Работу давно сделала, да все не выкладывала. Ух, мои красавцы

Here’s the scoop on the dual language program for Peace Corps Macedonia.

Macedonia’s official language is Macedonian, but there are a lot of Albanian speaking people here too, on the western side near Albania. For this reason, there is a dual language program here. Basically, instead of only learning Macedonian during Pre-Service Training (PST) the classes are split between Macedonian and Albanian. Instead of one language teacher, you have two; one for Macedonian and one for Albanian. On top of the language portion, there is also a significant cultural aspect because the training community is in a mixed neighborhood and you get to experience the way of life of both the Macedonians and Albanians of Macedonia.

This year there were 45 trainees, 5 training communities, and 9 of us in the dual language program, so 20% of us, or 1 in 5 were placed in the dual language program. I heard that the numbers were similar last year too, and will probably be the same in future years.

In order to be in the dual language program, you volunteer to be interviewed during orientation, which takes place the first week you are in Macedonia. The volunteering and interviewing all takes place after you get here. The final group is selected from the pool of interested candidates. So basically, you can opt-out and just because you are interested doesn’t mean you will get a spot.

I’m gonna be honest and say that learning two languages at the same time is challenging and being in the dual language program in Macedonia has it’s ups and downs as well. At first it was impossible to tell the two languages apart, but by the end of PST we were all able to communicate in both of them. The consensus is that it’s hard but it’s totally worth it. I personally feel much richer for being in the dual language program and I don’t think any other training experience could replace it.

With the help of my PST site mates, I’ve made a list of some of the pros and cons of the dual language program:

Con: It’s confusing as heck.

Sometimes I felt like my PST group spoke our own language because we would mix up Macedonian and Albanian and understand each other completely (half the time not even catching the mistake) while our teachers, homestay families, and fellow peace corps trainees from other training sites were totally confused. The funniest is when, for example, a question is asked in Albanian and speedily answered by one of us in Macedonian with the utmost confidence, only to realize that it was wrong, wrong, wrong.

We learn approximately the same things in both of our language classes and the vocabulary is really easily mixed up. In some cases, I will learn some vocab in one langauge and some in the other. Up until about a couple weeks ago I only knew the word for two-way ticket in Albanian and one way ticket in Macedonian. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The struggles don’t end in language class either. When I’m out and about, I have no idea whether the people I’m talking to are Macedonian or Albanian. Shopping, ordering at a restaurant, meeting people at community events, etc has an extra added layer of complexity because you’re never really sure what language to speak. Almost everyone speaks Macedonian because it’s the national language, but it’s more comfortable for Albanians to speak Albanian and both groups are glad to see you using their language. So we learn to endure some awkward moments while we are adjusting and learning about the community.

Pro: Exposure to a unique culture.

Almost all Peace Corps Macedonia volunteers will be living with or around Macedonian people and will get to experience Macedonian culture, but only the volunteers in the dual language program will get a real inside look at the Albanian culture inside Macedonia. There are different traditional costumes, dances, foods, and holidays and in the dual language program, you get to see all of it. It’s a benefit that is hard to explain in a simple blog post, but when I visit sites that don’t have the presence of other ethnicities, it feels like something is missing.

Con: Learning a second language slows the acquisition of the first one.

Aside from the language mixing I already mentioned, there are other things that slow down acquisition. Most notably, you are only getting half as many hours in the classroom for Macedonian as the other trainees. My class moved pretty fast, but even with that speed, I felt a little left behind in some of the conversations about Macedonian at weekly hub days with the other trainees.

Pro: Linguistic access to the nearly the whole Balkan region.

Albanian is spoken by 5 million people in many different countries. It is the official language in Albania (of course) and Kosovo, but is also spoken here in Macedonia (of course), Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Romania. I believe the dialect would be different in different areas, but a familiarity with standard Albanian could be a great help when traveling to some of these countries.

Macedonian is spoken by around 2 million people and is part of the South Slavic Languages group which includes Bulgarian, Slovenian, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin. There are about 30 million people who speak languages from the South Slavic Group and the languages are so similar it is possible to get by while traveling without knowing each individual language.

By knowing both languages, it is possible to connect to the entire Balkan region in a deeper way, and we might even be able to connect with more people back in the states with our wider language and culture understanding.

Con: Lots of books, lots of homework.

Okay, this one isn’t really that bad, especially when considering the benefits of knowing two languages as opposed to one, but seriously. so. many. books. I think we had more homework too, which made PST very busy on top of the classes, trainings, and cultural integration that’s already happening.

Aside from the books pictured at the top of this post (a text book, work book, and dictionary for each language, plus a notebook) we also get an equal volume of supplementary materials after PST is over. I need to build myself a bookshelf for all of these books!

Pro and Con: Speak in one language at work and another at home.

Even though in theory it sounds cool to speak two languages (three or four even if you are using other languages throughout the day like English or German) at home and at work, it gets confusing and the brain gets tired. Like I said before, speaking both makes it harder to master either language. Also, you might only have vocabulary for work stuff in one language and home stuff in the other.

Pro: Broadening the understanding of the cultural division and tension between the two groups.

It’s good to hear both sides of the story. Also, I believe that the more mixed the community you live in is, the less likely it would be to hear stories that are simply rumors based on fear. Exposure leads to understanding and normalization of the once foreign. Every day in my work I see Macedonians, Albanians, and even Turkish and Roma people living amongst each other in peace. Seeing a society where people are working together and living in peace is one of the best parts of my job.

Con: Geographic isolation from other volunteers (kind of)

During PST, we were the only training community in the West, and it was hard to see friends from other training sites aside from hub days. Macedonia is a pretty small country, so it’s really not saying a lot, but it sucks to sit on the sidelines when others get to visit each other more often.

Pro: Your PST site mates will be closer to you after swearing in (probably)

Albanian is only spoken in the western part of Macedonia, and if you are in the dual language program, you will be going to a community where Albanian is spoken. That means that all your friends will be on the west side and visiting is pretty easy. In contrast, I think all the other groups of volunteers were spread all over the country like scattershot, even in the western side in Macedonian-only speaking villages. The farthest you might be is Struga to Kumanovo, which, even though it’s technically far, isn’t a difficult trek. I think.

Pro and Con: Feeling like others don’t understand what you’re going through, but solidarity with other dual language trackers.

It’s just the way it is. The experience is just different, but at least other dual language trackers understand.. 

Pro: More tutoring hours after swearing in.

The Peace Corps provides money for tutoring lessons to continue learning after PST. Most volunteers get 8 hours of lessons a month, but the volunteers in the dual language program get 12! Having the extra time every week for language study makes a difference, even if it’s two different languages.

I’ll leave you with one last pro, offered by one of my sitemates, without comment.

Pro: Elitism over other trainees.

;)

If you are coming to Macedonia as a volunteer in the future (congratulations!) and considering the dual language program, I think my PST sitemates and I all agree that it was a great experience and though it will be a lot of work, you won’t regret it. The language instruction by PC Macedonia staff is amazing and you will learn a lot whether you are in the dual language program or not.

If you have any questions about the dual language program or any other aspect of PC Macedonia life, don’t hesitate to ask!