Although my American drivers license allows me to drive a car, I do not need one because everything in my town is so close. I also find that walking everywhere allows me to meet local people, see more nature and get good exercise. For farther distances, I take the local bus or taxis. I have become friends with a few taxi drivers that kindly agreed to take me to nearby towns while also sharing the history of North Macedonia along the way!
The most interesting place I visited this week was Skopje, the capital city of North Macedonia. The city of Skopje, formerly known as Scupi, is very old. Skopje was founded in the third century B.C.E, making it over 4,000 years old. Skopje is home to all of the cultures of North Macedonia such as the Turkish, Albanian, Serbian and Macedonian cultures. While in Skopje, I enjoyed visiting the Turkish Bazaar where I bought hand-made pottery and Turkish Delights. Skopje is also filled with different statues of important historical figures such as Alexander the Great, the former king of Ancient Greece.
Living in North Macedonia has allowed me to travel to other European countries. Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Turkey. Turkey is a country in Europe that borders Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Mediterranean Sea. I traveled to Turkey with my host institution to help plan a project involving Italian, Macedonian, Turkish and Polish students and teachers. While in Turkey, I toured the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Tarsus, one of the oldest cities in the world, and learned a lot of amazing ancient history about how our world came to be.
