Real Life in a Real World

Slovakia is not some foreign land anymore.  It's fun to think the place I barely knew how to spell as I typed it into google only 8 months ago has become the home away from home where I work, sleep, eat, live, pray, and play.  The "Honey moon" stage is over although it lasted a long while.  There are so many things around every corner and stories and traditions with each new person that fit my interest and intrigue my curiosity to learn more.

One such tradition that I got to have a helping hand with was making sauerkraut.  A man named Jan Blchac, I've met through youth group and who translates for Daniel and I at Church invited us to take part with his families annual pressing of cabbage.  He picked us up after school one Friday in his car loaded with 130 pounds of fresh shredded cabbage, and we ventured to his Grandmothers house in a small village called Jakubovany.  Daniel, Jan, and I each took a large bag of cabbage inside where his Grandmother and Mom had 2 large barrels as well as all the secret ingredients prepared.  It's a simple process that just takes time, as I'm learning with things like cooking, cleaning, reading, learning, exercising... and mostly everything.  We used our hands to press the cabbage into the bottom of the barrel, when people use larger barrels they use their feet :)  After you press some, then you add a layer of salt, herbs, and other secret ingredients for preservation as well as flavor, and continue layering until you have a full barrel of juicy, salty cabbage.  It then sits until Christmas time when it will have fermented enough for them to enjoy their first batch of sauerkraut to be used with Halusky (doughy potato noodles,), kapustnica (sauerkraut soup), or many other traditional recipes.

Jan and his Mother are all smiles through the process!

                                   

A. Lot. of. CABBAGE! Jan, his mother, and Grandmother (who's house we were at)

The next day I was with Jan, helping to clean up the yard around his new tourist cottage.  His plan is to host families with children and to take them around the area to shepherd houses to see how sheep are milked, and cheese are made, to a few museums, and historic places, and to be a sort of culture/ history guide for families to have a memorable time in the Liptov area.  The cottage is beautiful, and will be ready for visitors soon!  Come visit please :) 

Another first for me was to make Bryndzove Halusky!  It is Slovakia's national food and is highly regarded in my diet :)  We ventured out for a morning in Bobrovec valley with Saksa, Ignac, and their kids Tereza, and Janko.  Ignac and I were training for the run uphill to Cervenec cottage the following week, and we were all there to enjoy a beautiful day.  As if I needed more incentive, Saska told me I would help her make home made Halusky when we arrived home in the afternoon, I think it made me run a little faster :)  So we made it indeed, and I wrote down the recipe for future use!  It's quite simple all you need is Bryndza (sheep cheese), potatoes, flour, water, salt, bacon, and some herbs.  We ate it with sour milk which is also quite popular here, another option is to eat it with zincica which is the leftover milk from making sheep cheese.  I think it's fantastic how efficient the combination is, and shows how people used everything when they cooked in the time when Halusky was made first.  

To make the sheep cheese, the zincica is saved to be eaten with halusky, potatoes are a common crop here so they are plentiful, then after boiling the dumplings the water has a floury/ potatoey paste in it and people save it, add more potatoes, and more bryndza and have an entire additional meal of hearty soup.  This among many other things is something I didn't take a picture of, but remember it vividly as better than a picture. 

Another great community event was JK games (Jesus Krist (K makes the k sound ch does not in Slovak))  The youthgroup I attend on Friday nights did a huge part to put it on.  200 kids came from the area to play all kinds of sports tournaments during the day then a worship service in the evening and an overnight!  

Krivan is the Slovak National mountain and is widely known, has an easily distinguishable shape compared to other mountains, and is on some of the coins and other Slovak things.  Its very very tip can be seen from my kitchen window :)  I was ecstatic when it came true that Saska and Ignac were willing to plan a trip up there with us.  It was Daniel's birthday also which made for a good enough excuse!  It was QUITE memorable.  On top, we were eating Daniel's bday brownies and visiting and a man collapsed just a few feet from us.  He fell face down onto the rocks and slid down a short ways. I'm not sure what confused him more, him collapsing, or him looking up and me asking in English "Sir are you OK?" Thank God there was a nurse on top of Krivan at 8185 feet and she took care of him while others called mountain rescue.  He gained consciousness and was talking, but still he had to get down so a helicopter came, dropped a medic, and made a circle around and picked up the man and the medic for a quick trip to the hospital.  A hike that will never be forgotten!  

on the way up! Me, Avka, Saska, Ignac, Daniel

What we thought was the most excitement

Is it really happening?!

This girl is studying to be a Dr. and after witnessing this rescue might be the next generation of mountain rescue!

Away he goes. Prayers for recovery good sir!

This is my first visit to one of the magical springs that are in Slovakia!  Each one has a different combination of minerals and  tastes different.  

The principal from our school and her husband! Jana and Roman

The mayor of Demanovska valley hosts a hike with hot goulash soup every year.  The weather was rainy and foggy so this was the crew that hiked, but there were many more people at the bottom staying warm and well fed.

Saska took us on a Sunday afternoon walk to this beautiful water fall.

Daniel and I picked apples along the road not far from our flat.  We were told it was ok(don't worry) and I made apple sauce out of them!  Free and delicious :)

They hunt in Slovakia! Yes they do :)  I tagged along with one of my colleagues' father when he hunted for hogs.  I was so happy to share in the hunting spirit even 4000 miles away from home and learn about the differences.  We set out for our deer stand at sunSET.  Juraj doesn't speak English, and I don't speak Slovak so we learned how to communicate differently.  We saw deer as soon as we were in the stand then the sun went down and hogs came out!  It was too dark though, because the full moon was yet to come up.  Before that happened though, 3 bears came and scared off the hogs.  We had a full night of watching all these animals eating, interacting, and making noises.  Awesome time, with an awesome family.  Juraj also built their entire house.  Their son built a house right next door, and Grandma lives on the other end of the garden as well.  They have all sorts of animals, 3 large gardens, and a fun trophy room in the son's basement.  They are a tight nit family and are very happy that way. 

Juraj let me hold the gun :)

Their family's GIANT turkeys!

Full moon =time to hit the woods!

I had a few visitors in Mikulas!

Eric Armbrust went to Bemidji with me and was traveling Europe and dove in to the Slovak ways with me as we carried 15 kg up to a cottage in the high Tatras.  The cottages offer free tea for anyone who carries such a load.  It was hard, but worth every step!  Fantastic to have someone from home around who knew stories from before and could share the new with.

Eric, Jenny, Daniel, and I on top of Rysy in some THICK fog!

Also 2 lectors in Bratislava came to visit!  Aaron is on the top right from Colorado, and Ole is on the bottom right from Canada.  Saska took us for a wonderful hike to the highest mountain int he low tatras Dumbier.  It was fun to visit with them, share experiences, and encourage each other to keep on track!

Ole, Aaron, and I!

A good friend I am lucky enough to have made named Miso.  We play similarly...All out.  The red on my forehead is from him and I going 100% in a game we played while the youth group was at a cottage for the weekend.  It was a fantastic weekend.  The intention was an unstructured relaxing spiritual weekend because they had been quite busy during the fall.  We all chipped in 5 euros, helped, cook, clean, all shared our thoughts during worship, and the musically talented took turns glorifying God in their own way.  There was no plans, and we ended up walking around the woods exploring, making paper, coloring pictures, and being together spending time.  For me who usually likes to be doing something at all times, it was totally opposite.  That was quite nice. I got to let my guard down and focus on being with people and getting to know them better.  This group is a lot of college kids so we have a lot to share about each other and learn from each other in.

I have seen my first Komzik in the Tatras!  They are similar to Mountain Goats only present in the Tatras.  He's got a good view. 

As the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.   Psalm 125:2

Peter (a colleague from school), me, Ignac, Saska, and a really tough woman who was solo hiking in the snow that joined us!  In the mountains you're always in good company.

One of Daniel and my classes invited us out for Pizza!

Jenny and my first snowmen of the season on top of a mountain :)

All saints day is vastly different from our Halloween.  Families of those who have passed away come to the cemetery and light candles for each of their family members and pray over their grave.  It's powerfully hopeful that the most light shining comes from the foot of the cross.  It means to me that Jesus overcame death and made it not an obstacle for eternal life, but the birth of eternal life.  It really helps to put life in perspective, be thankful for those we have to love and be loved by and recognize how real life is.

"The day which we fear is our last is but the birthday of eternity" -Lucius Seneca

The first Stuskova (pronounced stushkova) was this weekend!  It was an extremely respectable event put on primarily by the students of the graduating class with some help from their class teacher and parents.  They reserve a banquet hall, hire a cater, invite people, pay for it, organize a program, speeches, entertainment and a great disco to top off the night.  This was the boy's talent!   ha

Kika and Natalia sang a beautiful worship song and were encouraged by everyone in attendance to sing another.  Wow our students sure have talent!

Ignac and I ran a race uphill to a cottage in Bobrovec.  Even I think it's a little bit crazy, but a good time with a good community of active people!  

I didn't include everything I would like to share because a.) I would be writing more than teaching b.) you would be reading more than what you are supposed to be doing.  This is a summary of my experiences and encounters with some really really great people I'm getting to know in the community I'm lucky enough to become a part of.  I'm so thankful to learn from the people I am with each day and not just be here for a week visit, but to unpack my things, let my guard down and live and learn from all of them.  It's fantastic to me how English is something we all do every day without a thought in the U.S., but it has a lot of value and opens a lot of doors for successful futures here so I am more than happy to share what God's given me to enable future lives and learn and share many more things than words can say in the process.

I'd love to hear what you are up to and what Amor is up to also!  Deer hunting stories are GREATLY encouraged :) 

My email address is: mmchar4@gmail.com.

Mailing address is :

Hurbanova 24 031 01

Liptovsky Mikulas

Slovakia

In Christ,

Martin

Today is the Day that the Lord has Made

Two analogies from one hike: :)
1.) Life is a lot like mountain hiking.  It's all fun and games to dream big, make plans for a career, and point to places on a map you want to go, then comes the hard work.  To actually achieve it it takes many many small steps in school, job shadowing, spending hours and hours doing the same thing, and often one starts to question if you even like what your going to be doing. (A job or if this walking uphill thing is all that great)  After that "climbing the ladder" gets into a routine so it's not that bad and others are doing it too, so it must be worth something.  Then excitement occurs  because there is light at the end of the tunnel and the initial focus on the reason you are doing what you are doing comes back.  Only 6 more weeks of school/ only 200 meters to the top!  At last the goal is reached and can be thankful for each painful step, page turned, and Calorie burned.  If it were easy to be here everyone would be, but now the hard work is in the past.  Now your prepared, and in a position to teach, preach, manage, build, service and share.  This is what is seen as "experiencing life" similar to experiencing a mountaintop view, although I believe the whole picture is experiencing life.  Without the lows and hard work, the highs, and life experiences wouldn't exist.

This is from the top of Plačlivé summit in the Western Tatras at 2,125 meters where this thought was in my mind.  What else would I do for a few hours going up, up and up?  Saska was so kind to invite and guide us in this adventure with a few of her friends! 

2.) A few days before this hike I attended youth group, where the message was translated to me (which first off is a crazy concept.   Thoughts in one head come out in Slovak, enter another's ears, are understood in Slovak, then changed to English and come out their mouth in English, enter my ears, and I hear the thought in English.  whoa....).  Anyway we talked about surrendering to God and what that looks like.  After we finished our hike we soaked our feet in the stream:

 and set our gaze on this beautiful water fall: 

and my mind went to work.  Here it goes:  Water is a good example for us how to live our faith.  The river is completely surrendered to gravity.  The river makes no decisions on its own, it consults gravity for everything it encounters and goes where gravity leads it.  Depending on a lot of different things the water level has its ups and downs.  When water goes over a rocky stretch in its journey it gets jumbled, separated, and unorganized, but gravity brings it back to peace and serenity without the water doing anything but following.  Water lives in community GREATLY!  When 2 rivers join together it does not stand off to the side and whisper about the new water joining it, all the water mixes and mingles and becomes one body with the same purpose and direction.  Rivers don't always take the fastest way down, sometimes they have oxbows, twists, and turns.  Over time gravity teaches a new way and cuts off the old slowly.  The river brings joy wherever it goes.  It fills a need for many people and supplies more than it knows (for example how people use it for power).  When it gets dirty, gravity cleans and restores it to its clear self by dirt settling to the bottom and water keeps right on going, unscathed.  When it freezes and comes to a standstill, it's ok because it is a beautiful sight, and resumes its life right where it left off when circumstances allow.  It's never ending and cannot be destroyed. 

       If only we could allow our minds and hearts to completely surrender ourselves to Jesus, how naturally our lives would fall into order.

In other adventures, many students tell me they swim in the Mara (Lake) often in the summer, so I set off to find the beach they told of!  Slovakia is interesting, I followed a road that I knew went in the direction of the Mara, but it came to an abrupt dead end when the tar stopped, and on top of a small grassy ridge was a set of railroad tracks. HOWEVER, off the side of the dead end tar was a small path, and naturally I followed it over the tracks, and magically on the other side, the tar road picked up right where it left off!  Apparently the railroad track had priority over the beach road years ago.  The road goes straight out into the Mara, and I learned, once went all the way across before they installed the dam and created the Mara.  Now there is almost half mile of beach on each side and water good enough for me to swim in, and many people to fish around sunset.  it reminds me of home to be in and near a lake.  Minnesota is good for that :) 

Beautiful Liptovsky Mara

There's another place Ignac, who is Saska's husband took me to swim as well, in Bobrovec, after a hike this week.  It's a man made lake, but he swims in it nearly every day in the summer, and has a friend that swims every day until November!  It is a great feeling to calm down the day by taking a lap around the lake, I'm very thankful he shared this honey hole with me.  

I had a great conversation with a lady at the Mara after I said "Ahoj" with a smile which means hello (informally)  I assumed that was alright since we were on the beach, but she looked at me funny and replied in Slovak.  I shrugged my shoulders and asked if she knew any English.  Luckily, she was an English teacher a few years ago and explained to me she looked close at me to see if she knew me because Ahoj is what someone who knows someone would say.  Lesson learned!  We visited as her kids sailed with a jolly old man.  She told me he carts his little sailboat across the railroad tracks to the mara every evening in the summer.  He told her he finds his IT job quite stressful and this is how he relaxes.  I learned a lot from the man about what's important in life, and the only words we shared were "Dobrie" (which is a shortened version of good day) and a  smile and a nod as he rolled his cart toward home.  She also told me a different man who was part of creating the first artificial arm was from Liptovsky Mikulas!  Cool!

Here is his small boat, I imagine it being home made, and the 2 kids of the lady I visited with going out for an evening sail with the old man.  I just read Ernest Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea, and can't help but align this old man and the one in the story.

Our last day before school began started at 8 am sharp when Saska picked Daniel and I up, all three of us on bikes to go to the articulated wooden church in Svaty kris.  I was looking forward to the carpentry aspect of it because it was built in the "Counter Reformation" or "Catholic Reformation" period when the King decided to make it really difficult for protestant churches to exist.  They had to be built outside the city, have no bell towers, be completed building in 9 months, and be made out of ONLY wood.  Nails and all had to be wood.  The man who was the lead for building it could not read or write, but had lots of hands on carpentry experience and created a magnificent building in only 8 months.  Not only was the carpentry amazing, but if they had built it in 2 years, with all the materials allowed, I would still be impressed!  The building is AMAZING!  Wooden trim work, chandeliers, even each pew had amazing designs in the wood.  Not only is it amazing it was built, where it was originally built, is where the Mara now lays so when they built the dam, they had to move the huge building!  

We had time so we decided to make the journey around the Mara by bike!  It was all fun and games until I popped a tire.  We ended up walking, 

until we got to a village where Saska's daughter, Zuzka, could come save the day with their car.  Daniel and one bike ended the journey there, but Saska and I continued on to finish our loop around the mara and end at their place for late lunch also made by Zuzka.  It was fantastic food to start with, and with 4 hours of biking behind us was a very pleasant meal.  :)   

The first day of school is always held at the Lutheran Church in Liptovsky Mikulas.  It's a church service for students and faculty to stat the year off with intentions centered around God and the bigger purpose for why we are at the school.  I loved it, and got to meet a few students, before diving into classes.  It seemed to work well also for student to gather, see their friends, catch up, and enjoy some time before classes began the next day.  

My "quick! look like a teacher" first day of school pic

My mind was going way faster than my body for the first week or so at school.  I felt like I had a lot to do and a lot to understand, and there was no way to understand until I had experience, and there was only one way to get that!  I recalled my first day working at Ken's Tackle on fishing opener and how Gary believed that the best way to learn is being thrown into the fire to experience the real thing first hand.  It proved to be true in this situation as well.  The ELCA prepared me well in a couple of weeks of orientation, and the teachers at school helped immensely in the week before school, but the only way I could learn more was by doing.  It seemed a slightly nerve racking situation to be in but I believe God prepared me for it with situations the past years and I was feeling quite good about class number 1!  I wouldn't say I rocked it, but I wouldn't say it was a flop either.  I have 13 different classes of 15 students or less in the High School (Gymnasium) for 19 hours per week, and 2 classes in the Elementary School (Basic School).  My first classes were all focused on getting to known students, hearing them talk, and for them to get to know me and why I am here.  It was great visiting with students and hearing them present each other's summer vacations (this was my first assignment) because I got to see what they do for fun and for work here and compare it to home.  Things are very similar they just call vacation, cottage, or holiday, and they travel to different countries instead of different states.  Students aren't allowed to work until they are 16 years old and many work in tourist places like aqua parks or zoos, another popular job is working at restaurants or grocery store, and some worked at camps.  They spend time playing football, hiking, slalom canoeing, cycling, going to the Mara, and visiting family or friends in and around Slovakia.  I enjoy the students and appreciate the opportunity to pass on English to them and look forward to getting more comfortable with teaching and bringing lessons to life for them to learn.

It's fun to tell people about home.  Ignac asked how far from the Lake I lived (I showed him our house on google maps).  When I pointed to a bridge 10 meters away and said about that far, his face lit up with excitement.  Lakes are not common here, and I realize more and more how much of a gift it is to live in the place we do, and with the family and friends we do.

Peace to everyone back home!  Send hunting pictures when they are taken, and stories as well!  They hunt here, but I will only be watching if the opportunity arises.  Which I am delighted that it's a possibility :)   They hunt deer here.  Or so they call them, I was shown a picture that looks like a huge elk!  I hope to see one this fall, maybe from a deer stand!

Next stop: Promised Land

Liptovsky Mikulas is basically flowing with Milk and Honey!  Their is a freshwater spring on the outskirts of town that people get water from.  Not just any water, it's the fizzy, bubbled water!  I asked several times if the water I was drinking was really taken straight from the river to the bottle I poured out of.  Unless it's an initiation joke, I am completely amazed!

View out the train Window coming into Liptovsky Mikulas!

From Bratislava, I hoped on a train with Daniel, my apartment (flat they call it here) mate, and two teachers headed to Kosice Eastern Slovakia: Melody, another first year teacher, and Julene returning for more!  The train moved east through the middle of the country and continuously got more beautiful, and more beautiful, until it was the most beautiful, the train stopped, and it was called Liptovsky Mikulas!  It is in the dividing valley between the high and low Tatra mountain ranges, with Liptovsky Mara (Lake) on the edge of town.

Daniel gave me a great tour of the main parts of town and shared a lot of his previous year's knowledge with me.  It's a small enough town, I feel I can navigate most areas comfortably already.  I might regret saying this, but it's difficult to get lost because when in doubt head down hill and you're back in town!

Steve, the previous lector here, left his bicycle for me to ride.  I am very appreciative, and have already been out and about; I found a beach, watched a man catch a carp, congratulated him the best I could in English combined with thumbs up and smiles, popped my tire on the rocks along the beach, got a bus back to town and fixed it up for more adventures to come!

The day we arrived happened to be Friday which Daniel told me is when they have youth group from the church in town. We headed for that in the evening and had a wonderful time.  We worshiped, a great guy also named Jan translated the message for us, sang Slovak and English songs, played frisbee, and volleyball.

Youth group frisbeeing!

Two very kind ladies, Patricia, and Saska who are our primary contacts for teaching here picked us up from the train and walked us to our flat which is about 300 meters from the train and 150 meters from the school.  Saska invited us to hike the following morning.  I was delighted :)  She picked us up at 9 am sharp with her 12 year old son Janko.  Janko is a good name for example of how we call people we are familiar with.  His real name is Jan which is equivalent to English, John.  To my current understanding for his family and friends Janko is for lack of better words, a pet name.  Regardless, Janko just turned 12 and had scuffed up knees and legs from his favorite summer pastime, mountain biking!  He reminded me a lot of me when I was 12 and we got along well!  Saska and Janko took us to Chocske National Park which is North West of Mikulas near Prosiek for our hike! It was WONDERFUL!  We hiked through thick wooded mountains, exposed rock cliffs (we could see we weren't on... mom), large meadows with cattle and sheep lead by shepherds.  Real shepherds!  It was fun to hear about many things in Slovakia from Saska, but it was a new concept to me that they don't use fences for their cattle.  A shepherd takes the animals around the mountain each day to a new grazing spot and back to their holding areas for night.  I asked if Saska would like to be a shepherd, she laughed and said the joke around Slovakia is everyone wants to be a shepherd when its 75 and sunny, but no one wants to be a shepherd when it's 45 and raining all day.  I think it's another job I would like to try for a week...  We stopped in a village and I had my first taste of Kapusnica which is sauerkraut soup!  Delicious, filling, and a popular Slovak dish.  That evening we went to their home, met Saska's husband Ignac who is an avid skier, and her daughter Zuzka who is studying medicine!  We had home grown lamp for dinner!  Saska said we have a lamb in our yard until winter, then it moves to the freezer.  They are a great family!  They also host many tourists to the area who stay in their cottage which holds 15 people.  I can only imagine the positive marks they leave on many many people who cross their paths!

Hey I've seen one of these before!

Janko, Saska, me, Daniel

Daniel could be a shepherd

Janko and I getting a good view from the deer stand

Sunday afternoon the youth group kids served a meal of Goulash to the Elders of the Church.  Goulash is a hot dish/ soup from Hungry, but very popular in Slovakia.  It was a really neat experience.  The youth sang worship, different people talked about Sunday school, Youth group, confirmation, visiting hospitals, and invited people to join, help, and in general pass on their faith and mentor their grandchildren.  It was a great representation of the upside down kingdom.  The kids were serving their elders and God was shinning all over!  Daniel and I sat down with a table of elders who speak only Slovak.  I learned there are many ways to communicate :)  The only thing I understood verbally was their names, and that was a powerful thing in itself.

Joyful man singing in Slovak and playing his accordion!

On to my purpose for being here!  I've got a week of school under my belt!  No students yet, but a few teacher meetings, and the most helpful for me English department methodology meetings where the teachers pass on their knowledge to Daniel and I and also other new and old teachers!  The first day it was a joy to be a part of all the teachers welcoming each other back and catching up on life.  "Excited to see you" sounds so happy when 3-7 teachers are all saying it to one another in Slovak, and I love it!  Some speak really really good English, and some not at all, but it's fun to greet, smile and attempt to communicate with all.  One English teacher, Andrea, took me under her wing on my first day.  She asked if I'd like a tour of the school, and of course I agreed.  We started at the school chapel where she invited me to pray to start our day.  It was a moment where I was running so fast, her asking to pray hit me like a truck full of Jesus.  It was great to let my guard down, talk with God, center our intentions on him and not us during the school year.  Our school is great!  Daniel and I are a bit out numbered in the English department, 10 girls, and the 2 of us.  We've been learning a lot from the ladies.

Another cool thing we did was tour the ice cave where Saska's daughter Zuzka is a tour guide!  We tagged along, listened to her teach people about the limestone, manganese, -17 degree celcius temps in winter all in Slovak, then she kindly explained to us in English the high lights.  The ice are was not overly abundant this year because it was an unusually warm summer in Slovakia.

This is part of the cave!  No ice here.

Daniel and I are getting along great in our flat!  We've been working out together, going on a few bike rides, and eating most meals together.  He's gracious to take time to teach me the things he's learned, remind me of people's names, spell Slovak names and places many times over because I can't understand them... yet!

Here's my bedroom, our living room, and our lovely kitchen!  Our building is BIG and LIME GREEN... Even I can find it :)

God bless all who are reading, thinking of you all wherever you are,  I hope to hear from you soon!  Comment on here, email at mmchar4@gmail.com, facebook, or send good ol fashion snail mail to:

Martin Charest

Hurbanova 24

031 01 Liptovsky Mikulas 

Slovak Republic