Mende invited me to inspect his fields of veggies. It is quite ingenious how he diverts some water from the river that feeds into channels that water the crops. He also grows corn and uses their growth as a trellis to grow beans.
About twenty adults and children turned up to the party - a very small affair indeed by Macadonian standards. We later learnt that Ana stayed up until 1am cooking food for the party then was up at 3.30am to tend the tobacco field. Mende gave Tilly a small sack of home grown potatoes and some chillies stating that was all he could afford to give as a present. It is an honour to them to accept.
Vlatko and Ana arrived in a car no bigger than a Ford Laser filled with five children and four adults - perfectly legal here. We never wear seatbelts and six of us are always in a car built for five.
Later in the evening, Mende invited K and I to his home which is not much larger than our bedroom. Darko, their son and Blagisca share a small room and sleep on lounges. Mende sleeps in the "lounge room" (a tiny room with a small table, lounge and TV). They use water bottles that sit in the sun to bath with. We are getting good at communicating through broken sign language and I love the challenge of doing so but we really had to insist on leaving otherwise I think we would be there all night.
Everyone complains of being poor and hope that the US or UK will get involved in helping the country get back on its feet. As I write this I just heard that there is 50% unemployment among young people in Macedonia. Again, it was such a great day filled with meeting wonderful people and despite the lack of resources, people just keep giving themselves.
I handed some pictures I printed and framed from photos I took last year here. I was happy the glass survived the baggage handlers. People were very grateful as they have so few family portraits. Blagisca wants me to take one of Darko, Borche and Finn and Tilly together. I promised I would. The power of photography is a wonderful thing.
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