It Begins / Culture Shock / Our Slovakian Education

It’s been a day. Three of them, in fact, but it could easily have been ten. I’m sitting on the couch next to Kyle as he and our friend Martin watch an overdubbed vampire movie. We’re eating his grandparents’ cookies in a bulletproof house. But already I digress – there are so many things to write about that I can’t focus on any one of them for long. I’m a dog in a donut factory.

I was picked up yesterday morning by Kyle, Tina and Katka (our hosts) in Austria. Customs basically shooed me through after I found my luggage hiding in a staff closet. We left immediately for Vienna square – Stephansplatz, to be exact – where it became apparent that the European public has much keener fashion sense than ours. Three summarizing adjectives: cold (about 7 C), old (250 ft. churches and marble statues, anyone?), and bold (salesmen followed us for 2 blocks trying to sell Mozart tickets).

Tina & Katka went shopping while Kyle and I wandered around town looking for a pub. We finally found one, a dark, empty place called “Budweiser,” which is exactly what we were served. Budweiser varies drastically from region to region, both in quality and in price. Here, it was heralded as “the finest.” Nazdravie! [Slovak: cheers!]

We met up with Tina & Katka, ate some Turkish kabob sandwiches, and scrambled for the metro as it began to rain.

Driving into Slovakia, the reality of our international displacement was still unpronounced; the roads look and operate very similarly, and the farmy countryside is the spitting image of Iowa. However, upon entering the city of Bratislava – with its miles of uniform apartment complexes and herculean smokestacks – the residue of communism was distinctly foreign.

We arrived at Tina’s house in the heights of Bratislava, where we were met by gracious relatives, lavish accommodations, and a beautiful view. Kyle and I shared a room next to the gaming office of Miro (Tina’s brother) and Martin (her cousin), where techno music and Warcraft foley echoed loudly. Noteworthy bathroom differences: curtainless showers, radiator / towel rack, and the infamous biday.

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We took a cab to a nearby bar called Flame. The place is small, stylish, and inexpensive. I could hear everyone at the table, all of whom were extremely friendly, and most drinks were half the price of what I’d pay in America. I was impressed, and quickly at home.

Tina and Katka are great girls. They’ve been accommodating above and beyond my expectations (okay, so I expected to be a social and linguistic pariah, but still). Both are smart, kind, and helpful in the process of “integrating” us into – or at least exposing us to – the culture.

The Slovakian gene pool is amazing; everyone here is beautiful, a fact undisputed by the arrival of Tina’s cousins Martina and Louisa. Kyle and I are a little overwhelmed. If there is a God, the Slovaks were his final draft.

Later that night...
Audio Chat: Rude Awakenings / General Observations (19:14)

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Having spent so much time in the countryside, I've fallen behind on my writing. Instead, I'll have to supplement with the occasional audio chat and video clip. On some subjects, it's much easier and efficient to simply show or tell.

Audio Chat: Slovakian Idol (13:22)

Driving In Bratislava


Hillside Castle

(Note: It has been clarified that “Pozor” is not a place, but a common traffic sign which translates to “attention”)

That's all for now, folks. I wish that we could update more frequently, but our adventure knobs are cranked to 11. I'll likely have to rely on audio and video more and more as sleep deprivation sets in.

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Photos: 10/19-10/21: Austria, Slovakia
Overheard dialogue: "You turned from a pretty boy into a three-headed dragon!" [SK Idol judge]
Listening to: Apparat, Walls