Random Sightings

The boys were a couple of sheets past 3 to the wind...

This guy was an ok breakdancer. I mostly enjoyed his outfit.

WOAH. FIRE. PRETTY!

So, Thursday was a pretty typical work day. I was just trying to get some work done before the 4-day Easter holiday, which meant battling with Microsoft Outlook (now I really know what Mr. Stavar meant when he said that "Microsoft Works" is an oxymoron), editing promotional materials for the Swedish Chamber (wait, I thought I worked for the British Chamber?), doing mailings, and playing the thug role for people who haven't paid their membership fees for 2008. My goal was to be finished around 3pm, and by the grace of Office Space (aka: no boss to ask me if I can work late) I was out the door and ready to go the the Slovak National Museum to check out their latest exhibition called "Ako sme žili ? Slovensko v 20. storočí" or "How did we live? Slovakia in the 20th century".

I had just walked out the door when I saw a group of tourists taking pictures by Shokocafe, one of the popular places to get a coffee or a hot chocolate. I then registered that they were speaking English. Normally, this wouldn't phase me, and I would keep walking. As I changed my route to avoid walking through their picture, I turned to see more people walking out of the cafe. Suddenly, I recognized someone I knew. I immediately stopped and said "Brooke?" and she turned around. She looked just as surprised to see me as I was to see her in the Main Square. Oh my Goodness! I found a friend of mine from Cornell in Bratislava! So weird! Her family then swarmed around us and asked lots of questions like, "Brooke, you know this person?" "What are you doing in Slovakia?" "How did the two of you meet each other", all while snapping tons of photos around us. It was quite funny actually. Apparently her cousin is studying in Vienna, and her family (9 of them in total) was visiting, and decided to do a day trip to Bratislava. I then offered to take a photo of the whole group, since only having 8 of the 9 people in most of their photos was unacceptable to me. I remember the times when 13 members of my family trekked across the French countryside. You want to remember everyone, and not constantly be losing someone behind the camera lens. They wished me the best of luck, and I wished them a safe journey back to the States.

So, that encounter gave me a sustained vitality for the rest of the day. The world is smaller than we think, I guess.

The best part? I still made it to the museum on time! The exhibition was fantastic. It will actually still be going on when most of you visit me, because it is running until October 2008. It included everything from re-creations of typical living spaces, to war-time paraphernalia, old propaganda posters, historic videos, editorial cartoons, theater and cinema, and Olympic Medals!! (thats the closest I'll ever get to touching one, I think) The exhibition was set up beautifully, was interactive, and included a lot of English translations! It was interesting to see the history of this part of the world from their own perspective, especially with their alignment with Nazi Germany, and influence under Communism. Going there gave me a better understanding of the country that I'm living in, and strengthened the bond that I feel with the people.

After that, I went back to the dormitory to each and rest up. Since I didn't have to work on Friday, I decided it would be a GREAT idea to go out! The plan was to meet Robert and Andrej at Channels (excellent Mojitos) and then make our way to Subclub (excellent music). Channels was a good time, and a good warm-up for the night. We then decided to head to Subclub for what was supposed to be their "Ice Breaker" night with 3 different DJs. When we got there, it was pretty empty, which was strange since the last time I went there, I almost had to fight to get on the dancefloor. We decided to give it 30 minutes. We stayed for 45 (beer was involved) and decided that our time would be better spent at Dopler where a famous Dutch DJ Michel de Hay would be "mixing the jams" (I can't believe I just used that vernacular). As you can see from the pictures above, this was a SERIOUS show...complete with digital visual materials, pyrotechnics, and some ridiculously awesome music.

The funniest part was when I went to the bathroom. I was washing my hands, and found that the water was PAINFULLY hot. No adjustment would remedy this situation, so I moved on to the next sink. The girl next to me started talking to me in Slovak, some of which I understood, and she motioned to me that her sink was at least bearable. She then asked me where I was from, because I had answered her in Slenglish. I told her I was from the States, and the biggest smile spread across her face. She started gathering her friends around! They were so excited to meet me! It was beyond funny. When I crossed to dry my hands, they came up behind me and said "You are very cute American" and one of the girls actually kissed me on the cheek! It was really interesting, and a contrast to some of the exchanges I've had while here. They were actually happy that I was at their club, and wanted me to feel welcome.

Once I got back to the boys, we decided that it was time to hit the dancefloor, as the main show was about to start. We wound our way into the mass, and ended up dancing until around 3:45am...which was just enough time for me to catch the night bus home to Vlcie Hrdlo. I have no idea how the time went so quickly, but it was certainly a great experience. Lots of jokes, fun, and the boys even protected me from random people who tried to sketchily dance behind me. Definitely rivals the "Thirsty Thursday" nights back on the Hill.