonians give, it costs them much. This is the only country I have ever been in where the taxi driver rounds DOWN the fare!

There are many aspects of Macedonian life I have not mentioned, but that may be material for another blog. I continue to observe and enjoy living in this rich country. It may not be rich financially, although it has the potential to be so, but it is rich in history, culture and tradition. I am the richer for living here and the Macedonian people will always have a special place in my heart.