5 hours ago
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Moment of Peace
"Tuscan" dinners in the Presidential Palace Gardens. Molto Bene. Velmi dobre. Very good.
Priorities
The food that I experienced in Krakow gets its own blog entry :) I know. I have a problem. I'm not working to change that, so you'll just have to support me.
These are chocolate concoctions that I saw in a pastry shop. Who wouldn't want to eat a hedgehog made out of sugar? I appreciate the craftsmanship and creativity. It kind of reminds me of the show "Ace of Cakes". The weird thing is being able to see my reflection in the picture.
We also had INDIAN FOOD on the first night at a place called Indus Tandoor, which totally made my entire life that much more bearable. I had been lacking serious ethnic food experiences. It was AMAZING...at least I thought so after my deprivation. I had a vegetable tandoori with naan. It came out almost fajita style. DELISH. Just the right amount of heat, and a great combination of flavors. I also tried Sherisse's Chicken Tikka. The sauce was so creamy, it was all I could do not to steal her pot. I also got to drink some traditional Chai. It's much less sweet than the Chai that you get in coffee houses in the US, but you can really taste the ginger.
These are chocolate concoctions that I saw in a pastry shop. Who wouldn't want to eat a hedgehog made out of sugar? I appreciate the craftsmanship and creativity. It kind of reminds me of the show "Ace of Cakes". The weird thing is being able to see my reflection in the picture.
A delicious apple pie that I had in the Jewish Quarter. The presentation was interesting because it looked like more of a streudel. The whipped cream was definitely house-made as well, complimenting the pie with an almost bitter taste. The powdered sugar/cinnamon sprinkling was also a bonus. Of course, it's nothing like Grammy's pie made from the apples in the front yard, but they get points for interpreting an American classic.
The next 2 FANTASTIC dishes came out of a place that Najda and I randomly found in the basement of a building while we were strolling through the centre. I think it was called Pod Kominkiem, but I'm not sure. The restaurant was an experience in itself. First we had to find it. Then, we wondered if we were even in the right place. It was a mix between dive bar/family style restaurant with minimal decorations and long picnic tables with dim lighting. I had faith though.
After sitting down and ordering a round of beers, we start to look at the menu. After a couple of minutes, a guy comes around the corner to ask us about our drink order. Once we had confirmed our selections, he proceeded to tell us that if we wanted anything from the kitchen, the wait would be about an hour because he was backed up. Apparently the guy was pulling double duty as bartender-chef. From experience I know this is NEVER a good idea, but the service industry here is nothing like the US, so they're decision making skills are excusable. I was impressed however, that he actually told us about the back up, and was extremely apologetic about the whole thing. We didn't feel the need to go anywhere else because the food looked incredible and was decently priced, so we told him we could wait as long as the beers flowed at a good pace. We told him to take his time.
I think he really appreciated our gesture of patience, because he came back a couple of minutes later to take our orders. A portion of our group of 9 had gone to go get kebabs, so there were 5 of us left who were in for some serious eating. I ordered the dish above, which was dubbed "The Highlander". The dish below was a part of Dom's meal, and it was sweet pirohies with sugar and cream. Nadja and Vaida had pirohies filled with jam, and I couldn't get a picture because they were so tasty, they ate them before I could get my camera out!
The best part? The food only took about 30 minutes to get out! It definitely pays to be courteous to the restaurant staff. When he came back to check on us, we could barely contain ourselves on how good the food was. Very traditional, obviously made with care, and incredibly satisfying. Worth the wait, no matter what. Definitely good prices as well. I think my whole meal cost under $20 including drinks.
In retrospect I wish I would have written more things down so that I could remember the names of places and whatnot. If I go to Krakow again, I'll certainly remember WHERE they were...We also had INDIAN FOOD on the first night at a place called Indus Tandoor, which totally made my entire life that much more bearable. I had been lacking serious ethnic food experiences. It was AMAZING...at least I thought so after my deprivation. I had a vegetable tandoori with naan. It came out almost fajita style. DELISH. Just the right amount of heat, and a great combination of flavors. I also tried Sherisse's Chicken Tikka. The sauce was so creamy, it was all I could do not to steal her pot. I also got to drink some traditional Chai. It's much less sweet than the Chai that you get in coffee houses in the US, but you can really taste the ginger.
Ze enemy iz heaw, heaw & heaw
I feel inspired.
Dom, don't you think it would be a good idea to keep a hand on the wheel and a hand on the shifter? Although, the music was certainly catchy. 
We stuffed 3 girls in the back seat of a Mitsubishi Colt. Comfy :). I am used to this sort of arrangement due to the size of my family. I even offered to ride "bitch" for the majority of the ride. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that term, it means that I chose to ride in the middle of the backseat. While this does mean that I did not have a headrest or a car door to lie back on, it did mean that I got to witness all the action going on in front. I've never felt so alive. (insert maniacal laughter here for emphasis)
Since we had 9 people total, we were able to take over a whole room in the hostel. It was called Dizzy Daisy, and they have branches is many popular tourist destinations. There were 10 beds in our room, and the extra was already occupied by a guy from England. It was cool hearing the story of how many places he had been to. Apparently he spends his summers on Long Island teaching swim lessons, and then for the rest of the year he travels! Crazy. Tiring, but certainly exciting.
Since we had 9 people total, we were able to take over a whole room in the hostel. It was called Dizzy Daisy, and they have branches is many popular tourist destinations. There were 10 beds in our room, and the extra was already occupied by a guy from England. It was cool hearing the story of how many places he had been to. Apparently he spends his summers on Long Island teaching swim lessons, and then for the rest of the year he travels! Crazy. Tiring, but certainly exciting.
The sad part of our trip? It was raining almost the entire time. Made for cute pictures though.
This is the dragon that is a part of the myth of Krakow. Every 5 minutes, he breathes fire! Or, if you want him to do it earlier, you can send an SMS with the message "smok" to the gas company's special number.
Historical sites always have a great deal of money, which they spend on landscaping. Hence, pretty flowers that I have never seen before. Grammy! What are they?!?!
This is one of the oldest markets in Central Europe...I guess its more than 300 years old. They have lots of jewelry and wood work shops. Amber seems to be the most popular item.
This is the dragon that is a part of the myth of Krakow. Every 5 minutes, he breathes fire! Or, if you want him to do it earlier, you can send an SMS with the message "smok" to the gas company's special number.
Historical sites always have a great deal of money, which they spend on landscaping. Hence, pretty flowers that I have never seen before. Grammy! What are they?!?!
This is one of the oldest markets in Central Europe...I guess its more than 300 years old. They have lots of jewelry and wood work shops. Amber seems to be the most popular item. 
This is the cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. The 12 Apostles are appropriately situated outside...doing a dance as my father pointed out :). Each one shows the next step. Take THAT Macarena!
This is a shot of the outside of the castle. We didn't actually go into any of the exhibits because the lines were long and the prices a bit silly. Most of my sightseeing decisions are based on finances. Therefore, I walk around a lot...and windowshop. I budget for food consumption.
This is a shot of the outside of the castle. We didn't actually go into any of the exhibits because the lines were long and the prices a bit silly. Most of my sightseeing decisions are based on finances. Therefore, I walk around a lot...and windowshop. I budget for food consumption.
This tree reminded me of the one that the Bader's had in their front yard when I was growing up. Fond memories :).
I think the best part of the trip were the people I was with. Wandering around the city with 2 Germans, 2 Lithuanians, 1 Dane, 2 UK Islanders, and 1 Turkish guy was hilarious. For example: When we were heading towards one of our destinations, part of the group erupted in a rendition of "We're following the Leader, the Leader, the Leader", to which Dieter, one of the Germans replied very somberly, "In my country, we cannot sing zis song". Laughter ensued. He also fathered the quote that serves as the title for this entry. The story involves a map, the city center, and our inability to navigate 2 cars effectively.
Other quotes are mildly inappropriate and cannot be listed here.
Friday, April 25, 2008
110/70
Today I woke up at 6:00am to go to the doctors office. Being a US citizen, and therefore not subject to EU regulations on health care, I am required to get a FULL health examination to determine whether I am physically fit enough to have my temporary residence visa.
AWESOME.
Why?
I actually like going to the doctor.
I think that this feeling springs from my history in that I have never suffered from anything worse than the Chicken Pox. Going to the Doctor's office consistently reinforced that I was in great shape and perfect health. Growing up, I usually got sick around once a year. I got the flu, puked once, and then went back to school the next day. End of story. Therefore, getting an annual check-up was never associated with any pain or suffering. I don't have a fear of needles, and my veins do a good job of providing blood for tests when necessary (today, I filled up 4 test tubes!!! woo!)
I believe these feelings of excitement are also caused by the fact that I am a tactile person. Having someone check my organs, asking me to breathe deeply, and feeling my lymph nodes is kind of like getting a massage. Plus, I get the bonus of them telling me (in broken English) "You ok. Everything normal!" If they have caring hands (that are not FREEZING), you can feel as though they are taking care of you. They are interested in your well-being, which improves the experience of being in a sterile and somewhat morbid environment.
Everything went incredibly smoothly, despite the fact that I was REALLY hungry after fasting for 12 hours and incredibly tired from only getting 5 hours of sleep. I was one of the first appointments of the day, so I didn't have to wait. They do have some weird customs in terms of data/sample collection however. They handed me a test-tube, which I thought may have been for the blood test, but then Mirka told me that I had to pee in it. Wait. How am I supposed to pee in a test-tube? Even if I had alternate anatomy I don't think my aim would be that accurate. So, you have to "do your thing" into a cocktail-glass-shaped beaker, then pour it into the test-tube. Why not just skip the middle man? I'm sure they'd save money on dishwashing supplies. (eww.)
Next, it was time to get my blood drawn. Like I said, 4 test tubes, no pain. Then, I went to the Doctor's office where she asked me general questions about my health and family history, then she took my blood pressure (110/70...ok, but I'm striving for better. I remember one time getting it taken at Corporate Challenge Event that my Dad was participating in, and it was around 98/63 or something...they wondered why I wasn't dead). Once she determined that I didn't have any obvious ailments, we had to make our way to another building so that I could get an X-ray.
I've only ever gotten 1 X-ray (at least from what I can remember), not counting my teeth. I think it's REALLY cool to be able to look at your bone structure. Getting through the process was a bit strange though. Let me explain:
I walk into the room, the guy tells Mirka something, and then she turns to translate for me. She tells me that I need to take off my shirts. Ok. Protocol. I ask her if there is a paper gown that I need to put on. She asks the guy. No. Wait.
I'm supposed to be topless for this?
She nods.
I panic.
She says something to the specialist.
He says something back.
She tells me that he says "It's ok, I see many women everyday"
I say, "That may be true, but I'm sure the orderly who is standing and watching in the observation room doesn't!"
I just wasn't prepared for that. I barely like being naked by myself. What am I supposed to do when there is a specialist and one of my friends in the room?
Apparently, suck it up and strip.
So, I do as I'm told, take of my shirt, and run over to the machine like there's a fire. He tells me where to stand, and adjusts the screen, then pushes me into it.
"COLD!"
(at this point, I never want to get a mammogram)
He starts talking to Mirka again, GOD knows WHY, and then she tells me to stand there, breathe deeply, and not move.
Ok.
A second later, I heard a door shut, some beeps, and then she walks in and says "Ok, it is finished".
Thank goodness. I immediately put my shirt back on.
Plus side? I got to see my bones :)
After it was all over the doctors told us that the tests would be ready by May 5th.
Then the best part happened :)
Mirka gave me a lollipop!!!!!!! I had been talking to Petra about the health exam, and what it is like in the United States, and how they always give the children lollipops to calm their fears (and possibly also because they struck a deal with the dentists in the next building). So, she must have told Mirka, who then bought one for me! Great start to the day.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Where am I?!?!
I find myself with less and less time, even though there are still 24 hours in the day. On the one hand this is good because it will make my time here more efficient and enjoyable (hence, not boring) however, it also tends to drive me to psychotic disconnections. I guess I will just add "Therapy" to my daily To-Do List.
"I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till i drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.” -Kerouac
Maybe "Therapy" will come in the form of dark chocolate, or something equally delicious.
"I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till i drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.” -Kerouac
Maybe "Therapy" will come in the form of dark chocolate, or something equally delicious.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Rain hides your Tears
Despite the awful weather, today started off relatively well. I was able to pay my rent, change my sheets, get to the bus, and get to work (almost) on time because of traffic delays, and get myself settled into the office before the barage of women from the Foreign Chambers of Commerce came here for a meeting about the Annual Garden Party we are hosting in June.
I set up the conference room with some cookies and salted nuts, prepared a LOT of boiled water for coffee/tea, and got ready to take orders. Things went smoothly, and I was able to answer emails, do damage control for tomorrow's event in Kosice (Eastern Slovakia) and update our registry for our British Business Breakfast with the Minister of Transport next week.
I had gotten a call from Petra earlier in the day asking me if I could meet her at 11:00am at the Foreign Police station (Oh no! Not that again!) to pick up my temporary residence permit because it was ready. Thank goodness. At least now I am a legal resident of this (sometimes) deliberately difficult country. Little did I know.
I researched the bus connections, bundled up, put on my hat, and left the office at 10:31 so I could make the 10:41 connection of the 88 bus at Novy Most. Worst mistake I've made here so far. I got on the bus like normal, sat down in the front, which I usually don't do, and waited. As the bus got moving, a man started walking through the bus and showing people his badge. He was a Transport Controller. Ok, no big deal, I get my pass out. I hadn't had time to recharge it earlier, but I was fairly certain that it wasn't expired yet, since I didn't actually get the pass until 1 or 2 weeks after arriving here. (April 11th marked my 3 month milestone of living here) So when he got to me, I wasn't nervous when I gave him my card.
Apparently I should have been.
Instead of emitting the pleasant "Beep Beep!", my card set off an alarm on his machine. At that point, I was screwed. He showed me the device, and it said that my card had expired on 15 April...YESTERDAY!!!!!!! I swore under my breath, because I knew what was coming. I had to pay the guy 1400 Sk. The problem? I don't usually carry around that much cash with me, especially now that I have vouchers for food. So, I had to get off at the next stop, and walk with him until we found an ATM.
As soon as I stepped off the bus, I started to cry. Not only did I have to pay a hefty fine, I was also going to miss all of my connections in order to get to the Police station! The worst part was that I couldn't remember the new pin number to my Slovak ATM card, so I had to use my American account...something that I have been trying not to do. The whole experience was a disaster. I finally just handed him the cash, and he gave me the change, and I left. I walked as fast as I could because I didn't want to be anywhere near him. I know he was just doing his job, but my pass had expired 11 hours earlier!!! Could he not give me a break?!?!? I am poor, and do not have the time to stand in line at the Transport office. I have a schedule...a VERY busy one. There was nothing I could do about though, so I just resigned myself to paying him the money without argument.
When I got back to the bus station, I tried to purchase a ticket for 30 minutes so that I didn't have to go through that whole ordeal again. However, the machine seemed to have a vendetta against me, because it took over 10 minutes to finally get the ticket I wanted because the machine would not accept all of my coins at once. It would take one, but then not the next one, I would try again, and then it would cancel my order and shoot out all of the coins I had successfully entered. This caused me to miss a close connection.
I finally was able to buy a ticket (18 Sk...should have done that earlier...saved myself some drama) and waited for the next bus.
In case you forgot, this all happened in the rain.
I finally got to the station, met Petra and Jakub, walked into the office to try and explain what we needed (we had missed the call of our number because I was late), and then Petra realized that she didn't have the piece of paper that confirmed that we had been the the station already and registered all of the documents.
Road Trip!
We had to go back to the Economic University, pick up the paper, and then drive back...hopefully before the policewomen broke for lunch.
We got there at 11:53. Lunch is at 12:00. Too close for comfort.
We made it in however, got my document (which is now pasted into my passport), received the information that I now have to go get a health exam, and left.
After Petra and Jakub dropped me off in the center, I immediately went to the bank and withdrew 1600 Sk so I could buy my Transport Pass. I was already out of the office, so I figured it would be a good time to go anyhow because the line would be shorter.
After getting the money I met my lovely Danish friend Inge for lunch, and we griped about life together, and I felt much better afterward. She told me that you couldn't tell that I had been crying, and that my makeup was not smeared. Bless her heart.
After lunch, I trudged (still in the rain mind you) to the Transport Office, and got my pass renewed. I am NOT in the mood for any more fines. I will fight the next person who attempts to try and assign me one.
I think my evolving maturity is showing as there was not ONE colorful choice word in that story.
The end.
I set up the conference room with some cookies and salted nuts, prepared a LOT of boiled water for coffee/tea, and got ready to take orders. Things went smoothly, and I was able to answer emails, do damage control for tomorrow's event in Kosice (Eastern Slovakia) and update our registry for our British Business Breakfast with the Minister of Transport next week.
I had gotten a call from Petra earlier in the day asking me if I could meet her at 11:00am at the Foreign Police station (Oh no! Not that again!) to pick up my temporary residence permit because it was ready. Thank goodness. At least now I am a legal resident of this (sometimes) deliberately difficult country. Little did I know.
I researched the bus connections, bundled up, put on my hat, and left the office at 10:31 so I could make the 10:41 connection of the 88 bus at Novy Most. Worst mistake I've made here so far. I got on the bus like normal, sat down in the front, which I usually don't do, and waited. As the bus got moving, a man started walking through the bus and showing people his badge. He was a Transport Controller. Ok, no big deal, I get my pass out. I hadn't had time to recharge it earlier, but I was fairly certain that it wasn't expired yet, since I didn't actually get the pass until 1 or 2 weeks after arriving here. (April 11th marked my 3 month milestone of living here) So when he got to me, I wasn't nervous when I gave him my card.
Apparently I should have been.
Instead of emitting the pleasant "Beep Beep!", my card set off an alarm on his machine. At that point, I was screwed. He showed me the device, and it said that my card had expired on 15 April...YESTERDAY!!!!!!! I swore under my breath, because I knew what was coming. I had to pay the guy 1400 Sk. The problem? I don't usually carry around that much cash with me, especially now that I have vouchers for food. So, I had to get off at the next stop, and walk with him until we found an ATM.
As soon as I stepped off the bus, I started to cry. Not only did I have to pay a hefty fine, I was also going to miss all of my connections in order to get to the Police station! The worst part was that I couldn't remember the new pin number to my Slovak ATM card, so I had to use my American account...something that I have been trying not to do. The whole experience was a disaster. I finally just handed him the cash, and he gave me the change, and I left. I walked as fast as I could because I didn't want to be anywhere near him. I know he was just doing his job, but my pass had expired 11 hours earlier!!! Could he not give me a break?!?!? I am poor, and do not have the time to stand in line at the Transport office. I have a schedule...a VERY busy one. There was nothing I could do about though, so I just resigned myself to paying him the money without argument.
When I got back to the bus station, I tried to purchase a ticket for 30 minutes so that I didn't have to go through that whole ordeal again. However, the machine seemed to have a vendetta against me, because it took over 10 minutes to finally get the ticket I wanted because the machine would not accept all of my coins at once. It would take one, but then not the next one, I would try again, and then it would cancel my order and shoot out all of the coins I had successfully entered. This caused me to miss a close connection.
I finally was able to buy a ticket (18 Sk...should have done that earlier...saved myself some drama) and waited for the next bus.
In case you forgot, this all happened in the rain.
I finally got to the station, met Petra and Jakub, walked into the office to try and explain what we needed (we had missed the call of our number because I was late), and then Petra realized that she didn't have the piece of paper that confirmed that we had been the the station already and registered all of the documents.
Road Trip!
We had to go back to the Economic University, pick up the paper, and then drive back...hopefully before the policewomen broke for lunch.
We got there at 11:53. Lunch is at 12:00. Too close for comfort.
We made it in however, got my document (which is now pasted into my passport), received the information that I now have to go get a health exam, and left.
After Petra and Jakub dropped me off in the center, I immediately went to the bank and withdrew 1600 Sk so I could buy my Transport Pass. I was already out of the office, so I figured it would be a good time to go anyhow because the line would be shorter.
After getting the money I met my lovely Danish friend Inge for lunch, and we griped about life together, and I felt much better afterward. She told me that you couldn't tell that I had been crying, and that my makeup was not smeared. Bless her heart.
After lunch, I trudged (still in the rain mind you) to the Transport Office, and got my pass renewed. I am NOT in the mood for any more fines. I will fight the next person who attempts to try and assign me one.
I think my evolving maturity is showing as there was not ONE colorful choice word in that story.
The end.
Moment of Peace
Hearing Gospel and Organ music coming from the inside of a church on the square as I head to the Post Office.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Knock Knock!
Today I had my English lesson in Slovak Pub. My students wanted to get out of the classroom into a more relaxed atmosphere, and I told them that it was important for them to learn how to order food and beverages in an English speaking place. I think I may have been rationalizing that decision as a direct benefit to myself. I'm not mad about it. Besides, they have menus in English there, so we could do comparisons.
I actually had to teach the full 2 hours this time because Mirka, their grammar teacher, had to attend a meeting about a field trip that her students are taking to London. Initially I was nervous, because talking for 2 hours with people whose English is broken can be difficult. However, my students surprised me and we were able to fill the entire time with good topics. The wine/beer may have helped to loosen them up.
I've really started to develop a good relationship with my class, and they are incredibly complimentary when it comes to my teaching style. Jana told me that she loves coming to English class because I always being a lot of energy into the classroom, and organize discussion topics that are fun and useful. Plus, I teach them all the slang they could ever want to know. They use it too! When Peter ordered his dinner, Rudo said "Good call". My smile was pretty big at that point.
After around 6:45 we decided it was about time that we all went home. I got on the tram to change to the main bus station, Mlynske Nivy, so I could catch my 70 all the way back to Vlcie hrdlo. When I got off the tram to wait, a really tall woman approached me. She said "Hello, I heard you speaking English, and I wanted to get your opinion on something" (her English was a bit more broken than that, but for the sake of comprehension, I'm keeping it simple) I still had a couple minutes of time, so I said that I would offer whatever answer I could to her question.
You'll never believe what she asked.
"I want to know, what is your opinion of the world today? Do you think that if there is a God, that there should be no war or suffering?" (that is a paraphrased version...I'm finishing this post a week after the fact because my life is a whirlwind of work, visitors, and legal issues)
I was completely unprepared for that question. I quickly thought up my answer, knowing that I was under time constraints, and replied something like this:
"Well, I believe that in order for human kind to fully appreciate the blessings that we receive each day, it is important for us to have a comparison of emotions. We would not be able to comprehend real joy if we did not know suffering. I think that the world is in a balance of these two extremes, and that every person experiences both in their lifetime, and thus forms their own belief system based on their experience"
I think she understood what I meant.
She then went on to comment on what I said, and I noticed that my bus was rounding the corner. "I would like to give you something" she said, and whipped out a pamphlet, much like the Jehovah's Witnesses give you when they knock on your door at inopportune times. She was trying to save me by inviting me to her church! This was quite funny to me because Slovak people are not the most outwardly friendly. Socialism had some severe effects on this population that are still being felt, even by my generation. It was also amusing because most of the Slovak population is Catholic.
I haven't read the pamphlet yet, but I'm sure it will give me something to joke about with friends.
I actually had to teach the full 2 hours this time because Mirka, their grammar teacher, had to attend a meeting about a field trip that her students are taking to London. Initially I was nervous, because talking for 2 hours with people whose English is broken can be difficult. However, my students surprised me and we were able to fill the entire time with good topics. The wine/beer may have helped to loosen them up.
I've really started to develop a good relationship with my class, and they are incredibly complimentary when it comes to my teaching style. Jana told me that she loves coming to English class because I always being a lot of energy into the classroom, and organize discussion topics that are fun and useful. Plus, I teach them all the slang they could ever want to know. They use it too! When Peter ordered his dinner, Rudo said "Good call". My smile was pretty big at that point.
After around 6:45 we decided it was about time that we all went home. I got on the tram to change to the main bus station, Mlynske Nivy, so I could catch my 70 all the way back to Vlcie hrdlo. When I got off the tram to wait, a really tall woman approached me. She said "Hello, I heard you speaking English, and I wanted to get your opinion on something" (her English was a bit more broken than that, but for the sake of comprehension, I'm keeping it simple) I still had a couple minutes of time, so I said that I would offer whatever answer I could to her question.
You'll never believe what she asked.
"I want to know, what is your opinion of the world today? Do you think that if there is a God, that there should be no war or suffering?" (that is a paraphrased version...I'm finishing this post a week after the fact because my life is a whirlwind of work, visitors, and legal issues)
I was completely unprepared for that question. I quickly thought up my answer, knowing that I was under time constraints, and replied something like this:
"Well, I believe that in order for human kind to fully appreciate the blessings that we receive each day, it is important for us to have a comparison of emotions. We would not be able to comprehend real joy if we did not know suffering. I think that the world is in a balance of these two extremes, and that every person experiences both in their lifetime, and thus forms their own belief system based on their experience"
I think she understood what I meant.
She then went on to comment on what I said, and I noticed that my bus was rounding the corner. "I would like to give you something" she said, and whipped out a pamphlet, much like the Jehovah's Witnesses give you when they knock on your door at inopportune times. She was trying to save me by inviting me to her church! This was quite funny to me because Slovak people are not the most outwardly friendly. Socialism had some severe effects on this population that are still being felt, even by my generation. It was also amusing because most of the Slovak population is Catholic.
I haven't read the pamphlet yet, but I'm sure it will give me something to joke about with friends.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Grocery Lists...
Friday was a great day. I got a lot of things done at the office, was able to leave by 4pm because it was the weekend, and went home to prepare for the biggest dinner party of my life.
Dominic and I had been planning to revive the weekly dinners he hosted at his house before the new year, and I offered to cook because any opportunity to work with food is something that I want to take advantage of. I had decided earlier in the week to make tacos because they are easy to make, are interactive, and can feed a lot of people. When I had talked to Dom earlier in the week, we figured there would be around 10 people coming. However, he sent out the invitation to Partyslava, which is the list-serve we use here to advertise events, concerts, and parties, so the potential for en-mass replies was high.
On Friday when we went to lunch at Bagel & Coffee Story we started to plan logistics for meeting at Tesco and buying supplies. Everything was cool. When I got back to work, he asked me if I wanted the good news of the bad news. I always go for the bad first, so that it is overshadowed by the good later. He told me that 17 people had rsvp'd our invitation. HOLY FRIJOLES. This was going to be interesting. So, I went online and tried to figure out how much meat I would have to buy so that every person could have 2 tacos. The magic number was 4 kilos. I eyeballed the rest of the ingredients. The total for everything was 1700 Sk. So, when split up, that's not bad at all. The best part was that we paid 130Sk for 10 bottles of beer. Classic.
So, we haul everything back to the apartment. It's just Dom and me, so I have all of the bags on my arms and he is carrying the beer. My shoulders are a bit sore today, but it was totally worth it. When we got to the apartment, I immediately began setting everything up and delegating responsibilities to Maxime and Juste. People were going to start showing up at 7:30, and I wanted the food to be on the table shortly after so it was fresh, hot, and ready to be consumed.
I was able to cook all of the meat at a pretty good pace, warm up the tortillas, and have all of the toppings on the table buffet style so that people could just pick them up and wolf 'em down. The help I had from some of the people in food prep was totally great. There was no way I was going to be able to do all that myself. I also introduced people to salsa verde. I was surprised Tesco even had salsa verde. To be completely honest, I was even surprised they had tortillas. This is not the land of plenty.
Everything was a success! We even had 4 extra people show up, and there was enough food for them because I bought some tortilla chips as well so everyone could make taco salad. (I like to plan ahead. It's the control freak in me) Everyone was very complimentary, so that made me happy.
After hanging out there, we moved on to Alligator, and then to Circus Barok, which is a club on a boat that is anchored in the Danube. Definitely a good time, and you can make requests to the DJ. Its a little hot in there because there isn't a good deal of air circulation going on, and the light show started to mess with me after awhile, but it was good to have my friends together just celebrating the weekend. Plus: I didn't have to pay the cover :) Being female has tons of perks.
Dominic and I had been planning to revive the weekly dinners he hosted at his house before the new year, and I offered to cook because any opportunity to work with food is something that I want to take advantage of. I had decided earlier in the week to make tacos because they are easy to make, are interactive, and can feed a lot of people. When I had talked to Dom earlier in the week, we figured there would be around 10 people coming. However, he sent out the invitation to Partyslava, which is the list-serve we use here to advertise events, concerts, and parties, so the potential for en-mass replies was high.
On Friday when we went to lunch at Bagel & Coffee Story we started to plan logistics for meeting at Tesco and buying supplies. Everything was cool. When I got back to work, he asked me if I wanted the good news of the bad news. I always go for the bad first, so that it is overshadowed by the good later. He told me that 17 people had rsvp'd our invitation. HOLY FRIJOLES. This was going to be interesting. So, I went online and tried to figure out how much meat I would have to buy so that every person could have 2 tacos. The magic number was 4 kilos. I eyeballed the rest of the ingredients. The total for everything was 1700 Sk. So, when split up, that's not bad at all. The best part was that we paid 130Sk for 10 bottles of beer. Classic.
So, we haul everything back to the apartment. It's just Dom and me, so I have all of the bags on my arms and he is carrying the beer. My shoulders are a bit sore today, but it was totally worth it. When we got to the apartment, I immediately began setting everything up and delegating responsibilities to Maxime and Juste. People were going to start showing up at 7:30, and I wanted the food to be on the table shortly after so it was fresh, hot, and ready to be consumed.
I was able to cook all of the meat at a pretty good pace, warm up the tortillas, and have all of the toppings on the table buffet style so that people could just pick them up and wolf 'em down. The help I had from some of the people in food prep was totally great. There was no way I was going to be able to do all that myself. I also introduced people to salsa verde. I was surprised Tesco even had salsa verde. To be completely honest, I was even surprised they had tortillas. This is not the land of plenty.
Everything was a success! We even had 4 extra people show up, and there was enough food for them because I bought some tortilla chips as well so everyone could make taco salad. (I like to plan ahead. It's the control freak in me) Everyone was very complimentary, so that made me happy.
After hanging out there, we moved on to Alligator, and then to Circus Barok, which is a club on a boat that is anchored in the Danube. Definitely a good time, and you can make requests to the DJ. Its a little hot in there because there isn't a good deal of air circulation going on, and the light show started to mess with me after awhile, but it was good to have my friends together just celebrating the weekend. Plus: I didn't have to pay the cover :) Being female has tons of perks.
I'm gonna live forever...
All of last week I had been talking to my friend Jana about going to a film festival that was going on here in Bratislava that featured films from all over the world. She told me that she would look into finding a schedule so that I could see which movies had subtitles, or if any were in English. I told her that I would probably want to go on Thursday since I didn't have anything going on.
She called me on Wednesday to ask if I still want to go. I asked her what she found out about the movies being shown, and lo and behold, she tells me that one of the directors being featured is Alan Parker, the same guy who did FAME. This is incredibly coincidental since my youngest sister Hannah was in the middle of starring in that very same show as Iris. (the movie is a bit different from the musical, but its the same idea). Obviously, I had to go. I knew I would regret it if I didn't. It was my way of supporting Nannie Bannie even though I couldn't really be there.
The show was fantastic. There weren't as many people there as I expected, but we got to sit in the special section designated for the press since Jana works for a newspaper called SME. The movie is pretty captivating musically, and I found myself dancing in my seat! Watching the show made me really miss those years that I performed in dance, music, and singing...even sports. Being on stage takes you out of your body, and transforms you into something so beautiful. You're an entertainer, and for better or worse, you captivate people's attention. There aren't many better feelings than that.
Slovan!!!!
On Monday night, 4 boys and I headed to Samsung Arena to witness HC Slovan take on Kosice in the Slovak Ice Hockey Championship. It was an AMAZING experience.
Though I had always been interested, I really got into ice-hockey in college. Cornell University has consistently had one of the best programs in the US for the sport, and are able to recruit people from all around the world (but arguably most importantly from Canada, ha.)
The energy in the stadium was unreal. It was really easy to get sucked into the excitement. Many of the cheers had the same musical rhythm as those used in the States. (Nah nah nah nah, Bratislava, hey hey hey, SLOVAN!) They also have cheerleaders. I don't quite remember any cheerleaders at the former Cleveland Lumberjacks games I went to, but I was too enthralled with people getting checked in front of my face to really pay attention.
The game was sensational. Slovan won 4-1, which is such a ridiculous score for a hockey game. The crowd went wild every time Slovan scored, throwing long streamers onto the ice, beating their drums, and chanting with the force of an army. I love the fact that sports are the same in every country. You don't need to know the language in order to participate in the support of a team. The rules are the same, so its easy to follow.
One of the funniest parts of the whole thing: not only did the players have amazing helmet-hair, they also had amazingly substantial beards. I'm talking severe mountain-man-never-bought-a-razor beards. I couldn't tell if any were missing teeth though.
Though I had always been interested, I really got into ice-hockey in college. Cornell University has consistently had one of the best programs in the US for the sport, and are able to recruit people from all around the world (but arguably most importantly from Canada, ha.)
The energy in the stadium was unreal. It was really easy to get sucked into the excitement. Many of the cheers had the same musical rhythm as those used in the States. (Nah nah nah nah, Bratislava, hey hey hey, SLOVAN!) They also have cheerleaders. I don't quite remember any cheerleaders at the former Cleveland Lumberjacks games I went to, but I was too enthralled with people getting checked in front of my face to really pay attention.
The game was sensational. Slovan won 4-1, which is such a ridiculous score for a hockey game. The crowd went wild every time Slovan scored, throwing long streamers onto the ice, beating their drums, and chanting with the force of an army. I love the fact that sports are the same in every country. You don't need to know the language in order to participate in the support of a team. The rules are the same, so its easy to follow.
One of the funniest parts of the whole thing: not only did the players have amazing helmet-hair, they also had amazingly substantial beards. I'm talking severe mountain-man-never-bought-a-razor beards. I couldn't tell if any were missing teeth though.
Turbulence
So, I've finally reached a breaking point with the food situation here in the dormitory. I went grocery shopping, bought a variety of things such as veggies, fruits, eggs, cheeses, etc, found some space in the refrigerator in the kitchen, packed all of the perishables nicely and neatly in an opaque bag, and hoped for the best.
Things were actually going pretty well after that. I was able to keep my foods cool and fresh, and no one had peeked into the bag to rummage. I was happy because I was being fed on a regular basis with foods that I approved of for health value.
Then the unthinkable happened.
It was a Tuesday, and I'd had a pretty full day, and it wasn't over yet because I was planning on going to the pool, and then I was going to do some preparations for my English class the next night. I got on the bus at 5:16pm, knowing that I only had a certain amount of time to get home, get changed, and get my stuff together before I had to be on the bus to the pool at 7:05. I walk in my door at around 5:45, throw my stuff on the bed, and head to the kitchen to make myself something quick to eat before I work out. The minute I open up the fridge, I know something is wrong.
My bag was open, and some of the contents were carelessly laying on top of it. I took a deep breath and began to inspect the damage. Oh, and was there damage. Severe damage.
Someone had decided that they wanted to use my eggs for one of their concoctions. I had 6. They took 2. HOWEVER. Instead of neatly putting them back afterwards, which would have been the LEAST they could do since they were STEALING from me, they shoved the eggs on top of the my other food, thus BREAKING 3 of the remaining 4, spilling egg all over my other grocery products. This includes spinach, two blocks of cheese, yogurt, cucumber, and a container of curry paste, plus some other things. Guess how many of those I had to toss due to the potential for food-borne illness? Almost all of it.
The cheese, which had formerly been on the top of the pile of food (my father taught me how to sort and pack groceries a long time ago...it's something that stuck with me) had been put on the bottom, so that the two foil-wrapped blocks were smushed and exposed, leaving me no choice but to dispose of them, the yogurt containers were dented and manhandled (but thankfully still sealed), had to toss the spinach and cucumber because they had been marinating in egg white for God knows how long...and I'm going to stop there for fear that my wrath might return.
I then shouted some choice expletives and began my work. I had to wash everything, throw the bag away (which was a perfectly good bag that I had used on many occasions because it was one of the ones that you buy the first time that you go to the grocery store, and can use every time afterward), and repack everything somehow in a different bag, and put it to the mercy of the "refrigerator" outside of my window. God forbid it start to rain. The main point of my anger was not that someone had taken 2 eggs from me. Ok. I really prefer they would have asked, but 2 eggs out of all the groceries I had in there isn't the biggest problem. The problem was their disregard for the fact that the rest of the food in there was meant for my consumption at some point. If you're going to steal from someone, DON'T MAKE IT OBVIOUS, and DON'T DESTROY THE REST OF THE MERCHANDISE. I am not paid enough to have to rebuy groceries. I am poor. Very. Very. Poor. Food is incredibly expensive here compared to most places. It is easy to drop 600+Sk on the basics. Please do not make it more difficult for me to try and afford to feed myself.
After repacking everything, and realizing that I now only had 15 minutes to get dressed, pack all of my swim gear, and grab something to eat before leaving, I was pretty livid. My time during the week is precious. I am busy. There are things that I need to accomplish during the week that allow me to stay sane until the weekend. They were trying to take this from me, and I was in no mood to stay quiet and take it. I grabbed a scrap piece of paper and began writing. The note I drafted was stern, but to the point, and only included one swear word (I was really proud of myself for that) I was essentially trying to appeal to the better nature of those people that I am forced to live with, asking them to please respect other people's property and to attempt to make the living situation more bearable. Then I taped it to the fridge. I don't know how many people saw it, but 2 days later it was gone. I don't know if another student tore it down, or if the maintenance woman who mops the floor took it down. Either way, I don't know if it made a difference, but at least I was able to get it off my chest.
I'm looking into mini-refrigerators as we speak.
Things were actually going pretty well after that. I was able to keep my foods cool and fresh, and no one had peeked into the bag to rummage. I was happy because I was being fed on a regular basis with foods that I approved of for health value.
Then the unthinkable happened.
It was a Tuesday, and I'd had a pretty full day, and it wasn't over yet because I was planning on going to the pool, and then I was going to do some preparations for my English class the next night. I got on the bus at 5:16pm, knowing that I only had a certain amount of time to get home, get changed, and get my stuff together before I had to be on the bus to the pool at 7:05. I walk in my door at around 5:45, throw my stuff on the bed, and head to the kitchen to make myself something quick to eat before I work out. The minute I open up the fridge, I know something is wrong.
My bag was open, and some of the contents were carelessly laying on top of it. I took a deep breath and began to inspect the damage. Oh, and was there damage. Severe damage.
Someone had decided that they wanted to use my eggs for one of their concoctions. I had 6. They took 2. HOWEVER. Instead of neatly putting them back afterwards, which would have been the LEAST they could do since they were STEALING from me, they shoved the eggs on top of the my other food, thus BREAKING 3 of the remaining 4, spilling egg all over my other grocery products. This includes spinach, two blocks of cheese, yogurt, cucumber, and a container of curry paste, plus some other things. Guess how many of those I had to toss due to the potential for food-borne illness? Almost all of it.
The cheese, which had formerly been on the top of the pile of food (my father taught me how to sort and pack groceries a long time ago...it's something that stuck with me) had been put on the bottom, so that the two foil-wrapped blocks were smushed and exposed, leaving me no choice but to dispose of them, the yogurt containers were dented and manhandled (but thankfully still sealed), had to toss the spinach and cucumber because they had been marinating in egg white for God knows how long...and I'm going to stop there for fear that my wrath might return.
I then shouted some choice expletives and began my work. I had to wash everything, throw the bag away (which was a perfectly good bag that I had used on many occasions because it was one of the ones that you buy the first time that you go to the grocery store, and can use every time afterward), and repack everything somehow in a different bag, and put it to the mercy of the "refrigerator" outside of my window. God forbid it start to rain. The main point of my anger was not that someone had taken 2 eggs from me. Ok. I really prefer they would have asked, but 2 eggs out of all the groceries I had in there isn't the biggest problem. The problem was their disregard for the fact that the rest of the food in there was meant for my consumption at some point. If you're going to steal from someone, DON'T MAKE IT OBVIOUS, and DON'T DESTROY THE REST OF THE MERCHANDISE. I am not paid enough to have to rebuy groceries. I am poor. Very. Very. Poor. Food is incredibly expensive here compared to most places. It is easy to drop 600+Sk on the basics. Please do not make it more difficult for me to try and afford to feed myself.
After repacking everything, and realizing that I now only had 15 minutes to get dressed, pack all of my swim gear, and grab something to eat before leaving, I was pretty livid. My time during the week is precious. I am busy. There are things that I need to accomplish during the week that allow me to stay sane until the weekend. They were trying to take this from me, and I was in no mood to stay quiet and take it. I grabbed a scrap piece of paper and began writing. The note I drafted was stern, but to the point, and only included one swear word (I was really proud of myself for that) I was essentially trying to appeal to the better nature of those people that I am forced to live with, asking them to please respect other people's property and to attempt to make the living situation more bearable. Then I taped it to the fridge. I don't know how many people saw it, but 2 days later it was gone. I don't know if another student tore it down, or if the maintenance woman who mops the floor took it down. Either way, I don't know if it made a difference, but at least I was able to get it off my chest.
I'm looking into mini-refrigerators as we speak.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Allez les...Besiktas?
On Saturday I took the two new German guys that live next door to Sarp's apartment for some Turkish futbol. Not football. futbol. I figured it would be a good way for the guys to meet some more people. They're not actually associated with AIESEC, so they didn't have a welcome party or anything like that. They also have a car, so making friends is pretty advantageous.
Sarp is from the European side of Istanbul, so his team is Besiktas. He actually used to play for their amateur team (sort of like the AAA teams for professional baseball), but recently injured his knee.
The game was really important because the Turkish teams are in a race for the championship. This particular match was Besiktas against Fenerbahce, the team from the other side of Istanbul. The rivalry is ridiculous. They needed to have police escorts for the visiting team, and during the game, fans would throw things at the players when they were going to the corners. It was a highly emotionally charged game, and unfortunately Besiktas lost 2-1. It was very close, and Fenerbahce probably shouldn't have had one of their goals because a player had gone out of bounds while in pursuit. Such is life.
After the game we made some dinner. It was the usual pasta, because there were 10 of us, and that is one of the easiest meals to prepare for large groups. I was in charge of the sauce, which had tomatoes, onions, bacon, and a variety of spices. We also had freshly grated parmesan cheese from Italy!!! Sarp and Sherisse had visited Mattia's family during the Easter holiday and brought back some delicious stuff. I was happy to be a part of that.
After that I caught the bus home. I had tried to use Matt's Netflix account to watch movies online, but you have to be IN the US to actually be able to access anything, so I was perturbed. I was in desperate need of entertainment however because I have read all of my books, so I started searching around on the internet and found www.quicksilverscreen.com. What a blessing! They have movies and tv shows, so I've been able to catch up on some things. We take so many random things for granted, and living in Slovakia has opened my eyes to all of the conveniences that I used to rely on, and how resourceful I can be when trying to fill the gap. Lovely. Everything is a lesson for daily life. I guess I will always be a "student" in some way.
Sarp is from the European side of Istanbul, so his team is Besiktas. He actually used to play for their amateur team (sort of like the AAA teams for professional baseball), but recently injured his knee.
The game was really important because the Turkish teams are in a race for the championship. This particular match was Besiktas against Fenerbahce, the team from the other side of Istanbul. The rivalry is ridiculous. They needed to have police escorts for the visiting team, and during the game, fans would throw things at the players when they were going to the corners. It was a highly emotionally charged game, and unfortunately Besiktas lost 2-1. It was very close, and Fenerbahce probably shouldn't have had one of their goals because a player had gone out of bounds while in pursuit. Such is life.
After the game we made some dinner. It was the usual pasta, because there were 10 of us, and that is one of the easiest meals to prepare for large groups. I was in charge of the sauce, which had tomatoes, onions, bacon, and a variety of spices. We also had freshly grated parmesan cheese from Italy!!! Sarp and Sherisse had visited Mattia's family during the Easter holiday and brought back some delicious stuff. I was happy to be a part of that.
After that I caught the bus home. I had tried to use Matt's Netflix account to watch movies online, but you have to be IN the US to actually be able to access anything, so I was perturbed. I was in desperate need of entertainment however because I have read all of my books, so I started searching around on the internet and found www.quicksilverscreen.com. What a blessing! They have movies and tv shows, so I've been able to catch up on some things. We take so many random things for granted, and living in Slovakia has opened my eyes to all of the conveniences that I used to rely on, and how resourceful I can be when trying to fill the gap. Lovely. Everything is a lesson for daily life. I guess I will always be a "student" in some way.
This is what you do on the weekends?
Last friday one of my friend's had to leave Bratislava because her company relocated her to Prague. We went to a restaurant called HUS, but they ended up not having running water...which is a problem when drinking is involved because people have a tendency to need to use the toilet...which you can't do when the water is turned off. So, to avoid any gross or awkward encounters with unwashed hands we moved to a place called Alligator, a pub that plays rock music! I'm talking heart and soul rock music. The kind that everyone knows the lyrics to, and can imitate the riffs on air guitar. Below is a taste of our life.
British-Dutch international relations conversation via Dominic and Robert. They seem to be enthusiastic about their agreement.
It really pays to have friends who are tall for the subsequent aerial shots. I think I was singing along to Guns & Roses. Its a completely different experience to have my friends take my camera...it means there are less landscape pictures and more of me. The jury is still out on whether this is a good thing.
My friends are special.
The girls! Sherisse was the trainee at the BCC SR before me. She now works for Jacob Fleming, which happens to be an American company. We joke that we are committing treason.
Remember when I said my friends were special? Yeah.
Really really special. That shot is Borovicka. It is around 80% alcohol and burns like the fires of hell. I prefer Slivovica, which is a plum brandy.Things I see...
I've realized that I'm getting worse and worse at actually updating this on a regular basis. I suppose that really depends on your personal definition of what "a regular basis" is...but suffice it to say that I am somehow always busy, always tired, or always on Skype and therefore not writing. I can't promise this will change, but I can promise to make an attempt at scheduling time for it. This will be in segments, so that it's not one HUGE chunk of life.
So. Let's start with a photo tour (par for the course)
I tried to figure out what they were doing here, but no one looked particularly friendly enough for me to approach them with my usual "prosim anglicky?". I also looked on the internet, but that search was fruitless. All I know is that there looked to be a lot of music, and some visual media. Pretty cool...except that I had things to do that day so I couldn't participate (whenever it decided to get the party started) It was broken down already the next day.
This is the visual media part I was telling you about. Amazing how clear the picture is from the screen to the camera to your eyeball.
As I tried to make myself a salad one night, I cut open my pepper only to find....another pepper! My pepper (or paprika) somehow was blessed by immaculate conception and was sprouting another baby pepper inside it. Strange, and somewhat unnerving. I did NOT eat the bastard pepper. The salad was good though.
So people are already starting to get pumped up for the Olympics. This is the main square near where I work, and they had the concert one week, and then put in all this fun equipment the next week including blow up people, slides, and a main stage. These people have fun...they must not have jobs.
CSOB is actually a bank here that is a part of our membership. The Director is a really nice guy. They hold this marathon every year, and there is a 5k and 10k course, and also a children's run (500m). The course takes the runners all around Bratislava, across the bridge to Petrzalka and then back again! One of my friends participated in a relay portion...he can no longer feel his legs. That, or he feels them too much, I'm not sure. This is why I stay away from running.
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