Peter (Physical Education teacher), Me, Ignac, Saska, and a solo hiking woman who joined our team in the snowy slippery mountains. A beautiful day and a physical workout. We hiked 9 hours this day as we had to get in our mountain time before the snow flew more and we switch to skis :) Time in the mountains has been valuable. I love spending time with outdoor active minded people and the mountains is a place where we all enjoy, but it's just the place. The people, relationships, and conversations all grow and are enriched by the wilderness no humans have built on, driven on, or humanized. It looks the same today as when the first humans were put on earth. Kind of like an original piece of the author, God.
Students are great! They learn a lot in the classroom and we discuss some neat topics in conversation class, but it's with a whole class of 15 people. These 2nd year students (sophomore equivalent) invited Daniel and I out for pizza to the nearby town Ruzomberok and it was great to get to know them!
Jenny and I making snowmen at 6,500 feet. Blue skies, 4 day weekend, and lots of mountains to explore! I took probably the most steps I ever have in consecutive days that weekend. Tiring, but life giving to be in the mountains with good people. The 4th day I felt like I'd been hiking so much and hurrying to get down before dark, I hadn't been able to attempt to take in all that IS in the mountains. So I ventured up to Babky to pray, journal, and watch the sunset. Very refreshing to realize how small I am, and how big God is. I'm not going to change the world, but God will through me and all his sons and daughters.
My 1st year class wrote "Happy Name Day" on the board for when I walked into their classroom. Great fun, good kids. Name days are really popular in Slovakia. The calendar has nearly everybody's names on a particular day and that is their name day every year. Martin happens to be a famous one named after a patron saint of France. He came across a poor man, ripped his cloak in 2 and gave half to the poor man. He also rode a white horse so the sang goes that the first snow should fall on Martin's name day November 11th. We had snow before, but none on the day. I've got big shoes to fill :)
THANKSGIVING
Slovak teachers style. Daniel and I hosted some English speaking colleagues to our flat for a baby turkey (otherwise known as chicken), pumpkin pie, apple crisp, and many pot luck dishes!
This is a screen shot of the day my sister and brother in law told me I was going to be an Uncle! All smiles, I can't wait to meet her or him when I get home! So much joy in hearing of a child joining our family :) Sam was creative. She cut out a oven and baked a Hawaiian sweet bun and told me there is a bun in the oven :)
This is as close as I got to MN deer hunting for 2015. My sister did not take my place, as she said this is as close to hunting as she is getting this year :) I did get running reports from Dad, our hunting party, and friends. It made it a little better, but nothing to shake a stick at spending time with my dad and our hunting family out in the woods.
Once a week I go to the Liptovsky Mikulas bouldering room with a few students. It's the best of all the worlds because we both get to do what we love, try new things, speak English, and get to know each other as people. This is Michal from the 1st year class climbing the roof route!
Natalia and I in front of the crazy carnival ride "THE BOOSTER." Mikulas is Nicholas in Slovak so St. Nicholas is St. Mikulas which our town is named after. Therefore they celebrate St. Mikulas day December 6 and have a big Mikulas Market in the city center for the weekend with community events going all weekend. Natalia and I talked each other into going on the booster, and talked each other through surviving the experience. It is like a Ferris wheel with more speed, more flipping, and more spinning. Amongst the spinning and flipping at one point she said "why arent' you screaming?" So I started to join in her howling, then she said, while upside down, "If we survive will you put me in your blog?" I said of course! It was a memorable carnival ride, I'm glad we did it and I'm glad we survived to tell about it!
My new friends that play on a 10 year old hand ball team. We sat in the same box on the train, they spoke little English, and I spoke less Slovak, but we helped each other out, counted in each other's languages, shared colors, days of the week, and other simple conversations. We shared many smiles and laughs throughout the process. I even got a team sticker and all their autographs!
Thanksgiving in Bratislava with nearly all the ELCA missionaries from Slovakia and Hungry! Ole collaborated with the staff at their school to organize a school building, 2 huge turkeys, and a fun weekend spending time together, sharing stories, laughs, struggles, and joys. It was a rich experience!
Kapustnica is a traditional Slovak Christmas soup. It is made with saurkraut,and I think is delicious! Kapustnica parties are popular before Christmas time. This one is our teacher's Kapustnica. They serve not only kapustnica, but a full meal, and lots of visiting, story telling, and even a little dancing! This is Nada, Kristina, and Daniel.
This is the Evangelic church kapustnica party! The pastor (in the blue), Marian Bochnicka, makes soup and serves it to the congregation members as a service to them. It's a healthy perspective, I think that he serves them. Like how Jesus washed the disciples feet, and came not to be served, but to serve. Not everyone here speaks English, but we managed to communicate a few things and found a couple people who were great with English. Even one retired English teacher!
Trade hiking boots for skis when the snow falls and back to the mountains! Ski alping is very popular here, and this is the first time I have done it in my life! Peter and Peter, both physical education teachers took me to Chopok in the Low Tatras. For ski alping you put nylon skins on the bottoms of yours skis walk up the mountain, then lock in your boots, remove the skins and ski down! I didn't remember until I was on top of the mountain that I am a snowboarder not a skier! Gravity helped, but I got down. It's great to be able to travel in the mountains in winter!
Christmas party at a language school I visit here and there. It was great fun for all of us. We went around the room and shared Christmas traditions from one family to another. Slovakia has many fun traditions. For example, the first thing they eat Christmas Eve before the meal is garlic and honey to signify good health for the year. An apple is cut in half, if a star shows (it does every time) it signifies good luck for the year, some families leave a place at the table empty to remember their family members that have passed away and to welcome a passerby if the opportunity presented itself, Baby Jesus comes to bring presents instead of Santa. Many more, but I shared things like Lefsa, the kids table, cutting our Christmas tree, Aunts and cousins cooking delicious things, ice skating, sledding, and snowmobiling. Fond fond memories of Christmas are only going to be enriched from this year away. The things I took for granted show up like a sore thumb now. Now this wraps up in mid December, shortly before MY PARENTS came to visit me. I'll write up some stories and highlights from our 10 days together and share the experience soon!
May the Lord make His face shine upon you! Live each day like it could be your last.
Thinking of you in Minnesota and all around
Peace, Love,
Marty
Sounds like you are having an amazing time. Can't wait till you are back. You will have to make sure to come to the cabin and go wakeboarding. Keeping you in our prayers.
ReplyDeleteEileen Weidemann
It is good! I look forward to cabin time with the Weidemanns! Good people all over the world :)
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