Adventures in Slovakia

 No, that's not a typo. I've quickly learned that the wonderful self-checkout at our neighborhood TESCO is perhaps the great enabler. I came to this realization when responding to a student's question as I was asked if visiting shops was challenging, given the language barrier. Offering my response as a sheepish grin spread across my face, I laughingly described my newfound routine of walking to TESCO, spending time perusing nearly every aisle collecting what I want to purchase (while contemplating how much of a necessity each item is as I calculate how much bag space I'll have left and factor in other variables, such as how burdensome my walk back home is going to be), and finally heading to the self-checkout before embarking upon the journey back home.  However, my response didn't end there... I also described why I appreciated the self-checkout. In addition to avoiding the awkward confrontation with a clerk as I'd have to stumble through Slovak in an attempt ...

I've decided to make an effort to share some of my more comical moments while living abroad, in Slovakia. It's amazing how routine or mundane tasks can suddenly become unnecessarily complicated as you come to terms with the difficulties of settling into a small city in a foreign land. Below, I've shared a few of my most comical moments over the course of this past month. Stories from September : Question: "How did you meet your neighbors?" Answer: "Laundry." Let me explain... After moving into my apartment located on the campus of the school where I'm teaching, I was told that I could do laundry in the adjacent room, although they didn't have a laundry room key ready for me. After two weeks, I inquired again and was told that they were waiting on the maintenance man to make a copy. In the meantime, I was told to visit my Ukrainian neighbor on the fourth floor and ask to borrow her key. Upon answering the door, my neighbor asked me if I spoke Slov...

" Is it easy, being away from home? " This was the gist of a question one of my students asked me after class recently. In our conversation lessons, we had been speaking about family, so home was a topic that had been discussed.  "It's never easy, but it's a choice you make - a sacrifice - and I stay in touch with my family, which makes it a little bit easier," came my reply. Speaking from experience, with the benefit of the perspective I garnered from my time in France, Poland, and now Slovakia, it has never  been "easy" leaving home for extended periods. From missing family and the many comforts of a life I had grown accustomed to, to learning to cope with the many changes that come with uprooting your life and dropping yourself someplace in a foreign land with a foreign language that, upon arrival, seems nearly indistinguishable from jibberish, there are a few harsh realities that hit you soon after disembarking from the metal vessel that just c...