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.

May Newsletter!

A lot of fun things happened in May, both here at the center and as I was traveling. One weekend I went to visit my old placement in Horná Mičiná for their confirmation, and I enjoyed visiting with everyone again. It was really interesting to see what confirmation is like in Slovakia, and how it is similar to and different than confirmation in America. Saturday evening the confirmands had an examination at the church. Each of them had to stand in front of the congregation and answer seven questions about the mission of the church, the Bible and confirmation. The pastor then asked the congregation if they agreed that these young people were ready and fit to be confirmed. Sunday morning was the confirmation service and it was interesting how important this Sunday was for everyone. The church was decorated with white flowers, the girls being confirmed wore fancy white dresses and the boys wore suits, and the church was full of people. During the service the confirmands were presented with a Bible and a certificate, and the pastor said a prayer for each of them. The confirmands sang two songs for the congregation and presented the pastor and church-keepers with flowers, thanking them for their work. The Lord’s Supper was also celebrated on this special occasion. After the service I was invited to a party for Miška and Paťa, who are sisters that were confirmed. It was a lot of fun being a part of the celebration they had after confirmation, and getting to spend some time with the people from the village.
I took a long weekend trip to Budapest with Mark, Mary, and Ashley (three of the other American volunteers in Slovakia). It was great to spend time with them, and we had a wonderful time in Budapest. As much as I love the work here it is always refreshing to get away for a bit and spend time with other volunteers. One of the Friday nights last month the group of ladies here at the center had a night out, and it was so much fun! Eva (one of the directors), Monika (one of the worker’s wives, Janka (one of the worker’s wives), Kristen, Claire (Kristen’s friend who was visiting from America) and I went to a nice pizza restaurant in Poprad for the evening. We ate pizza, drank Kofula (the Slovak soft drink) and had Mak štrudla (a pastry with lots of poppy seeds) for dessert. It was so much fun to spend more time with them and get to know them better.
One of the things I have noticed is the emphasis on fellowship among the community here. At one of our Bible studies last month we read Philippians 2:1-2 where Paul writes, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (NIV). We talked about how the community here can have this unity that should be among Christians. How can we work together and serve one another as Christ did? I think true fellowship is often neglected in our churches today. Of course there is often a “fellowship hour” after church or every so often, but I am not sure if this is always the same fellowship Paul talks about. Last month we had a longer Bible study one morning with some of the workers and I was thrown off guard a bit, but reminded of what true fellowship is. Vlado (who is in charge of the finances), Igor (who works construction with the guys), Momci (who also works construction with the guys), Pali (the cook), and I had read a passage from the Bible and talked about it as we usually do. Then, they began to talk about how they had been feeling at work recently, about feelings they had about the work with the guys here, and their Spiritual life. I couldn’t believe that I was sitting there with four men just expressing our feelings for maybe an hour and a half! Maybe this is normal for some people, but I was a bit surprised. It made me think about when we had read the passage from Philippians, and that this was a way the work team builds fellowship, better enabling us to do service. In order to do the social service and Christian outreach work that is done here it is necessary for the community to be like-minded (my Bible points out that like-minded does not mean uniform in thought, but the common disposition to work together to better serve). It is something that we are always praying about, and we are always talking about how it can improve so that we can serve better.
The work that I have been doing here has been going well; Kristen and I continue to help in the kitchen, have English classes, Bible studies, and teach swimming. The last week in May Pali needed to help with the construction work that some of the guys are doing down the street, so we took over in the kitchen for him. It was a busy week and somewhat stressful to be responsible for breakfasts and lunches here, but we were happy to be able to help. It was also nice to see how encouraging everyone was of our Slovak cooking. Everyday the guys and the workers told us our cooking was wonderful and complemented everything (even if it was something really easy…or not very good!). Their encouragement was so helpful though! English and Bible studies are about the same with some days having a good number of people and other days just a couple. Now that the weather is warm playing futbal outside has become a popular evening activity as well.
Along with the enjoyable things about the work, there were also some difficult things happening last month. One of the guys who always came to English and Bible studies left the center. He dropped out of school and went to the Czech Republic to find work. This was difficult, because he came to talk to me often when he was having problems in school or with other guys here. We had talked about his school many times before and I really wanted him to be able to finish. He has so much potential, but he was not doing well and wanted to go try to find work on his own. Another worker tried to convince him to stay here and work, but he had already made up his mind to leave. I guess it showed me that sometimes you can only do so much and now all I can do is pray for him.
It is hard to believe that it is already almost halfway through June now, and I have just about a month left here before I come home. I have started to think about how it will be exciting to go home, but also really hard to leave here. I am trying to just spend a lot of time with the people here and enjoy every day left.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Last week

Last week was busy here! Pali was not in the kitchen, because he was helping with the construction work at the old house. The old house is down the street, and is where the guys used to live, and will live when the reconstruction is finished. Some of the workers and guys work on the reconstruction each day, and last week they were putting the roof on. They needed extra help for the week, so they recruited the bodybuilder cook. So, Kristen and I were on our own doing breakfast and lunch each day. Monday we did the shopping trip to Tesco (big superstore in Poprad). It was interesting for us to buy all the food for the whole week and the guy at the meat counter laughed a little at us. I guess he was wondering why two foreign girls were buying 5 kilograms of meat and had two carts full of food. We were successful though and made it to Poprad and back in the old Inca! It was a little different being in the kitchen not just helping, but having the responsibility of the shopping, planning, and making meals for 30 some people. It was also hard waking up at 5:20 to make breakfast! But, we made it through the week and didn’t have any real kitchen disasters. Monday we made lentil soup, pasta with mak (poppy seeds, or opium as they like to say); Tuesday we made garlic soup, knedla with meat and tomato sauce; Wednesday we made garlic soup, French potatoes; Thursday we made Gulaš; and Friday we made egg soup, Ryžovy nakyp (a sweet lunch of rice cooked with milk and then baked in a tray with a layer of apples in cinnamon raisin sauce in between). Overall the week went well, but I am glad we don’t have to do this every week! I am glad we could help when they needed it, but after waking up early and being in the kitchen so long I felt so tired in the evenings that it was hard to spend time with the guys here.

A lot of other things have been going with the guys here. One man came back here last weekend. His son is here and he had been here before but was in the hospital for a little while. He is in his upper 40s and has Huntington’s Disease, and his son is around 21 or 22. He has many of the characteristic symptoms of Huntington’s Disease- slurred speech, uncontrolled movements, difficult eating, difficult sleeping. Earlier this week I was talking to Eva and she was telling me that there is no place for him to go. He doesn’t have any money and so he cannot stay in the hospital he was in, and cannot go to any type of institution or center to help him. Basically, if he was not at the center here he would just be on the streets. It is difficult for the center here, because he needs so much care and we don’t have the special care he could use. It is also difficult for his son, because there is a 50% chance he could develop this disease. He is seeing his father suffering so much, and trying to help care for him while being so scared that he will develop this soon.

Another one of the guys left earlier last week to go to the Czech Republic to work. He was one of the only guys here going to school, but he was not doing well and dropped out. His plan was to work in the Czech Rep. for a month and then try to go to England to find work. He was talking to me about this before he left, and it was hard because I wanted to convince him to stay in school so badly, but it was already too late- he was failing and couldn’t keep going. I also wanted him to talk to the directors of the center because they could help him start working since he was no longer going to school. But, he had already made up his mind and his plan to leave. I talked to Vlado, one of the workers that night and basically no one can make the guys stay here- it’s their decision, and he agreed that it is not good for him to drop out of school, and to leave the center to go to the Czech Rep, but at this point there was nothing we could do. Vlado also said that maybe in the end it will be good for him, because he came here straight from the children’s home and has never been out on his own. Maybe this will teach him responsibility and maybe he will be back in a month or so when he realizes he may need more help. A lot of guys have come and gone since I have been here, but for some reason it was harder for me when this one left. Maybe it is just because I got to know him more- he usually came to English classes and Bible studies, and was always wanting to talk about things. I also see that he is smart and has a lot of potential, and I just want to see him get his life on track.

So with all this I think I am ready to get away for a little bit! We have our last seminar this week (Monday-Thursday) in Slovensky Raj (Slovak Paradise). I am so excited for it, but it is bittersweet. I know we are going to have a great time, but it will be sad that it will be our last time together as a group of volunteers. I think it will also become more of a reality that my year is ending here and I will have to start dealing with how I will make the adjustment back home. But, after our seminar 3 other volunteers and I are going to Prague until Monday!! I can’t wait for that too, and I will take lots and pictures and tell you all about it! And I apologize because my newsletter will be pretty late this month!

Konfirmácia

This past weekend I went to visit my old placement in Horná Mičiná to see their confirmation. It was really interesting to see how confirmation is done in Slovakia and it’s a much bigger deal than what my confirmation was like in America. I got to Horná Mičiná on Saturday and had lunch with the Pastor’s family. Then at 5:00 the confirmands had their examination. All year the Pastor told me how terrible this confirmation class was- it was 17 teenagers from about 5 different villages in this area, and they were not interested in confirmation at all. They knew they would have this examination but didn’t care or want to study for it, until the day before when they freaked out about it. The examination was during a church service- it began with the confirmands walking in and sitting together in the front of the church, an opening hymn, a Bible reading and a prayer. Then the confirmands were called up one by one to the front of the church to be examined. The Pastor asked each of them 7 questions about the Bible, confirmation, and the church in general, and they had to answer in front of everyone. It was kind of funny seeing these poor kids stand up there in front of everyone so nervous! After all of them were questioned, which took a very long time, the Pastor asked the congregation if they approved of them being confirmed. Everyone agreed that they should be confirmed, and the service ended with another prayer and hymn.

Then on Sunday there was a big service for the confirmation, and I was so surprised how many people came. I have never seen the church here so crowded. Everyone came- all of their families and extended families, and so many people just from the villages. The church was decorated with beautiful white and yellow flowers, and everyone was really dressed up. The service began with the pastor and all of the confirmands walking in and sitting in the front. The girls looked like princesses- they had gorgeous white gowns on and their hair all done up, and the guys had suits on. The Pastor called each of the confirmands to the front, said a prayer for them, presented them with a certificate and a Bible, and read their Bible verse. (They each choose a Bible verse for their confirmation). The confirmands sang a sing together for the congregation (which they were extremely unenthusiastic about- I barely heard them singing and I was sitting in the front!) They then thanked the Pastor and the church keeper by presenting them with flowers. There was the usual Gospel reading, prayers, hymns, and sermon that are in the services also. Then, we went through the liturgy for the Lord’s Supper and had communion. The service ended up lasting quite a long time with all of the special things for confirmation, and communion, but it was a really nice service, and so nice to see so many people in church. After the service many of the parents of the confirmands invited the Pastor and family over for a meal, and so the Pastor has to eat a lot and make a lot of visits. I was invited along also and made it to one meal before I had to catch my bus back. I was really surprised at how elaborate it was- like a big reception! We went to Banska Bystrica and had a catered lunch. It was two sisters who were confirmed, their Godparents, parents, grandparents, extended family, the pastor’s family, and me (maybe 25-30 people). I could not believe how much food and wine there was- outrageous! There was an appetizer (which I could have had alone for lunch- but that is unheard of here!), then soup, then the main meal of meat, rice and cabbage. Then there were tons of cakes for dessert. I had a lot of fun hanging out and talking with the two girls after the meal, and then I had to catch the bus back to Poprad. I was so thankful that I only was able to go to one meal though- I was so full afterwards, and I have no idea how the Pastor can then go to more houses and eat and drink more! At Christmas, they told me as we were visiting people in the village that the only thing worse than Christmas is Confirmation, and now I know what they mean. It was a lot of fun though, and really interesting to see how Confirmation is in Slovakia. I was really surprised at how big of a deal it is, because Baptism is much more private here, so I would have thought confirmation would have been similar. In the Pastor’s sermon he talked about how he hopes this isn’t the last time he sees the confirmands in church, and how they are not finished with church, but they are making an oath to God. I thought this was interesting because the church here encounters the same problem as many churches in America- oftentimes confirmation is the last time so many people are in church; they get confirmed and then seemed to be finished with church.

So, I returned back to Veľký Slavkov on Sunday night and began another week of work here. Everything has been going as usual, of course as usual here means some unusual things happening. One guy broke his wrist, another was in the hospital with a stomach infection (which they said was from eating too much of the conserved meat, which made me not want to eat that). Then there is a new guy whose name is Rudo, and I just met him yesterday, but he seems nice. I am excited for this weekend because I will take a trip to Budapest with some of the other volunteers. I will take lots of pictures and tell you all about it!

The Soldiers Came!

Yesterday was an interesting day here at the center because two big Slovak army trucks came with boxes full of food! In the morning when Stano first told Kristen and I that soldiers were coming to bring conserved food we were a little confused, but then we got a better explanation. The center here is a headquarters for Eastern Slovakia and the army brought tons of boxes of conserved food that is to be distributed among centers and the homeless in the Eastern part of the country. About 20% of the boxes will stay here and be used to feed the guys here and the rest people will come to pick up. So for about two hours in the morning a bunch of the guys carried boxes downstairs to the dining room where it will all be stored. It is amazing how much food is in all these boxes. There are boxes of dried bread, meat paste, cans of cabbage, rice, and sausage, tea, and vitamin drinks. In the kitchen today we tested out one of the packages with Pali. When you open the cans there is a way to light a little fire and cook the food on a little stand, and it works pretty well! So, we got to see how the Slovak army eats. I have some pictures of the room of boxes and the guys unloading the trucks that I will post on my webshots but the internet won't let me post on webshots now, so I will do it sometime.

April Newsletter!

Each month I am here seems to go by faster and faster, and April just flew by so quickly. The work here continued as usual and I kept busy on the weekends with some trips around Slovakia. Helping Pali in the kitchen is still a lot of fun, and Kristen and I are learning a lot about Slovak cooking. While Pali was out sick for a couple of days we were able to cook lunch for everyone and made some of our favorite Slovak meals. We also realized even more how much work goes into preparing a big meal for about thirty people!
We continue to have English classes on Wednesday and Friday evenings. This past month we taught vocabulary words about the city (street, post office, restaurant, etc…). We taught how to say where they are going and where they will go during the week. We also taught about the weather and how to say that it is sunny, rainy, cloudy, and so on. It can be difficult at times because they want to learn a lot, but have trouble retaining everything. However, they enjoy learning what they can, and it is good time to spend with them. It is really nice when some of the guys try to talk to me in English, even if it is just “Hello, how are you?”. The Bible study with the guys continues to be each Monday evening, and similar to English classes, sometimes there are a good many guys there, and other times a small turn out. However, it is always a nice time to spend together. We have been working through the book of Acts, and usually concentrate on a couple of verses each week. This past month we had one of our Bible studies outside with a bonfire, and it was nice to have this time for fellowship too.
The weekends this past month were exciting, because I took some trips around Slovakia. The first weekend some of the other volunteers and I traveled to Sečovce to visit another volunteer’s placement. It was a really nice and refreshing time to spend together. We spent some time in Košice, which is the second to largest city in Slovakia, and in Michalovce, which is a city close to this area. We were also able to attend an English worship service at a Lutheran church in Košice that Sunday morning. After eight months of services in Slovak, it was wonderful to be able to understand everything so easily and to just have the familiarity of an English hymnal.
Last Saturday Marek, a Slovak volunteer who comes here on the weekends took a group of about fifteen guys along with Kristen and me to Prešov, a city about an hour from here. The children’s homes in Slovakia put on a special concert each year where each of the different homes has children performing by singing, folk dancing, or break dancing (quite a variety!). The guys really enjoy going and seeing people from the homes that they grew up in. I enjoyed spending this time with them and seeing the program the children’s homes put on. Towards the end of the concert Marek took Kristen and I to his church for their mladež (youth group gathering). One of the girls, Zuzka, was an exchange student in Indiana for a year, and she was very helpful in translating for us. It was a lot of fun to meet some high school aged students and see what an active youth group is like in Slovakia.
Last Sunday Kristen, Pali, his friend Mirka, and I were able to go to Lomnicky Štit, which is the second to tallest mountain in the High Tatras (2,655 meters). Zuzka’s mother (Zuzka lives next to us and her husband works here) gave us tickets to go up to the peak of the mountain. We went by car to the village of Tatranska Lomnica (about 15 minutes away) and from there took cable cars up to the peak. It was a beautiful clear day and the view from the top was amazing.
As the weather has been finally getting warmer here it has been nice to spend more time outside, and we have been able to do more activities outside. The guys enjoy playing futbal (soccer), riding bicycles, and just sitting outside listening to music. It has also been fun to cook sausages over the fire for dinner every once in a while. Overall April was a great month and I am looking forward to the next couple of months here!
Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Time is flying by!

It has been a while since I have posted and the time here is just flying by! Last weekend was the YAGM Discernment-Interview-Placement event in Chicago that I attended just one year ago and found out I was coming to Slovakia. It is hard to believe that now there are new volunteers for next year!

Things have been going well here in Veľký Slavkov and it has been really nice to have some Spring weather. Two weekends ago Kristen, Ashley and I travelled to Košice to visit Mary. We spent some time in Košice, which is the second to largest city in Slovakia and some time at Mary's placement in Sečovce. We had a really nice time together and shared a lot of excitement over little things, like making and eating pizza (a lot of the pizza here is unusual...). We also got to go to an English church service in Košice and loved being able to so easily understand everything! It was so wonderful to hold a bulletin and an English hymnal and have the familiarity during the service.

The work here has been going about the same. The English classes and Bible studies with the guys vary each week, but are enjoyable. One of my favorite Bible study moments was when one of the guys said that he used his Spiritual gifts by lighting an old woman's cigarette, because she was having trouble doing so while holding her cane. I wasn't really sure what to say to this... yes it is nice of him to be helpful, but lighting a cigarette? Needless to say there is always something interesting happening here, and each day is quite unpredictable. This past Monday we had a nice time during our Bible study, because we went outside and made a fire. We sat around the fire and cooked sausages, which brought many more guys than normal! It was a lot of fun though, and nice to have some more time to just talk with them. The past few days Kristen and I also had a visit from Linda, one of the volunteers in Slovakia from Germany. We had a nice time together, and had a free day yesterday so we went to Poprad and Levoča. Everytime the other volunteers and I get together I am reminded how thankful I am for them, and how wonderful our group is. I am excited for us all to get together the first week in June for our seminar, but it will be sad that it will be our last one! I can hardly believe that in just three months I will be going home. The next three months should be busy and I am trying to take in and enjoy every day here because it is going by so fast.

March Newsletter

This month Tyler came to visit me and we had a great time traveling and spending time at the center here. I had a nice break from work and we were able to travel to Vienna, Banska Bystrica, Krakow, and Bratislava. After traveling he was able to see my day to day life here in Veľký Slavkov. Everyone enjoyed meeting him and appreciated his musical contributions to our Sunday morning worship. It was a lot of fun to have someone from home here, and I was able to explain some of the cultural customs to him and teach him some basic Slovak.

Veľká noc (Easter) in Slovakia

Easter was a different experience for me while in Slovakia and I celebrated the holiday much differently than in America. The Lutheran churches in Slovakia do not have an Ash Wednesday church service so the beginning of Lent felt different without that. Kvetná Nedeľa (Palm Sunday) was celebrated here at the center with a service of Bible readings, prayers, and singing. Tyler was here for this service and played piano for the songs, which sounded really nice. Holy week was different, because there was not a Maundy Thursday service. However, there was a service for Veľký piatok (Good Friday) here with the guys. It was very informal, as the services are at the center, but it was nice to be able to get together and read the passages in the Bible about Jesus’ crucifixion. From Friday until Monday Kristen and I had service, which means that we prepared the meals for everyone here. It kept us busy for the weekend, but we also enjoyed doing some activities with the guys. Saturday afternoon we made a lot of hard boiled eggs and showed them how we dye eggs in America. We used these and some plastic eggs filled with candy for an Easter egg hunt on Monday morning. It was fun to share this American tradition with them and they enjoyed the candy! Easter Sunday I attended the church service at the Lutheran church in the village. It was a nice service, but a little unusual to be bundled up in my winter coat, scarf, and gloves during church on Easter! Then Kristen and I prepared the Easter meal, which consisted of Zemiakové šalat (a special potato salad) and rezeň (breaded pork that is fried).

The guys were excited for Easter Monday because of one of their Slovak traditions. During the morning boys and men dump water or perfume on girls and women. After the girls get wet they are supposed to give candy to the guys. Guys generally go from house to house getting girls wet, and enjoying it very much. I had heard a lot about this day before and when I woke up in the morning I was watching my every move. I actually heard a girl yelling “Pomoc!” (Help!) when I woke up and I thought I was really in for it being in a house full of guys. Surprisingly, Kristen and I were both safe, because we were working in the kitchen cooking their lunch. We got some threats in the morning and one guy filled a huge pot of water “to make coffee” (and he never drinks coffee) but when we asked him if he wanted lunch on time or not he had mercy on us. We ended the day dry, and with only having a couple sprays of some nasty smelling cologne.

Easter here was different than at home, and it almost did not really feel like Easter to me. I thought a lot about what was different and similar between Easters at home and Easter here. At home there is so much other stuff that goes along with Easter. Usually I get dressed up to go with my family to church on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and the services are more formal and traditional. On Easter Sunday at home it is also a big deal to get dressed up nicely for church, and spend the day with my family. As I thought about what I missed about Easter here I realized that the most important part about Easter was the same. It was a time of remembrance and celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Even though it would have been nice to be with my family during this holiday, I was able to be with the guys here who do not have families to be with.

Leadership

What does it mean to be a leader within the church? How is my leadership in the church shaped by the cross-cultural context I am in? Franklin shared an interesting quote with the volunteers this month regarding these questions. Eric Law writes, “In a multicultural community, doing the work of justice requires us to understand the different perceptions of power from different cultural points of view. Doing justice in a multicultural environment requires us to understand the consequences of these cultural differences in power perceptions. Doing justice commands us to reveal this unconscious and disproportionate distribution of power. Doing justice compels us to develop new leadership skills that can confront injustice”.

I think a lot of times the term leadership implies that someone with more power or more experience is directing or in charge of a group of people. However, I have been discovering the problems with this form of leadership, especially in a cross-cultural context. In a group where one person is dictating or directing I think it is very difficult for members to grow and learn from one another. Not only this, but in a cross-cultural context it can give the impression that one culture stands above another. The guys here have been receiving the message from society that they are not as smart or that they are less of people because they are Gypsies. I need to be a leader here in a way that will confront this injustice and not perpetuate it. When Kristen and I lead Bible studies and English classes we try to engage the guys as much as possible and create a dynamic where they are just as much involved as we are. If we were to simply try to lecture them on the Bible or how we think they should live their lives there would be this disproportionate distribution of power that Eric Law talks about. Not only would we be perpetuating the injustice they already experience, but it would be boring for them and for us. Especially in Bible studies I think it is really important for the leader to make sure there is dialogue in the group, because we can help each other learn. Maybe it is better to think of a leader as someone who can guide the group and help engage everyone in this dialogue where we can learn from one another.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

-Jessica Cole

ELCA Young Adult in Global Mission Volunteer Missionary serving in Slovakia

Sme šikovné

This week the cook, Pali is home sick and Kristen and I are in charge of the lunches here. I just have to say we are doing a very good job of cooking Slovak food on our own! Yesterday we had Tomato soup and Buchty, which was an easier meal. Buchty is a sweet lunch, and is best described as jam filled dumplings that are steamed. They then get some melted butter and kakao (cocoa) sprinkled on top. Today we made a more difficult meal. We had egg soup, knedla (steamed bread), red cabbage, and meat. We are so proud of ourselves because everything was just right and so good- We are practically Slovak cooks! Sme šikovné (We are skillful!) Here is a picture of today’s meal:

The red cabbage looks a little funny in the picture, but I can assure you it was very good and looked better in person!

Tomorrow we are planning on making Žemlovka, which is a sweet casserole with apples, cinnamon sugar, cut up rolls, and a mixture of egg yolks and milk. Friday we are planning on making Garlic soup and French potatoes. These are potatoes layered with hard boiled eggs, sausage, and an egg mixture with seasonings on top. As we are learning to cook these foods we are keeping the recipes so we can make a Slovak Recipe book to take home and share with everyone!

Easter

Easter was a busy time for me here at the center, because Kristen and I had service from Friday to Monday. We spent a lot of time cooking in the kitchen, but also got to do some Easter activities. Friday evening we had a Good Friday service here at the center, which was really nice. It was very different than the Good Friday service I am used to going to, but the meaning of it was the same. We were not in a church and we did not have traditional music, but we read passages from the Bible, prayed, and sang songs together. Aside from cooking meals on Saturday Kristen and I also hard boiled about 50 eggs and in the afternoon we dyed them with the boys who were interested. It was a smaller turn out than we would have liked, but it was a lot of fun, and I think the ones who came enjoyed it.

Sunday morning Kristen and I went to the church service in the village so that we could attend a traditional Slovak Easter service. It was very similar to the weekly traditional services here. The center had their usual service/fellowship in the morning, but I was busy helping to prepare the Easter meal. The Easter meal consisted of the special potato salad and rezen (breaded pork).

Easter monday is a big deal here and I had been warned about it many times before. It is an old tradition that on Easter monday guys dump water on girls- outside or in the shower, and sometimes throw perfume on them. The girls are then supposed to give the guys candy. I don't know where it came from and it makes no sense to me- I mean first they get us wet then we are supposed to give them candy?! I was very careful on this day and somehow made it through the day with just some sprays of foul smelling cologne. In the morning while Kristen and I were in the kitchen we saw some guys come in and fill pots of water and we told them "If you want lunch on time you shouldn't get us wet" and they decided lunch was more important. Monday morning we also had our Easter egg hunt, which we had to explain because they do not do that here. Unfortunately it had snowed quite a bit, so we had to have it inside, but the building is big and it worked well. They especially enjoyed the candy filled eggs!

After our hard work over the holiday weekend they gave us Tuesday and Wednesday off so that we could get some rest and have some time to oursleves. It was nice to be able to sleep in a little bit, and we took a nice trip into Poprad Wednesday afternoon. Nothing else too exciting has been going on- just the usual schedule and usual craziness of the center!

March

Sorry it has been a long time since I have posted, but a lot has been going on here. The month of March has been so exciting because Tyler came to visit! It was so wonderful to see him and we had a great time traveling and spending time at my placement. We began by spending a few days in Vienna where we saw a lot of churches, palaces, and museums. Our favorite place was the Schonbrunn Palace where we saw the room Mozart gave his first concert in when he was six. We also saw a Mozart and Strauss concert one night here, which was a lot of fun. We then went to visit my old placement in Horna Mičina and went to church here, which was really nice. I got to see a lot of people and Tyler enjoyed seeing where I spent my first six months in Slovakia. While in this area the Pastor’s family took us to see a wooden church in the village of Hronsek. There is some really interesting history behind this church because it was built during the time after the Council of Trento, when every means was used to turn people back to the Catholic faith. Protestants were given little freedom until 1681 when the emperor allowed them to build two churches in each district, but according to specific guidelines. Each church had to be:

1. Erected outside of the village boundary
2. Had to be built exclusively from wood, without iron nails
3. No steeple was allowed
4. Construction had to be completed within a year
5. No direct access from the road was allowed

These churches are called “Articular churches” because they had to follow these rules, and only a few remain in Slovakia. The church in Hronsek was built from 1725-1726 and is one of the remaining churches today. It was a really beautiful church and I was amazed that it could be built only from wood, without nails.

After our time in Horna Mičina we traveled to Krakow, which was a beautiful city. We got to see more churches, castles, palaces, and the weather was perfect to walk around. We spent one day in Auschwitz, which was a horrible site to see. Actually being there and walking around had a big impact on us and brought more reality to the atrocities that happened there.

After Krakow we spent some time here at the center in Velký Slavkov. It was great for Tyler to see my day to day life here and he enjoyed meeting everyone. The guys were really excited to meet him also, and liked listening to him play piano, guitar, and playing futbal (soccer) with him. We ended the trip by spending a day in Bratislava before he flew back home. It was such a nice break for me and we had a really great time together. It was hard saying bye, and it is a little difficult adjusting back to my life here, but I am so thankful for the time we had. With Easter I have been keeping busy though. Kristen and I have service this weekend so we are busy in the kitchen and doing Easter activities with the guys. This afternoon we dyed Easter eggs with them and will have an Easter egg hunt on Monday, which should be a lot of fun. Easter will probably be really different at the center, but I am looking forward to it and will tell you all about it next time.
Happy Easter to everyone!

Tyler and I in Krakow

A not so normal way to wash the floor...

Yesterday after lunch Kristen and I cleaned up as usual and then Pali (the cook) told us he was going to wash the kitchen floor, so we stayed to help. Well, we actually ended up being entertained rather than helping. Jano, one of the guys and Pali began washing the floor by squirting an enormous amount of soap all over. Jano was barefoot and began pouring buckets of water on the floor and he slid across tons of soap suds. I told Pali I had never seen a floor washed like this before, and he said “Oh yes, I don’t know people who wash the floor barefoot” as if that was the only strange thing about it. As the music in the kitchen blared Pali and Jano danced and slid around while scrubbing the floor very intensely. Kristen and I sat in the corner sipping our coffee, and wondering how they could so confidently wash the floor like this- I mean soap suds covered the entire floor along with tons of water. After the floor was very thoroughly scrubbed they began to forcefully throw more buckets of water across the floor to rinse the soap away. Luckily the kitchen floor has a couple of drains that the water could go down. After a couple of minutes of throwing buckets of water on the floor the soap suds still were not gone. Next thing we know Jano has the hose that he disconnected from the laundry room next door and he is spraying the floor with it. This was much more efficient and after a short while the soap was gone and the majority of the water had been pushed down the drain and the rest was left to dry. Kristen and I decided we had now really learned how to wash a floor and the next time it needs cleaning we would like to give this new method a try.

Meet some of the Chlapci (Guys)

I have been enjoying my new placement and all of the people here and I thought I would introduce you to some of the chlapci I have gotten to know. I won’t write their names to protect their privacy.

One of my favorite guys is 19, full of energy, but really nice and welcoming. He is always ready to talk and very patient and understanding as I try to have conversations in Slovak. There are some people who are just easier to talk to and much more helpful in learning Slovak and he is one of them. He never went to school growing up, but he comes to the English classes here and is always participating in the activities. He also really enjoys music and singing worship songs during our Bible studies. One of his famous English phrases is “Why?!....Because!” and after a couple of times back and forth “OK!”

Then there is one of the few guys who does go to school. He is also really easy to talk to, understanding and uses whatever English words he knows in conversation with me. He is a really good artist, and also loves taking pictures. When the Koreans were here he used my camera to take pictures during the programs and had so much fun. He also enjoys listening to music and asking Kristen and I to translate the English songs into Slovak, which is interesting and usually not very successful. He is really thoughtful- like this morning he left a note on our door in English that said “Kristen and Jessica- Good morning. See you later. Good Bless you”. (People have trouble with the difference between good and God in English)

There is another chlapec who is very understanding, easy to talk to, and a regular at English classes and Bible studies. He is also helpful for me learning Slovak- after English the other day he went through a bunch of vocabulary flashcards quizzing me, and teaching me new words. Then there is one of the guys who doesn’t usually come to the activities, but he is really nice and I see him around often. The only word he knows in English is “friends” and he likes to just throw it into anything he is saying to me. So he will be talking in Slovak and then just say “friends” in the middle of everything. I think he needs to learn another word now.

There are a lot more I could write about, but I will save that for another time. Overall they are really nice guys, but have had difficult lives. It makes me realize how much I have taken for granted. Most of them don’t have families, haven’t finished school (a handful have never been to school, and there is a handful who are going to school now), and don’t have money or material possessions. They also have to face the prejudices against them because they are Gypsies. When I see them come to Bible studies, or when they are playing worship songs and singing in their free time, or when they talk to me about believing in God I see how God is active and working here.

I am sure you all know that I have changed placements, and have been in Velky Slavkov for about a week. I have been meaning to post for a while to tell you about it, but it has been pretty busy here. I am living at Myln, a center for Gypsy guys who are homeless and have various addictions and psychological problems. There are about 30 chlapci (boys/guys) living here.

Last week was busy and kind of unusual here, because there was a mission team from Korea here doing various programs and activities with the chlapci. They taught Tai Kwon Do, which was really fun and everyone loved it. After dinner we usually met in one of the large rooms here and played games or sang songs together. One of my favorite things is when we sang worship songs that everyone knew- So there were people singing in Slovak, Korean, and me and Kristen in English some and Slovak some. We also went to the Tatra Mountains with them and did some extreme sledding! It was a really good time for me to get to know everyone here, and a lot of fun.

This week things slowed down a bit, but there never seems to be a dull moment with a house full of so many people. Each morning begins with a Bible study with all of the workers before everyone begins the day. I usually help in the kitchen in the mornings, preparing the lunch for everyone. Usually there is somethingg going on in the evenings also- Mondays Kristen and I do a Bible study with the chlapci, Wednesday and Friday night we have an English class, and then usually on Tuesday nights is a community meeting. Tonight we planned a special party for Valentine's Day which should be a lot of fun. We made two cakes, and made a pinata (I'm not sure what gave us the idea to bring some Mexican traditions to Slovakia, but people here are quite excited for it!) We will have games and music also, so it should be a lot of fun. I will have to write more later, but that is an overview of everything. I wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Poland

I just got back from a week in Wisla, Poland with the other volunteers for our mid year retreat. It was wonderful to see the other volunteers in Slovakia, and this time we joined with volunteers also from America and Germany serving in the Czech Rep. and Poland. All together there were about twenty-one volunteers and then the three country coordinators who led the seminars. We spent a lot of time in discussion and talking about successes and failures with our placements, new relationships being built, stereotypes, conflict management, and so on. We also had some free time when we were able to go hiking, see the town of Wisla, and go on a horse and carriage ride (it was supposed to be a horse drawn sleigh but there was not snow!!)

Some highlights from the week:

-“How can you not have paprika chips in America? Are you stupid!?”
-Performing skits about conflicts we may encounter…”I cannot drink another cup of coffee!!!!!”
-Performing skits about Slovakia and the culture-
*“When you go back to America can you tell Weezer I say hello?”
*“You must wear slippers! You will get sick if you don’t!”
*“You must drink more slivovica for your health!”
*“You can’t sleep in the room with the computer, it could make you sick!”
*”Do you speak English or German?” “No, I speak Slovak, Czech, Russian, Polish, Hungarian, Croatian…”
-Arm chair beds
-Hair cutting
-Cooking sausages over the fire
-Singing our original song: The Tesco Tribute
-Drawing the stereotypical German and American
-Hearing all about the tiger pants

The week was so much fun and it is always great to spend time with Danka and the other volunteers. After a week of that it was a little difficult coming back to the village, but I am thankful for that time we had.

Ahoj!
Christmas is over and it is already January! Stastny novy rok vsetci! (Happy New Year everyone!) Christmas was a lot of fun here in Horna Micina and I will share all about the culture in my newsletter, that hopefully will be written and sent out very soon! After Christmas and New Year's I took a short trip with the Pastor's family to Rajec, a village outside of Zilina to visit his family. After that I spent the weekend with Kristen, the volunteer in Velky Slavkov. I returned to Micina and there was snow everywhere! I have had fun with snowball fights, sledding, and of course shoveling the snow on the walkway to the church. It's funny because the translation from Slovak to English literally means "throwing out the snow", so I threw out a lot of snow! As I trudge through the snow and ice Pani Hulinova is always making sure I am okay. She sees me walk by and is so concerned that I am going to freeze to death or slip and fall or something! "Pod, pod dnu. To je zima!"(Come, come inside. It's cold!) she always says. She always asks me if I am cold, if it's cold in my room, and if the walkway from the building is cleared. I tell her I am just fine, but she is always concerned about me. And then she asks me if I have talked to my mom and dad on the phone and makes sure I am doing okay. As I leave she puts some fruit and biscuits in my bag to take with me. She is such a sweet lady!
I have posted all the Christmas cards I got around my room which has brightened things up- Thank you to everyone for all the Christmas wishes! Next week is already the midterm seminar with all the volunteers in Poland, which is hard for me to believe! Hopefully I will send out my newsletter soon and you can read about Christmas and New Year's!