Staff Team-Building and a trip to IKEA

(Actual Date: August 20)

at a park outside of Bratislava (similar to a State Park)

Friday was a team-building day which basically meant that we were all going to do something fun together. Several people met at a trail in Petrazalka to bike or roller-blade to the park outside of Bratislava (someone said it might have been 12km, or about 5 miles). But since I did not have either of those options, I joined the cooking team. We met at the school and walked to a bus stop that would take us out to the park. We found the park and the top chef who drove a car full of supplies. We helped carry supplies in to the park and found a place to set up. Slovak BBQ is nothing like the states, but it was pretty good. They had chicken, bread, sausages, raw vegetables, grilled zucchini, grilled bacon, and some kind of cake for dessert.

It was very pretty and relaxing. I had a good time, but it was pretty hard to join in because most people spoke in Slovak the whole time. Reason #953 to learn Slovak quickly. All the teachers speak English (it’s required by the school in order to get hired), but most are not comfortable using it all the time. And honestly, if I had to speak in Spanish all the time, it would not be very easy for me either, so I don’t blame them.

getting the food ready for lunch

When I got back, I met up with Ashley, Jenni, and Katie for a trip to IKEA. I got a rug there and a rubbish bin (trash can), some picture frames, and a few other items to help me set up my room a little better. I will need to make another trip, but I can only buy what I can carry, and that’s a new concept for me. It’s weird to not be able to just buy what you want since you don’t have a way to get it home. I really want a desk for my room, but I have to find someone with a car that would be willing to go to the store with me and bring it to my flat. So I’ll get one eventually, just not right away. (Thank you, Ozona, for getting me ready for that one!)

By the time we got home from IKEA, we were ready to put our stuff away and start thinking about bed. I seem to be able to go to sleep for a couple of hours, but then I wake up and can’t go back to sleep for a couple more hours, then I finally fall asleep again and wake up really late! (see next post)