Back to the numbers

Not that it’s my main focus, but it’s what people talk about here—and increasingly in the USA—and I strayed from it last week: economics.

It’s all about the “duckets”, “moolah”, “dolari”, euros, denari…You walk down the street here and listen to people’s conversations—usually being vocally held under shop awnings, on street corners, over coffee—and it’s about money. It’s hard to say whether it’s a legacy of socialism or just a southern European cultural trait. I’d vouch for the latter, because I’ve heard conversations in other Mediterranean countries as well, more so than in the US or W. Europe. But I’d say that the replacement of the socialist “pretend to work and we’ll pretend to pay you” by the free for all of the free market has made money-making for some, and observation of it for most, into the conversation of habit.

The combination of patronage with corruption and the association of criminality with those earning money makes for some interesting assessments of the free market indeed. That is, I think money is the topic of conversation because people either find you criminal or regal for having it. There are those I know from certain good old families who get given “something extra” (extra money!) at the money exchange bureau (which are very common here, since many people get paid in or keep euros, even though it’s not the currency used here) or just get things done by giving small gifts to the right people. And then there are those who seem to have profited through some ingenuity and perhaps even entrepreneurialism who get labelled as swindlers. No doubt some of them are, and that French President Sarkozy may have it right that capitalism needs to be regulated, but it makes you see how different we perceive making money/earning an income in the US.

We keep our salaries and stock options secret, allowing some to earn more than they should because no one can point their finger and say—“wow, that’s exorbitant!” (Well, we can for some but it’s taboo and no one really listens. Though maybe with the plummeting economy someone will?) But perhaps it’s just that people from a former socialist country like Macedonia are nostalgic for the “work ethic” of yore, and loathe the fact that in business you don’t get what you deserve, but what you negotiate.

But costs are relative too. Certain products/commodities are priced because of economic laws of supply and demand. Others, however, are luxury goods; or at least are marketed as such and thus carry an unworthy price tag. We have more of the latter in the US because businesses spend more on marketing and there’s been more money to go around no doubt. But what I’ve done over the last few weeks is keep tabs on some costs, and have seen that while most things are cheaper here, others are quite the opposite. While it doesn’t reflect how much these costs add up for Macedonians (because they don’t earn what an American does on average, far from it!) I’ve converted the prices to dollars. But when you see my hourly teacher wage at bottom—which is twice what many Macedonians earn, if they’re lucky enough to have a job—you’ll get a better idea how life is here for the many less fortunate.

Dozen farm-fresh eggs $2

Gallon of milk $4

Feta & white cheese $3-4/lb

Ground beef $2.50/lb

Good deli meats $3/lb

Loaf of good bread $.75-1.00

Bananas $.75/lb

Litre of local fruit juice $1.25-1.50

Dinner at local restaurant $5-7 per person

Good pizza at pizzeria $6-8

Flaky meat & cheese pastries $1

Cappuccino $1.25-2

Cake/dessert $1-2

Ten minute taxi ride $2-3

New bike tire tube $3

Gas $7/gallon

Samsonite umbrella in mall $60

Cheap umbrella on street $2

Bodum French Press $65

“Dzezva”—local coffee

maker $4-5

Haircut $3-4

Rent for 1 BR apt in Skopje $200/month

Room in villa on Lake Ohrid $30/night

Private boat ride on lake $3.50

My pay for teaching $7.50/hour!

Moles & Medicine

Differences in culture around the world also extend to medicine—health, perceptions of it, and medical treatments. To begin on an unusual note (but one remeniscient of Austin Power’s gawking over Fred Savage’s giant “mo-le” in Goldmember), something that's always bewildered me are the moles on Macedonians. They seem to all have them, and some are really quite large, even on kids (I walked by a teenage girl with one the size of a quarter on her upper back just recently). Older folks though definitely have them and some can be quite substantial, generally visible on people’s faces and arms.

My theory is it's all about people’s internal energies, their equilibrium. Here people have incredible social customs/constraints; they talk, eat, and drink a lot of coffee and alcohol, and don't get much aerobic exercise. It’s just a personal theory, but I think in particular the social stress and lack of aerobic exercise this makes for a social stress that contributes to a mole’s growth. It seems to be where the body channels some of its excess energy.

I’ve never had a conversation about moles with a Macedonian—because frankly, I don’t know where it would begin—but aspects of their homeopathic and medical traditions they’re happy to impart. On the surface they’re just different customs that we Americans are told about (and which as Peace Corps volunteers were imposed upon us!) by the loving friends and families we came to know here. They primarily include not walking around without slippers on (except for in the summer) inside; always having something on your feet when you’re outside; not going outside with wet hair (generally more of an issue for women); not having more than one window open in a vehicle, house, etc, for fear of causing “promaja”—a draft.

One is quickly scolded if he/she violates these customs of Macedonian society, as even on hot summer days you only might get away with having a couple windows open. But generally speaking, it’s taboo. Why is this? The concerns are of course that one will get ill from the cold and/or the moving air. To some extent this is legitimized by the more arid climate and the dry air. My theory is that cool dry air is more disturbing to the body than more humid air, such as many of us are used to in the US. It does seem to give one more of an ache in the neck if you’re exposed to it for long periods of time. But this doesn’t explain the instantaneous dislike of the draft by many Macedonians. No, it’s a fear that is somewhat a result of the climate but more so something cultural, and thus largely incomprehensible to many Americans. It is the air that is therefore the primary culprit. Having wet hair or breaking a sweat will allow the air to get right to you, and illness may very well follow.

One part of me always tries to understand and differentiate myself and my culture from this. But another part of me believes it’s half true. This week I’ve been sick, and I admittedly attribute it to walking barefoot and later biking outside in the rain Sunday and Monday. To me it was a pleasant rain, a cool relief from the heat. But it was also rather cold.

The remedies for illness are generally tea, use of brandy, and paracetamol—a common pain reliever in Europe. Indeed, for fever—which I’ve experienced several times in my life in this country including this week—the remedies include soaking socks in brandy and putting them on, and receiving a quick body massage with warm brandy, followed by being covered from head to toe and put under layers of blankets in order to force a sweat to break. Does it work? For me somewhat, but so does the body’s immune system. And further, I firmly believe it’s the same psychological process that allows placebos to work—individuals receive positive attention that reassures them, and therefore they heal.

Indeed, from a cross-cultural perspective what I always try to understand about treating illness is how people perceive potential illnesses, their vulnerability to them, and their consequent treatment. I’ve discussed the first and last of these, but it’s really the perception of vulnerability that can play such a role in actually getting sick. It can be legitimate, fore no doubt our immune systems do weaken and elements, viruses, and bacteria can do us harm. But the concern with illness here differs because it will generally be a result of the elements, not so much of microbiological organisms. In the US, we are always more concerned with the latter (except for in cases of hypothermia or extreme heat), fearing the common cold—a “bug” that is one of a hundred rhinoviruses that only prevails when our bodies get stressed or exhausted. Instead of looking at this as an illness should we not look at it as a measure of our body’s needs?

Regardless, here and at home it is my opinion that the key elements of illness and treatment are the same. We have preconceived notions of what might ail us, it does, and we treat it according to our customs and rituals, if you will. In the US it's generally what a doctor prescribes or a pharmacy provides. Here doctors don't prescribe, and pharmacies abound but they serve that societal yet healing purpose of assuring someone of their malady and suggesting they take some soluble paracetamol tablet, drink tea, and get rest. The rest is in our heads!

Work

Since one reason I’ve come here (and need to do to make some money to live off of) is to get a job, I feel it’s worth sharing some of the differences in getting a job here in Macedonia that I’ve come across so far. Given my past experience in the country, education, and knowledge of the language, I’ve had a pretty good week of getting my resume out and even interviewing for a job, Macedonian style. I shot my resume off to some places, met with a few school secretaries, and used the Peace Corps network to discuss other opportunities.

Yesterday, though, I went to a new office-like building that I knew to house the relatively new American College Skopje (ACS). Well, I got there a little late in the day for Macedonians—3pm or so—and so found only a few people lingering to speak with. Having sent it over email a few weeks ago, I left my resume and information and parted with a smile and thanks. On my way out though, I started speaking to another guy who said I should talk to a certain gal. Now, being in the building, I thought I was about to speak with someone from ACS, and gladly went to talk with her. Lo and behold, after telling her who I was, being served coffee, and engaging in a conversation that immediately jumped into politics and history, I discovered that this woman was from another school, rather amusingly called MIT!

Now the school has no affiliation with the MIT stateside, though it does offer IT courses (in addition to culinary and environmental science type stuff). The gal, Biljana, was very kind and sharp, but an hour into the chat and after she’d smoked several cigarettes, I was wondering where this was all going and how I fit in. We discussed my visa situation and pay, and in the end she said if I got her a plan for how I could teach for them than I was in. I should’ve been enthusiastic, right? But knowing what was confirmed right after by meeting up with an old Peace Corps volunteer who’s been in the country 12 years, I sighed and laughed at the insanity that is modern Macedonia. That is, the situation here is a cocktail of a South European/Balkan patronage system mixed with post-Socialist apathy mixed with free-market greed. What I wrote about last week is what’s making for a huge discrepancy between rich and poor here. And by poor, I mean people who don’t have enough money to eat and cover their most basic needs.

As evidenced by the educational system (which I’m getting to), Skopje and all the country are in a real mess. If one is lucky enough to get work they might not even get paid for it. But this comes about through pure proprietary greed. Owners of stores, restaurants, and in my case, new “colleges” and schools, are just withholding salaries from employees and pocketing them. In the case of the Berlitz language school franchise that opened, I was told that the owners were making their teachers put down a thousand euro “deposit” to ensure that they wouldn’t steal the Berlitz technique and run off and start their own language school. So not only did some of those teachers not get a salary after working a couple of months, they were swindled out of a grand too.

Apparently ACS and MIT are actually both decent programs for the time being, but these schools (many, for what it’s worth, claiming to be the “first private university in Macedonia”) are sprouting like weeds. They’re all across the city and generally charge €2,000-3,000 ($3,000-4,500) tuition. They’re comprised of some well educated faculty by Yugoslav standards, but the problem is that everyone’s gotten greedy and education’s become a business. (No doubt we’re seeing this somewhat in the US, but because of our laws and, most of all, incredibly bureaucratic universities, it’s like comparing apples to oranges.)

So, what will happen with me? I’ll have to play the game and get used to nothing like direct deposit, but I fortunately had dinner with a very sharp Peace Corps friend last night who’s stuck around Macedonia (there’re a few of us) and worked for ACS among other schools. He gave me some salary demands to make for these so called universities and colleges (€15-20/hour), and at least €10/hour for the numerous private language schools around. Fortunately, I arrived at the right time, as most schools don’t begin for a couple of weeks (and many in early October), so I should be finding out in the next week or two what will work out. Fingers crossed, an old partnership between IU and a EU backed university that’s opening a branch in Skopje could yield a position, and one with a secure pay check. I’ll need that in no time, as with rising costs and a weak dollar, I’m counting my dollars more closely than I used to. Speaking of that, stay tuned for a list of prices and how they differ. A gallon of gas, for example? About $7…

The wheels on the bus go round and round…

How many times I’ve come and gone to Macedonia is equivalent to the number of years it’s been since I first came here in 2002. How much has changed is harder to quantify, however. I had little idea what to expect when I first came in Nov ’02 as a Peace Corps volunteer (PCV), and I spent my first few months in a village that has hardly changed in the last few centuries, let alone the past few years.

Six years later, the nation’s capital, Skopje, is another story. When my good buddies and I escaped up here for a night during PC training in December ‘02 (and were reprimanded for it!) the 2001 conflict (and even Kosovo’s in ’99) were very recent events that left the city still shaken and divided, but which had brought the first groups of international workers en masse. Skopje only had a handful of decent outdoor cafes, grocery stores, restaurants, and nice cars from W. Europe. With Yugoslav and E. European makes like Yugos, Zastavas, Ladas and the like, it just felt stuck in its socialist ‘70s. I recall looking around at the New Year’s Eve celebration on December 31, 2002, telling my friend Kim just that. It was like we were living in a movie about a forgone era. But it was real—old cars, old clothes, and old habits. Oh, times have changed. Well, mostly...

With the ‘free market’, money appears more abundant, products imported from abroad are readily consumed, and heightened foreign direct investment (FDI) means more money is being poured into the country than at anytime since before the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1991. Fiats, Volkswagens, Audis, BMWs, not to mention Mazdas, Hondas, and Toyotas race down the city streets and country roads. While the market is far from saturated with these products and services (as indeed, many people remain rather poor), their presence is testimony to the money that has flowed in here and really changed people’s lives. Nearly everyone of my generation or younger has mobile phones, cable TV, and the internet (or at least they use it). I even saw the bus company’s website on the side of the city’s decades’ old red buses in sprayed on, stencil letters. www.jsp.com.mk

It still has that socialist look, but it represents a whole new world in this country of two million. People ride the bus less and take their own cars or taxis more. You can even hear it in how they describe directions: Rather than say it’s a fifteen minute walk they say it’s a five minute drive. Whether it makes life more convenient or just causes more accidents and pollution I’m not sure. But regardless of the mode of transportation, the wheels are rolling forward and Macedonians are plugging along…