Thursday, October 29, 2009
Baking
oh yeah and I forgot to mention in my last post.... I got to bake maple cookies for the Rotary club last week. It was super fun! and they loved them! They don't really have cookies here so it was really funny seeing all their reactions when they ate them!
Ahoj Ahoj Ahoj!
This past week has been pretty fantastic, aside from my being sick and all, but other than that it's been a blast. Let me share...
So as I said before I had a rotary weekend. It was our second weekend so far (we have one every two months or so) and it was fabulous! It's so much fun with the other exchange students. All the Slovakian indbounds were there so there was something like 40 of us in all. It was hosted in Banska Bystrica a city of 80 000 so it is considered to be a major centre in Slovakia. It was a beautiful city with lots of architecture and history.
We were staying in dormitories so that was an adventure in itself. There were two to four people in a room and up to 8 people sharing a bathroom and shower. And I've officially learned my lesson. I never bring a towel to events like this because in the back of my head I always assume we will be staying in hotels like in canada, but boy am I always wrong. Since it was a dorm we slept on tiny little beds and there were no complimentary items to 'enrich' your stay. SO I had no towel (luckily I brought shampoo and things this time) and I was going to be staying there for three days....my choices? Well I didn't really have all that many. There happened to be some little tea towel like things they left each of us for who knows what but it served the purpose, I got dry eventually.
The itinerary for the weekend was pretty packed like it always is. We got there fri and had a few hours just to mingle and get to know everyone a little bit more. There are two other Canadians, both guys. One is from Kelowna, and the other is from Dawson Creek. They seem like decent guys and we bonded as we had the obvious in common-- we're from the same place. So Fri we stayed up nice and late and were then ridiculously tired on sat but it was still a good time. We got to go on a tour of the city by foot (in the rain sadly) and then we went to see some monuments like the leaning tower, and a church, and then SHOPPING! Yay! I love to shop and it was so nice to get to go with friends again! and friends who speak english no less! It was fantastic. I've made pretty good friends with a group of girls, two are from the US and one is from Japan and the other from Thailand. So we had a blast scavenging the mall for four hours. Sat evening was the ping pong tourney. It was a ridiculous amount of fun. I had my doubts. I mean you're hitting this little ball back and forth, how much of a work can that be? Well I admit it, I was wrong, because it was a really good work out and surprisingly intense. I came in dead last but that was all good. I thought I put up a good fight for it being my first time and all.
Then came the disco which was in this pub in the basement of the dorms. You gotta love Slovakia, there are pubs everywhere! It looked a little sketchy to start with, witht the dim lights, grungy ceiling, and lack of flooring, but once you started dancing that really didn't matter all that much.
So then Sun came around. We went to the national uprising museum which I found to be quite interesting but I had trouble focussing as I'd only gotten four hours of sleep the night before. It did make me realize just how much this little country has been through though. It really is amazing. It's seen a lot of hard times in a very small amount of time. Then it was home time. I think we were all ready to go home. We had had a lot of fun but we were all so exhausted.....
Random but ..... THERE ARE MAPLE LEAVES EVERYWHERE HERE! And I think it's kind of really funny because they are Canada's national symbol and there are hardly any in alberta. But that aside it makes for a really beautiful autumn season. I'm liking the weather here a lot. The autumn season is nice because it's actually wet. It's rained pretty much everyday for the past couple of weeks, but I don't mind it at all, in fact I love waking up to the soft pitter patter of rain on my roof. And up until just the other day I was assuming the weather would be the same as in Canada because everyone kept telling me about cold slovakian winters but then somebody informed me that the coldest it usually gets is minus 14. HA! I said, that's not that cold at all! So needless to say this winter is going to be nice.
And I am sick at the moment....blahhhhhhhh! We only had three days of school this week and I've been home for two of them. It's nice to be able to just stay home without feeling like I have to be somewhere, because I dont do much at school. And I don't think I've ever slept so much in my life! Yesterday I woke up at 8 went back to bed at 9 unitl 1 then was up for two hours and went back to sleep until 6. It was a beautiful day! I guess my body needed the break! It's also funny experiencing how people on the other side of the world treat sickness. At first my cold just started out with a nasty cough so my parents solution? they are gave me a cup of hot water with a shot of brandy in it. Admittedly it did help, but I just thought it was really funny. They also seem to go for a lot of the herbal stuff here. I've been instructed to drink loads and loads of tea, and I have to eat like a bazillion oranges and apples and banananas for the vitamins. They have been taking very good care of me though, I feel bad because I know they are extra worried because I am the exchange student. And it's also difficult to explain to them that I feel like crap but that I know it's just a head cold and that I'll be okay. It's an adventure that's for sure.
So this weekend is a super long weekend. We have no school thurs and fri (but my parents had to work thurs). I think it's fall break. So tom I'm super excited because I will be going to an aquapark. I've been willing my body to get better all day so I can go. I think I've convinced my parents I'm healthy enough to go, so fingers crossed. I really do feel a lot better but my cough is still here and it's really not that convincing. I kind of sound like a dying goose or something. Mariely and Paul and my cousin Jakub are coming too. Im really excited to go. It should be a really good time. Other than that I'm not too sure what else is in store for the weekend. I shall find out soon enough though.
lots of love
p
This past week has been pretty fantastic, aside from my being sick and all, but other than that it's been a blast. Let me share...
So as I said before I had a rotary weekend. It was our second weekend so far (we have one every two months or so) and it was fabulous! It's so much fun with the other exchange students. All the Slovakian indbounds were there so there was something like 40 of us in all. It was hosted in Banska Bystrica a city of 80 000 so it is considered to be a major centre in Slovakia. It was a beautiful city with lots of architecture and history.
We were staying in dormitories so that was an adventure in itself. There were two to four people in a room and up to 8 people sharing a bathroom and shower. And I've officially learned my lesson. I never bring a towel to events like this because in the back of my head I always assume we will be staying in hotels like in canada, but boy am I always wrong. Since it was a dorm we slept on tiny little beds and there were no complimentary items to 'enrich' your stay. SO I had no towel (luckily I brought shampoo and things this time) and I was going to be staying there for three days....my choices? Well I didn't really have all that many. There happened to be some little tea towel like things they left each of us for who knows what but it served the purpose, I got dry eventually.
The itinerary for the weekend was pretty packed like it always is. We got there fri and had a few hours just to mingle and get to know everyone a little bit more. There are two other Canadians, both guys. One is from Kelowna, and the other is from Dawson Creek. They seem like decent guys and we bonded as we had the obvious in common-- we're from the same place. So Fri we stayed up nice and late and were then ridiculously tired on sat but it was still a good time. We got to go on a tour of the city by foot (in the rain sadly) and then we went to see some monuments like the leaning tower, and a church, and then SHOPPING! Yay! I love to shop and it was so nice to get to go with friends again! and friends who speak english no less! It was fantastic. I've made pretty good friends with a group of girls, two are from the US and one is from Japan and the other from Thailand. So we had a blast scavenging the mall for four hours. Sat evening was the ping pong tourney. It was a ridiculous amount of fun. I had my doubts. I mean you're hitting this little ball back and forth, how much of a work can that be? Well I admit it, I was wrong, because it was a really good work out and surprisingly intense. I came in dead last but that was all good. I thought I put up a good fight for it being my first time and all.
Then came the disco which was in this pub in the basement of the dorms. You gotta love Slovakia, there are pubs everywhere! It looked a little sketchy to start with, witht the dim lights, grungy ceiling, and lack of flooring, but once you started dancing that really didn't matter all that much.
So then Sun came around. We went to the national uprising museum which I found to be quite interesting but I had trouble focussing as I'd only gotten four hours of sleep the night before. It did make me realize just how much this little country has been through though. It really is amazing. It's seen a lot of hard times in a very small amount of time. Then it was home time. I think we were all ready to go home. We had had a lot of fun but we were all so exhausted.....
Random but ..... THERE ARE MAPLE LEAVES EVERYWHERE HERE! And I think it's kind of really funny because they are Canada's national symbol and there are hardly any in alberta. But that aside it makes for a really beautiful autumn season. I'm liking the weather here a lot. The autumn season is nice because it's actually wet. It's rained pretty much everyday for the past couple of weeks, but I don't mind it at all, in fact I love waking up to the soft pitter patter of rain on my roof. And up until just the other day I was assuming the weather would be the same as in Canada because everyone kept telling me about cold slovakian winters but then somebody informed me that the coldest it usually gets is minus 14. HA! I said, that's not that cold at all! So needless to say this winter is going to be nice.
And I am sick at the moment....blahhhhhhhh! We only had three days of school this week and I've been home for two of them. It's nice to be able to just stay home without feeling like I have to be somewhere, because I dont do much at school. And I don't think I've ever slept so much in my life! Yesterday I woke up at 8 went back to bed at 9 unitl 1 then was up for two hours and went back to sleep until 6. It was a beautiful day! I guess my body needed the break! It's also funny experiencing how people on the other side of the world treat sickness. At first my cold just started out with a nasty cough so my parents solution? they are gave me a cup of hot water with a shot of brandy in it. Admittedly it did help, but I just thought it was really funny. They also seem to go for a lot of the herbal stuff here. I've been instructed to drink loads and loads of tea, and I have to eat like a bazillion oranges and apples and banananas for the vitamins. They have been taking very good care of me though, I feel bad because I know they are extra worried because I am the exchange student. And it's also difficult to explain to them that I feel like crap but that I know it's just a head cold and that I'll be okay. It's an adventure that's for sure.
So this weekend is a super long weekend. We have no school thurs and fri (but my parents had to work thurs). I think it's fall break. So tom I'm super excited because I will be going to an aquapark. I've been willing my body to get better all day so I can go. I think I've convinced my parents I'm healthy enough to go, so fingers crossed. I really do feel a lot better but my cough is still here and it's really not that convincing. I kind of sound like a dying goose or something. Mariely and Paul and my cousin Jakub are coming too. Im really excited to go. It should be a really good time. Other than that I'm not too sure what else is in store for the weekend. I shall find out soon enough though.
lots of love
p
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Okay so just wanted to say hi quickly before I head out for the weekend. I'm going to Banska Bystrica for a Rotary event and I'm super excited!
Things have been very good here this week! I'm beginning to feel significantly less homesick and am starting to get back to my busy normal self. Hip hip hooray!!!
I've been busy trying to complete some enormous scholarship applications this week so that was wonderful. Not. Argghhhhhh sometimes I love computers and sometimes I don't. I had to do one application in a program that wouldn't let me save the data unless I owned the commercial version of it. And if you think about this that would be totally okay if you were living in Canada. Simply fill out the form and print. But I'm way over here in Slovakia and so I had to fill out the form print and re scan it to an email so that I could get it to my parents who then mailed it out. Fun fun fun. The printing was the first struggle. My dad was away on a business trip (with his computer) so I had to use my computer. This meant I had to install his printer onto my computer, which should be simple enough. NOT. The printer installation software was in English thank god but for some reason some of the windows would come up in Slovak. and then to make things more complicated the settings section down loaded in portugeuse or spanish or something! So to make a long story short I sat there for hours trying to get the silly printer to cooperate with me with google translator open all the way. Eventually it did work but not the way it was supposed to. I had to print two pages at a time and then turn off the printer and turn it back on again then print the next two pages. Why? I have no idea. But it had something to do with the regular paper size being two inches longer than the regular paper size in Canada. And since the settings section was in portugeuse and no one here knows a single word of that language and google translator can only be so much help, I just gave in and did it the way the printer wanted. Slowly but surely (two pages at a time) I got the dange application finished! pheewwwwww! Just one more to go. But at least this time I know what I'm in for.
As for stuff that actually has to do with slovakia, not much has happened this week. It's really turned into just everyday life, which is kind of nice to be honest. But I will tell you how the weekend was. My family and I went to stay in a weekend house (like a little cottage. Everyone here has one.) near Bratislava. It was so nice!!! We arrived after a 2.5 hour drive (mind you we went across a quarter of the country) to the home and the owners of the home (our family friends) greeted us in the driveway. But they didn't just greet us, they handed us shots of alcohol! I was surprised but I've learned to just go with it, so there we were saying nazdravieh (cheers) in the street, it was hilarious. So we then proceeded inside where it smelled delicious and I was overwhelmed by lots of people. All the youngens were swiftly sat at the table and given full plates of food. (no we weren't asked what we wanted or how much we were just given). It was so yummy!!! We had duck (cooked like a turkey) and purple cabbage and thin crepe like things covered in oil and salt. mmmmmmmmmm. It's one slovak meal I can get used to. And apparently it's duck season right now so Ill be seeing more of it.
After the good food it was just time for visiting and chit chatting. This is always a little difficult for me because once I'm introduced and say where I'm from everyone goes back to their typical slovak conversations which I have a lot of trouble participating in (go figure!). Later on in the evening, all the men went outside in the freezing cold to have a fire, smoke cigars, and drink. Very typical activities for the men here I must say. Meanwhile the ladies were left inside to clean up the mess left by mostly the men, and to chit chat quietly over tea and magazines. It was nice I enjoyed it.
In the category of more food, I got to try a roasted chestnut and it was very different than I expected. They are like gushy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. I'm not sure if I like them or not but it was cool to get to have one, a rael one picked of the tree and roasted in an open fire.
Well thats it for now. On tuesday I'll let you know how the weekend went. There is supposed to be a table tennis tournament so we;ll see how that turns out. Never played it in my life so should be interesting!
love
p
Things have been very good here this week! I'm beginning to feel significantly less homesick and am starting to get back to my busy normal self. Hip hip hooray!!!
I've been busy trying to complete some enormous scholarship applications this week so that was wonderful. Not. Argghhhhhh sometimes I love computers and sometimes I don't. I had to do one application in a program that wouldn't let me save the data unless I owned the commercial version of it. And if you think about this that would be totally okay if you were living in Canada. Simply fill out the form and print. But I'm way over here in Slovakia and so I had to fill out the form print and re scan it to an email so that I could get it to my parents who then mailed it out. Fun fun fun. The printing was the first struggle. My dad was away on a business trip (with his computer) so I had to use my computer. This meant I had to install his printer onto my computer, which should be simple enough. NOT. The printer installation software was in English thank god but for some reason some of the windows would come up in Slovak. and then to make things more complicated the settings section down loaded in portugeuse or spanish or something! So to make a long story short I sat there for hours trying to get the silly printer to cooperate with me with google translator open all the way. Eventually it did work but not the way it was supposed to. I had to print two pages at a time and then turn off the printer and turn it back on again then print the next two pages. Why? I have no idea. But it had something to do with the regular paper size being two inches longer than the regular paper size in Canada. And since the settings section was in portugeuse and no one here knows a single word of that language and google translator can only be so much help, I just gave in and did it the way the printer wanted. Slowly but surely (two pages at a time) I got the dange application finished! pheewwwwww! Just one more to go. But at least this time I know what I'm in for.
As for stuff that actually has to do with slovakia, not much has happened this week. It's really turned into just everyday life, which is kind of nice to be honest. But I will tell you how the weekend was. My family and I went to stay in a weekend house (like a little cottage. Everyone here has one.) near Bratislava. It was so nice!!! We arrived after a 2.5 hour drive (mind you we went across a quarter of the country) to the home and the owners of the home (our family friends) greeted us in the driveway. But they didn't just greet us, they handed us shots of alcohol! I was surprised but I've learned to just go with it, so there we were saying nazdravieh (cheers) in the street, it was hilarious. So we then proceeded inside where it smelled delicious and I was overwhelmed by lots of people. All the youngens were swiftly sat at the table and given full plates of food. (no we weren't asked what we wanted or how much we were just given). It was so yummy!!! We had duck (cooked like a turkey) and purple cabbage and thin crepe like things covered in oil and salt. mmmmmmmmmm. It's one slovak meal I can get used to. And apparently it's duck season right now so Ill be seeing more of it.
After the good food it was just time for visiting and chit chatting. This is always a little difficult for me because once I'm introduced and say where I'm from everyone goes back to their typical slovak conversations which I have a lot of trouble participating in (go figure!). Later on in the evening, all the men went outside in the freezing cold to have a fire, smoke cigars, and drink. Very typical activities for the men here I must say. Meanwhile the ladies were left inside to clean up the mess left by mostly the men, and to chit chat quietly over tea and magazines. It was nice I enjoyed it.
In the category of more food, I got to try a roasted chestnut and it was very different than I expected. They are like gushy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. I'm not sure if I like them or not but it was cool to get to have one, a rael one picked of the tree and roasted in an open fire.
Well thats it for now. On tuesday I'll let you know how the weekend went. There is supposed to be a table tennis tournament so we;ll see how that turns out. Never played it in my life so should be interesting!
love
p
Friday, October 16, 2009
Zima futbal!
So not much has happened since my last, probably because it was only 20 hours ago that I wrote something but I just felt the need to inform you that I'm freezing cold! I just got back from playing futbal in the freezing cold. Admittedly it was fun because the snow and rain made it all muddy and slippery, but very very cold! who ha! As the slovaks would say.
AND I now have plans for the weekend. It always seems to happen like that. Come Thursday I have nothing on the agenda and then Friday afternoon rolls around and I end up having to choose what I want to do. So Tommorrow morning I'm going shopping with my school mates for warmer waterproof shoes (because it never stops raining here) and mitts and a hat. I gotta prepare for winter! Then tommorow afternoon I leave for a cottage near Bratislava. My family and I will be staying there with our family friends for one night. I'm excited! It should be fun! But I'll keep you updated as always.
love paige
AND I now have plans for the weekend. It always seems to happen like that. Come Thursday I have nothing on the agenda and then Friday afternoon rolls around and I end up having to choose what I want to do. So Tommorrow morning I'm going shopping with my school mates for warmer waterproof shoes (because it never stops raining here) and mitts and a hat. I gotta prepare for winter! Then tommorow afternoon I leave for a cottage near Bratislava. My family and I will be staying there with our family friends for one night. I'm excited! It should be fun! But I'll keep you updated as always.
love paige
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