On Saturday night we went to the section of Skopje called Madjari where Baba's sister Tica and husband Ivan (pronounced E-van because I-van means "jerk") live.

They have split their home into two sections dividing their section with their son and sister-in-law, Ljupco and Slavicia. It seems splitting a house in half works well for family relations. That would definitely work wonders for many families in the US. They are fortunate to be able to have a large enough house to do this as most do not. And in a country where it is customary for wives to go live with their in-laws once married, everyone must have great interpersonal skills.

Anyway, it was Baba Tica's grand daughter, Martina's 7th birthday. All I can say is any birthday in Macedonia is a reason to have a party, regardless of age. In fact, almost any milestone Americans would take for granted is reason enough for a party in Macedonia whether it is a new job, new car, new apartment etc. Even more surprising is having a party in Macedonia can also cross international lines. For example, when Riley Ivana was born the family here in Skopje had a huge party in honor of the event. Happy, party people, aren't they? Slavicia expertly had a different room set-up for each age group - adults, teens and kids each with ample food and drinks. Everyone had a wonderful evening. Riley bonded with Martina holding her hand as they played games in the yard. They couldn't communicate but they sure could smile.