Slovak Words

Not only is Slovak is REALLY tough, but often when you are trying to get things done around the city they don't speak English and say in Slovak to you "Your in Slovakia, learn Slovak". So thats fun.

Needless to say, my Slovak is terrible but here are the words I DO know and regularly use in fantastic phonetic spelling that always makes my Slovak friends laugh at me...

Cho? : What? (familiar)

Proseem: Please, your welcome, what? (formal)

Charo Beesh? : What are you doing?

Peckne Den: Have a good day

Dobre Den: Good Day

Ahoy: Hello and good bye

Dobre rano: good morning

Dobray: ok

Dakjuem: Thank you (dak-qwee-em)

Ano: yes

Nee EH: no

Deekey Chow!: Thanks bye!

Potch Kai: Wait

Eshtay: More (eshtay yeden: one more)

So there is my Slovak so far. I can sometimes figure out what people are saying but can't repeat the words, but this is literally all I've been able to speak since I've been here.

Notice how "ano" sounds like no- so thats fun.

Hearts from Slovakia!

xoxo

An Easter in Slovakia

Missing our families and dearest friends back home this holiday, our beloved Bori decided to throw us a proper Easter holiday complete with food, egg painting, and freaky Slovak traditions!

Traditional Slovak Easter flowers, lilacs and dandelions. Tomorrow we make dandelion wreaths to wear in our hair!

 First "Aunt Bori" brought special Slovak cheese over to stuff chicken with. For my vegetarian self there were also potatoes, American style stuffing, rice, and veggies.

 While things were cooking we made traditional Eastern European eggs.

First you crack tiny holes on the top and bottom using a needle...

Then you blow out the yolks!

Finally you paint them with tempera paint...

 Please note our little Easter dresses and braids with bows, also traditional!

When they are dry, you can paint little designs...

Then it was time to feast!

And "Aunt Bori" made a fancy crepe cake with nutella and jelly layers...mmmmmm

After dinner you take branches "Aunt Bori" gathered and make the male in your family make a whip. Yes, I said it- a whip.

Cutting off the leaves does not come without injury.

Then the male knocks on the door, whips any single girls and pours water on them. She does a dance and gives him chocolate. I wish I were joking, but its HILARIOUS!!!

Then "Aunt Bori" passes out on the couch from too much whipping

Tomorrow apparently everyone parties here and you make dandelion wreaths for your hair! If we go out we'll be sprayed with water and whipped by strange men so...it's a risk we haven't decided to take yet. We'll see how we're feeling tomorrow.

Thanks "Aunt Bori" for an amazing Easter I will never forget!

There now, can you say your Easter involved the whipping of single girls?

Meet The Family...

Remember a few months ago when I was so sad and angry and just OVER Slovakia? I was crying almost every night and was about ready to just come home. Fast forward to within the last month and I have the most amazing friends here, I really must say. My roomie and our other girl friend make quite the trio while our boys make sure nobody gives us trouble and make our sides ache with laughter.

Meet My New Family. Because everyone needs someone.

From This Weekend...

We were still missing 2 of our boys, but it was Easter holiday weekend so they were out of town like they should be. 

Anyway, enjoying my extra long weekend with friends around the city. Getting massages, dinners out, baseball games with friends, and just relaxing as much as possible before going back to work with no breaks until summer holiday begins June 30. The last stretch! 

From Slovakia with love!

Days Like This You Want To Go Home...

I have been sick all week with a terrible sinus, ear, and chest infection. I am already missing home being so sick, and then today happened.

Last night my heart I left back in San Diego ended things with me, so now I am even more upset.

Then today I went to the doctor, got lots of good antibiotics and decongestant but then they wouldn't give me a doctors note to excuse me from work for legal reasons that ended up being my school's fault for not doing paperwork properly. They advised me to stay home, but I can't get paid for it without this doctors note. I can't get the doctors note without my insurance card. The school didn't apply for my permanent insurance card. So yes, I am now uninsured here. Awesome. Thank God roomie was there and her Slovak friend happened to work near there and came to act as a go between since the receptionists we pay extra for to speak English...really don't very well and are kind of jerks. I almost started crying. It was awful.

Then we went to the travel agent to try and book a fun tropical vacation over the 6 days I have off for Easter next week. Now THREE agencies haven't been able to find us anything for those dates...I already ordered a bathing suit and we almost just bought sunscreen. So now we don't know what to do. We both just want to relax in Turkey or Canary Islands or something but NOTHING is working out and its so frustrating.

Then we went to (another) iPhone fixing place that ended up being closed with a sign up in Slovak we couldn't read. We figured it out later that they had moved, but by then I was just so frustrated.

I know living abroad always seems so amazing, but more days then you would think are just like this. And by the end you just want to pack your things and go home and forget this whole "adventure".

Thank God for my friends here though. Don't know what I would do without you all.

From Slovakia with Annoyance and Tears...

E

Slovakia: Day Time

Well, spring is in full bloom here with long forgotten fountains finally bubbling around the city, tourist groups following the lady with a stick, cafes littering into the cobble stoned streets, and flowers everywhere! The weather has been unpredictable, still cold in the mornings and evenings but can get up to 70+ in the middle of the day...or it might stay around 60 and be windy...or rain...you never know in the spring time (apparently)!

Unfortunately, I have been kind of out of commission this week as I am deathly ill with a little cold turned into giant sinus and chest infection. But I still managed to go out this weekend and attend our new Sunday brunch club tradition...of course now I am home sick from work because I pushed it a bit too much and the infection got all angry...but hey, fun was to be had!

The "weekend" started on Wednesday with an open invite to friends for a relaxed mid week wine party at our house...which didn't end until midnight. Thursday I stayed in trying to recover from this cold that won't go away, but Friday and Saturday we ventured to our usual places with a few new ones thrown in. And as always, greeted the sun in the morning;) It would appear that I have made friends here guys! Sunday brunch I looked around at our little "family" and was so happy to have met all of these lovely people here. After brunch my girls took me to the mall to get me some antibiotics and amazing Mexican food for a late lunch (still not as good as the real thing, but damn close!) and I just felt so loved.

Sunday afternoon walking home from brunch I snapped a few pictures of our now sunny city for all of you and of the area our flat is in so you can have a look...it was Sunday so things were substantially quieter then usual (seriously, EVERYTHING shuts down here on Sunday's) but you get the idea.

 My friend Phil and I in front of the opera house, this is right by all of the restaurants and bars we go to...and the cute tourist groups;) 

I walk by these kooky statues almost everyday and just now decided to be a tourist just for all of you! There are a few more I'll try and do for you too...

Remember this is where the ice skating used to be in front of? Now its spring time and full of musicians, families, cafes, everything!

The fountain is finally on!

Cute cafes...

St. Michael's Gate...

There are many of these weird guys around the city, but this is the only one whose hands have been repaired 100 times. 

In the winter I thought this was an abandoned old dirt lot...apparently it was a beautiful park the entire time!

This is my street! Usually its FILLED with people because this street is lined with great shopping and restaurants and is pedestrian only...the trams are the only things allowed. 

 The cafe I live above...

Random awesome traditional Slovak dancers at the mall!

We are trying to book our trip for Easter break, looks like Turkey is the best option with Budapest and Prague as a valid back up plan. Lets cross our fingers for Turkey though...all inclusive with sun, beach, drinks, and relaxation please!

From Slovakia with love!

Another Fantastic Weekend!

I dont know if you have caught on yet...but I go out. A LOT.

Put extroverted girls in the middle of the city, give them well paying jobs in a cheap city, where everything is in walking distance from their kick ass flat, and you get what you see below. Awesomeness. 

Last night though, man we ROLLED. Started at this cool old church turned into a pub, then went to our favorite bar/dance club Primi till around 2a, then to an official club Channels until 6AM!! I love how everything in Europe stays open so late, the place was still packed when we left, I had no concept of time except my feet started to hurt from dancing so much! I love having girl friends and non creepy European guys who will dance with me without getting all weird. 

Heres to another fantastic weekend in Bratislava!

Friday Night...

 The crew...

Canadians, Slovaks, and Americans fall in love in B-town.

Saturday Night...

The love of my life!

Bed at 6:00am...up at 11:00am for brunch...then lunch...because we stayed until 4p, haha. 

Who is this little guy? Well, we started the evening at a birthday party in which he attended. He kind of attached himself to us, and we let him, because come on...he's like 12. He hung out with us ALL night  and ended up sleeping on our tiny couch before we woke him up 5 hours later and made him go to brunch with us for 5 hours. Yeah, two crazy American girls doesn't even begin to describe his probable perception of us. 

I just like this one. 

Everyone come and visit so we can take you OUT!

From Slovakia with LOVE<3