STORY: OHRID AND ADVENTURERS

Transcription

1 STORY TRANSCIPTS PEOPLE S STORIES GRAPHICS ON THE INTRO PICTURES FOR THE STORIES STORY: OHRID AND ADVENTURERS A day with foreign tourists who visited city of Ohird in the summer of 2012 on cultural and religious locations in the city protected by UNESCO. The spirituality and quiet life meets dynamism and adventures around the corner of old stone houses, religious sites, white walls and old windows. Sounds of nature and Ohird Lake.As an interlude between devotional and stylish life. City of Ohrid is a main tourism destination in Macedonia and it is close to all villages near municipalities of Struga, Ohrid and Bitola. INT:Australia. My name is Kate. I am here just visiting with my partner Dragi and we are seeing the sites. Do you learn some Macedonian words? INT:Yes. Good (добро). What else. I can count to ten. One, two, three, four (еден, два, три, четири). We learn a little bit each day, while we are here. Q: Do you stay at private houses, here in Ohrid? INT:Yes, private houses. INT:Hi, my name is Jir i Kotoucek, I am from Czech Republic. Q: What are you doing in Ohrid? INT:We are on road trip through Balkan and we went with my friend from Czech Republic to Neum by bus and from Neum we went through Balkan and old Yugoslavia by auto stop. Q: How do you like Ohrid Lake? INT:It is very nice, it is like a sea and in Macedonia are very nice people. Q: Where are you staying here in Macedonia, in camps, houses or hotels? What are you using? INT:Camping outside, we have only sleep begs. I don t know if it is good. We sleep in a hotel only if it is too rainy. 1

2 INT:Newcastle. Q: How do you like it so far here? INT:Beautiful, love it, awesome. This is the appearance of Macedonia. Q: Are you here on vacation or traveling? INT:Vacation. STORY: PAVLE LUKANOVSKI AND VILLAGE OF GALICNIK Pavle Lukanoski returned to the village at the beginning of 90ies, he opened small guesthouse for eating which today is a place when tourist stops to taste home prepared food. During this summer Lukanoski was busy to prepare its old house to accept guests. He thinks the village of Galichnik can have more prosperous life if it "is accessible during the wintertime, has more travel signs and more trails for horse back riding". He believes the village deserves tourism development. VO: The old photo in this small restaurant at village of Galichnik keeps the memories of the past. It is a picturesque village with a history of people who where traders and migrated in America at the beginning of the nineteen century, old- style architecture and traditional production of chees. As picture shows, the village is on altitude of one thousand five hundred and fifty - two meters. The distance from a national park Mavrovo is around thirty kilometers and from Skopje the village is on seventy - two kilometers. VO: The road from Mavrovo to Galichnik was broke through the mountain and hills and it passes by the landscapes that offer endless possibilities to nature lovers, photographers or simply for those who decided to have a nice weekend in this region of Macedonia. Beautiful as it is, this place can be real peril during the winter when snow does not allow access to the village by cars. VO: Village of Galichnik is vibrant community during the summer, spring or even in the fall. During the winter there is only one family who stays in the village after a woman who lived there passed away couple of years ago. This man returned to the village at the beginning of the 90ies when he opened small guesthouse where tourist can eat home prepared food. He dreams about future rural tourism potentials of this village. INT:I am Pavle Lukanoski of Galichnik and I live twenty - one years in my birth area. INT:Unfortunately, no one had tried such activities so far, although this place deserves development in tourism. Galichnik and its surroundings it is beautiful 2

3 region. We need investments. Basically, we need connection to the road. The road direction Janche Galichnik will be the best option. We are disconnected from the road only for 2, 5 kilometers. VO: Lukanoski has been renovating his old house and has been preparing it to accept guests. He plans to renovate the house in the modern style, although he believes it will have all elements of one traditional house. INT:This will be house in Galichnik style with all of its attributes. VO: The house will have all commodities that guests will expect to enjoy in the natural surroundings of Galichnik, such as walking trails or collecting herbs. INT:A lounge, there should be a kitchen, and a room for my wife and me. And what is for the tourists? For the tourists are the restaurant and the overnight accommodation upstairs. INT:We will make restroom and we will connect to Internet. With a nice food and the guests will come. VO: Women in the villages in Macedonia are mostly responsible to prepare the beautiful food. INT:Galichnik pie. INT:As my husband says, a pie, polenta, roasted lamb, soup and we prepare barbecue. We have food for everyone. VO: It is not hard to believe in this because the village has a small bread production facility, local food store, a museum and one hotel. In the recent past, diary products of this village was known to domestic market. One of the products is a white chees. Lukanoski shared a view on a basement in its house where he stores the cheese. INT:This is white chees of Galichnik. It is production of mine. I had more cattle, but I need to rationalize. I have around two hundred sheep. This is original white cheese of Galichnik. VO: Those who like the specific taste of this white cheese produced of sheep milk probably will never hesitate to leave the village without to take one to home while enjoy in an infinite landscapes and beautiful nature. STORY: LILJANA BATKOVSKA AND VEVCANI 3

4 Vevchani is located on elevation of eight hundred meters in the base of Mountain Jablanica. It is on north west of the Ohrid Lake and close to the border with neighboring Albania. At Vevchani 2433 inhabitants live. It is spread on the surface of 34km2. This is a story of this village and people who participate in a rural tourism development. VO: The Church Saint Nikola in a village of Vevchani dates from year one thousand eight hundred seventy two or seventy- six. There are word of mouth stories which inhabitants in Vevchani told even today as an interesting moment of the past times. During the Ottoman times, inhabitants of Vevcani collected financial means and one of them called Little Ojha whose real name was Naum went to Stambol and gave the money so the church can be on the same level with the ground. INT:Liljana Batkovska: Which grave is this one? It is of Little Oxha what I told on him. Who went and gave gold coins and the church can have flat floor and not to descend by the stairs. VO: With hopes to get attention of the Ottoman authorities at that time he changed his cloths into something else. INT:In what he was disguised? He wore Turkish cloth. VO: Liljana Batkovska who works in Municipality and a village of Vevchani shared couple of hours to introduce, not only the village, but also the inhabitants who show initiative to develop rural tourism. The first stop is at a house named Kutmichevica. VO: The name of the house has a history. Some of today s border areas between Albania, Macedonia and Greece were among the region of Kutmicevica in 10 th century when Saint Clement of Ohrid formed Ohrid Literary School and introduced Slavic literacy in the church liturgies. Followers of Ohrid Literary School used first Glagolitic and then Cyrillic alphabet. In present days, Natasha Bogoeska explains how the house was renovated. INT:Natasha Bogoeska: We are in an old Macedonian house, which has been restored and renovated with a World Bank grant through Republic of Macedonia s Ministry of Culture and our own financials six years ago. VO: The house is decorated with ethnic and folklore elements. Framed picture on this wall is a segment of a traditional bride dress. INT Natasha Bogoeska: This stays down on the scarf. What is this on the picture? It is a folk sewing pattern. It is part of a bridal scarf? Is this a typical one? 4

5 Yes, it is only typical for Vevchani folk costume. VO: People rarely migrated from the village. Although, when they decided to left they migrated in America, South America, Romania and Slovenia. Inhabitants of Vevchani are known because they work in construction and especially on houses and buildings façades. Some decided to return in the village and work to make it appealing and interesting for guests. INT:Gligor Kostojcinovski: I was forced thirty years and something to work in Slovenia as a migrant worker in construction. I returned and ten years we have been working. INT:Gligor Kostojcinovski: It is луканец (type of sausage). We are only one in Macedonia who produced it. VO: With wine and food it is easy to attract guests. INT:Gligor Kostojcinovski: Which type of grape do you use? This is from kratoshija grape. It is old wine lose kratoshija. INT:We produce the wine the old way, without any chemistry. It is produced on the natural way with boiling, ripe until it becomes the wine without any chemical. That is our traditional way of Vevceni. VO: And sometimes an old story and a connection to a famous inventor can bring guests to the village. Relatives of a scientist Mihajlo Pupin came to village of Vevcani in 17 th century. Pupin himself was never been in Vevcani, but the history of people movements at that period gave inhabitants of Vevcani chance to recall on it. Old Pupin s family house was renovated as a result of the cross- border cooperation with Greece and now it is on double benefit to inhabitants and to the municipality. INT:Kosta Cocoroski: His origin is from Moschopolis, than they came to Vevcani, then they went to Idvor and in 1874 he went to New York. He was educated there and he became a professor at university. When he invented Pupin s coil, inductor phone and a x- ray camera, America gave him million dollars. INT:Kosta Cocoroski: Here is his picture with Einstein. Here is at his home at the USA. INT:Kosta Cocoroski: Is this his family tree? Yes, Mihajlo Pupin, behold his American wife Sara, daughter Varvara, here says that she has no children and so it was ends of his descendants. VO: Village of Vevchani is very close to Ohrid Lake and Crn Drim River. The inhabitants who own restaurants and accommodation facilities offer home made 5

6 food, home prepared brandy and wine. Rural tourism is seen as a chance for a local economy development. INT: We saw the future of Vevcani in rural tourism development, because not only the tourism, but also and other economy sectors can benefit of rural tourism. VO: The village is famous for Vevchani carnival, the event that has been happening in mid of January every year and a water source located in the village. STORY: RUFATI HASAN AND DUF Mavrovo Rostusha is a multiethnic municipality that is populated with communities of different ethnic background. According to the last census data from 2002, the municipality has 8618 inhabitants: 50,46% are Macedonians; 31,10% are Turks; 17,21% are Albanians; 0,12% are Roma; 0,30% are Boshniaks;, 0,07% are Serbs and, 0,08% are others. State Statistical Office data as reported after the census in 2002, Municipality Mavorovo Rostushe is populated with 8616 inhabitants and has 1969 households. It has 42 villages. Duf is one of them. Hasan Rufati explains why he does beekeeping at village of Duf. Conversation: At Gostivar? I don t know whose child was. It was here. When was that? Two weeks ago. It was inside or outside. It was here. It is good I saw you. Could you please give me two kilograms? (4.4. Ib) I am a wife of Miko. Miko and Jovo. When you mentioned Jovo. Yes, he is my brother- in- law. Yes, he does beekeeping too. Yes, honey production. I know him more than.. Bring me two kilograms. (4.4 Ib) When do you plan to come here? One week from today. One week from today, I will be here too. Please bring me two kilograms. Thank you. Rufati Hasan INT:I am lawyer by profession and I have legal services bureau. This is my hobby. I have been beekeeping since thirty years ago. I am at Duf twelve, thirteen years. I did beekeeping at my village of Zuznje. Although, the village is empty now, there is no one to be there and we were forced to move to Gostivar. I found Duf as an appropriate place for honey - bees. I am doing beekeeping here and I think the place is nice. A bee is a fortune. We have results because the pollination. We have subvention from the state. We sell the honey at Gostivar. We don t have seal as was before. 6

7 Considering the place we are now, the honey has good quality. It is mostly meadow honey. Later, we can have a forest honey. It is depending on the season. This was drought season and I took the first quantity of the honey last week. I am here to check the bees and prepare them for the winter. STORY: VIOLETA KOSTADINOVA AND VILLAGE OF GABROVO Kostadin and Valentina Kostadinovi live at Strumica, although the house they own in the village of Gabrovo they use as a place to make an additional income for their family by offering traditional lunch to foreign and domestic tourists. Valentina has finished elementary school and with this engagement she helps in daily life of her family. On the experience of this family with rural tourism and growing fruits in the Village section of this Web page. VO: Village of Gabrovo is known on reach vegetation, mostly on chestnuts and nuts trees and mountain waterfalls. The legend says the name of the village derived from the stone covered with moss or from the type of the tree. The remaining inhabitants in the village are engaged with production of vegetables and fruits. Sometimes they made alcoholic beverages produced of grapes or plums. This family is growing organic kiwi. VO: Kostadin and Valentina Kostadinovi live at Strumica during the winter period, although the house they own in the village of Gabrovo they use as place to make an additional income for their family by offering traditional lunch to foreign and domestic tourists. The garden of the house at Gabrovo is decorated with traditional ornaments and the wine grape shadow makes it pleasant place for rest and joy in home made food under the clement climate of the village. INT:Valentina Kostadinova. Traditional lunch. Baked been, rice and chicken meat, soup and salad. VO: Regardless that the most famous recipe is the baked beens, Violeta shares how she prepares rice for the tourists. INT: The rice. First, cook the oil, then roast the onion and after it roast the rice with the onion, water, salt and spices. VO: The tourists have been coming from Netherland because of cooperation with one tourist agency and enjoy in two hours visit during which they have lunch and tour to the local waterfalls in this and in neighboring villages. Kostadinovi cooperate with Tourist Agency that has office in Netherland. The agency started cooperation with this family after the conflict of 2001 when there was information that it is not safe to stay in Macedonia. 7

8 INT:The guests from Netherlands have nice words and they tell to us everything was all right. VO: At first, they offered the garden and only served the lunch prepared by the local hotels. Later, Violeta participated in the training that offers her knowledge how to prepare local food specialties for guests, even though she already cooked some of the meals for her family. Cooperation of family Kostadinovi with the tourist agency has been going for seven years. They invested their own financials to renovate the garden. INT:It stays. We are not earning much, although it stays. How much it is one lunch? What is the price? It is four hundred denars. (Equal to $8.5) Is that enough to compensate for the costs you have? Yes. VO: Inhabitants of this part of Macedonia speak with their own accent and use Strumica dialect as a spoken language. Some of the words they used are same with those of Macedonian language, although the others are different. INT:What is the word for a spoon? A Spoon is a Spoon. Bonela is a fork. What is the word for peppers? We called them in Strumica чушки. VO: As a local product of this region, the peppers are also on the table for the guests to give additional taste to prepared lunch. STORY: BARJAM SULEJMANI & CANYON MATKA Village of Glumovo is on a half way distance between Skopje and Canyon Matka in the Municipality of Saraj. There are 450 houses in the village and 1100 inhabitants who work mostly in agriculture. Part of its inhabitants work at the Canyon Matka by offering organized boat services along the Matka Lake and to the caves in the Canyon. Bajram Sulejmani is one of them. VO: Bajram Sulejmani is unofficial cave guide master at Canyon Matka that is the most visited natural site near Skopje. He works as a boat driver and transfers tourists and passengers to the caverns veiled in the Canyon. During the boat trips he usually gives explanation for the caves. VO: The boats drive a long the Matka Lake with curious passengers during spring, summer, fall and winter. VO: Sulejmani starts with the boat trips at the restaurant at Canyon Matka down below St Andrea medieval monastery, where passengers took life vests and enter to the boat. All ready to experience the place that attracts with its endemic species of 8

9 natural world. On each of the circle trips Sulejmani can enjoy in the magnificent view of the natural site. VO: The view of nature was in front of us while experiencing the boat trip in the early summer, together with foreign tourists from Finland and domestic passengers who wanted to escape warm days in the city. According to Western - Balkan Geotourism mapgide online edition, Canyon Matka has formation of the karrens, flutes and caves that have been formed through the eons by rushing rivers and great temperature oscillations. VO: Canyon Matka has ten caves, although the most attractive are Vrelo (The Spring), Krshtalna (The Baptistery) and Ubava.(The beautiful one). Sulejmani leads the group to the narrow entrance in the cavern Vrelo. The light of the summer sun changes with a low - level artificial light that illuminates natural darkness of the cave and enable slow movement of the group. A ground section after the entrance in the cave, offers a view on stalactites and stalagmites. The most interesting is the cave formation in a shape of pine - cone. Conversation: Bajram Sulejmani Q:How are we deep in the ground? A:We are on the same level with the outside ground. A:We are on forty meters. Q: What the cave is famous for? A:The cave has on stalagmite, which is in the shape of pinecone. Q:Really? A:You will see when climbing the stairs. VO: The cave has two lakes inside. The larger lake has eighteen meters at its deepest point. The entrance to the underwater part of Cave Vrelo is around seven meters under the Lake level. Cave Vrelo underwater part with its one hundred three meters deep is consider as a deepest underwater cave in Europe. As an important specification Baptistery segment inside Vrelo cavern is a home of several different species of bats. The bats that live in this cave are on the Red list of protected species in Europe and are important part of the nature world. Conversation: You can enter inside from here. Here? They enter here and reach the lake. This water This is the spring. 9

10 How they enter it? This is a narrow entrance. Below, is more spacious. How much is wide? Oh, how much? It is tight, although fits if someone came with diving equipment. Than, it is 430 meters inside and it is 212 meters down. VO: The caves are interesting not only to regular visitors, but also to divers. The group who travels with Suljemani passes two divers who prepared to enter the cave. The tour of thirty minutes ends and it is time for Sulejmani to take a breath with his friend and tasty watermelon, local product of the local villages at Canyon Matka environment. It is a time for careless summer hours, even though only for the job pause. The time can have relative meaning, but for Sulejmani there is a new boat tour to drive and guide. And while for Sulejmani this natural beauty is more a way to ensure his monthly salary, than inspiration, there is no doubt for local citizens Canyon Matka offers motivation for their art or other professional work. STORY: NIKOLINA ANGELOVSKA AND VILLAGE OF BRAJCINO Nikolina Angelovska was first woman at the village of Brajcino who started to accept guest at her house in the village thirty - five years ago. Responding to our questionnaires Angelovska answered: "How we would not have interest"? A talkative woman, proud of her first steps, Angelovska explains: "I was thinking on rural tourism 35 years ago because the village has conditions for that", says Angelovska who decided to show the hospitality of people in these areas. Nikolina Angelovska. Аre you a permanent resident of Brajcino? Yes, I am a permanent resident. I was born here and married with man from the village. We call tthis with a neighbor. We lived in Skopje, 35, 36 years and then came back here as retirees. We did not have fields for work when we got back, there were fields, but we do not want to work on the filed. And I told my husband not to sit for free, many people visit us, let s open a small café and to have a place for forty people to sit down. Then, we made these chairs and tables and people began to go. In addittion, the visitors could walk down the mountain, one can pick teas, collect various teas, herbs 10

11 or walnuts. Here no one will tell you not to pick something. No one will be angry if someone entered a field to gather walnuts. And in the garden everyone can come. There are our women and they do not tell the people not to gather. If you need some paprika, one can pick. Our women say to the tourists: Here, the gardens are filled with vegetables, please enter it and gather. Like I said, it is not Paris, is not Corfu, Budva, is not anywhere, but this is something undiscovered. This is five Ottoman lira golden coin concealed in the clothes, as our ancestors would compare. And I tell, at least a few words I know: where are you from. I am proud that they came from far away to visit my village. And I asked from here up: "Welcome to Brajcino". "Where are you from"? They told: From Africa. I told them to find the stairs and to climb so I can cook a coffee. I boiled the coffee for forty people and I gave them. They tried to pay. I told them, not a single penny I took by travelers. If someone came and sleeps, of course will pay, but who are passing by, nevertheless a hundred or a hundred fifty people a day, the whole village can witness, that I do not take money from anyone who is passing by. And I am doing it for the image of the village. Nice view. Nice a lot. That one rock above is Mary. View up the rock. She is the Mother of God. For me, as much I love my church I am full of soul, even though only when I mention it. I love them much. I do not even want to try to tell to young people, themselves are aware and see that the village progresses and tourists visit it. Those who visit do not want to go from here. When they come here put tents in the court. We do not want to go out of here. Because, I now can not receive guests and rarely receive. Very rarely, if someone must to come. I do not receive guests in the house like I did before. Only a few adults left, how the villge cannot be interesting?. So, now the village is real beauty and it is heart played for anyone to come. And yet, the village will develop. Thank God, I will witness if I live. Who did this photography? This? Yes, from a wedding. Well, for some time, it is in 1953 in Skopje. STORY: IVAN MESHKOVSKI AND GALICHNIK WEDDING Ivan Meshkovski tells the story on both traditional and renewed manifestation Galicnik Wedding. Meshkovski works during the summer at Villa Dosta as a guide in the Museum of Galicnik. Wedding ceremony processed in traditional way around or on St. Peter's day is a symbol for attempts to revive life in this village in western part of Republic of Macedonia. The manifestation Galicnik Wedding is organized since The organization of manifestation follows around thirty wedding customs form the past. Meshkovski recalls on first photography of the Wedding. 11

12 VO: Ivan Meshkovski. I was born in Galicnik, although I live in Skopje from I got married on Galicnik Wedding. I met my wife here. How much the tradition of organization is old? The tradition of organizing Galicnik Wedding is back since the village was formed. Although, these days weddings we call them reproductions. We are celebrating fifty years of the wedding this year. Even though, Galicnik does not exist as a village since The village had carpet factory, 600 women were employed, post office. And all that not exists anymore? No, there is nothing now. When was first photography of Galicnik Wedding taken? You can see it here. It is photography by Blagoja Drnkov in There are other photo pictures, there are photography of 1940, although at this place are those one can see it. VO: Petrovden weekend represents the return of displaced Galicjnik people through out the world. TEXT ON THE VIDEO: During Galichnik weekend people wear traditional folk costumes. The bride has two dresses. Women costumes have more than eighty buttons. VO: Women who married in Galichnik wear this kind of folk costume. Those are not married have another dress that is for young women. INT: DANICA TORTESKA (the bride): Do not button up to much, so I can easily unbutton. Button up couple of them down and up. It is all right. We need to tide this up. What kind of costume is that are you dressing you up? It is for girls. We call this on Macedonian: мома, момиче. And on Galicnik dialect is момиче. You can pull the other part, so you can tide it. All of them have pockets. INT:IVAN MESHKOVSKI: Tonight, around seven o clock we will wait for the drums. Two young men will wait check peas and brandy for drummers. After that, the 12

13 mother - in - law plays traditional dance with sieve and bread on the head and jug with wine in the hands. She leads the dance in three circles after it occurs merriment. Then, all go to take the bride with candle torches. The bride and others walk to the three village fountains for water. With the walk for water ritual the program ends for tonight and the celebration continues in the morning. TEXT over video: Galichnik weeding rite of passage follows the elements of original weeding organized in the past. Every year couples compete to participate in this event. Danica Torteska and Trajce Lozanoski were couple of Galichnik Wedding STORY: BLAGOJA DANEV AND ZRNOVCI Zrnovci location is on eastern part of Republic of Macedonia, 8 kilometers of Kocani and six kilometers of Vinica. The village of Zrnovci is situated at the mountain base of Mountain Plackovica and on the left bank of the River Bregalnica. This village recalls no history than the agricultural one, although several cultural, archaeological and religious sites exist close to it. Here, the inhabitants with the unselfish help of foreign donors established cooperative and began to develop rural tourism. This is a story on Blagoja Danev and his attempts to create and engage local population and families of Zrnovci in rural tourism development. Charming people of this villages, offers you possibilities to enter into their daily life. VO: A White stork stands on the roof of the house at Zrnovci on a summer day in July when visit to this village happened. Storks are migrating birds that live in farmlands and migrate late summer or early fall to Africa and come back in March to Europe. Although, people who has been migrating over the years from the area are not like storks and sometimes forgot to return to the place they left, abandoning memories and old way of life. INT:It is from the end of nineteenth century. It is impossible to live in it. Probably, it is only a burden for the owners. They wait for finance to build something modern. VO: Dust, aged pictures, empty suitcases and old home appliances, ragged and used coach. A piece of life of someone lived in this house. At the moment it is abandoned and local authorities would like to restore it soon. Until then, an open window and no life inside the house will picture only the past. Not every house at village of Zrnovci offers such a sad story. VO: On the contrary, some of the houses and families tend to offer brighter future to this municipality and to the village. Sokolovi family was one of six families engaged with foreign projects to create basic tourism offer at village of Zrnovci, together with others in creation of cooperatives. The idea has been to ensure to community and its 13

14 inhabitants improvements to their income. INT:We have successful attempt as a village and municipality of Zrnovci to develop rural tourism and engaged six families from the municipality. They offered bed and breakfast. Some worked as a tourist guides. Q: Was everything prepared for guests? A: Yes, plates, forks and spoons Q: Why did you use stork as a symbol? A: Storks come in spring and leave in summer. VO: All necessary preparation were undertaken, Olga went through trainings and the donors gave to the families sheets, blankets and plates with the sign of storks that has been using as symbol for rural tourism development. The foreign projects and word of mouth attracted around sixty visitors and tourist, although since last year the village misses guests. INT:The main focus of the people is the income, agriculture and to find the job. They do not feel the benefit of the tourism yet and start to think on it as an opportunity. VO: Blagoja Danev, an enthusiast responsible for the local economic growth at Zrnovci Municipality and our host during the visit explains why rural tourism and Zrnovici are on a pause while looking at possibilities to find proper legal form of this model. Portion of the money went to pay taxes. Than, fro marketing and promotion and for everything that is connected to attract guests, financial transactions, quality of the food, trust, transport, foreign languages we acquired over the time. INT:One of the issues we faced was that cooperative model does not suit to needs. We have certain expenses to sign agreements with members of cooperative. VO: What tourist can enjoy while in Zrnovci? The essence of life as it happens. Daily routine of inhabitants who prepare and offer coffee and sweets, traditional family life where grandmothers and grandfathers are responsible to take care after the children and where several generation live in one house and keeps family together. That differs from Western way of life. Q: Do Children take the fruits? Nevenka Doncevska: No, they went to the wood. VO: Then, children who fish by the River Zrnovka and enjoy in days without school activities during summer break. Small agricultural activities of inhabitants to keep alive products that grow in this area. Dushka Taskova prepares leek by the river and answers on our questions. INT:Dushka Taskova: We do only agriculture and it is not an easy life. Do young people leave the village? Those who can they leave. 14

15 VO: Everyone here wants visible sign of the life in the village and with more prospects to young people. Mellifluous sound of nature, peace and tranquility can bring more guests and prospect to local inhabitants. VO: Those decided to stay are proud of their village and great us with warm wishes until the next visit. INT: This is a wild plant. Wild mint. We have several species of herbs. STORY: RUNI SADIKU AND VILLAGE OF KALISHTA Rini Sadiku has lived and worked in Danbury, Connecticut, although decided to return and open an auto camping place at his birthplace village of Kalishta, near Struga. Sadiku emphasized the value of the nature and beauty of villages around Orhrid Lake at Struga Municipality. There he offers, local dishes, such as fish on grill and special soups, traditional pizza and boat tours to the Monastery complex - Holy Mother of God. INT:My name is Runi Sadiku and I am from Kalishta. I was born here and I am living here and working all over the world. I decided to come because all my family is here, so I was just alone there. Somehow, I had to be connected to my family. Graphics: People s Stories INT:I come back to my country to invest and to see what I can do with tourism here., with beautiful nature and no pollution, so I decided to come back, to invest here, to think what is better for the country, for tourism, for everything you can find here. INT: This is very specific village. It has a Lake. It has a beach, field and mountains. The village has a good location. INT:The beaches are left. The garbage is all over and trees like in a wildness. Government needs to take care on the beaches and hotels here, not just to give it. They need to sell it or to privatize. Pavements from the village to the town need to be finished and people can walk next to the lake. This is important for development of tourism here in this village. STORY: ELIDA STOJANOVSKA AND VILLAGE OF LJUBOJNO 15

16 Elida Stankovska and her husband decided to return in the village of Ljubojno situated in south part of Macedonia. They started with agriculture and followed with rural tourism development in the village. Elida is only one in the village of Ljubojno engaged in accepting guests at adapted old house and build restaurant. Old Water Source is registered as a bed and breakfast and welcomes domestic and foreign guests. Graphics: People s Stories VO: Visit to a small and picturesque village of Ljubojno was scheduled in the end of July, couple of days before religious holiday Saint Ilija, which is of great importance for inhabitants in the rural parts of Macedonia. Graphics: TRAVEL VO: To travel at this time of the year is challenging and hard to breath humid and moisture air. It is a summer season and the busses are full with travelers who enjoy in the morning freshness before the day and the temperature make you feel like you never wanted to leave the comfort of your room. VO: Ljubojno is four hours and a half on driving distance from Skopje in the base of Baba Mountain with elevation of nine hundredth and twenty meters above the sea level. Old houses, empty rooms and open windows effaced picture of a dreamy mountain village. The echo of the taxi driver car that enters to the final destination house and a restaurant Old Water Source is peculiar for the sounds of nature on a summer day. Graphics: THE VILLAGE VO: Owner of the place is in her fifties. The fresh air and clement climate of Ljubojno make her face to look younger and gives her vitality. This is the village of her childhood where she returned after life in the city of Skopje went down when the family personally experienced harmful effects of changes in the country economy. Moving to the village opened a brand new chapter in her life. INT:Elida Stankovska We lost jobs and we decided to return to Ljubojno. First we started with agriculture, we grew carrots and potatoes. VO: The village of her childhood has been changing over the years. When her father arrived as a mailman to the village, it was populated with around

17 inhabitants. The place was known that had first school of Macedonian language in Prespa region. INT:I spent my childhood here. Ljubojno was nice village. Although, in the time of cooperatives people migrated rapidly. They looked for jobs abroad. Only 120 stayed in the village. I am one of them. VO: Everything here is created with love and passion of Elida and her husband. The trainings she went on gave her knowledge to make this place appealing to domestic and foreign tourists, enjoy in home made traditional food and leave the house with smile and return again. Elida decided to return to the village. Each day of this balcony she thinks on brighter future of Ljubojno. VO: The attempt to rebuild the village life as before is not an easy task in the changed environment with only hundred and twenty permanent inhabitants. Maybe the village will never have again three thousand inhabitants like in the past, but Elida is looking forward new possibilities for her and others, as new guests should arrive to the village. 17

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