Bowled over

On Thursday, I went bowling with the people from the car dealership. Ľubo, the boss, is strangely amusing. He reminds me of Michael Scott from The Office. Everyone kept explaining the rules to me. "If you knock them all down, your next two balls count twice. Is it the same in America?"

There are many double standards for men and women. The women never speak in class, and they laugh at the lousy sexist jokes the men tell. When we were bowling, Marek asked me what I wanted to drink. "We drink beer, and the girls drink wine." I smiled and ordered a beer. Ľubo gave plenty of advice on bowling. There seemed to be a little pressure to let him win. He drank plenty of beer, and by the third game, I was the only person still focused on bowling. With a score of 106, I won! Obviously, they are not very competitive bowlers.

At the orientation in September, I met Richard and Kathy. They are from Delaware, and they're living in Nitra this semester. I went to visit them yesterday. They are delightful. It was nice to see Nitra and to visit with them. They call me their "Slovak daughter." I'm happy to be adopted.

D'akujem vel'mi pekne!

I am thankful to Petra, Jaro, and Simona, my new Slovak friends, for making me feel at home. I am thankful to my mom for giving me step-by-step instructions for mashed potatoes, stuffing, and chicken. I am thankful to Meg for giving me a recipe for gravy and for sending Stove Top stuffing for back-up. I am thankful to my students for listening to my retelling of the first Thanksgiving and our current traditions. I am thankful for the happy Thanksgiving memories I have and for the new appreciation I have found for American holidays. I am thankful for international phone calls and familiar voices. I am thankful for long-distance laughter. I am thankful for the simple pleasures of Slovakia, for sheep's cheese, house slippers, and Horalky. I am thankful for my time here.

Well done

I used the oven! My friend Sam came to see central Slovakia. It was the perfect excuse to make apple crisp. The oven has terrified me since the day I moved in. To start it, I had to turn the gas on, push a button on the far right, and stick a lit match down the center hole at the bottom. I was shaking when I lit the match, but it was definitely worth it.

I showed Sam around Banská Bystrica on Thursday, and we planned to visit Kremnica on Friday. Somehow, we managed to miss three buses. I can't explain it. The platforms we were told to wait at didn't actually provide buses. It was unbelievable. So, we went to a movie instead. We saw Lions for Lambs. It had Czech subtitles. Only the movies for children are dubbed. The Simpsons Movie was recently dubbed into Czech. The Simpsons never speak Slovak. The Czech voices have become too familiar, and every Slovak understands Czech.

Which way to Špania Dolina?

I experienced my first Slovak snowfall earlier this week. The first snow is always a little magical. I am curious to see what the winter will bring... hopefully enough hot chocolate and soup to keep me smiling.

Today, I visited Špania Dolina. I didn't entirely understand the bus schedule. I thought I would be dropped off in the town square, but I was dropped at the base of the mountain that Špania Dolina is on. I had a big hike to reach the small town. Less than 200 Slovaks live there. Many of their homes are on very steep hills. It snowed lightly, and the few children of the town threw snowballs at each other and laughed. I can see why it's a popular place to visit. It was a mining town for many years, and now it is known for its lace-making. I climbed the covered staircase to the hill-scaling church. The church didn't appear to be open. In the center of town, there is a monument to the 15 residents who died during the Slovak National Uprising... it's not a huge number, but it represented 10% of the town's population. Many of the mining towns have koplačka towers. They would use a resonating board to call the miners to work, like a giant alarm clock for the town. The koplačka tower in Špania Dolina is now part of a hotel and restaurant. I had a cup of hot chocolate and started hiking towards the bus stop.

Eger, Hungary... my kinda town

This weekend, I headed East. I visited a new friend in Košice, Slovakia. Sam is from Maine and is teaching in Košice this year. He showed me around his new town and I went to his web conference for U.S. and Slovak students to discuss the image of America. It was very interesting and a little depressing.

On Saturday, Sam and I went to Eger, Hungary. It is a town with an incredible history. In 1552, they were attacked by the Turks. The Hungarians were severely outnumbered, but with the help of the women in the town and some red wine, they were victorious. The wine stained the men's beards, and the Turks concluded that the people of Eger got their strength and courage by drinking the blood of bulls. Now, Eger is known for its Bull's Blood wine. What a legend! We visited the scene of the battle, the castle of Eger. It was the most incredible castle I've seen so far. Our next mission was to sample the famous red wine. We walked to Szépasszony-völgy, the Valley of Beautiful Women. There are hundreds of wine cellars carved into the mountainside where they sell the local wine. Each cellar has its own charm. We went into numbers 3, 17, and 10. When the sun went down, the town had a new mood. It was still buzzing but peaceful. Eger will always be one of my favorite places. It's a town known for strong-willed women and great wine. What's not to love!?

Všechsvätých (All Saints' Day)

Today is All Saints' Day. It's a day for families to gather together to remember people who have died. They put candles and flowers (always in even numbers) on the graves of their loved ones. I walked to the town square to check it out. There were a lot of families. It made me grateful for my own family... What a nice idea God had- to give everyone a mom and a dad and sisters and brothers!

I walked through the cemetery. It was beautiful. Cemeteries have always been a little scary for me, but this was a completely different experience. It was so peaceful. People also light candles in front of the church for people whose graves are far away. I lit four candles, too. I thought about my grandpas-- two great men who gave me two great parents. I also remembered my dad's best friend, Randy Campbell. I know he was admirable from the few memories I have and the many stories I have heard. Darlene watched Meg and I when we were young and was a good friend for my mom. I thanked God for these great people and walked home. I think this is a very nice tradition.