Macedonia Journal

Mavorovo National Park

               (commons.wikimedia.org)

Today’s adventure in Macedonia was wonderful! We first visited Tikves Winery. A place where heavenly wines are made during the Roman Times and had been a tradition since then. We wanted to try one of their aging premium wines that were made and crafted since 1885, but it was way too expensive. So we decided to drink one of their famous red wine. We took a sip and was absolutely delicious. The unique scent of the red wine was very different from the red wines we had in Taiwan. After that, we went a fashion shop which had traditional Macedonian clothing. The store was filled with many different types of accessory. The shop owner was very nice and asked us if we would like to try the traditional clothes. Of course, our answer was yes. :) They then gave us two traditional women’s clothing which had a headscarf, ankle-length dresses, a linen shirt in white, head scarf and a pojas, a wide belt made of cloth. They also gave us an apron that was wider than normal ones. We tried it on and we look fabulous! The men’s clothing was a vest and pants. They also had a linen shirt and a pojas as well. For the shoes, we wore opinci, a leather slipper with a tip that is curved. It was an AMAZING experience to get to try on traditional Macedonian clothing!

Next, we went to visit one of Macedonia’s school to learn about their education system. Their primary school is divided into two parts. Primary and Upper primary. Their primary school lasts for eight years in total, from age 7 to 15. One of the uniqueness of Macedonia's school system was the grading system. The grading system is on a five-point scale, with five as ‘excellent.’ It is very different from Taiwan because Taiwanese schools use the five letter grade! Their secondary school is for four years, for age 15 to 19. We also learned that the students need to pass a final examination, during their fourth year of secondary school, in order to receive their diplomas. The schools in Macedonia was quite a surprise for us! Especially the grading system.

To wrap up our amazing day in Macedonia, we went to our last destination. Mavrovo National Park. The tour guide told us that the park was 730 square km, and consist of pine forest, waterfalls and also Mt. Korab, Macedonia’s highest peak which is 2764 meters. He also said that the Mavrovo National Park is one of Europe’s oldest national park. During the tour guide, we did not only learn about the national park but also about Macedonia’s value and ideals. The tour guide told us that Macedonians value education and that their ideals include many religious rights. One of the rights was their freedom was equal. It doesn’t matter whether the color of their skins or their social status is different. The tour guide also told us that Macedonia only gained independence in 1991 from Yugoslavia. Today was a fantastic day! We had so much fun trying on traditional clothing and seeing the beautiful Mavrovo National Park. I hope the next country we are traveling to will be just as fun.

Journal By: Yiping