The "Spirit" of the Season!

Today is HALLOWEEN! Or, All Hallows Eve, if you want to be a stickler. I didn't really get to celebrate last year because I was living in Myrtle Beach, and I had to work. This year, I guess I'm not really celebrating either, but I partook in some of the American traditions! Namely, PUMPKIN CARVING! Erin had never carved a jack-o-lantern before, so obviously I had to be the first one to do it with her. Halloween in Europe is really different than in the US. First, kids don't trick-or-treat. Its seen as tacky. There are typical costume parties, but one of the most widespread traditions is that people go to the graveyard to honor the dead.

On a less morose note, here are some videos and pictures of the extravaganza of orange!





As much as she might squeal, even my Aussie likes to squish around inside the pumpkin!






And we have a jack-o-lantern! American inspired Slovak style! It was great when it was lit up!



We weren't the only ones who were exploiting the holiday season. For those of you who follow these Grammar Killing Kitties, you'll understand the reference.

Basement cat sneaks up on its victims. Equals 90% success rate of stealing your soul.



Here are some pumpkins outside of the Dubliner Irish Pub across from my office. They are WAY more intricate that the one at my apartment, but...those people get paid.





All in all, very successful Halloween preparation and experience :) Who says you have to be home to party homestyle?

Further culinary adventures...

So here is another round of food-related photos! I have great friends who love to get their hands dirty in the kitchen. First, we will focus on my French friends Anne-Elodie (Anna) and Mathieu. They live in a great top-floor flat with a terrace and a grill! When was the last time I ate something off of the grill? I don't want to talk about it because its been so long that I can feel an iron-from-bloody-meat deficiency coursing through my veins.

Luckily, these wonderful people came to my rescue!



MMM, veggies too!





The finished product! Mathieu, you are my hero.



Not long after Erin and I decided that we wanted to make our own pizzas! This was something I was familiar with because I used to be surrounded by Hotelies, so I was excited to rekindle the magic.

Here are some of the ingredients we used!



We had to use ready-made bases because they didn't seem to have any dough. Oh well. It's Slovakia. You get used to not being able to find what you want. For example, I had to go all the way to Hungary to find vanilla extract!



Erin making her pizza! We used a sundried tomato, basil and garlic pasta sauce, and it was oh so delicious.



Tastiness in the making!



Obviously excited (and hungry), but able to pause for a photo.



Look at those portobellos!



The excitement builds! Time for the oven!



The pizzas came out really well. We used gouda cheese on the bottom and camembert on the top, so every bite was creamy. Also, we put cloves of garlic on top! One of my favorite parts about making pizza? Eating the toppings as you go :).

Realizations of the Day

1. The city is just a bit less exciting when they turn off all the fountains

2. When the wind blows your hair in your face it really screws with your depth perception

3. Sisters (or brothers) are some of the best comedians. Case in point:

(Background): Bethany has informed me that her neighbor is currently in jail. He told her he was in there for fighting, but she decided to look up his name in online the register. While there, she checks out the offenses of other unsuspecting perpetrators.

Bethany: "OOO, a 30 year old with cocaine!"
Me: "Yes, I hear that is par for the course in Myrtle Beach"
Bethany: "Yeah. But still, you're 30. Get over it!"

...a little while later

"OOOOOOO, a 50 year old shop lifter. And her 18 year old daughter! MOTHER-DAUGHTER BONDING!"

Sushi in the City

Remember when I went to that sushi opening? Well, we decided to go back, and we are glad we did! We got to sit in the back room through the rock garden, where you have to take off your shoes!!! (everyone showered that day, thank goodness) The whole experience was great, and the service was fantastic (which can be hard to find in Bratters!) Here are some of the dishes we sampled that night:

Seared tuna!



Shrimp!


Tempura Chicken salad!



X-tra large sushi sampler!



ME! I wasn't on the menu, but I certainly enjoyed my Bentō box. I think Butterfish is my new favorite sashimi




Please forgive me for not having more accurate descriptions of the food. We did this kind of a long time ago, and the restaurant doesn't have its menu uploaded onto its website yet. You can go to www.sushiplus.sk to see the layout though! In my opinion its some of the best sushi I've ever had inland.

When your job pays off!

So, sometimes working at the BCC has some REAL benefits. Last Friday we went out to Modra, which is right outside of the city, to a restaurant called U Richtára, which opened in 1592. It was a massive establishment, and we were shown to the very back of the place for our exclusive event. The point of the event was for one of our Members to present a project that they had been working on in cooperation with the EU and some of the other Member states. Also, to gorge ourselves on roast goose, lokše and marinated purple cabbage. I also tried pfefferoni chilis for the first time. They are little red peppers that look like cherry tomatoes. THEY ARE NOT! I knew this when I tried one because John and I were playing a game called "rate that burn" where we score the fire going on in our mouths. It was fun!

Here are the folk singers that serenaded us throughout the night. They were very skillful, and even played Yellow Submarine! (don't know how that fit into the atmosphere, except that it was a BCC event...) They even had CDs!



Here is my place setting :) BEFORE the mess



PILED HIGH WITH FOOD! Some of the Members make fun of me because I always bring tupperware to the events, because I am poor and can't afford to feed myself (at least, I wasn't before). No tupperware this time, but they kept encouraging me to eat more.



Here is the bowl full of goose and duck that we passed around. There were two vegetarians at my table, so we got extra if we wanted it :) The meat was so delicious!!! Not like Canadian geese, which you just CANNOT eat.



All in all the event was great! We had transport to and from so everyone was relaxed while they were there. I like the idea of mixing business and pleasure. I even came up with the name for the style of event! Its called "Commerce Meets Cuisine". Catchy, yes?

I couldn't be there but...

...other people with the BCC could! Last week Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visited Slovakia for the first time...EVER. It was just a 2 day excursion, but that doesn't mean that the Royal Couple was BOMBARDED with activity. It ranged from everything from meeting political figures, extravagant dinners, folk dance exhibitions, unveiling important art pieces, kissing babies (ok not really, thats more an American politician thing), visiting the High Tatra mountains, speaking at a global climate seminar, and OPENING A HOCKEY GAME! Busy, right? The British Embassy and other important organizations had been preparing for MONTHS. I think all the work paid off, at least from what I've read about how everything went. A funny tidbit I picked up from those who attended the lunch/dinners was that Slovak dignitaries were in a tizzy because during Queens tour of Central Europe she stopped in Slovenia, and they gave her a horse as a gift! I guess they weren't sure how they could top that. Such is the life of a celebrity. I just hope she donates everything to charity.


Here is a picture of our Chairman of the Board!



For further entertainment, go to Royal YouTube, or search for Prince Philip quotes on Google.

Since we started...

we may as well continue!

In the previous post I talked about FREE RICE. Now, I am going to give a shoutout to FREE POVERTY. With this site you can donate cups of water to those in need. We did the food, and we need the drinks to go with it! Today I donated 750 cups, just by trying to identify cities and landmarks on a world map. They showed Cleveland and Akron, Ohio!! Of course, I got the maximum number of cups (10) for each of those.

Use your downtime at work wisely!

Use your knowledge...

...and feed the world.


Go to the FREE RICE website and test your knowlegdge in vocabulary, geography, grammar or even mathematics. Every correct answer means 20 grains of rice for someone in need. (Erin and I donated 3500 grains yesterday)

Peel yourself away from you-tube and facebook and make a difference.

Public Service Announcement

I think Rick Steves should add this to his guide about Slovakia:

Things to avoid in Bratislava pedestrian zones:

-Canine excrement (it ain't Paris, people. No one cleans it up)



-Human saliva

-Cracks in the cobblestones (i trip constantly)

-Diplomatic vehicles

-Marxist pigeons





-Rogue civic vehicles (police cars, garbage trucks, postal delivieries...it goes on)

-Restaurant delivery trucks

-Annoying tourist groups



-"Nota Bene" magazine hockers

- Domineering Taxis

Quote of the Day

(background info: my boyfriend Matt asks me to wake him up in the mornings sometimes)

Matt (at 10am his time): "I wish you had a snooze button"







classic.

(love you!)

GET OUT AND VOTE!

As a US citizen abroad, and watching American politics unfold on www.cnn.com (i dont have a tv) I believe it is VERY important for EVERYONE who is eligible to get out and vote in this election. I am not going to sit here and endorse anyone, because I know that the right to vote is just that: every individual's RIGHT.

I signed up for my absentee not too long ago through the American Embassy here in Bratislava and here is my ballot!



Can you believe that they sent me political propaganda all the way out here? Talk about starving for support.



So now everything is filled out and ready and I will be giving the Embassy my envelope so that they can send it back to the States to be counted (free of charge! Go Consulate Services!)



If I can go through all that, all of you who are able should register to vote and visit your local polling place on November 4th. Don't sacrifice the right you were blessed with. If you do, you have no right to complain about the results. There should be no WIN-LOSE in politics. If everyone participates, everyone wins. After all, in the end we are all on the same team. GET OUT THERE AND EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT!

Moment of Peace

You know you live with S.W. Cordell (Daddy) when:

You are walking through the streets of Bratislava and see a landscaping crew and think to yourself..."What is that guy DOING?!?! There is no sense of logic in his mowing patterns!"


Papa, je t'aime!

Run Away!!!!!

So this is a post I had started working on last week but completely got sidetracked with....you guessed it....LIFE. I used this title mostly because my sisters and I have a love for all Monty Python references, and because I fleed the US just in time to experience the worst from far away. I can't claim to have had a premonition or anything...I was aching for something new, and now the money I've been able to somehow make while on an intern salary will certainly come in handy. The post is mostly about random things that connect the US with Slovakia, and my reactions to the things I read.

Taken from one of the Slovak news periodicals that I read each day:

POLITICS

"George Bush will meet Slovak president Ivan Gašparovič in a week in the Oval Office.
The main topic will be Slovakia’s participation in the fight against terrorism and Slovakia’s commitments in NATO. Gašparovič is also convinced that he will return home with news on the cancellation of the visa duty for Slovaks traveling to the US.
Interior minister Robert Kalinak is also traveling to Washington, where he should sign an agreement on the exchange of information on criminal acts, which is a condition for the cancellation of the visa duty." (SME/1)

The United States is EVERYWHERE!


This actually already happened! The Slovak Pres met with The W, and now travelers from Slovakia can bypass the visa requirement! So much for the title of this blog! It will probably all be be realized once the US implements this new ESTA system. What is interesting to me is that Slovakia achieved this before the Czech Republic. IN YOUR FACE PRAGUE! I don't really feel that way, because I am an American national and therefore don't have to deal with that crap because I have an automatic visa for most places (sans Cuba and some other destinations of interest). However, the CR has always seemed to be just a couple of steps ahead of its "runt" sibling, Slovakia. Things change I guess. (Bethany, do not get any ideas.)

NEXT!

My father asked me if I would comment on how the people in Europe, especially Slovakia, are reacting to the global financial crisis. Here is another blurb that I read:

ECONOMY

"The global financial crisis is only affecting Slovakia marginally so far and the Slovak banking sector is not significantly endangered by it. Nor is the Slovak economy yet. "We consider the banking sector in Slovakia as secured and stable," stressed PM Robert Fico. He thinks that within the Slovak financial sector, pension management companies are the most endangered by the crisis. According to the NBS, the Slovak banking and financial sector is safe at the moment. All banks have sufficient capital and liquidity and the crisis in other states does not have any impact on their situation. The NBS also verbally supported the Slovak branch of UniCredit Bank, Italian parent of which faces financial difficulties at the moment". (SME/1, 9)

So in general, no one here really gives a crap. The people who do care are mostly developers who were waiting for financing and now can't get it. People here are more concerned about getting the money under their mattresses into the bank before the automatic (and therefore FREE) conversion from the Slovak Crown to the Euro occurs. Many people speak about how it is affecting Americans however. Its easy to hate on the United States. We have a diversified population, lots of natural resources, and a tendency to dominate all things we decide to be involved in. We are a nation of entrepreneurs, rags to riches, baby bottles to boardrooms. The word "Ambition" doesn't quite cut it there. In our excessive pursuit of profit and the American Dream we can lose sight of the bigger picture and thus dig ourselves a grave so deep that we have develop new means of getting ourselves out. I haven't been in contact with the majority of the people I graduated with, but I am hoping that those who went into investment banking haven't lost their jobs, or at least were able to switch divisions before the real cuts were made. Having a degree from Cornell University, though incredibly weighted in terms of credibility, can't save you from bankruptcy if your employer made some bad calls. What it does provide you with is resolve. We walk through the nastiest of weathers to face some of the most unforgiving of professors who see it as their calling in life to make our lives a living hell. Granted, they are only trying to pass their wealth of knowledge to us to ensure our success, but the means can make the ends seem desolate. Get through that, and everything else is a piece of tiramisu (if you're into that).

I'm not sure how the financial crisis is going to affect me when I return stateside in 2 months. (That's right! You heard it here first! 2 months and counting!) I have a decent savings that I left over there to appreciate on a CD, so now my task is to find a job. GOOD LUCK. My family seems to be doing alright, so I'm not too worried. The Cordell family always prevails somehow. Its just in our nature.

NEWSFLASH

As I told many of you, last weekend was our 10th Anniversary Family Fun Day Celebration with the British Chamber of Commerce. The event was really successful I thought, especially considering all of the variables that were against us. I wrote my first press release about it, and hopefully I will get published! Livia said she would try to distribute it to some of the English speaking periodicals around Bratislava.

To view photos from the day...CLICK HERE.

Here is my synopsis from the day:

Celebrating in style…

On Saturday, October 4th the adventurous and the brave faced the unfavourable weather conditions and travelled to the Whitewater Centre in Čunovo for the British Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia’s 10th Anniversary Celebration. The event was appropriately dubbed “Family Fun Day”, and made good on its title despite the elements.

Lívia Eperjesiová, the BCC SR Executive Director, and her Events Action Group had been working for months to decide the perfect venue for this momentous occasion. Many options presented themselves, but it seemed the best way to incorporate a majority of the members and their families was to organize something that would occur during the day and in an open space. The BCC SR turned to Action Land, an outdoor activities company, to provide an array of enticing activities and Hotel Divoká voda to supply a location. The event was made possible by generous financial contributions from (in alphabetical order) Allen & Overy Bratislava, B2 Consulting, BAE Systems, ČSOB, HSBC and Lugera & Maklér. There were also In Kind Sponsors who provided various services and gift arrangements, ACCOR Services Slovakia, Avon Cosmetics, Hippokrates Private Health Centre, ILt spol, s.r.o., Mokarabia, Park Inn (Hotel Danube), SkyEurope Airlines, VITAL and Whisky Bar 44.

As the setup crew rolled in, they were somewhat sceptical due to the looming clouds and slight drizzle, but as they worked the skies cleared and the empty field behind the hotel began to look more like the imagined competition pitch where the UK Regional Competitions would be held. Arguably one of the most noted part of the celebration (and most certainly the most unique), the four different categories were designed to highlight various cultural aspects of living in the United Kingdom. For England there was a “Tug of War” contest, Wales hosted Archery, Scotland “Tossing the Caber”, and of course a Guinness drinking contest to represent Northern Ireland. Women, men and children alike gathered to participate (as appropriate) in each of the categories while amassing points according to their performance. These points were crucial in the end, because first prize was two round-trip air tickets from SkyEurope Airlines. After much entertainment and friendly rivalry, Mr. Daniel Bachna and Ms. Marta Novotná tied for the coveted winners position, and had a “shoot off” at the archery station. Mr. Bachna came out victorious, but Ms. Novotná was not left for want as she received vouchers from ACCOR Services Slovakia and a gift bag from VITAL.

Other activities included white water rafting, off-roading go-karts, and an inflatable Velcro “fly wall” for children (and some youthful adults). Attendees were also able to test-drive the latest Jaguar and Land Rover models thanks to T.O.P. Auto Slovakia. The catering was undoubtedly a crowd pleaser with multiple courses including savoury gulaš, a full roast pig carved tableside and a 1.5 x 0.5 metre cake. In addition to the catering, the most popular stations were those run by Mr. Stiubhard Kerr-Liddell of Whisky Bar 44 and Mr. Ivan Lacko of ILt, who provided some of their wares for tasting.

Overall the event was well planned and successful, especially considering the challenges posed by Mother Nature. All who attended raved about their experience. In short, it was a an exemplary salute to ten years of promoting UK-Slovak relations, and the BCC SR team is looking forward to the next ten.

And we shed what was left...

...of our Summer Skin.

So, the weather is getting colder, the leaves are changing, and I have gotten my sweaters out of the cupboard in the living room. Sad. One of the worst things is that the city streets are really barren now (minus the tourists with HUGE umbrellas that take up the whole street so that I can't get to work) because the restaurants have broken down their outdoor patios. The nice thing about Autumn is the FESTIVALS! When I lived in Ithaca there was a festival for practically every seasonally appropriate food. That includes chili, apples, wine and just general extravaganzas.

So, we decided to take advantage and go to the Pezinok wine festival! It is about 25-30 minutes away from Bratters and the return bus ticket is about 68 Sk ($3), so WHY NOT!?!? Pezinok is best known for their late harvest concoction called Burčiak. It comes in white and red varieties and actually has a lot of healthy antioxidant characteristics. Plus, its really tasty!



Posing before the crowds descended. On the way in we saw a cover band who were performing "Paradise City" by Guns & Roses. The guy was wearing a kilt. Classically hilarious. The festival really reminded me of fairs that you go to in the United States. Full of music, great food, crazy nick knacks and badly dressed people. Very nostalgic :)



The Slovak version of the Scrambler!!! I hadn't been on an amusement ride in ages, and Erin and I are both young at heart, so we immediately bought tickets! (it was only 60 Sk to ride it!!!) This picture was taken in the beginning of the day, so there wasn't much of a line yet. You wouldn't BELIEVE how many people were there later. You could barely get through them to continue down the street!



On the "Breakdance"/Scrambler!! It whips you around pretty well, so it was probably a good idea that we went on it BEFORE we started sampling the areas finest.



This one however? We went on that last before returning to the city :) The kids who wanted to keep their feet planted on the ground said that Erin and I looked like the only people who were having fun. We sprinted to the front seats because you get to see everything, and the G Force is NUTS there. We could hear the screams of the people behind us. We are seasoned riders, so we didn't even hold on to the restraining bars.



After waiting patiently for the last group to finish, our friends sprinted onto the platform to snag some cars so they could give each other minute whiplash. Unfortunately Erin's car was stolen by 2 bratty Slovak kids. See how she is about to get into the car? They almost sat on top of her to get it first. Ridiculous!!



Max and Erin scheming against the children who stole their car.



So if you decide to buy your Burčiak in "bulk", all of the booths have used 1.5L waterbottles that they have cleaned. Talk about recycling! It is a tradition though, so we decided to join in :) 1.0L was about 50 Sk.



After the wine festival Erin and I hightailed it back to our place and got ready in a mere 20 minutes so we could get to dinner at Chez Emilie, a new crêpe restaurant in the city centre!!! This is the owner, who is very nice and also VERY French. This was ok because we had 2 French people with us, and then 3 more people who speak French relatively well. I even ordered in French :) It was like being transported for 2 hours! Plus, the food and presentation were exceptional.



Silly Erin, it's not a finger bowl! It's your cider cup!!



My lovely ladies Anna (France), Pernille (Denmark) and Scotland (Sherisse). We will be going to Paris to Anna's house in November! I am so excited to see the Parisian underground culture!!!! We have been practicing our French weekly, so I should at least feel comfortable being there. I can still understand the majority of what people say, but I'm still a bit too timid to speak a whole lot. I have to really think about what I am going to say before I attempt it. Alors, c'est la vie!



Here is one of the savory crêpes!



Don't they look happy? You would be happy too if you found an authentic crêpe place. It has so many possibilities!



This is the desert portion of the dinner. They flambéed mine!! LOOK OUT! It was super tasty though :) Apples with caramel with a shot of something or other. I was too entranced by the whoosh of flame to really care....