These are a few of my favorite things...

After completing a three-day Fulbright Orientation a few weeks ago, the blog has unfortunately bogged down. The timing of the seminar may seem odd, but the university people have recently arrived because their start date is much later than ours. BUT before orientation it was time for a haircut, something I had been putting off for a week because I was nervous about not having my usual Kirby and trying to tell someone what I wanted. So, my colleague Zuzka hooked me up with her girl Magda, who works close to my flat. With very sketchy directions I found the building, but it was easy to find the salon, as MAGDA was plastered all over the widow. I met Magda who was in her 20's, wearing jeans and a red T-shirt. Her hair was black, sort of short, but with longer bits that were the color of her T-shirt. Uh-oh! She had some sort of a young male assistant who didn't do much of anything but the three of us managed to negotiate a color and style and it came out OK. I learned later that Magda is a local celebrity, having starred in some Slovak reality show. As a result someone set her up in this new location, hence the giant MAGDA window dressing.

But back to our Fulbright group, which seems to run the gamut in age, experience and subject area. I've already mentioned Jon and Nicole who are here with me in BA, teaching Math and English, respectively. Another Jon has taught English in Prague, will teach here at a Police Academy and joked about showing the Police Academy films to his cadets. Jen is a recent graduate who will teach English in Nitra, joined by Mark (linguist from UW Whitewater) and wife Betsy who will have a baby in January!. Kathy hails from Northern Ill. University, is an ESL specialist, and will be here in town, as will Janeil, an artist and administrator who works all over the world, most recently connected with Lill House in Chicago. Josh will head for Martin, a town in the Tatras, and Chuck and Susan will stay put so he can teach business law here at the University. Some of these folks stay only for four months; others are due to arrive next February.

It was hard to miss three days of school, having just built up a bit of momentum with my students. I left some lesson plans for my substitute, but found them on my desk Monday morning - untouched.The meetings were helpful but long, and included a blitz course in Slovak. I find the language difficult and feel a little better when even the locals agree. Nora organized an efficient orientation for us, and built in time for coffee, lunch and dinner so we really got to know one another. Also included was a reception in our honor at the home of the US Ambassador, with some seventy people in attendance. Friday was the last day and we finished it with a night at the ballet, Le Corsaire.

I figured I'd be informed and went on-line to get the story and shared it with others. But at the end, everyone's reaction was,"Huh?" The ballet was amazing, but the story line was a little shaky. Sold into slavery - pirates - wedding- rescued - re-sold into slavery... (Went on-line subsequently and found out that the story is considered silly at best and most modern staging eliminates the last act, hence the "Huh?". Face it, you don't go to ballet for the plot.)

So that was an exhausting three days and it would have been nice to relax over the week-end, but I had planned just the opposite. It was Cycling World Championships in Salzburg, Austria, Christian was riding and I was going. I had worked very hard on my arrangements for both transportation and lodging. Jan, at school had checked trains for me, trying to eliminate changing stations. Looking on-line I figured out how to get a hotel both close to the station and an easy walk to the race. John, Christian and I had a wonderful meal that evening at the USA Cycling Team's hotel, a 400 year old farm, owned by the same family all those years, and at some point converted into a restaurant/hotel. The working farm still exists, however, and the staff boast that everything served there is fresh.

The race on Sunday was great and we had Tour de France weather to make it perfect. Incredibly I got to see Christian as he rode up to the start line. He said later that he had to laugh at me as he rode away, I was so excited. True! It was the World's! I was in the VIP stands wearing the credentials of one of the US women who had already gone home. Watched 2 laps with riders coming round about every 45 minutes, but with almost 5 more hours of racing (265k race) I decided to head into downtown Salzburg to be a tourist.

I toured Mirabell Gardens which were right behind the start/finish area, and then made the short walk across the river into the old town, which includes the home where Mozart spent most of his growing up years. As it was Sunday afternoon, most of the shops were closed but that didn't stop people from strolling around. I saw many Tyrolians- drindls, wool jackets, even lederhosen. People still do really dress like that, and no, I did not see Julie Andrews singing, "The hills are alive..." but certainly expected to! Edelweiss, edelweiss, bless my homeland for... OK, staci (enough).

Back to the grandstands now for the final five laps, and not a seat to be had. I sort of worked my way up to the front row and sat on the stairs, 30 meters from the finish line. (Compared to the TdF finish, very loose security.) By serendipity I was next to a British couple, the Walls, Louis and Christine from Worcester, and huge cycling fans. This was so much fun because they so thoroughly enjoyed the racing, understood the sport, and even knew a bit about Christian. Also, Louis had a great camera with scanning abilities, and after a few laps, sure enough, got a picture of Christian. After exchanging addresses Louis said he would send me the photos, and Christian has instructions from me to send him an autographed picture.

The race was very exciting with lots of changes typical in such a long distance. And even though Christian had many CSC teamates there, this time he was riding for the stars and stripes. The Americans were looking good in Salzburg (in spite of their ugly black, blue and red jerseys). Christian's CSC mate, Fabian Cancellera had cooked everyone in the Time Trial (averging over 50k/hour - I don't drive that fast to the grocery store) but American Dave Zabriskie got the silver. Dave told Velo News, "I knew Fabian would be strong but I didn't know he'd be superman." The women also did a suberb job in the TT, with Kristin Armstrong winning gold and Christine Thorburn getting bronze!

We had a significant American presence on the road that day with Tyler Farrar going out early and staying out in a looong break.But eventually everyone came together and we grandstand critics had lots of opinions as to who had the best tactics, fastest sprint, strongest teamates, and just good old luck. Of course no one could say for sure, but we all had our hopes and allegiances. Across the street from us things were heating up, fans having staked out standing-room-only space hours ago. (The estimate was 300,000 spectators that day.) Then standing wasn't good enough, nor was shouting. People were climbing up on window ledges, hanging on signs and singing crazy-sounding songs. And the crazies got crazier, particularly a very vocal Italian group directly across from our stands,

Although we were watching the action on the Jumbotron, we did not see the Spaniard, Xaviar Cabre Florenco hit the brakes going into the final turn. This created a split, with Zabel, Bettini and two other Spaniards, Valverde and Sanchez getting a jump on the field. Valverde caught Sanchez' wheel, but it looked to be Zabel's day. Bettini would have none of it, however, and caught him in the last 50 meters, winning by a bike wheel. Meanwhile everyone, and especially the aforementioned crazy Italians went ballistic. Seeing Paolo Bettini singing up on the big screen, you would have thought he was performing in an opera, so dramatic is the anthem and so moving was the scene. They call him "The Cricket", and before you could say "Jiminy", up he was lifted by Zabel and Valverde. I still get shivers writing about it.

I just recieved some excellent 8x10 photos in the mail from amateur photographer and new friend, Louis Wall in England. He sent two pictures of Christian and two of the finish, and his image of the finish is just as I described. Some thirty meters before the line, all money is on Zabel... before Bettini comes around on his right shoulder to claim the title and those very special stripes!. Thanks again, Louis!

Planes, trains and...

Really more like trains, trams, but mostly foot-power. We just returned from a holiday week-end of hiking in the High Tatras. Olga (Lutheran Church) had organized everything so we took advantage of her expertise and connections to enjoy our first trip to the mountains. Most of us met at the train station in Bratislava for what was about a 4 and 1/2 hour trip via IC train, the intracity express trains. Two of the teachers joined us at the Liptovsky Mikolas stop and our group made twelve.

The High Tatras (Vysoke Tatry) is the highest Czech/Slovak range in the Carpathian mountains, the rim that separates Poland from Slovakia and goes into Romania. I live closer to the smaller range in Bratislava, which is also less rugged. Our hike was to be almost entirely on granite boulders - for over eight hours!

We headed to Poprad, a town about ten miles from the mountains where we managed to miss the last tram to our hotel. But no worries, Olga's got "people" and we got a ride within five minutes. Our hotel was really a Church-run youth center, with me being way past youthful, girls in the "David" room, boys in "Ezechiah's". Actually, the accomodations were quite nice, all pine floors and ceilings, new tiled baths, but a hostel nontheless. But the price was right and as I could have never done this trip on my own at this point, it was a great opportunity.

Next morning after breakfast we took the tram to Tatranska Lomnica, which was packed with fellow hikers of all ages, all decked out with poles and backpacks. From there you go buy another ticket for the gondola (like for skiers) which brought us up toward the trailhead. Our group of 12 soon split into four different groups. One took another gondola all the way up to Lomnicky Stit, another got "lost" and took a different trail, but we all came together eventually, and cell phones worked at least part of the time. We were hiking on the second highest peak, and some of us would get to about 9,000 feet.

After about 2 and 1/2 hours we reached our first mountain cottage. There you could get food, drink, or just soak up the sun, as it was a gorgeous day. (I think it was in the 50's up there but we were very soon hiking in t-shirts.) Menu items on the mountain included draught beer, klebasa, and cabbage soup among other choices. Dobre chut! (good eatin')

Although no part of this hike was easy, the part after lunch was the most difficult. Someone had vaguely mentioned a section with ropes the night before but I didn't pay much attention. Well, it wasn't ropes, it was chains and it definitely got my attention that afternoon. There are sections on the mountain that are so vertical they are too steep for any sort of trail. To traverse these areas chains have been bracketed into the mountain so you can both pull and keep your balance as you climb. This section actually got backed up due to the crowd, and we heard it got even slower as the day went on.

Following this begins the descent, the part that no one likes but you gotta get back. There was another cottage stop here, where we found ourselves cooling off for the first time all day and putting back on our jackets. Not long after Amy (in my group) slipped and fell to her knees, I did the same. Unfortunately, in my case, my backpack slipped up to my shoulders resulting in a face plant. The whole thing was slow motion - very graceful...and really embarassing! At any rate, we all did fine, everyone accounted for and no serious injuries.

That evening we grilled klebasi "back at the ranch". Three or four people passed around a guitar and we enjoyed a great fire under a beautiful starlit cover. Two opted to hike the next day, but most of us returned home after hanging out in Poprad that morning. Our screaming knees and feet had quieted down by that time, but everyone (young AND old) was having trouble going down stairs. And me, I returned to BA with some great mountain memories to keep, and a small but noticeable scab I can't wait to lose!!!

Food, Fun and Folks

I know, again with the food. This blog seems to be taking on a decidedly culinary point of view, but I can't help myself. Food is fun. It's an interesting window into a country's kitchen, and most importantly, it often brings people together. So, when I write about people, it often includes a bit about the chow we're sharing.

I just finished my first week with students, although it was a modified schedule. I still have not seen my Primas (first years, like our fifth graders) as they are on a class trip that includes cycling, rock climbing, kayaking and hiking. On Monday they are scheduled to hold a triathlon of sorts: run, ride, kayak before heading home on Tuesday. On Thursday and Friday I will begin teaching swim lessons with Jozef, my department chair who speaks little English. I think we'll be fine; it's obvious that he is a dedicated teacher, very invested in his students.

What's unique, though, is that we have no pool. Students go directly to a nearby facility first thing in the morning on the day of the lesson where we meet them. After the lesson we get them on the tram, students having purchased their own tickets, and return to school. I anticipate that this also will go smoothly even though it seems so unusual. My classes were great last week, exhausting, but fun. The students here are expected to be responsible and they rise to the occasion. Their schedules are similar to HS at Lab, coming and going at different times with possible free periods in between. I am describing the whole school here, remember, grades 5-12. And because the schedule is frequently changed, they also must be responsible to check the timetable in our offices.

Another unique aspect of teaching here is that no substitutes are used. We all shift around and cover for one other, having checked the substitution schedule (again with the timetable!) that morning, or sometimes the day before. I have an English class substitution Monday, which I will make a conversational session. It will be September 11 tomorrow, so I think I will have an effective topic for discussion. These students are eighth years, like our HS seniors, with well-developed language skills.

Last week was also the start of our food service in the canteen. For this, I had to go the Post Office to purchase my monthly ticket, which was about as scary as going to Tesco, the giant supermarket, the first time. I thought I had filled out the form correctly, but she DID NOT like the way I made my #1, you know like a straight line. It meant nothing to her and somehow seemed to really tick her off. I had exact change, hoping to gain her graces, but because of a service fee, that, too, was wrong and I think I completely ruined her day. Breaking a sweat, I took my stamped receipt and change and made a quick exit.

In Slovakia, employers are required to pay for their employees' meal while at work and that includes me because "I'm Sona". An amount is determined by a formula, and the employee pays for the remainder, about a dollar a meal. If the place of employment has no kitchen, many restaurants honor the system by preparing a special which can be immediately served. The third option is to be used in a grocery store, like food stamps. If you do not use the voucher, you lose the benefit so most people take advantage because they feel they would otherwise lose money.

So, we not only have a kitchen, we have a computerized system of choosing from among four items on the menu which is published in advance. I try to grab somebody and get them to translate so I have a clue, but there isn't always a person available who can explain. So lunch becomes a bit of a surprise! Last Thursday, for example, I knew it was going to be chicken-something-or-other, and that Friday would be a mushroom-thingee. For Monday I got crazy and ordered a traditional meal called buckti, similar to eating a fruit-filled pastry. Kelly, one of the teachers, tells me that Monday is sweet day, with one of the choices being a sweet entree.

I felt very guilty ordering this (as if I had ordered dessert for my meal) but I noticed that many teachers had also chosen this dish. We were served four very large prune-stuffed rolls which were sprinkled with powdered sugar and I could only finish one.

I've tried a few other things, too. Kofula is a soda that looks like root beer and try as I did to convince myself of this, I couldn't even finish half of it. Josh says it's an acquired taste; I guess so. Bought paprika chips when I first arrived; seemed like the thing to do. Don't bother. Taught that English class the other day and it went well. We had a very informal conversation talking about school, PE and my experience here. Someone asked what I thought about the food and away we went. When I bemoaned the fact that I had no oven, Eva, one of the students, said she would bake for me. Incrediby, this morning she brought in strudel made by her Gram! Poppy seed and apple, YUM! She said she knows how to make strudel because her Gram taught her, but there is something new out in the way of a shortcut and not too many people bother or even know how to make it the traditional way.

When the Prima trip returned they brought a delicacy from Piestany. The town of Piestony is famous as Slovakia's spa village because of its thermal springs, and the origins of the town go back to the Stone Age. Piestony's sweet treat is called oplatky and looks like two giant Holy Communion wafers sandwiched on either side of various fillings. A very small amount goes a long way; it would be good with a rich cup of coffee, also easy to come by around here.

But let's return to last Friday. Piatok marked the end of our first week and that called for a celebratiom which, you guessed it, called for food! Here in BA there is an International Evangelical Lutheran Church which celebrates Mass in English every Sunday. Most attendees are Americans, but the congregation is fairly diverse. The Church is connected with a number of schools and a mission, so there are many teachers and volunteers involved.

Fellow Fulbrighter (and fellow Catholic) Jon, teaches math at the Lyceum and plays guitar at Mass. Pastor David is a Californian and Asst. Pastor Josh hails from St. Charles. David's wife, Carla, plays harp at Church and is very involved in the ministery as well. So...last Friday David and Carla hosted "all the Americans" and then some, for enchiladas at their flat. Some of us baked or brought dishes, others brought wine, and still others brought the fixins' for Slovak Margharitas (vodka, no tequila). David set up his computer projector and we voted on a DVD to watch - Spinal Tap, followed by a little SNL with Chris Farley. Couldn't have had a better night!

We are walking...we are are seeing...we are eating....

It's Festival Time in BA! Long live the king! Although there had been some discussion about visiting Vienna, it was determined that Bratislava was the place to be this week-end, so here we stayed. This past Friday was the celebration of Constitution Day, and just like Labor Day, serves as the last fling of summer. In addition, the coronation is re-enacted, commemorating over 250 years of Austro-Hungarian royalty having being crowned in St. Martin's Cathedral. Dom Sv. Martina was one of the first places I visited upon arriving, and I was surprised to find it a relatively humble place considering it was the coronation church of nineteen kings and queens, 1563-1830. It is Bratislava's most important Gothic structure, with a spire topped by a tiny golden crown instead of a cross. It also sits dangerously close to Novy most (New Bridge), whose traffic impacts the building with both exhaust fumes and vibrations. Novy most, also called most SNP (Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising) for which the old Jewish Quarter was ripped up, spans the Danube and seems in odd juxtaposition next to The Old Town.

The bells are ringing and have been for the last 30 minutes, signaling the end of the coronation ceremony of Matej II, 1608. I'm excited and don't even know the guy! Later I will go out on my square (Hviezedoslavovo namestie, which I really have to learn to pronounce because this is where I live) to catch the end of the procession as it finishes here.

Back now from the culminating festivities, and what an event it was! There was much Medieval hoop-la including musicians, soldiers, horses, ladies-in-waiting and their escorts, not to mention the good King himself, who is quite the equestrian. He rode his steed up on stage - twice. King Matej, however, has either a small royal head or a too-big jeweled crown. I couldn't tell which but the effect was less than regal. Also turns out that the King is 40-ish, tall, and good-looking. I know about the tall part because he dismounted and held a press conference...just to the left of the jumbotron, making King Matej a true King of the people, even us commoners on the Hviez-whatever square.

Yesterday, I visited the Hrad (castle) with fellow Fulbrighters Jon and Nicole, to check out the goings-on up the hill. There were period artisans demonstrating their craft, goods for sale, music, jousting and FOOD, FOOD, FOOD! We saw lace makers, wood workers, and cornhusk crafters. There were tinkers, whip-snappers, and barrel makers. An area dedicated to a hands-on school for children to try their ability even included kid-sized potting wheels. We saw mouth harp musicians (I may have the wrong term here. Think George Clooney in "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?") and much more.

We were so taken by the intricacy of the work, no matter the craft. And of course an artisan is always willing to talk about his/her craft, so that made it not only interesting but personal too. And the eggs! Woo-boy did they have eggs. Eggs painted with wax, or covered with fine twine, or drilled out with a dentist tool, or dyed with onion skins and painted in the most muted of shades. Sizes? Try ostrich, goose, duck, hen and quail. And some just didn't even seem feasible. An egg shell covered in a wire mesh design? I had to buy and the ones I chose resembled pinecones.

But shopping makes you hungry so Jon tucked in to one of those sandwiches I'd been smelling from my flat: chicken, slathered with onions and smeared with mustard on an enormous roll, a tasty treat called cigansha. Nicole and I held out for something I had discovered on the square the night before -rezance!

The rezance tent was an assembly-line operation of about 6 women making homemade pasta, with the last-in-line ripping the noodles into stroganoff-size strips. After boiling the noodles in a huge kettle, the final step was to mix this with melted butter and break up blocks of cheese (resembled farmer's chese in consistency). So you get your bowl and put the final touch on it...powdered sugar! I don't care how it sounds, it tastes terrific. (I might also mention that this was a very happy assembly-line of pasta makers, stopping every once in a while for a shot of medovino, or honey wine.)

Polishing off my noodles, I hit the hand-made bell booth. What a great gift for my dog, Sampson, who knows to ring the bell with his nose to signal that he has to go out. I attempt to engage the bell-maker in conversation, wondering about how long it takes to make a bell. He looks very confused about what I guess was an American kind of question. His co-worker explains that is hard to say because, "First he is cutting the steel, now he is pounding the metal. Next he is heating the metal to form the bell."

This is the way I sometimes hear things translated for me by some very patient Slovaks. It always makes me smile, just like the festival T-shirt for sale that says, "Kiss me I am Slovak". Lost in translation? Well, sometimes, but it's amazing how you can communicate when you want to, irregardless of how hard it may be and how funny you probably sound. Think about NOT being able to make yourself understood or understand somebody, and how that would affect you. My exchange partner, Sona, has good language skills, but says she yearns to speak Slovak and feels like "half a person" speaking English. What a great analogy; your language is you and you are what you speak.

The A-HAH! factor

Breathe in - breathe out. Big inhale, now exhale. Get ready, get set, BLOG. Thanks for joining me; I hope you'll check in from time to time. It's taken me over two weeks to actually get around to writing about beginning my year as a Fulbright Exchange Teacher here in Bratislava, Slovakia. High on the priority list were such issues as figuring out the SEVEN keys I have for the flat, the commute to my school, and just trying to communicate with...anybody. Most things seem to be mysteries around here even including the pencil sharpener at my school. I'm not kidding. When I first tried it, I assumed it was broken until Anna Cifrova, my principal, said, "Oh, I need to show you how that works." And she did: seems that you have to pull out the front portion while pressing in on another part, and manually turn the handle. So thanks, Anna, for that and everything else I can't seem to figure out on my own. I know, if you're even bothering to read this you most likely aren't too interested in pencil sharpeners, but it still amazes me. Remember those descripive writing exercises in schooL? Well, describe how the Sukromne Gymnazium's (my school) pencil sharpener works would be a great challenge. OK, sorry, enough about the pencil sharpener. But still...

I arrived here from Chicago last August 16. The last part of my trip was Munich-Bratislava, landing on time with luggage intact. I thought for sure I would be overweight but wasn't, although my backpack probably weighed in at 25 pounds, and somehow got heavier as I traveled east. Dada and Anna, Assistant Director and Principal respectively, picked me up and brought me to Sona's flat. Sona Oravcova, whose name I mispronounced for months until I actually met her, is my international exchange partner. We had worked out a housing exchange as well, so she is in Beverly (Chicago) and I am here. She will take my position at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools as I replace her at Sukromne Gymnazium.

Sukromne Gymnazium is Bratislava's first private school, and in fact Monday's opening day will include a celebration of its 15th year. A gymnazium is a type of educational institution, not a place for physical activity as you may assume. We are an 8-year school, the equivalent of grades 5-12 in the states, with over 400 Slovak students. What we would call Middle School and High School, they refer to as Junior School and Senior School. Our students sit for an entrance exam, are required to take a minimum of two foreign languages, and all plan to go on and attend university.

I will teach every class in the Junior School, but only the girls because students are divided for physical education. (Oops, I mean Telesna Vychova which makes me not a PE but a TV teacher!) I'll see most of my students three times a week, including for swimming which I teach, but not for skating, which I do not. My duties also include after-school activity which is optional, and I think more recreational in nature. This gives me 24 lessons a week which is the way they break down teaching time. In addition, I may teach a conversational English class but that depends on sign-up interest because it, too, is optional. With or without English class, I will be teaching much more than back at Lab School, so Sona's got it easy. Just kidding! For better or worse, at least I will teach in English, with lots of gestures, I'm thinking. I'll also try to refrain from the technique of TALKING LOUDER IN AN ATTEMPT TO BE UNDERSTOOD. Should be interesting.

You know how we Americans mumble mm-mmm or uh-huh to indicate yes, agreement or understanding? Slovaks say, "A-HAH!" as if they have just solved Einstein's theory of relativity, and now so do I but for a different reason.THAT'S how you work the washing machine? A-HAH! THAT'S how you switch the keyboard to English? A-HAH! THAT'S how you sharpen a pencil? A-HAH! You get the idea; should be a radio station as in "This is W-AHAH in Bratislava, all A-HAHS, all the time."

Sona's flat is located in Stare Mesto, the Old Town, and although it is small the location is excellent. I am minutes away from shopping, tram stop to school, and I don't even need a coat to run across the namestie (square) to the National Theater. And these are all important factors for me, including the theater which is dedicated to opera and ballet. Tickets can be purchased behind the theater at the box office and go down in price as the performance date approaches. So, ten days before the show you can snag a ticket for about 150 sk. Currency is the Slovak Koruna, so for 150 crowns you're paying about five bucks for the theater, and the show changes nightly. Who needs Eurosport on the telly when there is the National Theate on the square? A-HAH!