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01 March 2012

Slovakia is Slovensko in Slovak (My First Month Finished)

Ahoj

Timeline of My Life Thus Far:
December 1985 - Born.
October 1997 - Climbed a mango tree.
February 2012 - Arrived in Slovakia.
March 2012 - Wrote blog update.

Yes, I have now been in Slovakia for a month. It went by quickly! I'm starting to feel settled and at home here in Bratislava. I have also become fluent in Slovak. Three of the the four previous sentences are accurate.

I recently got a new phone! My number is +421.902.301.285. For those of you with apps on your phone, I am on WhatsApp, Voxer, and HeyTell.

Here's a picture of a dog:



Banská Bystrica

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to go to interior Slovakia for the first time. Banská Bystrica is the biggest town in central Slovakia and has a well-respected seminary.

City square:



Being at the base of the Low Tatras mountain range, BB is familiar with snow.



BB Architecture:


Church founded in 1303


?

Memorial for Holocaust victims:





World War II Tanks:





Variety

The most essential Slovak word ("Hello" is a distant second):




Have you ever had that feeling where you feel like you've seen Sandra Bullock? Then you realize that you've recently watched The Blind Side? Yeah, me too.

Whenever I hear Rihanna's song where it goes "Oh na na, what's my name? What's my name?", I always replace it in my head with "Rihanna, that's my name. That's my name."

Apparently there's American football in Slovakia. This poster caught me off guard.



I received something in the mail for the first time this week! I was all smiles for the whole day after getting Tasha's belated Valentines package. :)



Do you know Tasha? She's my beautiful girlfriend from the quaint little town of Greeley, Colorado, and is an incredible cellist among other talents. Hopefully it works out for her to visit this summer!



My office nook. I am very pleased to have an iMac on the way!



So, my old jeans started ripping. I found a pair of pants that fit so perfectly I had to get them. Unfortunately, I have really short legs. Anyone else have this problem? I plan on being 6' 8" in Heaven.



Slovak Tidbits

Music in Bratislava:


First concert. Hugo Čáves Orchestra. Nine People. Small Stage.


Exit. Bratislava City Church.

Name Days! Along with your birthday, you also get a "Name Day" here in Slovakia. So, don't forget to congratulate me on June 29th! Ha.

Have you ever driven in Europe? The traffic lights work slightly different. Right before turning green, the yellow light is lit in addition to the red to give you a head's up.



After church a couple weeks ago, I stopped by this building that a guy is renovating to help the homeless in his community. It had been abandoned for 6 years and inhabited by people looking for shelter.



Čau

Thank you for taking the time to stay updated on my life here in Slovakia. I'll have some exciting TWR-related updates next time! It's such a privilege to be here, and I know some awesome things are in store for my time here.

I will end this blog update with two sets of airplane wings.



4 comments:

  1. Paul! you are so funny! You make me continuously chuckle!! So glad you're enjoying and immersing yourself in the Slovak culture!! Proud of you, little brother!!!
    mucho amor from your velha irma,
    Abby

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  2. Still waiting for your updates :) Anything to report?

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  3. I MUST comment on this. I found your blog through mutual friends and I, too, was born in Brazil, in 12-85. :)
    (I'm J, from www.simplicityandpurity.blogspot.com)

    ReplyDelete