His Way

With his expressive hand gestures, puffed out chest, and widened shoulders the alpha male of one table playfully jokes and jeers with that of another. They seem to be friends or at least acquaintances. The smile and laugh, but there is a visible display of “I am in control” or “I am taking charge” in each leaders body language.

Approaching the seaside restaurant another man saunters up to the groups of already seated men clustered at different tables. Few local women are in sight, as it is typically men who lounge in the restaurants and cafes.Again, they seem to all know one another. Again, there is expressive hand gestures, puffed out chest, and widened shoulders at this alpha male takes center stage. There is an air of confidence, yet an exaggerated, hyperbolic confidence which suggests it is all for show. He speaks loudly across the table to the others— not yelling, but more of an assertive, almost aggressive tone. As he is standing and most are sitting, he is postured well for his power position. All hail king…!

Much of the scene observed above happened in the absence of women, but in the classroom in which there are 12-13 women and one man, our student’s nonverbal communication is different. He still expresses control and confidence, but he sits in the corner where he is able to occupy more space. His arms are outstretched, with one or at times both lying on the table or shelf behind him. He is outspoken and louder than the women. His confidence is certainly real, yet not exaggerated. He is still center stage, but it is more subtle. Why wouldn’t it be as there is no one here to challenge him, to conquer his subjectivity? In a room of women he has no threat of losing this.

Such noticeable non-verbal communication parallels what I have seen in Italy or Morocco regularly, but if one sits back and observes a group of men in a bar in the U.S. similar traits will be evident. They may be more subtle, diluted, yet we can easily examine what Merriam-Webster calls “a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated sense of masculinity…an exaggerated sense of power and strength”. This my friends, is machismo—more evident in body than in one’s words.

In the U.S. any act of machismo would include an ingrained bro-code in that men do not touch other men. To deviate from this, to rest one's hand our arm upon another male's, would in fact be a clear violation of American machismo. Here however, this is not the case at all. One can express strength with the power of touch as well. Touching doesn't seem to be relevant to power, but I will need to more observation to conclude for certain. With that, I guess I better head to the cafe!

Learning and Reflecting

Exactly 80% of those here in Ulcinj, Montenegro are Albanian, according to the many loud and proud who tell us this. In Podgorica, Serbian-Montenegrin culture and language dominates, but here, not so much.

Ahh, hearing the call to prayer today in the city center. Many a minaret atop the mosques reminded me of Morocco. The shape of the minarets here however, are more narrow, like a fairytale castle tower while in Morocco I first thought some I saw were bell towers. 

Am I in Greece? Am I in Morocco? Am I in Poland? No, I am in Montenegro! It is European. It is Muslim. It is Christian. It is Slavic. It is rural, it is city, it is mountains, it is beaches…

Marko, our only male student, tells me everyone has a car. They prefer VW, Renault, or Citroen. This is true— I have not seen buses here in Ulcinj, but many cheap taxis. Just 12 euro between 4 people in a taxi to take us to the city center from our beach resort apartment area. Yes, hop right in!

How do you pronounce Ulcinj? Ool-chin? Ool-sing? Or the word for thank you, hvala? At first we thought it was like koala but with an h, at least this is what we heard in Podgorica, but now we think we hear the v more distinctly than the h. I guess it is like an international traveler who comes to Michigan, then Virginia, then Florida...Hearing so many different ways, which makes me unsure each time I try to say each. It certainly helps me conned to my students when they struggle to pronounce something in English.

Please, no more bread. Please no more bread. No pizza, no pastries. I need vegetables and meat please. Yay, we found kebab today. If only I could find avocados at the market. Lots of cucumbers though...mmm!

Humbled I am when Alfred the engineer who teaches math at the school and helps us with our technology explains they don’t have the USB cord for the MacBook because Macs are too expensive. What about my iPhone? My iPod? My Bose noise-canceling headphones? 

Surprised I am that the movie theater is a few hours away in Podgorica. How many theaters can I drive to within 10-15 minutes at home?

Thankful I am for this experience— cultural connections, new friendships, lifelong learning— it has it all :)

First Day of School!

While I would like to say that my adventurous spirit is what drew me to the Balkans this summer, in actuality I am here on a study abroad. There are 16 teachers from the United States enrolled in coursework at Eastern Michigan University who had the most amazing first day teaching English as a Second Language at School Marko Nuculovic.

The administrators and staff greeted our eager group with equal enthusiasm. After the quick hustle and bustle of the room assignments, last minute printing and supplies, we all got to work setting up our rooms for our Montenegrin students. After months of planning, our EMU crew was ready to put into practice all that they have worked towards.

Danielle, my teaching partner and I, volunteered to run a class for the parents. Having been told our learners were early beginners, we prepared very simple lessons. To our surprise, most of our adult students had much more communicative abilities than we thought. It's a good thing Danielle and I are experienced teachers overall, as we got through our basic 75 minute lesson plan quickly and had to adapt a few activities on the fly for the next 75 minutes. Quick, a sticky note here, a partner share there, and a question-answer session there. And to think, Danielle and I have never worked together until this first amazing day!

While many of the students followed along easily, a few did need more help. One woman immediately asked me when she entered if I spoke French. She had lived in France for years and had not studied English for nearly 20 years. She was apprehensive, unsure, yet clearly interested. Never fear, as I put my own French language skills to use making sure that if she didn't comprehend the English she could still participate. Really, I get to use my French skills to help a Montenegrin learn English? Just one of many pleasant surprises today.

To our relief, the parents thoroughly enjoyed the class and our lessons. They easily interacted with their peers, and helped one another think of words and understand when needed. All of this put me at ease, as I was so nervous to teach a full class of adult for the first time. As the class ended, each of our appreciative students were sure to thank us both and shake our hands. See you tomorrow, we all excitedly said.

This is my study buddy and roommate Shelby and I for our "First Day of School" photo.

A Three Hour Tour...

From Podgorica to Ulcinj

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale
a tale of a hope-filled trip,
that started from the bus depot,
aboard this jam-packed van.

The driver was a helpful Montenegrin man,
the teachers eager and unsure,
sixteen passengers sat squished today,
for a three hour tour,
a three hour tour.

Winding roads felt quite rough
someone's lunch was lost.
If not for the gorgeous coastal views
the journey would be lost.
The journey would be lost.

Thanks to my roommate Shelby Eaton for the collaboration and the lyrics from the Gilligan's Island theme song (found on Metro Lyrics website)

The Most Boring City in Europe

Quite frankly, Podgorica-- the capital of Montenegro-- does not get the best reviews. My travel buddy Shelby said she read it is "the most boring city in Europe". Our primary goal in staying here for two nights was to shake off the jet-lag before our official study abroad begins. Today brought surprise after surprise as we headed out in two cars with our two faithful guides Sasha and Stefan.

I've always thought people who hire private guides must be wealthy, and I suppose in many countries this is the case. When I went down to the simple, almost stoic hotel reception area to inquire about how we should go about getting to Lake Skadar and where exactly we should go once there, the kind attendant said he could get us a guide to take us around. After a few quick minutes, in walks Sasha. I couldn't follow the Montenegrin dialogue, but the end result was Sasha could in fact arrange two cars for our group of six adults and one child. They would take us to a waterfall en route, on a boat ride on the lake, a stop for lunch, and other scenic overlooks. All this for a mere 110 euro-- total! For the whole group!  Yes, we will be ready in an hour...

Of course hopping in two random cars with two somewhat random locals may seem well, not the most advisable in an unknown country where you don't speak the language, but oh yes, I would definitely advise this.  Actually, it turns out Sasha's dad owns the hotel so it wasn't as random. 

On the way to Niagra Falls-- really, that is what the hotel reception guy said and the wooden sign at the site-- I noticed the topography reminded me of Morocco. And I was reminded that Morocco reminded me of Northern California, near San Francisco area where Bob, Donna, and Louisa live (Tim's brother and family). Vineyards are sprinkled along a two-lane road, cyprus trees tower at times, as mountains frame one's view. This is a sight we would see more than once throughout this welcoming day.

The falls were not quite Niagra-- more like Tahquamenon Falls-- impressive, yet rustic. Forceful, yet serene. Unlike most rivers in Michigan however, the water flowing towards the falls was a brilliant blue, like the Caribbean. While a few people were sunbathing along the rocky shore and others relaxed in a log-cabin cafe, it was quiet. It was calm. The only rushing sound I heard was that of my heart as I occasionally worried that I would slip climbing around the jagged rocks-- and even more so when Rae, my classmate's curiously adventurous daughter, edged closer and closer to the edge. Actually, the closer we got to the falls there was in fact a well, waterfall sound. Much better than that of the relaxing nature sounds I downloaded on my phone for sleepy time-- and complete with a light mist to spray away the warmth of the cloudless sky.

Continuing through vineyard countryside, the flora and fauna became more and more dense, with cane-like foliage canopied the one lane road leading us to our ultimate destination. Lake Skadar is the second largest lake in Europe. Having taken a two hour boat tour and then driving around the mountainsides at various overlooks, I can say in some parts felt like the Florida Everglades, other parts Lake Tahoe, then a mountainous valley of Delphi, Greece, and one canal with a stone bridge made me think of punting in Cambridge, England! We saw lily pads, old school fishermen, modern wave runners, wooden cabins, ancient castle ruins, cows blocking a bridge, monuments for World War II, unnamable birds, and so much more. Of course, all of this is what makes it uniquely Montenegrin-- except for the part of the lake that's in Albania, but we didn't go to that part. After all, as a Montengrin would contend, the best part is in Montengero.

The incredible scenery provided the backdrop for the many cultural connections we made with Sasha and Stefan, our boat captains, and cafe staff along the way. Stefan enjoyed practicing his English with us and teaching us many Montenegrin phrases. We learned that the phrase that means "please" is very similar to that of "I love you" so you have to be careful not to say "I''ll have a coffee, I love you" when ordering in a restaurant. After gazing out at the view atop the mountain-- a mountain in which I didn't think we would make down given the way Sasha and Stefan liked taking those switchback, cliffside, one lane roads-- I had said, "Wow, it's just soooo pretty" to which the handsome twenty-two year old Stefan responded by nodding in the direction of my young teacher friend, "Yes, and this is pretty too". We laughed, we joked, we lived. The world that seems so different, suddenly seems so similar.

You're Going Where?

Montenegro. The Balkans. You know, part of the former Yugoslavia. That last part helps a little, but I can tell by the expression on people's faces when I tell them where I am teaching English as a Second Language for a few weeks this summer that they really aren't sure where this is. I get it. So lets start with that.

Now I could just post a map here but hey, you could just Google that on your own. And since I am a teacher, well, maybe I can teach you something. Can you picture Italy? Can you imagine a map of this area in your mind? Looking at Italy, you know it's shaped like a knee-high boot, if you look to the left there is France. For those more geographically inclined, France is the the West of Italy.  Ahh, the south of France, Nice, Montepelier, Carcasonne-- the sites of some of my previous European excursions. Magnifique!

But Montenegro is to the East of Italy, or to the right when you look at the map in your mind. Directly East is the Adriatic Sea. If you travel your eyes down Italy's boot, just north of the heel, then travel across this sea to the opposite coast you will find the small country of Montenegro. There is the coastline-- ahh magnifique!-- with the bordering countries Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovenia, and Croatia surrounding this up and coming tourist destination. Croatia, with its long coastline, medieval towns, and film sites for Game of Thrones, has been quite the hotspot for the last few years. Yet I say look out Croatia-- your time is waning as the new place to be is none other than Montenegro or as the translation depicts "black mountain".

My first view of Montenegro from the plane as we approached the capital Podgorica hardly does the mountains and countryside justice, but not to worry dear readers, I will have much more to share in the coming weeks!