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
