A few weeks into life in North Macedonia, I'm learning that I can miss home while also beginning to feel at home here. All the Words I Cannot Find One of the hardest parts of learning Macedonian is having so much to say and not knowing how to express it. I'm getting to know my host family, and I want to ask more questions, hear their stories, and share my own. Sometimes, I feel like my relationships are growing faster than my ability to communicate. It's frustrating to have a

As I’ve spent more time in North Macedonia, and now that I’m in my third week of Pre-Service Training in my host community, I’ve been able to gain a deeper insight into the culture and the people around me. Since my language skills are still developing, I’ve often felt like a fly on the wall. But being a fly on the wall has also given me the opportunity to simply observe and notice the little things that make everyday life here so interesting. I want to preface this by saying

Another week in North Macedonia, and somehow, I have officially made it through my first week of language classes! Every morning from 8:00 to 12:30, the other volunteers living in my host town and I become kindergarteners again. We show up to class, our host families pack us lunches and snacks, and our brains spend four hours trying to make sense of an entirely new language. In the moment, learning Macedonian can feel like a lot. My mind is constantly jumping between new word