COMMON GROUND CONSULTING LLC

Ohrid The Beautiful

I've heard so much about Ohrid and Lake Ohrid (pronounced Ochrid) that I was really excited when my ISC colleagues Jeton and Vesna told me they needed to make a trip there today. I knew it would mean three consecutive days of long car rides, but seriously, everyone talks about this place and even after four trips to Macedonia, its one of those places that had alluded me. Lake Ohrid is the oldest lake in Europe and the deepest in the Balkans.

It was a long drive, but a beautiful one. I even convinced Jeton to stop a couple of times so I could shoot some quick photos. I've been struck by the beautiful and diverse countryside here since my first visit. I've also been fortunate to have traveled here now in every season, so the nature is always remarkable.

When people told me about the beauty of Lake Ohrid, they weren't kidding. Jeton and Vesna dropped me off downtown and I went straight to the water. Once I got my bearings, I went exploring a bit. I found the main walking street here, checked out a couple of street vendors, found the green market (one of my favorite places to visit in any city), and then went walking up a hill into some residential neighborhoods. A while later, I made my way back to the water where I sat, just relaxing, for the first time on this whole trip. The water is this really luminescent aqua blue-green color with thousands of little fish and a whole industry of boat taxis, restaurants, and cafés built along its shores.

I read a little, listened to music, and did a little bit of writing. I was a bit hungry, so I went in search of something small. I'd be having lunch later with Jeton and Vesna, so I didn't want to spoil my appetite. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but managed to stumble up on Momir! The same restaurant that I love near the office back in Skopje. I had heard that the original was in Ohrid, but hadn't remembered until I saw it. I sat down and ordered a Macedonian salad, some bread, and my favorite, makalo—that delicious garlicky spread I've written about Here previously. The version they serve is different, but that garlic is still amazing!

More walking and exploring followed until my friends arrived very hungry for lunch. They knew the restaurant they wanted, Dalga (Turkish for wave) and was right on the water. We sat down and within minutes were enjoying some amazing ajvar, cheese and bread along with their salads. We all agreed that this was some spectacular ajvar!

Ohrid is famous for its trout, though overfishing in the past means it can't be fished today. Nonetheless, the trout from a nearby akthat Vesna and I shared was outstanding. I've noticed in fish restaurants in Macedonia, if you order a whole fish, they bring it to your table before cooking, so you can inspect it. Ours looked great!

My half was served fried while Vesna's healthier dish was simply grilled and served with lemon. I'm not kidding when I say it was among the best fish I've ever had. We decided to wait for dessert, agreeing that a little ice cream or gelato would be perfect. Gino's, my favorite (and I'm told the best) place for gelato in Skopje also has an outpost here. I tried two more great flavors. Only about 20 more to go!

NFL Hall of Famer Still Bringing Down the House

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote This Post about an exciting new project that Common Ground is involved with in New Orleans.

A terrific article ran about the project in today's New Orleans Times Picayune newspaper. Click Here to read the article online or open this file:

Crescent Rising is the most ambitious free demolition program serving the people of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Crescent Rising provides immediate relief to families and sparks revitalization citywide by accelerating the pace of demolition, eliminating the financial burden on homeowners and enabling access to public funds for reconstruction. Crescent Rising will raise $25 million to demolish 12,500 ruined homes by January 2009. Established in the spring of 2007, Crescent Rising is the newest program of the Reggie White Foundation.

Strumica: The City and the Food

Strumica (pronunced Stroomitza) is a major agricultural city in the southeastern part of Macedonia. It has a fascinating history and serves as the economic and cultural center in this part of the country. This was my first trip to this great city, but it won't be my last.

After the workshop, Jelena (thank you for the fantastic translation!), most of the staff and I went to lunch. Mile and James went to find a doctor 'cause the Peace Corps kid hurt his foot playing soccer the day before. Feel better James!

We drove to a restaurant just outside of town for lunch. Set in a beautiful garden, we had a wonderful meal. Some of my old favorites like Shopska salad (Strumica is known for its amazing tomatoes) and a really strong, breaded and fried cheese. Frequent readers of the blog know that I believe everyone should eat cheese everyday. For those who are lactose intolerant, take a pill first. :-) I didn't order the dish on the right, but this grilled zucchini is amazing. I've only had it here in Macedonia and I don't want to forget to try making it at home.

For my main course, the waiter recommended a slow roasted pork shank that was coated in paprika and absolutely fantastic! Dessert was another local specialty cake—Tatlija. It reminded me of a cross between trés leches and pineapple-upside-down cake, though it had neither milk or pineapple. It did have a fresh cheese inside (sorta like ricotta) making it incredibly moist and was beautifully served with ice cream, chocolate sauce, and fresh fruit.

The other thing I discovered here was Strumka. This is a drink made and found really only here. It is a kind of a pear soda that is probably among the most refreshing drinks I've ever had. Two bottles later, I was hooked. I'm adding this my list of Balkan specialties that will be a part of my future important business!

Strumica: The Work

Our trip today began with a long drive all along the Eastern part of Macedonia past Kumanovo and Stip, almost to the Greek and Bulgarian borders. At the end of the drive, we were in Strumica (see the next post for info about the city), one of the largest municipalities in Macedonia and home to Planetum, one of our Leader NGO organizations.

Planetum is an environmental organization whose mission is the protection and improvement of the environment through the development of the civil society. Planetum’s efforts have focused on waste management and a number of activities have been undertaken in the southeast region of Macedonia to promote the recycling of solid waste such as paper and plastic.

My role here today is to support Planetum's staff leadership as they work through a major organizational restructuring. I spent a lot of time with Planetum in the past, so I am excited about the changes they've already implemented. This time I met a few more of their staff, including a long-time Peace Corps volunteer, James, who has been working here for more than two years. We also celebrated the recent birth of their Finance Director Mile's new son, named after his grandfather, of course; and they gave me a quick update on their progress.

Following that, it became clear that their primary concern at the moment is the chartering of a new board of directors. They have selected a strong new president and are now in need of members. There seems to be quite a lot of normal anxiety on the part of the staff about the possibility of losing control of key aspect's of Planetum's the staff is used to managing. I assured them this is a normal concern, but one that is absolutely manageable. I also lead them through a workshop to help them create a membership matrix for their board. We talked about things that would automatically disqualify candidates, experiences, skills, or knowledge that is critical for board members, things that would be great assets, but aren't necessarily required, and particular demographics that would be nice, but aren't necessary to have.

We agreed that CIRa would translate some of the board materials I've developed over the years and get these to Planetum soon. I agreed to forward them an electronic version of the matrix we created; and they agreed to schedule two meetings (one to agree on a selection process and another to brainstorm specific candidates). We all agreed that Planetum would add at least four new members in time for my return trip in September, so that I can provide a follow-uo training on roles and responsibilities for staff and board.