November 26 is Thanksgiving!

In September 1620, a group of English people called the Pilgrim Fathers sailed from Plymouth, England across the Atlantic Ocean, in a ship called the Mayflower, to Cape Cod in North America.
They went away from England because they did not agree with the religion in England. They wanted to make a new life in a new country.

They sailed for sixty-six dangerous days across the Atlantic Ocean. When they arrived, they called their new home New England, but they were not the first people to live there. The Wampanoag were the first people. Sometimes the Pilgrim Fathers fought with the Wampanoag, but they also learned a lot from them. The Wampanoag thought them to live from their ne land, and to grow and cook new kinds of fruit and vegetables.

The First Winter was difficult. Many of the Pilgrim Fathers dies because it was very cold and they had little food. In the spring they started to grow food, with the help of some friendly Wampanoag, and in the autumn of 1621 they celebrated their first harvest. They gave thanks, not only for the harvest, but for their new home, new life and new friends.

Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November. Most American families have a Thanksgiving dinner together: they have turkey and autumn vegetables, and then pumpkin pie.




At the American Corner Skopje: "A Taste of Thanksgiving" with Peace Corps Volunteers.
Friday, November 27 at 18:00.




For more info, Read Thanksgiving Holiday Is Reminder to Americans to Help Others


To read the President Obama's proclamation for Thanksgiving day, click HERE.

November Monthly Programs

American Corner Skopje, November program

American Corner Bitola, November program

American Corner Tetovo, November program

Halloween Parties!!

How our three American Corners celebrated Halloween:


American Corner Skopje

See the full album on the AC Skopje facebook page

American Corner Bitola

See the full album on the AC Bitola facebook page

American Corner Tetovo

See the full album on the AC Tetovo facebook page

It's Halloween!

Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31.

The day is often associated with the colors black and orange, and is strongly associated with symbols like the jack-o'-lantern. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, ghost tours, bonfires, visiting haunted attractions, pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

History of Halloween, like any other festival's history is inspired through traditions that have transpired through ages from one generation to another. As this process goes on, much of their originality get distorted with newer additions and alterations.

Behind the name... Halloween, or the Hallow E'en as they call it in Ireland , means All Hallows Eve, or the night before the 'All Hallows', also called 'All Hallowmas', or 'All Saints', or 'All Souls' Day, observed on November 1.


Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" refers to a (mostly idle) threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. In some parts of Ireland and Scotland children still go guising. In this custom the child performs some sort of show, i.e. sings a song or tells a ghost story, in order to earn their treats.

Halloween costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. They are said to be used to scare off demons. Costumes are also based on themes other than traditional horror, such as those of characters from television shows, movies, and other pop culture icons.


Ask your local American Corner about Halloween activities!

U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery

“Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Diversity Visa”

Consul Lauren May will discuss the process of applying for a Diversity Visa, where to look for information on US government websites.

The application is free – applicants should not be fooled by scams that ask for money.

Ms. May will also be open to questions on the diversity visa and other visa questions after the presentations.

Join us in

- American Corner Bitola on Wednesday, October 28 @ 2:00 PM

- American Corner Tetovo on Wednesday, October 28 @ 6:00 PM

- American Corner Skopje on Tuesday, November 3 @ 6:00 PM

Ask your nearest American Corner for more info.

Best Wild Animal Pictures of 2009 Announced!

Overall Winner

"The Storybook Wolf"

See the story behind this photo and the other winners HERE.
nationalgeographic.com

"The Day to Celebrate Learning and Exploration"

On October 12, 1492 the Italian seaman Christopher Columbus first stepped foot on the soil of the Americas, bringing with him European culture, goods, religion and practices.



This is what happened:

Ironically, Columbus did not plan on discovering a “New World”. He left Iberia hoping to arrive in the
Indies, a series of islands in South East Asia that Spain frequently traded with through long and expensive journeys on land. His goal was to find a quicker, water-based route instead.



So when he sailed west, he didn't land in the Indies, but rather he anchored in the Bahamas at a place he named “San Salvador”. When he came ashore on San Salvador, he mistook the native people for natives of India, calling them Indians (a misnomer which stands to this day). In fact, Columbus returned to the Americas three more times over the course of 12 years without knowing that he had arrived in an uncharted land, halfway around the globe from his intended destination!


Happy Columbus Day!

In the early morning fog, a replica of one of Christopher Columbus' ships, Nina, departs Maysville, Kentucky,
where it was on tour in November 2005.
The ship, which was built by The Columbus Foundation and launched in 1991,
continues to visit ports around the United States as a floating maritime museum and to participate in tall sail events.

Activities for kids:

Columbus Day is a great time to celebrate exploration as a family. For preschoolers, it can be as simple as learning about maps or treasure hunts and exploring the backyard in a new way. For grade-schoolers, they can set out on an imaginary voyage, complete with a pretend passport, world map and discover real – or imagined – places.

http://holidays.kaboose.com/school-community-activities-columbus-day.html

Tips for talking with Strangers, a 5-Step Program

You don't want to just dive into talking to strangers. You're out of practice. You need to build up those curiosity and bravery muscles. You need to thicken your skin in case they snub you. You need to plan a few exit strategies in case of social suffocation.

Sure, when you were a kid you talked to strangers all the time. But you were trained out of it. So here's a five-step 'Taking to Strangers' training program. Tailor it to your needs. Stay at any level as long as you like. Some people spend months practicing, "Hi," in front of the mirror before they will dare it with strangers.

Keep this in mind. Humans like to connect with other humans. We are social creatures. It's taken a lot of television and fear to convince us to stop doing what comes naturally. You have it in you. So have at it…

**The 5-Step Program **
(click to enlarge)

Ask your local American Corner when are they hosting a Conversation cafe, and join.

Talk to Strangers. We dare you.

conversationcafe.org

October Monthly Prorgrams

These are the October monthly programs for all three American Corners Macedonia.


American Corner Skopje

(click to enlarge)

American Corner Tetovo

(click to enlarge)

American Corner Bitola

(click to enlarge)

TOEFL and GRE testing dates

Dear test takers!

As a certified ETS testing Center, we would like to announce the testing dates for the upcoming months.


For TOEFL

Choose American Educational Center (STN11667A) on the following dates:

• October 10, 2009
• November 7, 2009 and
• December 4, 2009

To register for the TOEFL, click HERE

For GRE

Choose American Educational Center (10743) on the following dates:

• GRE General: October 24, 2009

• GRE Subject: October 10, 2009
• GRE Subject: November 7, 2009

To register for the GRE, click HERE