Život v Horna Mičiná (Life in Horna Mičiná)

I have been in the village of Horna Mičiná for a little over a week and have been learning all about what life is like here. It is a small village of about 500 people, and is about 10 km from Banska Bystrica. In the village there is just one small market, a Lutheran church, a Catholic church, and then the houses. The Lutheran Church was built in 1785 and has a lot of history, which has been interesting to learn about. It is a pretty small church, but really pretty inside. Right next to the church is the parsonage where I have been spending a lot of time. The Pastor, Dano and his wife, Marcelka have a son, Danko who is 4 years old. They are a really nice and welcoming family and I really enjoy spending time with them. Dano is also a beekeeper, so he has houses of bees in the yard and makes honey each year- and it is really good honey! I am enjoying meeting people from the village, and I try to talk to them, but usually the conversation ends in me saying “nerozumium” (I don’t understand) and hoping they are patient with me! I have a lot of learning to do.

At orientation one of the ELCA staff members told us that when we get to our placement it will not be what we expected. She said even if we think we don’t have any expectations, once we get there we will realize what our expectations were. She is a wise woman, because it is so true. Everyone says “just go with an open mind”, and so I tried as hard as possible to do that and to not have expectations, but that is impossible and I have already realized what some of my expectations were. I expected to be working in the center for the elderly (which I expected to be open and running). I expected to be doing different activities with these people, and practicing the “ministry of presence” which we talked so much about! When I got here I found out that the center has not opened yet (things in Slovakia move a little slower than usual and paperwork takes a while…) So, it is not what I expected, but not in a bad way at all. Each day is different, but I have been helping get things ready for the center to open. There is still some work inside that needs to be done in order for it to meet the regulations for inspection so I am working on that with the Pastor. I was able to meet Zuzana who just finished her PhD in Social Service and who will be the main boss of the center. She doesn’t speak any English, but she is really nice and I am looking forward to working with her. I have also been helping deliver lunches to elderly people in the village (most of them will be attending the center when it opens). The Pastor also has lots of other things for me to do to help with the church, so until the center opens there is at least some other stuff to do. Yesterday was the woodcutting day, so a bunch of people from the village came to the church and cut wood all day long. It was really a lot of fun to interact with the people and to see how the village comes together to help the church. The shed is full of wood so we will be warm all winter!

Usually I spend my free time at the parsonage talking with Dano and Marcelka and drinking kava (coffee) and čaj (tea)- that’s really all people drink here, but I am loving it! I also have a lot of fun helping Marcelka in the kitchen, and trying to learn Slovak from Danko. He is a little bit impatient with me and my lack of understanding him when he talks to me, but he does get really excited when I say something right! My phrase is “Čo je to?” (What is that?) as I point to things and then he tells me the word. All in all I am lost and confused often, but from talking with the other volunteers this is pretty normal. I am so thankful for Dano and Marcelka, and for the other Slovakia volunteers. Even though we aren’t in the same place anymore, it is so nice to know they are going through the same thing and it’s nice to know they are at least in the same country! That’s enough for now, I will keep you updated on everything!

Some Pictures!!

This lake in the Tatras Mountains is called Strbske Pleso

Maike, Mary, Me, Mark, and Zuzka our Slovak teacher at Strbske Pleso

The whole group of volunteers at Devin Castle

Velky Slavkov

We made it to Velky Slavkov on Sunday and began our Slovak language class on Monday. So far it has been going well. It is a lot of information packed into such a short amount of time, but we are all trying to learn as much as we can. The village of Velky Slavkov is very small, but it is in such a beautiful area. We are right at the bottom of the Tatras Mountains, which are just incredible. This weekend we are going hiking in the mountains and I am so excited fot that! The nearest internet access is in the city of Poprad. We took a train into town today to go to the internet cafe and get some things. The weather here is crazy though! It is so so cold- I am in a winter coat, scarf, and gloves right now, and there is snow on the mountains. I was not expecting winter to be here so soon! I will try to post pictures sometime soon- hopefully the next time I can get to the internet. That§s all for now!

Slovakia So Far...

I arrived in Slovakia, along with the other volunteers Tuesday afternoon. Daniela, the country coordinator, greeted us with hugs at the Bratislava airport and it was very exciting to see her! We met up with the four German volunteers and we all had our first dinner in Slovakia together. We have been staying in a hostel right in Bratislava (the capitol) as we did paperwork, health checks (not fun but we survived), permits, and orientation things. We have also had some free time and Daniela has been showing us around Bratislava. Even after just a few days there is so much to tell!

Yesterday we went to the Devin Castle ruins, which I was so excited about. It was so beautiful and had a great view. It also has a chapel from the 4th century that we were able to see. We walked around the old city section, which has an open market, and is full of old, historical buildings. Today we went to the Bratislava Castle, and the Parliament Building. It was great, because we are here during the 15th anniversary of the Slovak Constitution. Because of this we were able to walk around inside of the offices, and there were special events going on. We saw some traditional Slovak music, singing, and dancing.

Tomorrow we will go to church and then take a train to Velky Slavkov where we will have our language training. It is a small village in North Eastern Slovakia, in the mountains- yay! We will be there for two weeks and then travel to our placements September 15th. I have learned a few key phrases that are helpful to know, but I am excited for the language training. It is great spending time with the other volunteers, and we have been having a lot of fun together, but I am excited to get settled in my placement!