I Don't mind being "green" but.....

I am glad to be separating our trash into two containers. The recyclables are plastic, bottles, cans, paper........the rest goes into the dumpster. We have two trash pick up days in Louisville. This is a good habit to begin. But maybe I'm watching too much news because I'm starting to feel guilty if I put an empty toilet paper roll in the real trash instead of the recycler. Like I don't have enough to feel guilty about. (Yelling at my kids, messy house, making a lousy meal, surfing ebay). I don't think the media is helping with this.
I think Global Warming is real, I understand many in in Africa use only 5 gallons of water per day, compared to an American using 150. I just could get overwhelmed with the enormity of the problem. So we are told all the things we can do to help. I think it's good to know how the rest of the world lives. But if those in Africa had the water available like we do, I think they would use just a bit more - maybe the difference wouldn't seem so obscene.

We also have giant washer and dryers in America. Europeans have tiny washers and no dryers. A dishwasher is for the rich. Currently, the house we are renting has no dishwasher. What a miserable quality of life I am living. Yes, there are dirty dishes in the sink and on the counters most of the time. This, I do not feel guilty about.

Returning back from our Michigan Christmas trip, we discovered our orange recycling bin has been stolen. Now, do I wait for the new one to be delivered and hold the separated trash, or do I take this opportunity to just dump it all together. Haven't decided.

Theatre Mom

Wow - I'm a "theatre Mom". It's fun. Soon after we arrived Justin was able to audition for a Louisville Youth Theatre production of Willy Wonka, Jr. The production is a musical, so this would be a singing/dancing part for Justin. He began practicing and was cast as an Oompa Loompa and a Squirrel. We faithfully taxied Justin to his rehearsals twice a week and listened to our CD in the car on the way to and fro. The last two weeks were hectic, with intensive rehearsal, dress rehearsals, building up to performance time. The first two performances were to school groups. Then followed four more open to the public and finishing with a final school group performance. My main job was to help with the quick costume change for four Oompas. The Oompas had to quickly change into Squirrels, then another quick change back to Oompas! Talk about pressure......all worked out well, but it took at least three tries before we figured out the quickest way to get the boys changed! I also combed wigs, put on hairnets, kept the actors quiet in the "green room"..... It was so much fun. Also, as a newbie to the area, it gave me an opportunity to get to know some moms and their kids.

Sizes - food & socks

I wish I could find a place to file my grievance to the makers of children's socks, but I just don't think they would care. I carefully chose a package of socks for Justin at Kohl's this year before school started. I decided to ditch the 6 or 8 pack Hanes from Meijer after seeing that the shape of the sock is nowhere near the shape of a foot. They just were not comfortable. I thought buying a 6-pack of Gold Toe would be a huge upgrade for Justin. I checked the size chart and could see that Justin was a "M". I didn't even have to make a judgement call of buy them too small or too big.....he was right in the middle of the "M" size. I may even have taken one out of the package. But I am still in denial that my baby boy is over 4' tall, so I thought it looked just right. As you can imagine, the socks are too small. After a wash, they were even smaller. He's still pulling them on. I really want to get some wear out of them. So much for an upgrade. The question is - why can't they make these sizes more accurate and uniform?

Next topic - smaller food containers. While I was out of the country for the better part of the past three years, container sizes shrunk. I know they made it subtle so we wouldn't notice, but it was obvious to me. Pudding cups are smaller. Canned goods are smaller. And ice cream cartons look like the machine malfunctioned during the packaging. Ice cream - you don't buy a 1/2 gallon anymore it's 1.75 quarts. Which brings me to another subject - why the US never converted to using Metric.

First Day of School

We've been here a month and the kids are settling in to their new routine. Here are a few photos of their school and the kids on the steps on their first day. They are attending Bloom Elementary School, which is a part of the Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville. This is the system that Doug is teaching in also. Anya has begun Kindergarten and Justin is in Third grade.

Kentuckiana.....

I've always found a blend of two words to make a new word really goofy. So we are now living in a blended region called "Kentuckiana". I have a friend who lives in "Michiana". The local media outlets must be the authors of the blends for the regions bordering two states. Not wishing to alienate anyone in their media market, a new word is created to include everyone. The funny thing is that it begins to sound normal when you hear it over and over on the radio, the TV and see it in print. So before it becomes normal for me, I need to voice my protest.

As for the accuracy of the word? We are right on the edge of Kentucky. The Ohio River separates Indiana and Kentucky. I could be in Indiana in about 15 minutes if I wanted to. We could have even lived in Indiana and worked in Kentucky. We could go to church in Indiana and live in Kentucky. I wonder if they considered "Indiucky". That definitely does not have a ring to it.

Anya's well-child visit

I'm so glad Anya forgot how much she hated going to the doctor! We needed to have a Kindergarten check up for Anya now that we have landed in Louisville. One of our new neighbors gave us a list of doctors and contacts for all sorts of things we might need. What a huge help that was.

The pediatrician's office is close and we got an appointment right away! Anya was really great as we waited and as she got weighed (41 lbs.) and measured (43" tall). She was even brave through a finger poke for a blood test. She got to play a game to check her hearing (perfect). I knew we were in trouble when she needed to be updated on her immunizations. She needed five :o( shots. Dr. Katz was so kind - he kept checking in with us and when it was time for the immunizations, he told Anya it was okay to cry but she needed to hold real still, then he gave her a sticker. The nurse, another kind soul, did the deeds and then we were done. I held her tight after the first two, which she was so brave through. She didn't know they would hurt so much, so she was pretty surprised and then totally lost it. She kicked her little feet and cried "I want to go, I want to go". It was so sad. All you moms and some dads know the feeling of seeing your kids react to pain. I notice she needs no more shots until 2014 and I'm so glad.

I took Anya to school after the appointment, sat with her while she ate her lunch in the cafeteria at Bloom Elementary and said goodbye just as her class was lining up for recess. She was a happy girl by then.

Using the Good Dishes

I made a decision this summer. When we were able to set up house again - it has been just about three years - I was going to use the good dishes. We celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary in Bratislava, Slovakia using dishes that came with the flat we were renting. So ten years after the wedding, we are using the lovely Lenox Poppies on Blue chinastone that I so carefully selected during our engagement. I think we are a little funny here in the US about saving the good dishes. I decided to try to inspire a few others by telling you about that. Oh, there is flatware that matches. It's really nice, heavy silverware. I'm enjoying it so far.

Losing my newscasters

Having returned to the USA after being mostly media starved should have been another perk once back. Doug and I were admittedly news junkies for years. When we moved overseas we even found some of our favorite shows occasionally. But instead of picking up where we left off it's turned out to be very sad.

First we lost Tim Russert, age 58, NBC Moderator for Meet the Press and the Washington Bureau Chief for NBC. He died suddenly of a heart attack in Washington, DC. Doug and I loved and respected Tim Russert's work and what we knew of his person. He was a class act in everything we saw that he was involved in. Meet the Press fit in with our church schedule - but if it had not, this would have been a problem for us. We may have had to buy TIVO. Back in early 2000, we had tickets to go to the Republican Primary Presidential Debate at Calvin College. Tim Russert was the moderator. Doug and I had arrived early and were waiting outside the auditorium (probably near the bathroom as I was 8 months pregnant) when Tim walked through to get backstage. We both hollered at him, and told him he is our favorite newscaster. We got a big smile and wave as he walked past. I was more excited about meeting him than seeing all the presidential candidates once the debate began. We appreciated Tim's approach to his guests on "Meet the Press". He would ask questions - even the "tough" questions and actually let his guests respond. No interruptions, no shouting, it was definitely not a show about Tim promoting his own ideas or personality. Now having watched the coverage about Tim and his relationships with co-workers, Washington insiders, etc. we see that he was a man who cared about individuals and those he came in contact with on a daily basis.

Today (Sat. July 12) I heard that another of my favorite newscasters died of cancer at age 53 - Tony Snow. Tony Snow was another man who looked comfortable with himself. It has been several years since I've watched him, because he has been battling cancer and we've been overseas, but he was another class act. When he became the White House Press Secretary I cheered. I knew he would be great in front of the reporters and, sure enough, when he was having a press conference, his ability to articulate the Administration's actions and positions greatly helped my understanding. It seemed like such a friendlier place while Tony worked there. Tony Snow was another who didn't shout and talk over his guests, but let them talk.

So - here's to the good guys who reported our political news from Washington, DC. Gosh, I'll miss them.

Two months have passed since I posted

I now realize that two months have passed since I've posted on my blog. The month of May in Bratislava was a whirlwind of activity. We traveled, wrapped up our work, said goodbye to our friends and were on a plane on June 3.

My first impressions of the US are always interesting (to me at least). I love the big freeways, wide open spaces and being able to read and understand signs and billboards. The familiar is so comforting. My first moments in a US grocery store are exhilarating as I look at the variety of grocery items. Then I inevitably feel like telling the cashier how nice she/he is to talk to. If we converse I thank them for bagging my grocery items and tell them about the stores in most of Europe and Slovakia. Some are even appreciative of my stories!

I've had the most fun laughing about variety in toothpaste and tortilla chips. If I could find a bag of chips in Slovakia, they were quite average in taste and high in cost. Just the corn tortilla chips - round and usually broken from the extra long trip that it took to get them there from Belgium. Chips and some mexican food was imported from Belguim. The other day at Meijer I noticed the following varieties of tortilla chips:

blue corn, yellow corn, white corn, baked, restaurant style, no salt, nacho cheese flavored, triangle shapes, mini rounds, scoops, w/lime. WOW - how can we ever make a decision with those choices, to say nothing of choosing a brand. I dare not even start on varieties of toothpaste.

So, America is by far the country with the most variety of any in the world that I've been to so far!

Another funny thing I've noticed. We are generally a sedentary culture, needing to take our vehicle(s) most everywhere to get our business done. But we still look for the closest parking place to the building. I do the same now that I've returned.

Large cars far outnumber small cars. Pretty much the opposite in Slovakia. They have been paying high fuel prices for much longer than we have.

Visit to Krakow, Poland

Doug and I received a HUGE gift when our friends in Bratislava allowed us to take a road trip without KIDS! One family offered to babysit Justin and Anya for the weekend (that makes five kids with their three). The other family offered to drive their car and found a babysitter for their daughter as well! This put us in good shape for a weekend ROAD TRIP! I knew we were going to have a great time when our friends' first stop was the gas station C-store for snacks. Chips and Diet Coke and a little chocolate - not grapes and yogurt! Knowing we could eat junk food without guilt was a great start.

The drive was beautiful. We passed through the borders into Czech Republic and Poland with no passport checks due to the new treaty that went into effect in December. Our destination was Krakow - a historic city that would require an approximately 5 hour drive from Bratislava.

Krakow was great. The infrastructure is being rebuilt and updated all around the city, but the historic areas are preserved and restored. Krakow has the largest pedestrian square in all of Europe. It is huge! Sidewalk cafes, a flower market, horse and carriage rides and a huge "Cloth Hall" souvenir market is in the center. We happened to arrive in Krakow on May 3, which is Polish Independence Day. The streets were strung with banners and it was a festive atmosphere, complete with a parade.

We took a walking tour through the old Jewish area and were amazed at the number of synagogues in a small area. From there we walked to the factory of Oskar Schindler. Oskar Schindler saved many Jewish people during the Holocaust, the story of which is told in the film "Schindler's List".

Our trip back to Bratislava began with a McDonald's breakfast. A very American start to a day that I will never forget. We began our planned visit to Auschwitz/Birkenau concentration camps. The rainy, gray sky with a chill in the air seemed appropriate weather for this day. There is not much to say about visiting these terrible places. The museums at Auschwitz are well done and chronicle the Nazi extermination of Jews from all over Europe and other ethnic groups and people. Auschwitz and Birkenau are close in proximity but there is a bus to take to get to Birkenau. Birkenau has been left as it was found after the war ended with the exception of a few restorations of things that had deteriorated with age. While Auschwitz was in a relatively small area, Birkenau stretches farther than I would have imagined. I was unprepared for the sight of a railway that ends at the death camp. There were hundreds of messages written on small wooden posts tucked on the tracks as memorials from visitors.

I will post a few photos of what I have mentioned here.

A fine spring morning

This fine spring morning got me out of the house earlier than usual with Anya in one hand and a box to mail in the other. Perfect weather, beautiful sunshine, lilacs in bloom and smelling sweet and no rush. That's the way I would like to have all my days begin!

I dropped Anya off in her classroom and made the two block walk to the "Posta". Many people are out this time of day, but I noticed a few in particular. One young woman had an ice cream cone in her hand at 8:15 a.m. The ice cream cone is a favorite treat once spring comes. The stands are on every street corner, both out here in the 'burbs and in the old town area. In Slovak, the word for ice cream is "Zmrzlina" (that's six consonants and two vowels). I don't think we can top that in the English language. I was briefly tempted to get my own cone, but opted for fresh baked rolls at Tesco. Next I watched a group of men opening beer bottles - again, 8:15 a.m. A bit further along on my walk I passed another group of men with vodka and other drinks getting started on their day. From my observations, alcohol abuse must be one of the significant social problems here in Slovakia. Even with a zero tolerance for drinking and driving, there are many who smell of alcohol on the bus and are drinking and are drunk on the streets. We have never been bothered by any of the drunks. They keep to themselves.

My visits to the post office here have been mostly successful. Last week I brought a box to mail and was told "velky". That means big. "Papier", she said next and spread some paper on top of my box. Ahhhhh.....the light bulb went off and I realized that if the box is a certain size it needs to be covered with paper. I left and thought about this requirement that the box be covered in paper. What's the point of that? How does covering it with paper make it smaller or weigh less? Not being in a position linguistically to ask why or make sure I understood the instruction, I took the box back home and dutifully covered it with some plain brown gift wrap and then lots of tape. I figured I'd give the "Posta" one more try before I opened the box and repackaged it in two smaller boxes. My second try proved successful. WOW - am I getting good at this or what?

Birds waking us up in the morning, the smell of fresh mown (or weed whacked) grass is in the air. Life is good........

A few more facts

Some things that I think are interesting here:

You can buy lottery tickets at the Post office.

Traffic lights are sequenced differently than anywhere I've been:
RED
YELLOW
GREEN
this looks the same, but the order is different. You get your yellow AFTER the red. It's like on your mark (red), get set (yellow), GO (green).

Pedestrians do not have the right of way - WATCH OUT - even in the crosswalks you must take care. Some folks will stop, others will not, some even seem to accelerate.

Slovakia is slated to change their currency to the Euro(€) in 2009. Until then the national currency is the Korun(crown).

Over one-half million cars were produced in Slovakia in 2007. There are three major manufacturing plants for automobiles: Citroen, Volkswagen, and Kia. We see many railcars carrying new autos.

Our garbage/trash dumpsters are in a locked cage. I understand this from the perspective of non-residents looking for a place to unload their trash, BUT you can actually get locked in. That's enough for a good nightmare for me: I walk to the cage, unlock the door, I drop in my trash and, oops, I drop my keys in also by accident. The cage door closes and locks behind me and I'm stuck inside with FIVE dumpsters. No way out except to retrieve my keys by getting inside the dumpster or go mad while I wait for help. Here's a photo of "the Cage".......

Bratislava International Church

Here's a link to our wonderful Bratislava International Church..... We love this little church and the congregation. If ever you find yourself touring Europe and are in Bratislava on a Sunday, this is the place for you! If you click on photos at the home page, you'll even see our kids.

http://www.bratislavainternationalchurch.org/

Baby steps, baby steps.

A favorite movie of mine, "What About Bob", makes me think of making progress by taking baby steps.....

In my struggle for making connection with some of the local people I see often (neighbors, store clerks) I think some progress has been made! I'm getting smiles from a few of the Tesco clerks! Several recognize me, because they don't tell me my grocery total anymore, they just point to the little screen. This is big. My unique identity is being affirmed!

A few people in the building are becoming friendly. There is a sweet lady with a little dog who we like. She smiles and is so sweet to the kids. We pet her dog and smile back. She talks to us, but I haven't any idea of what she is saying. I try to use my Slovak words, but I don't have too many descriptive phrases under my belt yet.

Lots of moms have seen me out on the playgrond, so I'm trying to make eye contact and greet them. One mother of twin baby boys made eye contact, so I was able to say "dobre den" (hello) as I passed her on the way to the bus and she responded.

These small things I have always taken for granted with people, BUT, to even make these simple connections with anyone here is progress. This is a very reserved culture. I know we can't converse, but my goal is to have some pleasant contact. If I can't help this process along, this is a most lonely culture to live in.

Estonian Girls' Choir

A free concert is always welcome to our family, but a world-class free concert? Better yet. A world-class free concert in a historic stone church? Perfect. Such as it was here in Bratislava last night. We made the trek to the old town Bratislava to hear a choir traveling from Estonia. The tour will take them through Slovakia, Austria and Switzerland for the next two weeks.The occasion is the 90th Anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. They girls' were amazing. It was a feast for the ears to hear the beautiful voices of young women--no accompaniment--with the awesome acoustics of a domed cathedral.

The girls were dressed in ecru full-length gowns with ecru shawls draped across their shoulders. An appropriate dress for the mostly golden-haired fair-skinned young women. I couldn't help but think of angels once they began to sing. The first song was my favorite. The girls stood spaced throughout the cathedral and then sang the most beautiful song. "Awake, My Heart" is an Estonian folk hymn with a special arrangement for the Girls' Choir. It could not have been more heavenly. To have voices all around - TRUE stereo/surround sound - another "pinch me" moment.

Our little family lasted through the first half, it was a school night and the concert didn't start until 7:00 (19:00), but we were able to bring home with us a CD recording.

I have no photos - my camera is broken and I'm awaiting a borrowed camera's arrival. Hopefully my descriptions have given you a mental picture this time.

My littlest Slovak friends

This year I have been working at Galileo School with the kindergarten-preschool children in various capacities. During this time, I have gotten to know about 50 of these 3-7 year-olds and it has been great fun.

There are four who are fluent in English. From there it is a huge range of English language comprehension and speech. Some of the youngest kids haven't figured out that I still can't understand them when they speak Slovak to me. I'll listen to a whole paragraph of a story and tell them "nie Slovensky" - but they don't seem to mind a bit. All can speak the phrase "can I go to the toilet?" in English.

Each week I am with a group of little ones alone for a couple of hours - we manage to get by without speaking the same language. We play and color and I talk to them in English because many have receptive English even though they are not speaking yet.

The older children I've been working with are taught in English, so they are gaining more English language skills. I read books to them, ask them questions and try to get them use their English while they are with me. We have had fun recently acting out story books like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" and "The Three Little Pigs".

I take my hat off to all my teacher friends for their profession of choice. Working with kids takes a great deal of patience and insight. I can see how it can be rewarding at the same time. When I walk into a classroom to take out the kids two at a time, I am greeted with "HALLO, MRS. CAROLEEEEN". And then "PLEEEEEZE, PLEEZE, take me"....... All my years working in an office never generated that kind of enthusiasm!

I've put up a slide show of some of the kids - you can see their sweet little faces bigger if you click on it and go to the Picasa web site.

Easter Monday Tradition - the origin

Pictured at the left is a bucket of "korbac" for sale at the Easter market in Bratislava. The origin of the Easter Monday "whipping" is explained below, as cut & pasted from Wikipedia:

Central Europe
In the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, a tradition of spanking or whipping is carried out on Easter Monday. In the morning, men spank women with a special handmade whip called pomlázka (in Czech) or korbáč (in Slovak), the women can retaliate by throwing cold water on the men. The pomlázka/korbáč consists of eight, twelve or even twenty-four withies (willow rods), is usually from half a metre to two metres long and decorated with coloured ribbons at the end. It must be mentioned that spanking normally is not painful or intended to cause suffering. A legend says that women should be spanked in order to keep their health and beauty during whole next year.[21]

An additional purpose can be for men to exhibit their attraction to women; unvisited women can even feel offended. Traditionally, the spanked woman gives a coloured egg and sometimes a small amount of money to the man as a sign of her thanks. In some regions the women can get revenge in the afternoon or the following day when they can pour a bucket of cold water on any man. The habit slightly varies across Slovakia and the Czech Republic. A similar tradition existed in Poland (where it is called Dyngus Day), but it is now little more than an all-day water fight.
In Hungary (where it is called Ducking Monday), perfume or perfumed water is often sprinkled in exchange for an Easter egg.

Advertising

How funny to see the giant face of Bill Gates on a billboard in Bratislava. It looks like he is featured in a magazine publication. Perhaps that magazine is about business? Just a guess that "Profit" means the same in Slovak.

Easter Market

Old Town Bratislava has an Easter market. Much smaller than the Christmas market, it has handcrafts native to Slovakia for sale. By far the most popular are the hand-decorated eggs. They are real eggs - emptied - and decorated using various techniques. Have a look at the slide show and variety and you can see how I've had a tough time deciding how to fill my Easter basket! If you prefer to see the photos larger, you can click on the photos link just below and it will take you to our Picasa stored photos.

On Easter Monday there is a strange tradition that most Slovak women I've talked with say is totally barbaric. They hate it, but say it remains a tradition in the country. The boys in the village go from door to door with a whip (made of twigs) and whip the girls and pour cold water on them. The girls, in turn, give the boys eggs, candy, or, as is becoming the new tradition, cash! This is a tradition we will not try out in our house, needless to say. I did buy a whip at the market. It looks like woven grapevine or branches and has a few colorful ribbons tied to the end - I think that's the whipping part.

Wind Farms in Austria

We are living very close to the border of Austria. We decided to take a day trip to see a city in Hungary that has Medieval ruins. To get there from Bratislava we drove into Austria and then just over the border into Hungary. Our drive was in Austria for about 90% of the trip. Austrian countryside is pretty with vineyards all over and small villages in between. We passed a large grouping of huge windmills. They are used for energy, as the wind through the plain surrounding the Danube seems to be reliable. They are giant - perhaps you can gain a sense of scale from one of my photos........

Since we have been living in Slovakia new laws have gone into place at the border crossings in many bordering countries. There are numerous former Communist countries that are in the process of joining the European Union (EU). Part of the process was the Schengen Treaty. This allows porous borders between many countries. We traveled through three countries without showing our passports at all. There are no border guards at the Austrian border, the Hungarian border or the Slovakian border. This is truly amazing. It makes for nice travel - no delays, no traffic jams. It is more like traveling from state to state in the USA.

School Program for Anya

Anya has been practicing for her school program and the class performed just before Easter break. The two kindergarten classes practiced together and we were treated to their performances of The Farmer in the Dell, Old MacDonald, and Bingo. They also showed their proficiency at having learned their shapes. At the end all the kids got a little paper Easter basket with a chocolate egg w/prize inside!

Here's the little gal performing with all her little Slovak friends.

The Dog in Slovakia

Early on we could see that the canine rules in Bratislava. Dogs are everywhere. They are clearly the pet of choice. Dogs are allowed on the buses, with muzzle only. Dogs are kept in purses (really). Dogs have to wait outside the grocery store, but are seen inside the mall and coffee shops. I spotted this little dog having a walk with his special sweater on. It just struck me as really funny seeing him/her/it, unleashed and walking right along with his "friends".

One pizza spot that we enjoy walking to as a family takes us through a neighborhood of single family homes. As is typical here, each home is fenced all around, and the driveway has a gate with security locks. It is also typical that each homeowner has at least one dog. When we walk by, the entire neighborhood is a cacophony of barking dogs. We found it particularly annoying and decided the only reasonable response was to bark back. We all practiced our barking until we were all having a good laugh. The dogs were going nuts all around and that made it even more enjoyable. Doug swears most of the dogs are really nice and they just want to be petted (okaaaaay, Doug).

Palm Sunday and a solo

Justin was asked to sing a solo at Bratislava International Church on Palm Sunday. Our church had a special children's program in the service. He wore his "handsome" clothes and did a fabulous job singing in front of the congregation. Here's a photo and a video clip. Hope you enjoy it. We are very proud of his willingness to learn the song and his courage to perform it as well.

We have grown attached to this little congregation of English speakers from around the world. Most are from the USA or the UK, but many are English speaking refugees who are in Slovakia to relocate due to trouble in their homeland. The small, historic chapel is also used on Sunday mornings by German and Hungarian congregations - one service before ours and another after. There is a larger building of the Slovak Lutheran church which is next door.

The words are hard to hear on this little video, but I'll copy them here:

Stories of Jesus

Tell me the Stories of Jesus

I love to hear;

Things I would ask Him to tell me

If He were here:

Scenes by the wayside,

Tales of the sea,

Stories of Jesus,

Tell them to me.

Signs of spring

The forsythia are in full bloom! They are a sure sign of spring. The trees are full of buds and some are showing their green. A Bratislava winter has been cold and drab so it's a welcome change . I've seen many people carrying twigs of Pussywillow and some with cut daffodils. Spring is my favorite season with color showing up almost everywhere. The temps are creeping up steadily with chilly mornings and pleasant afternoons. We look forward to spending lots of time outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.

We have an 8-year-old

Today, March 10, 2008 is Justin's 8th birthday. We have had a good day celebrating with him. The school allows parents to bring in a party during the afternoon, so we took full advantage of that! Justin was happy to bring our American traditions to the Slovak children (and one Korean). The Betty Crocker cake mix turned out good enough and the Ready-to-spread frosting made my job easier by far. Five bags of microwave popcorn and some Coca-cola made for enough snacks - and we brought treat bags - something that is not a party tradition here. Those were a hit. We also played musical chairs and a ring toss game.

Here's a little clip of Justin's classmates singing Happy Birthday - I wasn't able to get the entire song 'cuz they started before I was ready!

Six months and some reflection

We passed our 6-month mark of living in Slovakia during a visit from my parents. The past six months have been many things: interesting, frustrating, exhausting and at times, pretty fun.

My own adjustment has been difficult in many ways that I was not expecting. From the outset, I didn't expect the Slovaks to be like the Palestinians. I knew the people kept to themselves and are a reserved population. I also knew that folks would be just like every other person around the world once you get to know them. But knowing all that just couldn't bring me through the daily void of eye contact, smiles, waves, greetings, that are a part of American culture and an even greater part of Palestinian culture. What's so bad about that?

My question exactly. I know I'm not tough. I don't want to be tough, but I have a need to be acknowledged as a person. Earlier in this blog I talked about being conspicuous or ignored, what would you prefer? I was speaking about standing out racially in Ramallah and what that felt like. From this new perspective, I hate being ignored. I know there are some historical issues about that, so I'll sign up for some good therapy when I get back to the US if I'm not cured through this experience. But for now, I feel that most of the contact I have with the local folks is, at best, with indifference and, at worst, getting bawled out. Just today I was returning from the Posta (post office) and a lady was walking her dog. I have no idea what I did wrong, but she stopped me, and I don't think she was giving me a compliment about my hat as she talked and waved her arms. Something about her dog and me? I've been bawled out for leaving a garbage bag in the hallway by a neighbor. We regularly get the pipes clanged on when our kids' stocking feet make noise on the floor. Anya got a good scolding from someone after she, in frustration, threw a sport bottle of juice on the ground. A bus driver hollered at Doug for bringing the stroller in the wrong door of the bus. While Justin was reading aloud on a train a lady yelled "SHUT-up". That word we understand - all the rest of our scolding/getting bawled out is in Slovak. We don't understand a word. Really, not one word! But an attitude and tone can be communicated clearly without language.

So, dear friends, this has all taken a toll on my feeling of well-being and a little bit of my dignity. I always felt good in Ramallah when I could share a smile with someone. Even though I spoke just a tiny little bit of Arabic, much can be communicated with a smile. Touch was common in Palestine - where language failed, you could touch a small child, give a double kiss to an old woman.

I have some new friends here who are helping me understand this new challenge. In particular, having come from the Palestinian culture to the Slovak culture. These may be the two most difficult cultures to have back to back and adjust to. They are helping me by telling me I'm not crazy needy (who wants to be that??) and that it isn't me, it's the culture. And these are people who have lived with or worked with Palestinians! Isn't that amazing that we are here in Bratislava together?

I'll post some photos of my parents' visit shortly. We had a good time together, getting caught up, seeing some of the region. I finally got to Vienna, Austria to look around and got more experience on the train and metro systems w/o the guys. I'm getting more adventurous each day.

Ryanair - discount air carrier

Several weeks ago Anya and I flew to Barcelona, Spain. Our mission was to visit a friend from Ramallah who brought the video and audio equipment that was used in the Romeo & Juliet student film production. Our friend was generous to bring the equipment out of Tel Aviv, as it can be a difficult process of questioning by the security at the airport. Thankfully the equipment was not inspected and it arrived in Spain with our friend as we had hoped.

Anya and I flew on Ryanair, one of Europe's discount air carriers. Our flight left Bratislava, so we were able to take the public transport to the airport! We also flew into a smaller airport north of Barcelona, so we needed to pay transport to get to the Barcelona bus station. Our Ryanair tickets totaled €78 (about $110). Here are a few differences that I noticed flying with the discount carrier:

• no air sick bag
• no seat pocket
• seats didn't recline
• advertising banners for their airline on overhead bins
• safety instructions laminated onto the seat in front of you - eye level (I didn't enjoy looking at it the entire flight)
• no reserved seating
• flight magazines passed out and collected at the end (I kept mine to sell on ebay)
• no complimentary beverages/snacks
• pre-recorded advertising messages for Ryanair during flight
• flight attendants sold scratch off tickets for prizes - proceeds went to charity

We did have a pilot, co-pilot and an adequate flight crew. That must be regulated. Bright yellow and royal blue was the color scheme. It was a bit loud for my taste, but fun at the same time. The plane was nice and clean and seemed new. Luggage is an additional fee (we paid for one checked bag) and the weight limit is 15kg. Carry-on bags are carefully checked for size. Overall, a great experience! I would fly with them again provided I did not have much luggage.

What the Slovaks do well....

Other parts of the world could learn a few things from the Slovak culture....... some of the my observations include:
Mass-transit: run frequently, on-time, all over the city. You can get almost anywhere you need by bus, trolley-bus or tram line. The fare system is easy - buy one ticket for the length of your trip, validate it on the bus, trolley bus or tram. It's good for your ride on all three modes of transport! The best part is that you can figure out the times and your transfers by looking on their website. After you know a few of the destination stops around the city, you can request a time and a route will pop up for you. Print it out and you're on your way. The website is http://www.imhd.sk/ and for English you press the British flag at the top. (Just in case anyone wants to pretend to be me).

Recycling: in my "how to look like a local" file, I noticed most folks had a reusable grocery bag that they were carrying around. I know most homes in the US have a place that is overflowing with plastic bags from every store and every purchase made in the last year. Many stores here charge you for bags, so if you bring your own, you can save some cash. Plus, the heavier plastic bags are more comfortable to carry if you have to walk further than just your car. Now I carry my own reusable bag so not only do I look like a local, I'm being green........

I will hold on posting my opinions of bothersome Slovak cultural norms. My cultural bias is unavoidable and it doesn't seem fair to report on societal ills (exceptions may occur). Someday I'll enjoy having a cup of coffee with those who are interested and I can report on some of the cultural oddities through my eyes.

The Posta

I've now had lots of experience with "The Posta", the Slovakian mail service. The Posta is much more than the mail service, however. You can pay bills here, using a voucher that contains the account number of the receiving party - we pay Justin's choir bill this way. Every other month he gets a slip with the amount and the Boys' Choir account info. I have successfully paid his bill twice now - you give them your cash and get a paid receipt.

Some of our friends and family have sent care packages and all have come through well EXCEPT the kids Christmas presents from Grandma & Grandpa........ Wouldn't you know it? Their box even got returned to sender from Bratislava. So, after the gifts made three trips across the ocean, our kids got to have Christmas in February!

I just had to share this photo of Justin.........a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Weekend in Prague

A school holiday in February for the whole of Slovakia represents "Report Day". Children bring home their reports from school and there is a day off on Friday.

For us, we decided to take the train to Prague, Czech Republic. From Bratislava this is about a 4-hour train ride. The trains are comfortable, reliable and inexpensive. We took the express train, which stops at only a few cities along the way.

Finding our bearings once we arrive in a new city is the biggest challenge. We generally have reserved a hotel on-line before we venture and then figure the rest out upon arrival! I have noticed that our experience with mass-transit in Bratislava has helped tremendously in other cities here. We found Prague to be fascinating. With extensive walking areas and beautiful old, old buildings and towers, our time passed quickly. There are museums of all kinds, souvenir shops galore and marionette shows and blacklight shows to take in. There is much more for us to do in Prague, so we will need another trip in the future. We found ourselves, however, being drawn to TGI Fridays for a meal rather than any traditional Czech cuisine.

I've randomly chosen photos for a slide show, but perhaps you can gain a feel for this Central European city through them. This has been described by many I asked as their favorite city in Europe.

Cub Scouts

Justin has joined the Transatlantic Cub Scout Wolf Pack #200 here in Bratislava. He

recently got to participate in the Pinewood Derby, his first! His race car was not in the top, so we had some disappointment to work through. All the boys had a great time cheering on their cars and it was fun to watch them. The pack and den are small, compared to many, but it is a great group of people to gather with while our boys are learning to be Scouts.

In Fair Palestine.......

January 19 was the premier of a student film in Ramallah. This film is especially close to the heart of Doug. The film was written, produced and acted in by students in Doug's classes at the Ramallah Friends School. In the Fall of 2005 Doug decided to scrap the textbook studies that the students were falling asleep to in his classes and use his own passion for Shakespeare to attempt to engage the young people. He chose a book - No Fear Shakespeare - Romeo & Juliet and, after the obligatory assignments and grades, there was a remnant of students who were inspired and empassioned to make a film. The theme would be Romeo & Juliet in the setting of Palestine!

The R&J Team, as they were named, began to write a script and meet weekly with Doug. As most of you know, our time in Ramallah ended prematurely after we began to have trouble renewing our visa to stay. But the students continued on, and in June 2007, Doug was able to return to Ramallah to catch the filming in person. The home video Doug brought home of them filming took my breath away!

More months passed as the R&J Team edited their film and began to get the final production ready. January 19 was a day that Doug should have been in Ramallah. I wish we could have all been there for the premier at the Cultural Palace of the student production of: In Fair Palestine A Story of Romeo & Juliet. Tickets were sold for the premier and the Cultural Palace was packed with over 1,000 in attendance. Here are a few comments that were passed on to Doug via email.

Dear Doug,
I thought I would write to you about the wonderful premiere
of Romeo and Juliet tonight. More than one thousand people packed the
Cultural Palace, all eager to see what a bunch of teens had produced. You got
sustained rounds of applause upon the mention of your name as the catalyst
of the film and its promoter throughout. It was an awsome (to use Faris's term)
evening.

You were missed and appreciated tonight.
Thank you.

Hey! Man you should have been there. More than a 1000 people were there. People were sitting on the stairs and others were standing.Thhey all loved it. It was unbelievable. Cheers

Hi Doug,
Thank you for developing the idea for the movie, it was amazing. The auditorium was packed and the students did a wonderful job.
Wish you and your family could of been her. Rave reviews in the newspapers and a local radio station.

Missing you and family,

Rave reviews in two local newspapers and one in Jordan, in addition to a five-minute report on al-Arabiyya satellite TV channel during the prime-time news broadcast, viewed by millions in the Arab world!!

Here's a link to the Youtube trailer for In Fair Palestine.....A Story of Romeo & Juliet. Take a look at what some 10th-12th Palestinian teenagers accomplished. http://www.youtube.com/v/zHNndYQ79nQ&rel=1

Weather related news

I found it funny when I returned to Michigan after our first overseas adventure how much people talked about the weather. At least the weather changed and there was variety. I guess that made it a topic of conversation, or at least worthy of commenting on.


Here in Bratislava, the winter is dismal, at best. Overcast, gray skies blend in with the streets, leafless trees, gray communist bloc apartment buildings and brownish grass. Living on the 7th floor gives us a view of the horizon, so some mornings I am fortunate enough to see a sunrise! It may quickly be swallowed up by the clouds, but it is a welcome sight. Last week we watched a most stunning sunrise!

The Kindness of Slovaks

After having blasted the culture for the cold exterior, I have had some wonderful experiences with the local folks.
A few months ago, while taking a trip into Central Slovakia, I realized I had lost my little money pouch. It included my credit card, so it was a true crisis! I was almost sure I had lost it at a Tesco store, where we stopped to get snacks and drinks, so we had to drive back the 1/2 hour we had just traveled when I realized I was missing something important. Doug and I asked the security guard if anyone spoke English. She pointed to a young lady at a T-Mobile store near the entrance. We told her our situation and she said she would be happy to help us. She closed her store and took us over to the information counter. The information counter was less than helpful, but this young lady persisted and asked them to call the register where we had checked out. They had my pouch! Oh that was a happy time. I even cried with joy. We thanked this young lady profusely, who closed her store to help us. She replied "I like to help people". And we were off.

Next crisis for me was going to the post office to mail packages..... I handed over the packages - there were 3 - and she gave me the total. I had spent most of my cash, so didn't have enough to pay for them. Now what? She told me, with the help of the gentleman at the next window, that I could leave them here and come back. Very nice gesture, but I was downtown and the thought of going all the way back home to get more cash was daunting and time consuming. So I left the packages with her and began to walk and think. This is progress for me, because I didn't just start crying (what a wimp). I walked back to the last store I had patronized and asked them if I could return this item because I shorted myself on cash and needed to get my stuff on its way to the US. The lovely, slender and red-haired young lady said SURE! She would even keep my item behind the counter for me until I could return. What lovely Slovak people! So, I walked back to the Posta, paid for my packages and walked to fetch Justin from choir practice.

In all our journeys on the bus I see people giving their seats to pensioners (senior citizens), and helping women with their cumbersome baby carriages on and off the bus. If anyone has read all this to the end, I would encourage trying to notice the little kindnesses that come your way each day through others.

Our Elevator or 122 stairs

Our elevator or up and down 122 stairs. Two options that we face each day, at least twice a day. If we lose one of those options, (the elevator), it leaves the 122 steps. Since we moved in last August, we have climbed the stairs at least 7 or 8 times because the elevator was out of order. It is grueling to walk up all those stairs, made even more difficult if I have a load of groceries. Doug has been stuck in it once, but kept pushing buttons and got it to go down one floor so he could get out. It was humorous because that was when his dad was visiting and there was another little lady stuck with them. She started banging on the door as loudly as she could. When I looked out our door to find out what was going on, all I could see was their heads.......

So, I could complain a lot - not to the management or anyone who can help because of the language barrier, but I decided I am happy we have one at all. Many buildings don't even have a "lift", as it is called in Europe. As to the condition and size of the lift? Well, it's tiny--really tiny. Our family of four can fit in it, but if we have our stroller it is really tight. I think it was made in Poland during Communism. And it doesn't even have automatic doors. There is one tremendously heavy door that you pull open like any regular door. You step on the elevator. Once the heavy door closes behind you (not automatically), you push the button and begin the ride. There is no other door, but you can watch the other marked doors go by, as each little window appears in the door for the next level. It's hard to explain, so I'll attach a photo.

Last week we were coming home after dark and the elevator ride upstairs was completely in the dark, as the light had burned out inside. That was exciting! Speaking of lights, there are light switches on each floor to help light the hallway. But their timers are so badly set, that I can never get the key in both of the two locks without having to stop and give myself another dose of light. (Talk about pressure)! If we are walking up, we put Justin in charge of lights, so none of us trip when the light decides to turn off. He's great help in this area.

I am happy for the elevator, truly. But when I look at it I am surprised I will use it at all. I guess that is how badly we as humans want to avoid work and exercise. Here's the little beast....