My favorite meal is a dish called Pastrmajlija. Pastrmajlija is a pie made with fresh pizza dough, a white cheese of your choice and fried pork. The dish is similar to a pizza without the tomato sauce. Pastrmajlija is one of my favorite meals that I have tried in North Macedonia, and I try to have it at least once a week!
Since arriving in North Macedonia, I have listened to new types of music. The people of North Macedonia listen to Serbian, Turkish, North Macedonian and American music. This week I discovered Ceca, a famous Serbian singer. Also known as Svetlana Ražnatović, Ceca is a famous Serbian pop artist that has sold over seven million records. Since Serbian and Macedonian are very similar languages, listening to Serbian music this week helped me learn a few new Serbian phrases such as the phrase "thank you" (Hvala) in Serbian and the word "please" (te molam) in Macedonian.
I recently started a book club for the students I teach. A book club is where different people read the same book and then come together to discuss what they read and how it relates to their own lives. I started a book club to help students continue learning English outside of school and to get to know my students in North Macedonia better.
The first book we are reading in the book club is titled The Giver, by Lois Lowry. The Giver is about a young boy who fought for all people in his community to be equal and treated with fairness. This means he fought to end injustice.