(Actual Date: August 19)
This was a very short day. Ashley showed me how to get to school, and then we split up for our school meetings. We had one large meeting together about vision and goals (like the superintendent’s talk on the first day, but much shorter). Then we had a little bit of time to get a quick tour and find our office on the 3rd floor. (Who needs a Stairmaster?) We had a short English department meeting and then went to lunch. For the afternoon, we just kind of read over some course descriptions and tried to figure out the schedule. Then I got on the bus and came home all by myself! Hooray for not getting lost the first time…maybe later I’ll get lost, but I was successful the first time. I know I was home by about 3pm, but I don’t really remember what I did the rest of this day either. I’m writing this on Sunday, so it was only 4 days ago, but I still don’t remember. Probably went to Tesco, which is like Wal-Mart…we’ve been there lots lately, so it’s safe to say we went on this day as well.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
First Day in Bratislava
(Actual Date: August 18)
Maria (the one helping us with visas) picked me up at 8:15 on Wednesday morning and we went to register at the foreign police and begin the visa process. The foreign police station is right in front of my flat, so it was a short walk to get there. It took about an hour and a half to get all the paperwork done and give all the stuff to the lady behind the counter. Lots of places here work like the DMV – you take a number when you walk in the door and wait in the lobby for your number to come up on the screen, then you can go in the door to the desk. We got lucky and Melissa and I were at desks next to each other so it was very easy for Maria to translate for both of us at the same time.
From there, we went to the school for a little bit so that we could check our email and request original birth certificates. I did not know we would need them, so I didn’t bring one. Maria also wrote letters for us to sign so that she would have the authority to work on the visas for us. We then had to take them to a notary/lawyer to get them signed.
After this, we found the cell phone store so we could get local phone numbers. Again, this is a take a number kind of place, so we waited until our number was called. I was able to use my US phone and just get a new SIM card with some credit on it. Most people have credit, which is like a Go phone in the US. When you get close to running out, you go buy more credit. It is significantly cheaper than phones in the US.
Melissa remembered a nice place she liked to have lunch so we went there for a late lunch. Then we went to get bus passes so that we did not have to buy tickets all the time. They would not take our passport photos we had brought because they were too big, so we had to find a photo lab that would take our picture for the passes. Then we went back to buy the bus passes. So I can now just hop on a bus and ride wherever I want (in Zone 1…which is mostly where I will be).
By now it was nearly 4 pm so Maria helped me get home, and I don’t remember what I did the rest of that day. Weird, I know, but really, I can’t remember the rest of that day. Probably went to bed early and slept.
Maria (the one helping us with visas) picked me up at 8:15 on Wednesday morning and we went to register at the foreign police and begin the visa process. The foreign police station is right in front of my flat, so it was a short walk to get there. It took about an hour and a half to get all the paperwork done and give all the stuff to the lady behind the counter. Lots of places here work like the DMV – you take a number when you walk in the door and wait in the lobby for your number to come up on the screen, then you can go in the door to the desk. We got lucky and Melissa and I were at desks next to each other so it was very easy for Maria to translate for both of us at the same time.
From there, we went to the school for a little bit so that we could check our email and request original birth certificates. I did not know we would need them, so I didn’t bring one. Maria also wrote letters for us to sign so that she would have the authority to work on the visas for us. We then had to take them to a notary/lawyer to get them signed.
After this, we found the cell phone store so we could get local phone numbers. Again, this is a take a number kind of place, so we waited until our number was called. I was able to use my US phone and just get a new SIM card with some credit on it. Most people have credit, which is like a Go phone in the US. When you get close to running out, you go buy more credit. It is significantly cheaper than phones in the US.
Melissa remembered a nice place she liked to have lunch so we went there for a late lunch. Then we went to get bus passes so that we did not have to buy tickets all the time. They would not take our passport photos we had brought because they were too big, so we had to find a photo lab that would take our picture for the passes. Then we went back to buy the bus passes. So I can now just hop on a bus and ride wherever I want (in Zone 1…which is mostly where I will be).
By now it was nearly 4 pm so Maria helped me get home, and I don’t remember what I did the rest of that day. Weird, I know, but really, I can’t remember the rest of that day. Probably went to bed early and slept.
Travelling
(Actual date: August 16-17)
I travelled with Melissa and Ryan, a couple that is also going to be living in Bratislava this year. Mel will teach with me at the high school and her husband will find a volunteer position somewhere in town. We began our day by meeting at the designated spot at 3:20 am on Monday morning. We got all our luggage loaded and were off to the airport. Because we were flying internationally, it took us a long time to check in. Then we had to wait in a really long line to get through security. (at this point, I was really missing DFW…my favorite airport for security checks) Finally, we were all through the security point and went to find our gate.
We did not have enough time to do anything except go to the restroom…so this is where I made my biggest mistake. I did not eat breakfast, and I know that I feel yucky if I don’t eat enough before I fly. We had a 3 hour flight to Chicago first. By the time we got there, my tummy was a little off kilter, but I figured if I ate a good lunch it would be better. We had a quick meal at McDonald’s (because it was right in front of us when walked off the first plane and directly next to the gate for our second flight.) We had about an hour to eat and I needed to rearrange some of my carry-on luggage and then we were off on the 7 hour international flight to Frankfurt.
I tried desperately to sleep on this flight, but I’ve never been much of a sleeper when travelling. (note to self: bring drugs next time.) I can’t get comfortable enough and I had an aisle seat, so I was subconsciously worried about getting whacked with the carts. I was pretty impressed that I only had to get up once, until I realized that my ankles were swelling to the size of grapefruits. Since this was my first international flight, I did not realize that you should get up every hour so that you don’t get cankles…so please learn from my experience and get up often. By the end of this flight I was feeling pretty queasy, but we had a 3 hour layover and I thought some solid ground would be nice.
We had entered the Schoengen (sp?) zone, where you have to have your stuff checked by customs. They were nice, but went through my entire carry-on suitcase. So then it wouldn’t zip too well (it was pretty tightly packed!) We found a place to set up camp for a couple of hours in Frankfurt. Then I realized that all I had with me were American Dollars…no good in Frankfurt. And we couldn’t find the currency exchange place, or it just wasn’t open that early (6:00am), so Mel got me a little croissant. I thought I was feeling pretty good. Then we found our next gate and scanned our own boarding passes and went down the stairs (carrying all our stuff) to the bus….yes, bus. We rode around on this very crowded bus for ten minutes or more all around the airport, between planes and all. I think we ended up all the way at the very edge of the airport before we saw our plane. Then we had to lug our stuff up the stairs to the plane doors. I found my seat and got all settled. I was in the window seat, the middle seat was empty, and a nice man was on the end. At this point I was extremely exhausted and really wanted to sleep. I got my pillow out and laid my head on the window. We took off, it was really turbulent, and I was up to go to the bathroom. As soon as I sat down again, I needed the barf bag, but I didn’t make it in the bag. There is nothing like having travelled for 24 hours, not slept, then throwing up all over yourself in a place you can’t escape, and no one speaks English. The flight attendants were very nice, but clearly not happy I had made a mess. I got to the bathroom (the man next to me moved to a new seat, poor guy) and cleaned up as best as possible in a plane bathroom. I felt pretty good for about 20 minutes, then we were getting to land, and I used the bag in the seat next to mine. This time I had better aim. I just waited til everyone else had left the plane before getting off and then had to change my pants in the airport before meeting Daniel who is the manager of the school where I will be teaching.
We were somewhat worried when we walked out to the parking lot and he only had a small sedan. But we managed to get everything in. I wish we had taken a picture of this because it was pretty funny. We had all 6 big suitcases and one little one in the trunk…it looked like a low rider at this point, before we even got in the car. There were two duffels and my carry-on suitcase in the back seat behind the driver. I had to ride in the front with a backpack under my feet and with my laptop in my lap. Mel and Ryan squeezed in to the rest of the back seat and had to hold the trunk cover (like for SUVs in the US, but everyone has one here) in front of them, so they couldn’t see at all. I made it to the Novy Most (New Bridge) and had to have Daniel pull over so I could barf again at a bus stop. We were only about 5 minutes from Mel & Ryan’s flat. What a way to impress your “big” boss.
Melissa and Ryan have a flat in Old Town, which is the really cute (and old) part of town. But there is no elevator and they are on the 3rd floor (which is actually the 4th, counting the American way). So we carried all of their things up and had a short meeting with another lady and met the girl who will be walking us through the visa process. Then they brought me to my flat in Petrazalka – the part of town where the communists had built a ton of apartment buildings all in concrete. However, there has been a lot of renovating lately, and they used bright colors to paint over the grey. Our building is yellow and white, but is a little older than others, so it’s kind of dingy, but clean and renovated on the inside. I live on the 10th floor and am very grateful for the elevators. I have my own bedroom, and will hopefully post a video tour within the next couple of weeks. It’s pretty plain right now, but I’m slowly collecting things (of color, the entire flat is white) and finding a place for them.
I tried very hard to not take a nap, but a little one was necessary. I felt much better after an hour nap and set to work unpacking my clothes. Jenni and Katie came over to take me to the grocery store and dinner. We went to a Slovak pizza place they really like. It was very good and I was incredibly grateful for their help and companionship that night. About 15 minutes after I got home, Ashley arrived as well. We chatted for about an hour and I went to bed.
And that was my last day in America and my first day in Slovakia.
I travelled with Melissa and Ryan, a couple that is also going to be living in Bratislava this year. Mel will teach with me at the high school and her husband will find a volunteer position somewhere in town. We began our day by meeting at the designated spot at 3:20 am on Monday morning. We got all our luggage loaded and were off to the airport. Because we were flying internationally, it took us a long time to check in. Then we had to wait in a really long line to get through security. (at this point, I was really missing DFW…my favorite airport for security checks) Finally, we were all through the security point and went to find our gate.
We did not have enough time to do anything except go to the restroom…so this is where I made my biggest mistake. I did not eat breakfast, and I know that I feel yucky if I don’t eat enough before I fly. We had a 3 hour flight to Chicago first. By the time we got there, my tummy was a little off kilter, but I figured if I ate a good lunch it would be better. We had a quick meal at McDonald’s (because it was right in front of us when walked off the first plane and directly next to the gate for our second flight.) We had about an hour to eat and I needed to rearrange some of my carry-on luggage and then we were off on the 7 hour international flight to Frankfurt.
I tried desperately to sleep on this flight, but I’ve never been much of a sleeper when travelling. (note to self: bring drugs next time.) I can’t get comfortable enough and I had an aisle seat, so I was subconsciously worried about getting whacked with the carts. I was pretty impressed that I only had to get up once, until I realized that my ankles were swelling to the size of grapefruits. Since this was my first international flight, I did not realize that you should get up every hour so that you don’t get cankles…so please learn from my experience and get up often. By the end of this flight I was feeling pretty queasy, but we had a 3 hour layover and I thought some solid ground would be nice.
We had entered the Schoengen (sp?) zone, where you have to have your stuff checked by customs. They were nice, but went through my entire carry-on suitcase. So then it wouldn’t zip too well (it was pretty tightly packed!) We found a place to set up camp for a couple of hours in Frankfurt. Then I realized that all I had with me were American Dollars…no good in Frankfurt. And we couldn’t find the currency exchange place, or it just wasn’t open that early (6:00am), so Mel got me a little croissant. I thought I was feeling pretty good. Then we found our next gate and scanned our own boarding passes and went down the stairs (carrying all our stuff) to the bus….yes, bus. We rode around on this very crowded bus for ten minutes or more all around the airport, between planes and all. I think we ended up all the way at the very edge of the airport before we saw our plane. Then we had to lug our stuff up the stairs to the plane doors. I found my seat and got all settled. I was in the window seat, the middle seat was empty, and a nice man was on the end. At this point I was extremely exhausted and really wanted to sleep. I got my pillow out and laid my head on the window. We took off, it was really turbulent, and I was up to go to the bathroom. As soon as I sat down again, I needed the barf bag, but I didn’t make it in the bag. There is nothing like having travelled for 24 hours, not slept, then throwing up all over yourself in a place you can’t escape, and no one speaks English. The flight attendants were very nice, but clearly not happy I had made a mess. I got to the bathroom (the man next to me moved to a new seat, poor guy) and cleaned up as best as possible in a plane bathroom. I felt pretty good for about 20 minutes, then we were getting to land, and I used the bag in the seat next to mine. This time I had better aim. I just waited til everyone else had left the plane before getting off and then had to change my pants in the airport before meeting Daniel who is the manager of the school where I will be teaching.
We were somewhat worried when we walked out to the parking lot and he only had a small sedan. But we managed to get everything in. I wish we had taken a picture of this because it was pretty funny. We had all 6 big suitcases and one little one in the trunk…it looked like a low rider at this point, before we even got in the car. There were two duffels and my carry-on suitcase in the back seat behind the driver. I had to ride in the front with a backpack under my feet and with my laptop in my lap. Mel and Ryan squeezed in to the rest of the back seat and had to hold the trunk cover (like for SUVs in the US, but everyone has one here) in front of them, so they couldn’t see at all. I made it to the Novy Most (New Bridge) and had to have Daniel pull over so I could barf again at a bus stop. We were only about 5 minutes from Mel & Ryan’s flat. What a way to impress your “big” boss.
Melissa and Ryan have a flat in Old Town, which is the really cute (and old) part of town. But there is no elevator and they are on the 3rd floor (which is actually the 4th, counting the American way). So we carried all of their things up and had a short meeting with another lady and met the girl who will be walking us through the visa process. Then they brought me to my flat in Petrazalka – the part of town where the communists had built a ton of apartment buildings all in concrete. However, there has been a lot of renovating lately, and they used bright colors to paint over the grey. Our building is yellow and white, but is a little older than others, so it’s kind of dingy, but clean and renovated on the inside. I live on the 10th floor and am very grateful for the elevators. I have my own bedroom, and will hopefully post a video tour within the next couple of weeks. It’s pretty plain right now, but I’m slowly collecting things (of color, the entire flat is white) and finding a place for them.
I tried very hard to not take a nap, but a little one was necessary. I felt much better after an hour nap and set to work unpacking my clothes. Jenni and Katie came over to take me to the grocery store and dinner. We went to a Slovak pizza place they really like. It was very good and I was incredibly grateful for their help and companionship that night. About 15 minutes after I got home, Ashley arrived as well. We chatted for about an hour and I went to bed.
And that was my last day in America and my first day in Slovakia.
Talent Show
The last night of training we had a talent show...some serious, some funny...pictures and video later.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Chicken & Waffles
On the last day in July, we had a pretty busy day, but were free from 5:30pm on. Sarah, Jamie, and I had planned to go back to Old Town to explore some more, but the busses stop running at 8 pm and we didn't feel that was enough time, so we decided to just walk to the next major street over (Lake Ave) and see what we could find.
We found Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles...apparently it's world famous (and in a Jackie Chan movie), but not in Texas, Florida, or Colorado. None of us had ever heard of it but several staff members said it was really good. So we decided to stay and see what all the hype was about.
We are now believers! Our chicken and waffles (with syrup) was a treat! It reminded me a lot of Chick-fil-A's chicken biscuit for breakfast. You have to get over the fact that we don't think of chicken as breakfast food first, but we decided it was a safe start to our year of adventurous eating anyway. I really did like it and we had a blast taking pictures. (the waitress probably thought we were a little crazy, but it was super fun.)
Then we walked back to campus and made the weekly stop at Rite-Aid on the way home. Rite-Aid is like a Wal-greens or CVS store...and it's the closest thing to us and so we just give them business sometimes so that we can get off campus and enjoy the beautiful weather out here.
We found Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles...apparently it's world famous (and in a Jackie Chan movie), but not in Texas, Florida, or Colorado. None of us had ever heard of it but several staff members said it was really good. So we decided to stay and see what all the hype was about.
 |
| literally: Waffle, Syrup, Chicken (must be fried for it to count!) |
 |
| Sarah, me, and Jamie - a nice security guard took this picture for us |
New Side Job: Tattoo Artist
Check out this new tattoo design I drew on Shelly’s arm today! It means “I love the world!” I think my skills need a little work, but I might be on to something for me to do when I come back to the States next summer. I will begin taking appointments now if you are interested.
Truthfully though, I have actually turned out to be quite the artist with a sharpie. I’ve been drawing simple pics of random vocabulary words on notecards to be used in our ESL lessons. I can draw weather, post office items, places (like Laundromat!), and money. And maybe other things, but that talent remains to be seen.
Truthfully though, I have actually turned out to be quite the artist with a sharpie. I’ve been drawing simple pics of random vocabulary words on notecards to be used in our ESL lessons. I can draw weather, post office items, places (like Laundromat!), and money. And maybe other things, but that talent remains to be seen.
Week 3 of Training
 |
| morning worship time |
We are also no longer required to go to the ESL classes if we are not teaching that night. Half of us are on campus tonight while the others are teaching. Then we will switch places tomorrow. It has been very nice to have 3 hours with no responsibility. I should be doing my last bit of homework, but I’d rather catch up on my blogging before I forget everything that has happened in the last week and a half.
 |
| Worship team getting ready Karissa, Sierra, Melissa, Eric, & Morgan |
The other nice thing about week three is that the schedule has loosened up a little bit. We are getting longer breaks…especially in the afternoon. This has allowed us to do a little bit more planning for our lessons and is alleviating stress. I am doing a load of laundry tonight as well as emailing, lesson planning, and just enjoying some alone time.
I found a quote this week from Mary Oliver. It is my challenge to you this week to think about this quote. You need not get an answer, but just the thinking will probably change your perspective on a few things anyway.
What do you plan to do with your one wild & precious life? ~Mary Oliver
 |
| Paul's make-shift Drum Set. It actually sounds really good! (note the "box-top cymbal" in the chair) |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)