I am now in Slovakia for two months. The time has passed very quickly. I propose you to discover my first impressions about these last sixty days.
The chapter of march was opened by the arrival of Amandine, the new ESC volunteer who will take part of this adventure in Slovakia. And what an arrival… I fell sick the same day. Hopefully, I was operational again after some days of break in the flat sponsored by Netflix and Spotify. Leave for a better return, it was that.
Thus, some days after my resurrection, Amandine and I came to a free visit tour in Bratislava. It was about the dark legends of the city. An interesting trip in the dark of the night. As a tales and folklore lover, I really enjoyed that. I heard good stories about witches, Agatha, the role of the executioner in the city and the famous Elizabeth Bathory. Many horrific stories indeed, but not enough for ruin my appetite.
Indeed, after this visit, Amandine and I went to the Slovak Pub for taste the halusky. To be honest, I had already tasted halusky. But I think that was fake halusky because it was made by myself… So, that was a good gustative experience. Indeed, halusky are not a balanced meal but… whatever, it still a very good dish. I really like that!
That’s why, when friends of mine came to Vienna, I joined them for speaking about that dish. Not only for that, of course. With them, we visited some good places like bars and restaurants. We even came to a very beautiful point of view. It was at Kahlenbergerdof, a nice spot I recommended if you you want to see a beautiful landscape of Vienna and the Danube. It was good to see my former roommate after one month. It was the opportunity to share my good feelings of this volunteering with them.
The day after, we came together in Bratislava. I showed them the historical center and I introduced them to halusky in a nice restaurant. Also, we came to the UFO Tower, a place I really like. If it was not so expensive, it could probably become my headquarters. But I found another headquarter.
I found an interesting place in the Aupark center : the Golem Club. At only five minutes by bus from the flat, it is a sports room with a very friendly staff! One of the staff member is very nice and very comprehensive with the fact I can not speak Slovak (yet?). Every time I go to the Golem Club, I try some Slovak words with him. I think it sounds fun for him and they appreciate when a foreigner just try to speak in Slovak.
Same think for the little shop in my street. One of the cashier recognize me every time I came to the shop for buy “candies”. She automatically speaks in English when she sees me and I try to tell some words like “Dobre rano”, “dakujem”, “prosim”, “dovidenia”,… It is just the starting. I really hope I’ll have a starter level at the end of my volunteering.
For this challenge, our new teacher Zuzana, will help us. Indeed, our first Slovak lessons was the 24th of march. It seems difficult. What was in the mind of the Slovaks when they created their language? There was a promotion on the accents? The price of the accent was going to rise? I’ll try to find an explication.
I personally think the better way is speaking and pass time with Slovak. First, to accustom the ear. Next, to recognize some words. An opportunity I found during the leadership academy, where I met lot of nice people in a very nice place. Indeed, the hostel of the Leadership Academy was close to the Senec’s lake. I personally enjoyed these two mornings for starting my day with a coffee, in the silence, near the water. Fortunately, it was sunny! These two days were very interesting for speaking and learning about communication skills and project management. Also, I really appreciated the energizer, it can offer the opportunity to not feeling in a scholar ambiance. I even met my co-leader for the workcamp of Lukovistia. Good feeling!
See you next month!
