Happy Easter...Get Out The Whips

Yes, this one goes in the "couldn't make this up" category. Two odd Easter customs here seem to provide hijinx for the guys and dread for the girls! On Easter morning, boys and men go around squirting or pouring water on women! This, I believe is thought to be complimentary; the girls are so happy they hand over an egg to the guy. Then after getting doused with water, the whipping starts. Willow branches are woven into weapons and girls are playfully(?) whipped with said branches. Once again, the girls respond by giving a colorful ribbon to the guy, with his goal trying to collect as many ribbons as possible on his willow whip. Let the fun begin! (Zuzka said she used to hide Easter morning in an attempt to keep dry. Not sure if she ever received a whoopin' though.)

At dinner with some Fulbrighters last week, someone was talking about having seen a folk dance performed by girls on my square, and then repeated down by the river. The girls had dolls on sticks which they threw into the Danube at the end of the performance. I asked Luba and she said they were throwing out Morena (winter). It must have been the first day of spring and traditionally girls dress up a doll (Morena) and perform the dance to cast out Morena and usher in spring. (So that later the drenching and whipping can commence.)

This blog is a sort of odds and ends piece, trying to catch up before I leave for Istanbul tomorrow. (Doesn't everyone go to Muslim country for Easter?) When I last wrote about Italy and spring break, I didn't mention leaving the next day for Berlin to attend the Fulbright Winter Seminar there. That was poor planning but we never knew about Berlin until much later, after we'd already booked Milan. Kathy, Jon, Chuck and Susan and I all attended. Our Slovak Fulbright Commission had said this was optional but highly recommended. Translation: we'd really like you to go but you'll have to pay your own way. But the fees were nominal and we discovered Air Berlin: leather seats and lunch on a 1 hour flight. Not bad.

As with everything Fulbright does, it was a first-rate conference. Germany has the largest number of Fulbrighters and there were over 300 of us there. I met an exchange teacher from Germany who was teaching P.E. so we had some great talks, having had very similar experiences. (Germany starts school in July so this teacher had not been at the Washington D.C. Fulbright Orientation last August.) Some of the sessions were research-oriented and appealed to a select number of attendees, but the opportunity to network or just catch up with others was excellent. We had many musical galas (international language) and even met the mayor at one of the last sessions at the Radhaus. Skipped the disco party but others said it was well attended and lots of fun. (OK, feeling a little old here; about half of Germany's Fulbrighters are 22-year-olds, so a disco party held limited appeal for me.)

Had a little time to tour so saw some of the great modern architecture on a boat trip, visited the Jewish Museum, Berliner Dome and Checkpoint Charlie Museum, including seeing some of the Berlin Wall. It was quite rushed and by the time of the close on Thursday we were all surprised that it was time to go. Operating on the good old American work ethic, we'd all said we would be in school on Friday. Without exception, upon returning everyone's principal had said, "Oh, you should have stayed longer." Now they tell us!

Remember the ear wax issue? Well, that was followed by three more doctors over this past week. The clinic says they hope to never see me again and I feel likewise. My ailments weren't serious but I did need medical attention nonetheless. Funny how when you walk down there for the fourth time it's suddenly no big deal, as you know what to expect and have sorted things out. I now have an amazing variety of ointments, lotions, drops, and meds to take, all with directions hand-written by the chemist on the outside of the package.

Sona, by the way, has connected with Andrea, Dagmar's sister-in-law. (Remember I met Dagmar at the hospital last week when I was "lost in translation".) They talked last Thursday and met at the Art Institute last Sunday.

This past Saturday some 20 of us from church drove 1 hour south to the refugee camp to attend a concert held to entertain the residents. The numbers vary, but right now there are about 150 refugees there waiting for asylum, some of them for over one year. In the meantime, they can't work, can't attend school, can't really do anything. Of the 150, about 75 showed up, only 2 of them women. We had a band, headed up by our "rockin' reverend" Dave, and they were great - to our American ears anyway. At one point, the north Indians commandeered the mikes and the place heated up. (In terms of manners, it may have seemed rude, but the idea was to engage the people to eventually do this themselves. Hopefully, they will pursue this.) We had brought food and drinks and everything was devoured or taken back home. The place was a former university, long abandoned and in the middle of nowhere. It was very depressing and I was exhausted when I got home, having done nothing but try to talk to some Indians, Ukraines, Ugandis, and Pakistanis.

Liba, Vlado and I hiked last Sunday. We cooked sausages again and this time our goal was Devinska Kobyla, and yes it really was a small sand dune. I could hardly believe where I was. By the time we reached it, it was about 4:00, and many people were sitting and/or lying around, as the area sits on the east bank of the Danube. Liba again picked flowers, being careful to "save some for the bees". She showed me net (I think we call this stinging nettle.) and said that would be the next thing she'd harvest but it was too early right now.

So I'm packing for Turkey tonight. Christian has cautioned me to not eat the street food even though it all looks so good. Everyone says be careful and I intend to. Oh, and even though I won't be here for Easter, I have purchased my own whip, 40 crowns outside of Tesco. Just trying to be proactive!