Macedonia’s beauty, the intact nature, friendly people and hospitality, spiced with the good musical taste, write unusual love stories.
Probably it sounds odd, but we have foreigners in our country who love Macedonia as it has been their homeland since ever. Their stories and reasons to decide to live in Macedonia are various, but almost all love encouraged.
Some of them agreed to share bits of their lives with us: the multidisciplinary artist Ronit Bergman from Israel, the guitarist Jorge Roche from Mexico and the “Kanal 103 (Channel 103)” DJ and Portuguese teacher Rodrigo Miravalles from Brazil.
Their stay is duly reported with the authorities and they have permanent resident addresses in Macedonia. Ronit and Rodrigo live in Skopje, Jorge in Bitola and he is the new member of the music band “Parketi’.
The Israeli Ronit, comes from Haifa and she started the “Undone” Project in Macedonia. Her husband, the musician Darko Janevski, is its member as well.
“I came to Macedonia for the first time during my tour with my former band “Plastic Venus”. It was in 1995. Then I met my husband Darko Janevski. We have been together for twenty years now… We first lived in England and Israel, but settled in Macedonia five years ago. When we moved here I started the “Undone” Project”, Ronit tells her story.
“Macedonia always feels like home and I want our children to grow up here. I particularly love Macedonia’s nature, music and strong friendships”, she says.
Jorge Roche comes from Mexico City. He has lived and worked in Bitola for several months already and says he likes to travel and make new friends.
“I work here as part of the music band “Parketi” and play guitar. I have been engaged in music business since I was a young boy and later studied music. I adore being surrounded by creative people and I heard that here in Macedonia there were really good musicians and bands. I love your ethno music”, Jorge says.
He also says that Mexican and Macedonian traditions and culture are very different, but he likes the friendly faces here. But still, he is very surprised with some of our nutrition habits.
“Most of all I like to play with the boys from “Parketi”, then walking on Pelister, in Ohrid, and visiting historical sites, the churches are amazing! But what I can’t get used to is “burek” and yogurt meal. Apart from it I adore Macedonian food, it’s very tasty, burgers here are different but delicious. However, I still can’t learn how to eat “baklava”, Jorge says laughing.
Rodrigo Miravalles comes from Rio de Janeiro and lives in Skopje for more than three years. He says love brought him here.
“In Brazil I met a girl from Macedonia I fell in love with. It was in 2010 and a year later I decided to move here and be with her”, Rodrigo starts telling his story.
He says it was difficult for him to find a job because he didn’t speak Macedonian. But now he works as a Portuguese teacher in private foreign language schools and in “Kanal 103” as a DJ.
“I’ve started to work with “Kanal 103”where I launched the radio program “Suvo Oko (Dry Eye)” aired every week and dedicated to Brazilian music. This show makes me very happy and I think “Kanal 103” is one of the most interesting radio stations in the world. I also have gigs in other locations in Skopje and sometimes in all other cities in Macedonia. I mostly play Latino music, but not the usual music you’re used to listening, since I focus on new sounds. It’s a real pleasure to have a chance to promote Brazilian and Latino culture in Macedonia”, Rodrigo says.
As he says, this is a small society and people don’t have enough possibilitess to hear to something more than the usual salsa hits such as “Ai se eu te pego”, but he feels that his music is widely accepted.
Rodrigo says that music in these regions is really very rich and full of life. He is starting a project with a friend called “Tropical Sound Factory”.
“The project is intended to bridge the gap between Macedonia and Latin America, via promoting events, where people will have possibilities to come to contact with all American music treasures. We are very enthusiastic regarding that and have big plans for future”, he says.
- See more at: http://www.independent.mk/articles/15505/Foreigners+in+Macedonia+Jorge+Wonders+Why+We+Eat+Burek+and+Yogurt#sthash.sBpWzH2K.dpuf
