8mi mart (aka...the 8th of march)

8mi mart. sounds a lot like "awesomey mart". and that's actually what i thought it was for a while...(it's really pronounced "osumi mart", but that's beside the point)... what's important here to know is that 8mi mart really is awesome. in my life thus far, i have lived every 8th of march in unknown mediocrity. mistakenly, i have assumed that it was nothing particularly special. no occasion separated it from surrounding days in my calendar. and in my ignorance, i have missed the party. literally. living in macedonia has taught me many things...and one of them is how to truly celebrate.

so the 8th of march is International Woman's Day. it started as a day to hold demonstrations for women's rights and fight for equal treatment... but now in many places it's mostly a day to celebrate being a woman, with flowers and sweets and lots of other girlie things. it's also a really good excuse to party with your friends. so we had a zabava (party) at our coffee shop!



delicious and womanly food

lovely flowers with scripture attached

we gave the flowers out to the women who came, along with this verse:

"Ти благодарам што сум создаден толку чудесно, што се Твоите дела прекрасни. Мојата душа тоа добро го знае." - Псалм 139:14

also known as:

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalm 139:14

then after our party...we went to a restaurant and partied some more!

we ate...

and ate...

and then...we danced!


and then we ate some more...

and just had such a lovely time!

so...in short: osumi mart is awesome. i'm totally bringing it back to the states. get ready.