WELCOME TO WONDERFUL MACEDONIA

IAESTE MACEDONIA
WELCOME TO WONDERFUL
MACEDONIA
SURVIVAL BOOKLET 2016
About IAESTE Macedonia
IAESTE Macedonia (Macedonian Committee for the International Exchange of Students for
Technical Experience) is an independent, non-profit and non-political student exchange association,
who has been a full member of IAESTE a.s.b.l. for more than 20 years. IAESTE Macedonia provides
students of science, engineering, technology and the applied arts with paid, course-related, technical
training abroad.
IAESTE Macedonia has 4 Local Committees at the state Universities in Skopje, Bitola, Shtip and
Ohrid.
About Macedonia
It’s so interesting to visit a country that has so much history, yet it is so new to the eyes of our
modern world.
There are a few facts that you might not yet know about Macedonia, but that speak part of the
interesting and mysterious character of this country.
• The summers and autumns in
Macedonia are warm and dry while
the winters are cold and heavy
snowfall is experienced.
• A traditional food is called “ajvar”
which is roasted red peppers and
eggplant mashed together with
garlic, oil, and salt. It is really good
when served with feta cheese and
bread.
• It seems like there is a bakery on
every corner.
• It is not unusual to see naked women
in the daily newspaper.
• Wineries produce 135 million liters of
wine, 150 million liters of natural
brandy. Breweries produce 850
million liters of beer.
• Ohrid Lake is the oldest and one of the deepest lakes in Europe (max depth 288m or 940ft). It is
estimated 4 million years old and has 200 endemic species that haven’t been found at any other place
in the world. It was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979.
• The first Slavic school, Ohrid Literary
School, was established in Macedonia by
Saint Clement of Ohrid.
• The town of Ohrid is sometimes referred
to as the European Jerusalem for that
reason, and at one time sported more
than 350 churches.
• Macedonia is the birth land of Mother Teresa. (She was born in Üsküb, the modern-day Skopje).
• According to NASA, Kokino is the
fourth
oldest
astronomic
observatory in the world; with the
oldest three being Abu Simbel,
Egypt; Stonehenge, Great Britain;
and Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Kokino
is located approximately 30 km from
the town of Kumanovo, and about 6
km from the Serbian border.
• It has more number of mountains
and mountain peaks than any other
country in the world. The country
has as many as 34 mountain peaks,
each with a height of more than
2,000 meters above the sea-level;
with Mount Golem Korab being the
highest at 2,753 meters above sealevel. Most peaks in Macedonia have
never been visited by people.
• Just outside the capital city, Skopje,
is a place called Matka, which
literally means ‘womb’.
• The Millennium Cross is a 66 metrehigh cross situated on the top of the
Vodno Mountain in Skopje, and it is
the biggestcross in the world. It was
constructed to serve as a memorial
of 2,000 years of Christianity in
Macedonia and the world.
Administrative Issues
If you are an IAESTE trainee, please make sure you receive and return the form N/5b «Confirmation of
Acceptance», to the IAESTE National Office in your country within two weeks. If you fail to do this, the
preparations for your stay in Macedonia might be delayed.
Below is a list of countries whose nationals do not require a visa for visits to Macedonia of up to 90 days:
Finance
Your salary will usually be sufficient to meet the costs of living for one person but not necessarily to cover
extra expenses. In Macedonia, you have to pay the rent in advance at the beginning of each month. At the
same time, you will probably have to pay a security deposit (20 euros). The salary however, is usually paid
at the middle of your internship. Therefore make sure that you have access to enough money (cash, credit
card or bank account) until you get paid. If, for any reason, you do not have enough money at the
beginning of your stay, ask your company to give you an advance payment.
There are no currency restrictions about entering Macedonia with cash.
The currency in Macedonia is called Macedonian denar (MKD).
In Macedonia you can find coins of 1,2,5,10 and 50 denars and notes of 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000
denars. Money can be exchanged at hotels, banks and exchange offices (called Менувачница) at the
current rate of exchange.
Credit cards American Express, Visa, Diners club, MasterCard and Eurocard are accepted up to a total
amount of 150 EUR per day. Traveler’s checks can be exchanged in any major bank office. Banks and post
offices are open between 8am and 4pm during the week, and between 8am and 1pm on Saturdays.
Remark: Upon your arrival in our country you must leave deposit of 20 euros to the Summer Reception
coordinators that will cover unexpected damage in the dormitory, as well as at your workplace, caused by
disrespecting the working conditions stated in the job offer. However, you will be obligated to meet the
costs for repairing any damage. For specific questions and problems you are always welcomed to contact
us at macedonia@iaeste.org .
Accommodation
Normally the LC or the company arranges your accommodation (i.e., student houses, company houses,
private rooms, shared flats, etc).
You will have to pay the 2 weeks rent in advance (2250 denars) and usually a deposit of 20 euros (the same
deposit that was mentioned earlier). The rent for 1 month (4 weeks) is 4500 denars. If you want to move to
another accommodation, other than one you have been assigned to, keep in mind that you have to sort it
out by yourself. Before moving out, you must always give advance notice to your landlord as mentioned in
your contract. Otherwise, you will have to pay the rent until the end of your lease.
Don’t forget that you MUST also inform the IAESTE office of your new address as well as your tutor or the
person that found the original accommodation.
Insurance
Check that you have a health insurance that is valid in Macedonia. Except for health insurance we strongly
advise you to arrange a traveler’s insurance and insurance for personal possessions against theft, loss or
breakage prior to arrival in your home country.
Transport to Macedonia
Plane
There are two international airports in Macedonia: in Skopje - Airport “Alexander the Great” and in
Ohrid - Airport “St. Paul the Apostle”.
The Airport in Skopje “Alexander the Great” is bigger, busier and better connected. It is around 15 km
away from the center of Skopje. In case you need to get by yourself to the center of Skopje, you have
a bus line with a timetable on the following link http://www.vardarexpress.com/index.php?id=28&L=2
The bus ticket costs 175 denars (around 3 euros). Closest to the center is the bus stop at the Hotel
„Holiday Inn“.
The Airport in Ohrid is located 9km away from Ohrid and unfortunately there are no bus lines to the
city, but there are taxis and the price is approximately 8 EUR depending on the desired location in
Ohrid. You can get more information about both airports on this link http://www.airports.com.mk/ by
choosing the name of the desired airport.
If there isn’t direct flight from your country you can choose to arrive in some of the near airports such
as: Sofia (Bulgaria), which is 250 km away from Skopje, Thessaloniki (Greece) 260 km. There are
regular bus lines from Sofia to Skopje twice a day. Also the airports in Ljubljana (Slovenia), Zagreb
(Croatia) and Belgrade (Serbia) can be used for connection. (Note: some countries nationals may need
transit visas for Serbia).
*** CHEAP FLIGHTS to Macedonia: http://wizzair.com/ ***
Transport to Macedonia
Train
You can use the connections from Vienna, Budapest, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Thessaloniki or
Athens. They arrive at Central Railway Station in Skopje every day.
Bus
If you chose to travel by bus, connections are available from the major cities in Europe (Brussels,
Vienna, Sofia, Istanbul, Belgrade etc.) The international bus station is located in the center of the
city, together with the Central Railway station.
Car
By road, Macedonia is connected with Europe with two main routes: E75 highway is part of Corridor
10 with direction north-south, which is going from Serbia to Greece, passing through Macedonia,
near Skopje.
With Bulgaria and Albania, Macedonia is connected with E65, E852 and E871 which are parts of
Corridor 8, with direction east-west.
Transport in Macedonia
Buses
The regular bus transport starts around 5am and finishes around 11pm. There are also few night
buses but only for certain lines. Thе bus ticket costs 40 denars if bought in the bus. The prices do
not depend on the destination. There is also card on which you can put as much money as you
want/think you will need for your stay. The cars itself is 200 denars (one time) plus the money for
the tickets.
Taxi
Taxi service is easy to get and it is very affordable. The fares are 40 denars for start and 22 denars
per each kilometer. Don’t forget to ask for discount, they usually have it. So basically it should cost
you around 120 – 170 denars to get around Skopje in a cab. Taxi companies that we recommend
are: Vodno (15191), Global (15180), Classic (15167), Lotus (15157), Nashe Taxi (15152), Palace
(15166), City (15151), Teniks (15194), and Yellow (15185).
Note: Be careful with the illegal taxi drivers that can charge you much more than expected.
What to bring
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Passport (visa if necessary)
IAESTE papers
Enough money, credit card Tickets (plane, train, etc.)
Special medicines
Sleeping bag (if you have, because there will be some weekend activities on the mountains)
Warm clothes
Good shoes (e.g. hiking shoes)
Raincoat, umbrella
Swimming suit, sun cream
Camera
Travel guide
International student identity card (ISIC)
Adapter for your electrical equipment (230 V, 50 Hz, Swiss plug; see 5.2)
Your country identity and symbols (flag, t-shirt, food, drinks, etc. There will be an
International night!)
Good to know
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Smoking in public places is strictly forbidden.
Electricity: 220 V, 50 Hz
Time zone: CET (Central European Time), GMT +01:00.
It’s not allowed to buy alcohol after 9pm (summer
time) or 7pm (winter time).
Shopping
On weekdays, shops are usually open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. On Saturdays, they close
either at 4:00 p.m. or at 5:00 p.m. depending on the area. Most shops are closed on Sundays. In
suburbs and country towns, some shops close for lunch. VERO, Tinex, KAM Market ,Hedis,
MaxiD, SP market, Carrefour are cheap supermarkets and offer most of what you need. Almost
every shop accepts a credit card. Keep in mind that smaller shops only take cash.
There are several green markets in Skopje: Bit pazar (near the Old Turkish Bazaar), Bunjakovec
(near the main Ortodox Church), Green Market (in the center of the city), Taftalidze (in Taftalidze
suburb).
Shopping
Supermarket or local shops:
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Bread (loaf 0,6 kg) 20-30 MKD
Butter 60-70 MKD
Eggs (package of 10) 60 MKD
Milk (1l) 40-60 MKD
Mineral water (1.5l bottle) 20 MKD
Coke (tin/2l, bottle) 30/70 MKD
Juices (1l) 40-70 MKD
Beer (0.5l, bottle) 30-60 MKD
Wine (1l, bottle) 90-400 MKD
Tequila, brandy, vodka (1 l, bottle)
350-1000MKD
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Chocolate bars (100 g) 40-70 MKD
Cigarettes 50-120 MKD
Cheese (per kg) 200-500 MKD
White cheese (per kg) 130-300 MKD
Ham (per kg) 170-400 MKD
Snacks (depending on quantity) 10-150 MKD
Pizza (slice) 60 MKD
Fruits and vegetables (1 kg) 20-100 MKD
Corn flakes 120-200 MKD
Pasta 30-50 MKD
Shopping
Cafes, clubs and restaurants: Fast-food:
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Juice (glass) 60-120 MKD
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Coke (glass) 60-100 MKD
Beer (0.33 or 0.5 l, bottle) 70-120 MKD•
Tequila, brandy, vodka (glass) 60-100
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MKD
• Nescafe/cappuccino/ice coffee/hot
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chocolate (cup) 60-120 MKD
• Coffee (cup) 30-100 MKD
• Tea (cup) 30-70 MKD
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Burek (1/4 pie) 40-50 MKD
Ice-cream 40-100 MKD
Cakes and cookies (a piece) 10-100
MKD
Hamburgers and other sandwiches 30180 MKD
Pizza 180-300 MKD
Communication
The homepage of IAESTE Macedonia (www.iaeste.org.mk) contains information for trainees,
companies, students and members.
The main page for trainees is http://iaeste.org.mk/trainee/ which informs about the event
program 2016, weekly meetings and mailing lists.
The National Office is also active on Facebook and Twitter:
https://www.facebook.com/IAESTEMacedonia
https://twitter.com/IAESTEMacedonia
There is a Facebook group for all trainees that are coming to Macedonia:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/244686202542741/
Important numbers
Police: 192
Fire Brigade: 193
First Aid: 194
Medical Assistance: 3171715
Information: 1188
IAESTE Macedonia Office: +389 2 3065069
IAESTE Macedonia office
Address:
FEIT & MFS
"Orce Nikolov" bb. 1000 Skopje, Macedonia
E-mail: macedonia@iaeste.org
Map (1)
Map (2)
Mini dictionary
Здраво (Zdravo)
Како си? (Kako si?)
Добро утро (Dobro utro)
Добар ден (Dobar den)
Добро вечер (Dobro vecer)
Добра ноќ (Dobra nok)
Да (Da)
Не (Ne)
Чао (Cao)
Колку е часот? (Kolku e casot?)
Колку чини ова? (Kolku cini ova?)
Благодарам (Blagodaram)
Фала (Fala)
Не те разбирам (Ne te razbiram)
Не зборувам македонски (Ne zboruvam makedonski)
Ми треба помош (Mi teba pomos)
Hello
How are you?
Good morning
Good afternoon
Good evening
Good night
Yes
No
Bye
What’s the time?
How much is this?
Thank you
Thanks
I don’t understand you
I don’t speak Macedonian
I need help
Clubs in Skopje
National restaurants in Skopje
International restaurants in Skopje
Bars, pubs, caffes (1)
Bars, pubs, caffes (2)