So if you haven't noticed my blog posts have gotten to be further and further apart. And when I was thinking about that today I realized it's kind of telling as to what part of the year I'm in. I would say I've kind of moved into a different phase of my exchange. It's not that I don't want to write or that I don't have the time (although that is the case some of the time) it's more that, not nearly as much stuff is flying at me like it did before. For the first time I'm actually repeating an activity, doing something more than once. Not everything is quite the adventure it once was because I've come to expect a lot of it. And don't get me wrong, this isnt a bad thing and I am most definitely not complaining. One can only have so many new experiences day after day or should I say hour after hour. I'm in a pretty darn good space right now. I think I have finally wrapped my head around the Slovak culture and have got a really good feeling of everything that is Slovak. It's funny how it happens. You don't really know when or how or why it happens, but one day you just kind of feel like you're more than simply a Canadian.

And then on top of all that culture stuff there is the language. Wow. Now I have real respect for people who are truly bilingual. It takes a LOT to become fluent in a language. When you think about it, I've been submersed in Slovak for almost 7 months now and I am nowhere near fluent. Admittedly I've come a long way. I have good conversational slovak and if someone is talking to me I can understand almost everything they say but language is so much more! Its alot like the culture to be honest. You really have to have a 'feel' for it before you can actually be fluent. You have to get inside the Slovaks culture and way of life so that you can understand why they describe certain things one way or why they use that word more often than the other. But even though I wouldn't say I'm fluent in the language, there is a huge sense of pride that comes with what I do know. When you have a full conversation with someone without having to stop and ask what something is or when you say something and they actually get what you mean it feels so. dang. good! Now I often find myself muttering under my breath in Slovak and I'll walk away from a conversation and not know whether it happened in Slovak or in English because it was just natural. And sometimes when I look at something, there is now two words for it in my head-one in english and the other slovak, and they both come to me at the same time. And there are a lot of words now that just slip out without me even noticing. So when I get back to Canada I'm sure you'll be amused by my slovanglish.
I've also noticed just how accustomed I've become to not understanding or to having to work hard to be understand. Now when I think of doing a task when I get back to Canada initially I think 'ugh I figure out what I'll say and oh I can make this hand gesture or point to this....' and then I remember 'oh it'll be in English!'. You have no idea how simple everything will be for me when it is in my own language. I don't think anything will be able to stop me now. Everything is a thousand times less scary when you know you'll be fully understood. I really don't think I'll realize just how far outside of my comfort zone I've been pushed until I get back into it. You can't see how far you've come until you go back to what you once were I guess.... so we shall see!

I'm starting to get super pumped for the upcoming weeks. I have a LOT to look forward to! Today is essentially my last day of school for a month and a half. Next week I'm going to Jasne for a week of skiing (You should all pray that I make it backin one piece) then I'm back for three days. Then it's Easter! (which shall be interesting. The Slovak's have some very interestin traditions to go with this holiday, some of which include throwing cold water on the girls. fun fun fun). Then I'm off to Germany to visit Karin and Horst and the rest of the fam for three weeks!!!!! Which I'm so so so excited about. Then I'm home for three days. And then I'm going to Italy and Greece for ten days!!!! Which should just be absolutely amazing. And then I'm home for two whole weeks before I head out to czech republic and Poland for a week. So my last three months look like they'll be jam packed full of goodness! I CANT WAIT!