In her free time, Tina does things that are both creative and actually useful, which I feel like is a rare combination. She makes baskets out of recycled materials, which is one of those skills where I’m like… how did you even learn that? She can take something simple and turn it into something you’d actually use every day.
She also loves to cook, and not just quick meals. We’re talking baklava and fresh bread, the kind of food that takes time and patience. And if you’ve ever had homemade baklava, you already know—this is not a casual activity. This is a full commitment.
But one of the biggest parts of her life outside of work is her family’s peach orchard. In the summer, everything shifts. Free time turns into harvest season, and suddenly there’s a lot more work to be done. Between her job at the municipality and helping with the orchard, her days fill up quickly. It’s a different kind of lifestyle—where your time isn’t always separate from your responsibilities, and taking care of your land is just part of life. Also, having fresh peaches straight from the orchard? That’s a pretty strong bonus.
Tina primarily speaks Macedonian, but she can also understand quite a bit of what people are saying in nearby countries like Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia. These languages are closely related, so even if the words aren’t identical, the structure and vocabulary overlap enough that people can follow along. It’s a bit like hearing a different dialect—you catch more than you’d expect.
