One year ago, in February 2024, I was at the Montpellier Caribbean Carnival, celebrating the start of Lent. Totally immersed in a Caribbean environment. Who could have predicted a year later that I wouldn’t be able to go to the carnival because I’d literally be in ANOTHER COUNTRY?

A country that is completely unknown to me, both in terms of culture and food, but what a beautiful country Macedonia is. I came here because I needed a change of scenery, to grow up too, to be a nobody in a new universe. And it challenges everything you think you know.

New rules, new people, I mean, beautiful people. A super benevolent entourage that helps us grow in this new environment. And getting lost in Macedonia is the best decision I’ve made in the last ten years.

I’ve met so many endearing people from different countries, Poland, Germany, Slovakia, and, of course, France. And finally, it’s more than just an ESC in another country, it’s a mix of all our cultures. Not a day goes by without eating a banichka, I’ve eaten pierogies at Christmas, drunk Slovak wine, and tried Polish sweets.

It’s also about meeting people. Get out of your comfort zone to meet new people, not be alone, no matter what clichés surround you. We should be real.

You can only get better after an experience like that.

And I wish everyone the same experience. Thank you to all the people I’ve met here and the great staff who help us daily. Open mind for full heart and soul.

Terry Ruart