busy. tired.

Friends, family, fans...

I am feeling sorry that it has been awhile since my last blog post.

Fortunately, it’s because I’ve been so busy! So last time I wrote, I had just returned from the High Tatras with my friends Thomas and Patrick. The week after was relatively uneventful. However, on Friday night I went to Kasarne Kulturpark to see a band from Switzerland. Kasarne is an old military building which is now being used to host cultural events, mostly in preparation for 2013, when Kosice will be the Cultural Capital of Europe for the year. The performace we saw was called Compagnie Drift-Black Peter, and they were so, so interesting. Rather than attempting (and likely failing) to describe them, here is a youtube video of their performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KM7okqErt8

Then on Saturday, I went to Liptovsky Mikulas to meet my dear Fulbright friends, Katrina and Stephanie. Katrina lives in LM, so we saw her flat and a small portion of her life there. It was a good night, but I was so tired from the night before that I had to go home early. On Sunday, Katrina’s boyfriend, Palko, drove the three of us to Krakow, Poland for a ETA Teacher Training conference for Fulbright. The drive was absolutely beautiful. We drove through mountains, small villages… it was gorgeous. And fortunately, Palko was able to drive us. Otherwise, it would have been a nearly 11 hour journey because the train system to Krakow is so complicated.

The conference in Poland was OK. We met other ETA’s from Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. It was great to meet some new people, and we had a lot of fun together. The actual conference was only mediocre, so on Tuesday I skipped the sessions and went to Auschwitz. No one else wanted to come with me, so I went on my own. I was a bit nervous to go… whenever I think of the horrible, evil things that happened at these concentration camps, I almost feel sick that humans could behave in such a way to fellow humans. The whole trip there (about 1.5 hours), I was emotionally preparing myself for what I might see. However, when I got there, I was surprised how much of a “tourist attraction” it seemed to be. There were people getting their photos taken in front of the crematorium, groups of students making jokes… it seemed odd. However, when I found myself in a room alone, I started feeling really anxious. Also, there were some rooms where large groups of people were locked for weeks, left to starve to death. Those rooms, even with people around, were too difficult to really look at. There is something about seeing the physical reality of a place that is simply too overwhelming.

On Wednesday afternoon, as we were waiting for our driver, Palko, Katrina and I decided to get a piercing. We found a place, and they told us that their piercer would be there in ten minutes. So we waited, and suddenly a man came into the room… he was dressed in a black triangular skirt, a black button-up shirt, and big black shoes. His face was pierced everywhere. His eyebrows were shaved and femininely re-drawn. His ears had gauges that were likely 2 inches in diameter. His hair was bleach-blond and slicked pack. He had small, horn-ish implants in his forehead. And most scary of all, he was wearing contacts that made his whole eyes black, except for the irises, which were silver. He was as pale as a ghost, and his fingers were long and skinny… and his nails were also overgrown. I was scared. However, as soon as he started talking, I realized that he was incredibly nice, warm and friendly. Certainly, he was one of the strangest-looking people I’ve ever seen, but his charming personality somehow made his look seem normal… or at least appropriate. So, we trusted him and 30 minutes later, Katrina and I had new piercings. We stayed around and chatted for a little while, and they (his friends at the parlor), told us that he is a really famous piercer, and that we should feel lucky we had our piercings done by him. No big deal :-)

I returned to Kosice on Wednesday evening absolutely EXHAUSTED. I drug my body to school, and a few teachers even told me “you look so tired!” Always a nice thing to hear. But, I made it through the day, and through the week for that matter. Friday evening, I returned to Kasarne with some friends and we saw some Slovak bands perform, Plastic Swans and Swan Bride. They were interesting, at least. And certainly not horrible.

Saturday I met one of my students for a lesson, and then in the evening I met my dear friend Vesna. I am so happy to have met her. Spending time with her is so comfortable and natural that whenever I’m with her I almost feel like I’m home.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and stay warm back in MN!

Love from SR,

anna

already november?

dear friends and family,

life is crazy here in slovakia. i'm not sure where to even begin. i must say that i'm on a bit of a sugar high, so this entry might be a little scattered...

so after i returned from prague, i taught for a few days. on thursday evening, i went to one of my classes (5FB's) stuzkova. stuzkova is a big ceremony that classes have for their graduation. a lot of my students called it prom, which i suppose it is somewhat similar to. the students invited all of their teachers as well as their parents. it started with all of the students very ceremoniously walking in, wearing their beautiful dresses, suits, etc. everyone looked gorgeous. a few words were said, then the students were pinned with their green ribbons (traditional for stuzkova), then the students had a dance with the teachers, then with their parents, and then we had a very formal meal. after the meal there was a bit of a program, and then a lot of dancing. around midnight the students all drank wine from the same jar, and at the end the class teacher broke the jar... leaving pieces for the students to take home as souvenirs. and then there was more dancing, and more dancing, and more dancing. and of course, like every slovak event, more drinking, and more drinking, and more drinking. it was a great night. the next morning, after the students had been out partying all night, they came to school and brought bottles of wine and cake for the teachers to enjoy in the teacher's lounge. they were even drinking in their classroom... which i don't think is allowed, but they were doing it anyway (and no one told them not to). in short, it was a crazy night... followed by a crazy day.

then on friday, i left for the high tatras with patrick, a french teacher from the bilingual section. we drove in his car to poprad to meet a friend of his (a french lecturer at a university), thomas. on the way, we were pulled over by the police. it was a bit of a fiasco... there had been an accident and apparently we didn't respect the road signs to stop. the cop wanted us to pay him 60 euro. instead of paying, we waited about 20 minutes and told him we didn't have the money, and eventually he let us go. it is a shame, really, that cops can do that in slovakia. he simply wanted cash. he wouldn't give us a ticket, he only took patrick's license and threatened to keep it until we payed him 60 euro. once he discovered we didn't have it, he had no choice but to let us go... such a strange system.

finally we arrived in poprad and met thomas. we had a relatively quiet night, and woke up early on saturday to go hiking in the high tatras. we had to drive about twenty minutes to get to the mountains. when we were there, we met two of thomas' students. they were really nice and joined us for about the first hour of our hike. after this hour, we ate a quick lunch and then parted ways. thomas, patrick and i then took about a four hour hike. the first hour was straight uphill. it was a bit of a challenge, but i managed quite well. i was surprised. i was so nervous for this hike because i'd heard the high tatras were difficult, and i haven't really worked out for a few months. but, fortunately, i was wearing hiking boots. i felt like the boots were magic! they made the hike so much easier. after we'd reached the top, we headed down for about three hours. the high tatras were so nice because there are some beautiful, amazingly clear lakes. the hike was difficult, but rewarding. at the end, we had to take a bus back to where we'd begun, and then we were able to drive home. although it was only 5:00 p.m., it was already dark! then after some hot showers, we went out for a few quiet beers. the perfect end to a perfect day.

on sunday we drove to a national park called "Slovak Paradise." although it's a funny name, the hike was so much fun. on the way up we encountered a lot of waterfalls, caves, rivers... we had to climb up ladders, go across makeshift bridges... i felt like i was in some sort of outdoor-adventure park for adults. it was great. the walk down was less adventurous, but a good walk nonetheless. even though i'd managed to maintain my balance along slippery ladders, logs and rocks on the way up, somehow i tripped on the flattest ground on our way down. i've got a pretty good cut on my hand to prove it.

i'm sorry i can't really recount the hikes in full detail. but i suppose the important things to note are 1. they were BEAUTIFUL. 2. i didn't die. 3. it was one of the best weekends i've spent in slovakia thus far.

it's amazing that it is already the 9th of november. where is time going? i wish things would slow down a little bit... these next few weeks are crazy, and i'm nervous that this year is going by too quickly.

missing all of you,

anna

praha

the last few days have been nothing short of a whirlwind. finally, i have a few moments today to sit down, breathe and write a few words. fortunately, too, because tomorrow everything will pick up once again. so i'm going to try to take my time and tell you about my most recent adventure: PRAGUE.

last thursday, i left kosice to meet my friend from fulbright, stephanie, in banska bystrica. there, stephanie, two of her colleagues from america (tia and rachel), and i boarded the night train to prague. we left the station around 8:00p.m., and arrived in prague around 7:00 a.m. the next morning. amazingly, we all actually slept. there was only one mishap. earlier i'd purchased "juice." once on the train, i was so thirsty that i eagerly opened it and took a big swig of it. i knew instantly that it wasn't juice... rather fruit syrup that you mix with water in order to create juice. it was absolutely nauseating. my judgement was impaired by the extreme taste i'd just experienced, so i merely set the bottle down on a small counter in our little cabin. hours later, in the middle of the night, i awoke to a strong, sweet and fruity smell... the "juice" was knocked over from the jostling of the train. and yes, all of it spilled on the floor. nothing of ours was damaged, but i can't say the same about the train cabin. it was a sticky sweet mess.

we arrived in prague at 7:00 a.m. thanks to the navigating skills of stephanie and rachel, we found our hostel. we dropped off our bags and headed into the Old Town to discover the city. from the minute we got of the train, i could tell that prague lived up to the reputation it was given. nearly every building was absolutely stunning. and the closer and closer we were to Old Town, the more and more impressive and beautiful the buildings were. in the early morning light and with the early morning (lack of) crowds, prague was simply stunning. i don't think i've ever been so taken by a city. i felt like all of the buildings were shimmering with gold. there was even a very slight mist through which the sun shone, which gave the city a mysterious beauty. as we walked through the town square, past the famous prague clock, and finally across the gorgeous charles bridge, i felt so happy to be surrounded by such beauty. it was the kind of happiness that forces you to smile, laugh and embrace everything in view. once we were across the bridge, we went up to the prague castle and into the prague cathedral. having been in england for a semester, i've been to a fair amount of cathedrals. we all know that european cathedrals are beautiful, and prague's is certainly one of the most beautiful i've seen. but what seemed so magnificent about prague's cathedral was the way the morning light was shining in through the stained glass, the way the light lit the cathedral ceiling, and the way that it seemed equally as fairy-tale-esque as the rest of the city.

the rest of friday was a good day... we experienced traditional czech cuisine such as svarene vino (hot, mulled wine), goulash and dumplings, street doughnuts--- delicious. we wandered through the beautiful streets, climbed to stunning views, and enjoyed each other's company. we had an early night in because we were so exhausted. at the hostel we relaxed, drank tea, and i told fortunes.

saturday we were up and off to an early start. stephanie had been to a small "willage" a few years back called Cesky Krumlov, and we decided to take a day trip there. we left at about 7:30 a.m. and arrived in Cesky Krumlov around 11:00 (via an extremely hot bus). the little town is situated along a river, but the river sort of oxbows around the city. there are some really lovely buildings (a baroque theater and a castle), but the whole of the town is amazingly picturesque. it was a small, quaint and peaceful little town (i highly recommend looking this town up on a google images search). we had some more street doughnuts and svarene vino, and we also ate alongside the river at a nice restaurant. it was so cold, but worth the novelty of eating near the river. we had decided to take a bus back at 3:00. so around then, we wandered back to the bus station. we finally saw the bus arrive, and as we went to get on, they told us that the bus was completely full. this seemed odd... we didn't realize that these tickets should have been purchased in advance (since this is rarely the case in slovakia. we normally purchase our tickets once we get on the bus). rather than panic, we found a hotel where we could look online to book tickets on the next bus, which was coming at 4:00. we saw that the rest of the buses for saturday and sunday were booked. we weren't quite sure what to do, so we found a nice bridge, asked for some blankets, and slept underneath the bridge for the night...

just kidding. we found a train that was going from cesky krumlov back to prague, but it looked a bit complicated. we decided to go for it. so, we called a taxi and were driven to the train station. we bought our tickets, and then stephanie and i realized that she'd forgotten her notebook back at the hotel (with her return ticket inside), so stephanie and i called a taxi again and went back to the hotel, and then back to the train station. we were a bit low on czech crowns, so we tried to flirt our way in slovak to a free ride... we weren't entirely unsuccessful. we barely paid anything, left with a new czech friend and arrived at the train station just in time. we got on a train for about 45 minutes, and then we got on another train for about 40 minutes, and then we got on a bus for about 20 minutes, and then we got on another train for another 45 minutes. finally, we were back in prague. and we were exhausted.

after such an exhausting day, we had ceased to feel tired and merely felt silly. even though some things went wrong, it was still quite a bit of fun. when we got back to our room, there were about 8 people drinking and making a bunch of noise. we were in an eight person room, but there were four of us... there shouldn't have been more than four others, but lucky for us, there was. they were students studying in the netherlands, and they were from all over... canada, scotland, sweden, australia. and their stuff was all over. they were rude. and horrible. and they left a big mess. and they came in at 4:00 in the morning, and i'm sure you can about imagine how quiet they were(n't). someone managed to drop some sort of bag on my legs, even though i was on the top bunk. ugh.

sunday was a pretty relaxing day. it was halloween and we went to the jewish quarters, had a few cups of coffee at the franz kafka cafe, and looked at the old jewish cemetery. we also explored new town a bit, went to wenseslas square and the dancing house. we ate at an extremely delicious restaurant, but had terrible service, and then came back to the hostel for another relatively quiet evening.

monday was our final day there, and it was spent soaking in the beauty of prague. stephanie and i had a little date in the morning and went to a place called "bakeshop," which felt like an upscale coffee shop. the pastries were unbeatable, and so was the coffee. we saw the clock strike noon. we went across charles bridge again. we saw the graffiti wall. we bought souvenirs. a slow day, but such a good one.

on tuesday, we left. there isn't really much to tell you about my eight hour train ride back to kosice, other than that there were gypsies in the next cabin singing at the top of their lungs... they even had percussion, which included them banging on our wall. for the majority of the trip, i shared the car with an old woman who was really kind toward me, but she smelled really horrible. really horrible. i was so thankful to get off of the train. and when i was walking back to my flat from the train station, i felt so happy. prague was amazing, but it felt good to be back to the comforts of my new home. i was happy to be back, and i was happy at the realization that this place feels more and more like my home.

coming back to school today was nice. i enjoyed talking with my students about their relaxing holidays. i was even invited to another stuzkova! and tomorrow, i'll be going to my first stuzkova. i'm excited because i've heard so much about them. and then on friday, i will go to the high tatras for a weekend away. since i've been so busy, i feel like i barely have time to think. such busyness has become strangely foreign to me, that when i have a moment to sit it takes about an hour for my mind to simply wind down and think clearly. it's already about 5:00 here, and although i've been home since 1:30, i am finally feeling relaxed. despite this, i am constantly under the awareness that this experience is incredible. maybe it sounds a bit cheesy or overly-sentimental, but i truly feel that my year here is a gift for me. though i experience challenges, they serve to emphasize all of the blessings i've experienced so far here.

of course, i often think of all of you at home. if you think of me, please write and tell me about the news in your life. ok?

...and by the way, i've added photos for your viewing pleasure :-)

lovingly,

anna