Eight Months in Macedonia, Kyra Jasper

on 2015 : Me and Kyra at Sanur Hotel Bali, Indonesia

Let me say, 

Here is the letter from my friend exchange during my month in America 2 years ago. She is Kyra, Jewish Women that was born as truly American. She already change my stereotype about Judaism. Before I meet her I thought that Judaism is cruel etc, actually not all jewish are bad. Kyra is one of my exchange friend that smart, open minded, friendly, and still keeping in touch with me until now. She has a beautiful journey, after her exchange with Indonesia US Youth Leadership Program she go abroad again with Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad, full scholarship. KL-YES almost similar with American Field Service (AFS) Intercultural Program. KL-YES and AFS are Exchange Program with one roof, Bina Antar Budaya in Indonesia. I am on waiting date play for AFS as candidate. I hope I could go abroad like Kyra, one of my inspiring friend that always nice to share anything about her life. 

I hope this 'peace message' (as I call) would inspire you all who read my journal haha, the simple is my journey's story, most of post in Marvelous Walker. Walk over the world and you'll find who are you and why you live in except to gives kindness to others. Let's see deeply :))

Dear Nabila,
Here is a writeup that I made !

I hope you and your friends find it informative!! Thanks again, and sorry for taking soooooo long to send this to you :(

My time so far on the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad program, which is the reverse exchange program of the YES program for students coming to the US, has been a very challenging and very rewarding experience. I remember the excitement leading up to my departure in the spring and summer of 2016 and about my passions, interests, and intentions of even wanting to spend an academic year in a different country. And announcing this incredible opportunity to my friends and family was very exciting and impressive. But the full magnitude of what it means to leave your home to come to a place that you have never been before, living with a family you have never met, attending a school you know nothing about, in a language that you do not speak, in the context of a culture that you do not understand, with a different set of customs and expectations, without the comforts or the familiarity of friends or family, did not hit me until I stepped foot out of the airplane in Skopje at midnight on August 18, 2016 and realized—this is home for 10 months. 

This drastic change, in essence, dismantles the structure of our previous life, leaving us with many disjointed aspects that we must assemble. It’s a balancing act of learning, then understanding, then balancing, our perceived expectations with our own personal fulfillment. And this process of growth is what I have found to be beautifully challenging and immensely rewarding. That after months of highs and lows, trial and error, tears of frustration and tears of joy, you realize that you have established a community that will be with you through trying times and be genuinely happy during your times of triumph. It’s a mix of time and effort that produces a result that makes a place a home, your host family feel like actual family, and friends you’ve only known for months feel like lifelong friends. 

As with most things, though, exchange is far from just a personal journey. As a youth ambassador of the program, I have been conscious of the fact that I represent the humanity of America. Think about it. Most of our knowledge of other countries and cultures is through the media, and typically relates to current events—which places a lot of emphasis and value on one perspective of a very narrow facet of a place and people. But when I meet others, as an American, I am a face to a name. I am a human interaction and a reference of a large country. And I obviously don’t and can’t represent every American, but I am a reference point for understanding that the American people, like people of all other countries, are kind, thoughtful, caring, and want the best for all. So while no one person can or should characterize the entirety of a culture, my presence hopefully grounds people’s perceptions of America and can view the country, despite all of the current chaos that it has incited and involved itself in, in a positive light.

It’s still wild for me to think that I did not even know that Macedonia was a country before I applied to the YES Abroad program and ranked it highly—and how a little more than a year and a half after submitting my application, Skopje is now my second home. I’ve lived here for 8 months, but I do not pretend to understand the culture to the depth that natives do; I have only been able to understand this culture as far as I can perceive it, which is with minimal language skills, a limited perception of the Albanian sector of the city of Skopje, and being forced to spend 99% of my time in Skopje. But through my daily interactions at school and with my host family, my curiosity, my discussions, and my questions, I have been able to understand a lot about this beautiful and quirky country.

Macedonia is a new country, establishing itself as an independent nation only 25 years ago. It was formerly a part of Yugoslavia, and was the only country of the five countries that formerly comprised the former republic that gained its independence peacefully. But “peace” is rarely a word used to describe the political, economic, and social scenes now. While Macedonia is not engaged in any wars, there has been a lot of heightened tension – especially recently – as a result of a corrupt democracy, horribly poor economy, and recent reports of the current political party wiretapping into thousands of people’s telephone conversations and mail. There is also a lot of tensions between ethnic-Macedonians and Albanians, with discrepancies with collaborating on both sides. 

But the overall cultural feel is rooted in a sense of easy-goingness, calmness, and peace. There is a lot of value placed on social relationships, and it is more uncommon than common to not go out for coffee with friends at least once a day. It is over coffee that people catch up, discuss their ideas, and really bond – verses in, say, the United States where this bonding would occur mainly through club activities and in school.

The school structure differs depending on where you go to school, but something unique that I have experienced by going to my particular public high school is the shift system. Because there are too many students to fit into the school all at one time, they divide the 1^st and 2^nd year students and the 3^rd and 4^th year students and have them either go to school in the morning (from 7:30am to 12:30am) or in the afternoon (from 1:30pm to 6:30pm). Every two weeks, the two groups switch. I honestly prefer having it in this way, since the change spices things up and makes it more interesting. 

Unless a student is attending a specialized high school (such as a Medical high school or a Music school, where all four years of their high school career are dedicated towards a specialized profession), students will have to select a “track” to enter for their 3^rd and 4^th years of high school: science and math track, arts and humanities track, etc.

Additionally, starting from the 3^rd grade until their 3^rd year in high school, students must take 14 subjects a year—subjects that they continue to take until declaring a track. These subjects include Macedonian, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, History, and Art, among others.

Macedonians are very expressive and communicative, and will always be there to help you if you need it and ask for it. The community spirit is thus rooted in empathy and compassion for helping one another.

While there are still problems that the country is trying to address, I have fallen in love with this beautiful country and its people. And that, to me, is the magic of exchange.

Regards,

Kyra Jasper