July Newsletter

July was a busy month as there was a lot happening in Veľký Slavkov, and as my departure time came. I tried to fit a lot into the little time I had left, including a trip back to Horná Mičiná to say good-bye to my friends there. Another weekend during the month I went with two of the other volunteers, Ashley and Kristen, to Východna for a Folk Festival. This is a huge festival held each year in this village full of Slovak folk dancing, singing, food, woodcutting and various other traditional crafts. In the afternoon they held a parade with the various folk groups from all around the country. It was really interesting to see the different costumes (each region has different costumes) and to see the groups sing and dance. They also had two stages set up with various groups giving performances. While enjoying the folk music we also were able to get some Slovak souvenirs to bring home, and indulge in some trdelnik one last time! Trdelnik is a Slovak/Czech sweet pastry that is cooked in a cylinder shape and can be coated with cinnamon sugar, vanilla sugar, cocoa and a lot of other tasty things.

Also at the beginning of the month a mission group from New Mexico and Minnesota came to do an English Bible camp with children from the village and from Poprad. It was very strange having a huge group of Americans around speaking English, but it was nice being able to explain some of the Slovak culture to them. The Bible camp was Monday to Friday from 9am-3pm and included sixty children from four years old to sixteen years old. The children were split up into classes, each class with two American teachers and a Slovak translator. I was considered the translator for a class ranging in age from about seven to ten years. At first I was a little nervous and wondering how I was going to be able to translate the Bible lessons for these kids, but it turned out to be a great experience. I realized how much Slovak I had learned during the year and felt proud of myself for being able to be a big help with this class. The language was one of the struggles throughout the year because I often felt frustrated as I was learning- like I should have been doing better than I was. It was great to have this week where I really saw my progress. I was also grateful for the adorable and sweet class I had, who were able to understand me when I had trouble translating things!
The weekend before I left Slovakia the center had a going away party for both Kristen and I. We baked an enormous batch of chocolate chip cookies (with real brown sugar and real chocolate chips sent from America) for everyone to share, which they really enjoyed. They had a huge sign hung up that read “Thank you very much”, in Slovak on one side and in English on the other side. Stano spoke for a little while thanking us for giving our time to help them. Then Peťo, one of the guys who came to English classes prepared something in English to read, and then Robko read it in Slovak so everyone could understand. It thanked us for having activities with them, for having Bible studies, and for all of our help. It was so nice that he took the time to write it and say it in English.
As I write this I have been back home for about a month readjusting to life in America. Everyone wants to know how the year was and I am eager to share, but it is really hard to sum up a year! It’s so difficult for me to process what it meant to be in Slovakia for that time, and now as I am home looking back upon the year it can be hard to think through everything and what I learned. I know I have come back different than when I left, but it is hard for me to pinpoint exactly how.
Desmond Tutu writes “In African language we say ‘a person is a person through other persons.’ I would not know how to be a human being at all except I learned this from other human beings. We are made for a delicate network of relationships, of interdependence. We are meant to complement each other.” Reading this bit from Desmond Tutu helped me to realize that what shaped me the most this past year were the people that I met and came to know as they welcomed me into their lives. Pani Hulinova who shared her grief with me as her husband past away, Pani Markova giving me bunches of grapes almost every day last September, Eva telling me stories about the guys at the center and all that they had been through, Pali teaching me how to make cabbage soup, Peťo teaching me how to play guitar, and so many more people left an impact on me. I learned from them and they are still a part of me even though I am no longer in Slovakia. I miss everyone from Slovakia a lot and am sad wondering when I will see them again, but at the same time I am filled with a lot of joy because of the network of relationships I am a part of. Even though I am not able to see these people and spend time with them everyday, they are still very much a part of my everyday life. This quote also reminds me of the relationships I have here at home; how everyone at home was a part of me while I was in Slovakia, and how by telling you stories about my experiences I have connected you to people and life in Slovakia. Thank you again to everyone who supported me in any way. I would not have been able to be a volunteer missionary without the support of those from home. Your donations towards the year, prayers, e-mails, letters, and interest meant very much to me. I am looking forward to sharing more stories and pictures with you now that I am home.

One of the Folk Groups.

Update...

Last week we had a group of Americans here doing an English Bible Camp for kids in the village and in Poprad. There were about 60 kids that came each day from about 4 years old to about 16 years old. I was the “translator” (in no way am I a translator, but I did the best I could!) for one of the classes of 7-10 year olds. It was a lot of fun, and my class was so wonderful. I will write more about the camp in my newsletter, but overall it was a crazy week that went by so fast. I kept really busy with the camp, helping in the kitchen, and doing activities with the guys in the evenings. Friday I went back to Horna Micina to say a final goodbye to everyone there. It was nice to spend time talking with Dano and Marcela, and to play with Danko. Saturday I came back here and Kristen and I spent our night baking chocolate chip cookies for all the guys. Sunday we had a going away party and we gave everyone cookies which they really enjoyed. The party was really nice and I enjoyed having everyone together talking and playing outside. All the workers and guys signed a big Slovak flag as a going away present, and it is so nice!

The week went by fairly quickily because of packing and last minute things I was doing. Also, Monday was Kristen's birthday and Tuesday was my birthday so we had some nice celebrations for that. Here when it is your birthday people shake your hand, give you a birthday wish, a hug, and usually some type of chocolate or candy. It is interesting how they shake hands and say something like "I wish you all of the best, a year of health and happiness and may God bless you in everything..." It was really nice when the guys did this and told me they were glad I was here, thanked me, and wished me the best as I go back home.

This afternoon I said my final good byes and I am now in Bratislava until early tomorrow morning when I fly out. It was really sad leaving, but in some ways I feel like it hasn't actually hit me that I left and will not be back in a couple of days or next week. I really got accustomed to life there and loved it. I am so excited to see my family and friends and to just be home, but I know it will be difficult. I can't really put anymore thoughts down now- they are all just crazy in my head, so I will save it for later. Now, for a laught...this is Kristen and I sad to leave:

Is it July or November??

This is NOT July weather...


but yes, this is us yesterday freezing at the Folk festival. It was even afternoon!

When Slovaks say it will rain...

it's really going to rain. By now I should have learned that they know how to predict the weather. I don't see them watching the weather report or reading it in the newspaper, but everytime they tell me the weather they are right. A couple of weeks ago Kristen and I were leaving to go into Poprad and the sun was shining brightly. My system here is to look outside and just dress according to how it looks. Well, it looked nice so I didn't think I needed a jacket or umbrella. One of the guys, Gabko told us it was going to storm, but I looked at the sky and it looked so clear so I said it was okay and we left. We get into Poprad and sure enough it starts pooring and storming. Then once again today, it looked nice outside and we were going to Banska Bystrica for the day. As we were leaving Eva told us "it's going to rain, you better take a jacket and umbrella" and once again we thought, no it looks ok. Sure enough halfway to the station it started raining and it rained most of the day. I'm not sure how they know, but I need to learn to just listen to their weather reports.

June Newsletter

June began with the last retreat for the group of volunteers serving in Slovakia. The nine of us (five from America and four from Germany) spent a couple of days together in Slovensky Raj (Slovak Paradise) with the director of the volunteer program in Slovakia. As always we had a lot to catch up on since the last time we were all together, and we spent a lot of time just talking about everything that has been going on. We spent some time reminiscing about our first couple of weeks in Slovakia together- orientation in Bratislava, language training, and departing for our placements. We laughed about the good and bad times we all had throughout the year, and shared our thoughts about the year coming to an end. Once again we connected in a special way and were able to understand the experiences we have each had, and the thoughts running through our heads. We spent one day hiking in Slovensky Raj, which was beautiful, and then spent a day doing an evaluation seminar. We spent time discussing the difficult times, good times and satisfying times throughout the year and how God used them to help us learn and grow. We also discussed various aspects about leaving our placements and returning home.

I realized at our retreat how hard it is leaving this group of volunteers, because they have been my support and my family for this year. Whenever we got together for our retreats it was almost like a family gathering, and it helped me through this year. After our retreat Mark, Ashley, Kristen, and I took a trip to Prague to spend a couple of days sightseeing. Prague was an amazing city and I loved everything we saw there- the castle, the cathedrals, the astronomical clock, and the picturesque streets.
During the month of June I also had a retreat with the workers at the center here. We took a long weekend trip to Liptovsky Trnovec and stayed at a retreat center in this village. It was wonderful to spend this time with the workers and once again I enjoyed the fellowship among everyone here. We spent time in Bible study, prayer, worship, work-related meetings, and had fun activities like hiking, swimming, and going to an ice cave. I had fun playing with the worker’s kids too. I was reminded of the Slovak’s hospitality and love to serve when Eva had a big backpack full of a thermos of coffee, mugs, sandwiches, crackers, and apples that she shared with everyone on our hiking trip and trip to the aqua park!
The thought of going home in a couple of weeks is bittersweet. I am so excited to see my family and friends (I’m not going to lie- I am pretty excited to see my dog too!). After a year I can’t wait to give everyone big hugs and spend time with them. I can’t wait to just be in my house, my town, to go places, to be able to talk in English and hear English, and to be in my home church service. At the same time I have developed a home here in Slovakia and feel like I will be leaving a part of myself behind when I leave. I have adapted to the culture and found my place here. It was a strange feeling after I was traveling to Budapest in the spring, because when I got back to Slovakia I felt like I was home; I was back in a familiar place. I was excited to catch up with everyone at the center who I had missed for the past week. In the beginning when I was lost and confused with the language and culture, I never would have thought that I would have found a home here like I did.
As I am preparing to go home I have been thinking over the time I spent in Slovakia. I did not always have a clear idea of what I was “doing” here. In the beginning I did not have clear cut tasks or specific things to help with, but I was a part of the community and tried to discover what that meant, and how to give what I could. In one of my newsletters from the very beginning of the year I wrote about a woman I met in a nursing home in Banska Bystrica. Her response to the worker who told her that I did not understand very much Slovak while she was talking to me played through my head during the year. “Yes, but she is listening”. I never saw her again, but I remember how happy she was to have someone to sit with, someone’s presence, and someone to listen and just smile. This helped me to more fully understand what it means “to be”; what it means to be present, and to accompany our brothers and sisters in the world. Henry Nouwen states, “Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life…all our life” (Life of the Beloved). I tried to take this with me throughout the year, as a reminder to give whatever I can each day, even if it is something as small as a smile or simply being there. As the end of the year is coming near I am continually reminded of this, and want to live each day giving as much as I can.
I am sure the next two and a half weeks I have left in Slovakia will go really quickly. We will be having guests staying at the center here, including a group of Americans! They will be doing an English Bible camp with children from the area, so I am excited to be able to help with this. I hope to spend a lot of time with the guys and the people here, and make a final trip to my first placement in Horná Mičiná before leaving. I will send out my final newsletter after I am home next month!

Retreat

This past weekend was the worker’s retreat in Liptovsky Trnovec, a village near Liptovsky Mikulaš. We left Thursday evening and had a really nice long weekend together. We started each day with a Bible study, singing, and time in prayer. We had a couple of meetings about the work here, and went different places during the afternoons. Friday afternoon we took a trip to the aqua park in Liptovsky Mikulaš and had fun on all the water slides. A lot of the pools and slides are outdoors here and at one point it started raining so we all took cover in a tent that was set up. We were standing there cold and Eva opens up her back pack and started asking who wanted coffee. She pulls out mugs for everyone, a thermos of hot coffee, and has sugar, milk, and spoons. Then she pulls out sandwiches, apples, crackers, and is serving everyone. I couldn’t believe how much stuff she had packed in this back pack! Only a Slovak would be prepared to serve coffee and food to everyone while on a trip.

Saturday we took a hiking trip in the Low Tatra Mountains, and Eva was once again prepared with her back pack. We took a chair lift up to one point and then hiked the rest of the way up to the top of the mountain. I couldn’t believe how much colder it was as we worked our way up, and there were even patches of snow towards the top. The view was incredible at the top and worth the long hike up. Sunday afternoon we took a trip to an ice cave before heading back home. This was really cool, and I was surprised at how big the cave was.

Sunday evening we arrived back here, refreshed and ready to get back to work. I think it was such a great time for all the workers. Everything is so busy here and they rarely get a break, so I think they all needed to get away. I also really enjoyed getting to spend time with them, because a lot of them I don’t get to spend very much time with here. In my last newsletter I wrote about the fellowship here, and once again this weekend I felt the strong fellowship among everyone. It was like we were on a family reunion almost- it feels like a big family all together. It makes it even harder to think about leaving!

Gulaš, smoking car, and ice cream

Last Wednesday everyone here had off of work and we had a big gulaš party outside. I was so excited because whenever we had gulaš before everyone said the best gulaš is when it is cooked in the woods, which confused me at first but it just means outside. In the morning Kristen and I cut lots of potatoes and onions, while Pali cut all the meat. Then we took everything outside where they set up a big kettle over the fire. In the picture you can see Eva pouring the potatoes in! The gulaš cooked in the kettle all morning while we sat outside and talked, played futbal, and played volleyball. The weather was perfect- it actually felt like a real summer day (which unfortunately isn't the case now). After a couple of hours the gulaš was ready and we had a nice meal in the shade.


Monday afternoon Kristen and I went about our normal routine of going to Tesco with Pali to do the food shopping for the week and it turned out to be an interesting experience. All the vans the center has were taken so we took a little old car that had just been donated by someone to the center. I don't know what kind or what year (sorry, I don't pay attention to these things) but it was quite a car- the trunk is in the front. As we were coming home Gabko, who was sitting in the front seat asks "What's burning?", then we all see smoke coming from the floor of the passenger seat where he is sitting. It starts to fill the car and smells horrible. Pali pulls the car over right away coughing and yelling in English "Everyone get out of the car!" Poor Gabko, whose English consists of 'Hello' and 'Thank you' looks around confused and then jumps out as we all do. Now, I am thinking the car is ready to explode, because we had two gas tanks in the front trunk. Pali looks in and sees a loose cable that the smoke is coming from, does something to it (sorry I don't know...) and it stops smoking. So then we get in the car and drive this thing home!! I was a little nervous about whether we would make it back or not but we survived, and after people looked at the car they seemed to think it was no big deal. I don't think I really want to ride in the smoking car anytime soon though.

After English class today Kristen and I decided to get ice cream at the village shop, and I tried something really unusual. It looked like just a cup of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, but it was much more than this. It was chocolate ice cream with tvaroh (tvaroh is translated as cottage cheese, but it's really different- I don't think we have anything quite like it in America) with raisins, and orange flavor- all in a little cup of ice cream! I never would have thought of raisins or tvaroh in my ice cream, but it was really good. I might have to try to replicate this in the U.S. Well, that's some of the random things happening. Tomorrow evening all the workers are going on a weekend retreat. I am really excited- we are going to a village near Liptovsky Mikulaš. We will have some meetings, Bible studies, and have free time to go hiking and do other activities outside. It should be a lot of fun to spend this time with the workers.