We were delighted when a sharp-eyed colleague spotted a UVM sweatshirt in a photo of a group of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) hiking in Macedonia in spring of 2024.
That sweatshirt was worn by Krista Fillion '23, and she has been living and working in North Macedonia as an active PCV. She took a few moments to share some thoughts and pictures from her life since graduating UVM via email.
UVM Foundation: What are you doing now as part of Peace Corps North Macedonia?
Krista Fillion: I’m halfway through my two years of service at my permanent site. This followed 3 months of in-country language, technical and cultural training where I lived with a Macedonian family at a temporary site. I was placed on the dual language track so I use both the Macedonian and Albanian languages in my day to day. Now, I’m located in an ethnically Albanian village in the mountains on the west side of North Macedonia. My host family consists of 23- & 20-year-old sisters, a 16-year-old brother, a mom, a dad who primarily works in Germany, chickens and two cows.
At the moment, I co-teach with two local English teachers in a primary school in my village. I teach 20 lessons a week with grades two through nine. I run a weekly English Club with grade six. This year, we started a journalism club and we’re creating a school newspaper led by grades 8 and 9. We will publish in both English and Albanian. Additionally, I've been working to connect residents of my village to the American Corner in the nearby city which hosts national English Spelling Bees, Poetry and Creative Writing contests. Happy to say that one of my eighth-grade students was a national finalist in the Spelling Bee. This past summer, I helped organize and facilitate a day camp with the high schoolers in the city below us to engage them in life skills such as cooking, environmentalism, personal finance and leadership. Collaboration with other Peace Corps Volunteers has been a highlight, for example participating in a school fair at another village's Annual Beans Festival to celebrate the local crop variety which unites the many cultures living around the Shar Mountain National Park.
Outside of work, I've been helping in the garden and learning how to cook traditional foods such as ajvar, a red pepper dip, byrek a delicious pastry, and flija, a labor-intensive layered crepe dish. My host mom makes cheese, yogurt, and butter from cow milk and often homemade bread. I spend most of my free time with my host family, hosting guests and visiting their relatives for nighttime Turkish coffee and Russian tea. I've attended a few traditional Albanian weddings with celebrations that can last up to a week. I go hiking most weekends and try to visit other parts of the country to see the sights like Lake Ohrid and Matka Canyon.
UVMF: How did your UVM experience lead to you being there?
KF: UVM is ranked as one of the highest Peace Corps Volunteer-producing medium-sized universities. Since I studied Community & International Development, this felt like a logical first step in my career. The theory of asset-based community development is something that I interact with every day. I had studied under professors at UVM who were RPCVs (returned Peace Corps volunteers) and I had taken classes that had brought in a Peace Corps recruiter, which was the first time I had strongly considered it. I originally applied for a role in the Community Development sector of the Peace Corps but I was offered a position in English Education. After taking a UVM service-learning course with project implementation in St. Lucia where I worked with a school, I was more open to teaching abroad and accepted the English Education opportunity.
UVMF: Any advice or thoughts for current students who might want to pursue Peace Corps or international work?
KF: This job is not for everyone and the work you do varies greatly by site, sector, and country of service. You have to be flexible and adaptable. Sometimes you can’t see progress right away. Celebrate the small wins. Human connection and relationships come first. Have an open mind. Keep a journal!
We are honored to be able to share stories of the meaningful lives that the Catamount community are living. Read more recent stories of UVM alumni through the links below, and get in touch any time if you've got stories to share.
Alumni Profile: Peace Corps Volunteer Krista Fillion '23
Cheryl Carmi
Dec 31, 2024