Appropriate. And Funny.

So for my last "Moment of Peace" segment I told you about a site that I liked that takes pictures of cats and gives them hilarious, grammatically incorrect captions. This is one that I like (for obvious reasons)

Ooooo. 80!

In honor of my 80th (holy crap) post, I thought I would show you some pictures of the Cordell family invasion that has occurred in Central Europe. These pictures are all from Hannah's camera and computer because I have been living in their hotel room with them for the past couple of days, and therefore do not have my own electronic equipment with me.  More will be added soon.

So, when we arrived in Vienna, it was raining, and the person who was supposed to come pick us up was not there.  I decided to walk over to one of the booths that promised fixed-rate taxi services because I did not want to mess with any buses or trains that would present difficulties pertaining the 5 pieces of baggage we had.  Also, I didn't want to go outside in the rain.  I don't think that is selfish.  The people at the desk were very helpful, and we immediately paid for the trip and walked toward a VERY large Mercedes van with a handsome and (seemingly?) competent driver.  He got us there in good time and helped us to unload all of our stuff.

When we entered the hotel, is was around 10:30am (we had gotten into the airport around 8:40...we had NO trouble going through customs...WOO!)  I went up to the reception to try and see if we could check in early.  Nope.  I then asked if we could leave our baggage.  Nope.  Wait a second now.  I asked again if we could put our baggage in the storage room until 2:00pm when we could check into our rooms.  This time she said yes. I guess I just had to word it properly.

So, we put all of our bags behind the reception desk, I asked for a couple of bus tickets, and I took our group to my dormitory.  We were cold, wet, and sleep deprived, so I figured the best thing for us to do was to shack up in a warm room with multiple beds so that we could sleep.  And boy, did we.  We ended up passing out for a good couple of hours.  After waking up, and distributing dry clothes to the girls, we headed back to the city (the rain had broken slightly) to check in and get something to eat.

Here we are in Slovak Pub!  I know that you hear a lot about this restaurant, but the truth is the food is decent and the beer is cheap.  Plus, they have all of the ethnic food that I wanted everyone to try.  Bethany and I had garlic soup, Alan had bryndzova halusky, and Hannah had chicken pirohies.  Everyone enjoyed what they had.  I even introduced them to Kofola (the Communist version of Coke that survived after Slovak independence) and Tmavy Saris (my dark, sweet beer)  After settling the check (and having them compliment me on my Slanglish), we made our way back to the hotel to crash.  I left them a little before 11:00pm to go back to my dorm, since that is where the majority of my stuff was, and I wanted them to be able to sleep in as long as they wanted instead of having to hear my alarm at 6:45am.

The next day, I went to work, and these guys did some exploring!  The following are some pictures that Hannah took during the course of the day.  It's fun for me to see where they were.  The picture above is them in front of the Presidential Palace, and their hotel is to the right from that. I tried to choose a central location for them so that wherever they walked, they could easily end up back there.  Also, to avoid public transport and the hassle of buying tickets.


I guess they saw some cool stuff in the bathroom?  You'll have to ask them.

View of the Bratislava-Petrzalka divide (aka: the Danube) from Devin Castle.  After doing all this walking and exploring, they have an inside joke where they say "The Hrad! The Hrad!"  Hrad means castle in Slovak.  I'm not sure where the excitement comes from.

"My foot, my foot, my only foot!"  (if you have ever seen The Great Mouse Detective, you will understand that)

Artistic shot of the scene at U Fleku...a microbrewery in Prague.  I still haven't been there.  It's on the list of things to do when the next round of visitors comes.

Yay!  We finally got to do some exploring of our own on Saturday!  Our legs are very tired.

All in all, I am really enjoying having the girls and Alan here.  The weather has been beautiful, and I have a new found energy after my travels in the US, and with my excursions with them here.  I am so fortunate to have family that loves to travel.

SOULMATE!!!!

(Leah!!) 7:55: the important thing is that i miss you and i love you

Today I finally got to talk to my AMAZING friend Leah. She is my wife on facebook, my DC partner in crime, my inspiration, and my SOULMATE!!!

Right now she is participating in the Teach for America program in Houston, Texas. All of her 7th graders passed the state standardized tests, so I am ridiculously proud of her. (Guess all of those 18 hour days paid off?) She will forever be a part of my "shenanigans".

I LOVE YOU LEAH GRANACKI!

Moment of Peace

Catching up on my Daily reading:

She loves me for who I am and inspires me to make profound statements.

Who knew that the news could be comical?

Broken English is my life.

Do you REALLY want to start a family?

Hiatus

I am sitting in the Washington Dulles Airport, and my cousin Alan has informed me that I am a HUGE slacker due to my lapse in posting while on vacation in the United States (haha, who vacations here? anyone?)

upon arrival into Slovakia, I will take the time to tell everyone about my week long adventure in the Baltimore/Manassas/Warrenton area.  Brace yourselves.

4 Month Recovery Period

As of yesterday I have officially been in Slovakia for 4 months. This amount of time baffles me because I am not sure whether it has felt like a long or a short time. I suppose it leans more toward the short time because of my constant activity level.

For an appropriate "anniversary" gift, I am flying back to the United States to see my cousin Jeff's wedding! I feel like the event comes at the perfect time because I am desperate for some American family, friends and food time. It will give me the recharge I need to make it through the next stretch of my expat experience.

The best part is that Bethany, Hannah, and my cousin Alan will be returning to Slovakia with me. Then in July, my parents will be coming, and in August, Matthew. This string of visitors is sure to keep my spirits high, and of course its always nice being able to share experiences with the ones you love.

Too much time on my hands...

This is for those of you who will be visiting me in the near future. And also for Sydney. She knows why.

Lactic, not Lactose.

Thursday was Victory Day here in Slovakia, so we had another Bank Holiday! I am not complaining because the weather was absolutely GORGEOUS. It was also a productive day because I went to the gym for the first time while here. I am a bit sore today, but it was totally worth it. I like being able to feel my body reacting to exercise. It brings a sense of accomplishment. It also helps you to recognize different muscle groups individually!

I realized that I am an awful runner, which didn't used to be true when I was actually in shape and a year-round athlete. Oops. Priorities get away from you when you have to become a "real" person in the world. It felt good to kick my own ass though. I did a little bit of everything, from cardio to weightlifting, stretching and general exercise combos. They had a Bosu ball as well, so I did some stuff on that. The atmosphere was ok. It was like any other gym, but the machines were a bit complicated in terms of adjustments. It was also slightly entertaining, because the attitude there was similar to that in the states:

-Wannabe bodybuilder men who put too much weight on the bar, have awful form, and no spotter (orthopedic surgeon's wet dream) They also don't unload the bar after their done, leaving the rest of us without a free-weight area to work with. I'm not damaging myself for the sake of the bench press.
- Treadmill masters who set the speed so high that you think they might pass out
-People who just want to wear gym clothes and show up so that people think that they are exercise-minded, but really just want to socialize with the cute staff
-Girls who get into full make-up and hair to stick their ass out on the stair-master, hopefully scoring some phone numbers for dinner later. (sorry dear, a bikini top does not serve the same purpose as a sports bra...better luck next time)

I tried to see if I could buy a pass so that I could come regularly, but apparently they don't do that? You have to buy a G-card, but that only gives you discounts on each visit. I'm not too keen on that, but maybe if they have some good classes after my workday I can pop in.

After the workout and a brief shopping excursion (my total was under Sk 400), Vaida and I went to Sarp and Mattia's place for some home cookin. The meal was amazing. We had roasted chicken with salad and a Turkish specialty called ki sir (imagine that the "i"s don't have dots. i don't have that character on my keyboard!) Everything was phenomenal. The chicken melted off the bone, the salad was fresh and crispy with balsamic vinegar (something I hadn't had in the LONGEST time), and the ki sir was a perfect compliment. Apparently it is a special Turkish rice (sort of like couscous), and you mix it with a blend of seasoning which includes paprika, and minced vegetables. Add some home-made baklava, and I was in a food coma.

Tonight, the Yoana and Gergana (my new Bulgarian roommates) are cooking for us, so we'll see how that turns out!

Legal! (again)

A synopsis of my past "legal" milestones:

16: Legal to Drive (June 18, 2001)
18: Legal Adult (June 18, 2003)
21: Legal to Drink (June 18, 2006)
22: Legal Resident of Slovakia! (May 7, 2008)

(I wonder what will be next?)

Moment of Peace

I got a letter in the mail today from Miss Melanie Tu. Totally unexpected, and completely appreciated.

love and miss you.

ps: your make-shift envelope was incredible. shows how resourceful you are ;)

Breathe it in

Things that you see when you venture to the other side of your life:

lilac trees with beautiful blossoms whose delicious scent permeates the air around you

awakening grape vines in meticulously kept gardens in people's back yards

the rippling current of the murky river

chalk drawings on sidewalks

the remnants of a playground

your soul.

Learning Experience...

Bikini Wax in Slovakia:  in a word, Unsuccessful.

(grimace)

Sharing is Caring

I had been talking to my German friend Dieter about my second job as a conversational English teacher, and he mentioned wanting to improve his language skills.  Instead of paying ridiculous amounts of money, I told him he could practice by writing me emails and things.  We then got into the discussion of our culinary adventures in Bratislava, and how we like to cook for our significant others.  I suggested that we could go to some restaurants around the city to sample their menus for when our parents, friends, etc come to visit.  That way, he could practice his English, and we both could enjoy the food that Bratislava has to offer.  

Since payday won't be for another week or so, I don't really have the finances to go to Fusion in the Crowne Plaza, so I offered the possibility of cooking together with Justina and Vaida.  He lives in the city centre by himself and has a fully equipped kitchen.  SHARE THE WEALTH.  As the pictures will illustrate, he liked the idea.

We cooked Salmon steaks with a cream sauce, rice, and fruit salad!  Delicious and nutritious!  Finding good fish in a landlocked country can be an issue, so we were excited about getting fresh steaks at the market.
I was in charge of the salad.  It had apples, oranges and bananas with just a sprinkling of sugar.  

Master Chef!

Our dinner table!

Juste with the vino.  We chose a Riesling from Nitra, a city about 1 hour from Bratislava.  It was a good compliment to the cream sauce.  

Apart from the good food and company, his apartment is amazing!  It has 2 terraces (1 upstairs and 1 outside of the bedroom upstairs)!  Very clean (aka, very German), wooden floors, tasteful window treatments, and a really neat wardrobe.  I would love to live in a place like that.  It would take more than my 12,000 Sk/month though. 

Moment of Peace

The "Late Night Shuffle" on FM96.

This is a radio station out of London, Ontario that I used to listen to when I lived in Ohio.  I listen to them at work sometimes when I need a dose of GOOD music.  It pays to be 6 hours ahead of civilization in terms of radio.  No commercials.

Invasion!

So, I now have 2 more roommates in the dormitory!  Their names are Yoana and Gergana and they are from BULGARIA!!!  Very nice girls.  We'll see how they manage Vlcie hrdlo.  I have been as helpful as I can be with issues like internet, food purchasing, and tricks concerning dorm "amenities".

Downside?  Finding space to change clothes in the morning.  C'est la vie.