Week Two- Veles- Its an Ajvar Thing

Meet my host family in Veles, Macedonia- here is Boshe and Zaga at their home in Otavitza, a village outside of Veles. In addition to a cozy but tight apartment in the city, my host parents have a village home with an incredible garden where they demonstrate their agile craftiness in raising and preparing food. 

 

My first weekend, we visited the Sunday market- or Pazaar- and then were off to Otavitza to pick TIKVA- Macedonian for squash. Oh, did we pick tikvah- the pictures are only part of the evidence! Did I mention there is a beautiful lake nearby with hiking trails and lake-side cafes? A coffee before heading back to Veles was a sweet treat after a generous day of gardening.

 

The first week of classes, family meals, and adjusting to Veles would not have been complete without another weekend visit to our village home to make the traditional fall dish, Ajvar. Ajvar is a delicious roasted red pepper and eggplant spread that is typically served with feta cheese on bread for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Anyone who has tasted it will tell you it is decadently delicious, but I doubt they have had the pleasure of making it.

I was informed Friday night that we would be leaving Veles at 9:00am to head to Otavitza. We packed the car, picked up my host aunt up the hill, and were off with 30kilos of red peppers and 10kilos of eggplant.  First, we washed each vegetable by hand. Boshe, my host father, assembled the wood stove in the cellar where its attached piping directed the heat outside.

 Then one- by- one, we roasted and turned and roasted and turned the peppers and eggplants until their skin blackened, sacking the finished peppers in the process. After letting the peppers steam for an hour in plastic bags, we pealed and seeded almost all the roasted peppers and eggplants. After roasting and peeling, we ground the peppers and eggplants and cooked the newly concocted mixture in a large vat over the same stove.  (Did I mention I have a host brother my age? You can see his picture below; he is eyeing the roasting. He was the official veggie grinder!) Many families stir for three hours by hand, taking turns. Luckily, my father rigged a stirring machine. So, we watched for three hours, chatting over coffee, as the pot bubbled, as each added oil and salt here and there after tasting, as we waited for the Ajvar to finish.

Oh yes, when it was just right, we carried the pot upstairs to the kitchen, where the jars had been sterilizing in the oven. One by one, we filled the jars with spoons, hovering over the steaming pot of red goo.  After capping the final jar to be filled, my family gleefully crumbled feta around the base of the pot and tore generous hunks of bread off, passing to eager hands. There is a famous phrase in Thailand about a fear; the bear may fear the cold water, but I do not. After learning this in one of my culture trainings, its application became clear as my family and I attacked the pot, fearless of the mess ahead. Scooping, scraping, rescuing every remnant of ajar, with our bread- and- cheese- sponge, into our hungry, no longer patient mouths, I relished in the beauty of this tedious, bonding process. 

Beyond Ajvar, life in Veles is coming along. I have anchored some solid running routes with room to wiggle and explore. I am scheduled to teach dance next week on my Birthday and am enjoying walking around the town- though I am mostly traveling from home to school and back.  The language learning is DENSE, but finding more and more competent communication strategies is empowering.  Monday I have my first HubDay reunion and trainees with the full Mak 19 group in Skopje, Macedonia's capital, on Monday.  I am excited to get out and about, to see my friends, to hear about their experiences, and to learn more about my role and preparation for service in December.