Week 17: Finals, goodbyes, and Slovakia!

The last of my finals have come and gone, and here I sit, relaxed and relieved. I've said some temporary goodbyes to some great friends, and I’ve finally found a moment to sit down and write for this week… which has included a trip to Slovakia!

Monday and Tuesday were the last days of my final exams. On Monday I pounded out lots of paragraphs for Interculturality, History of French Literary Movements, and my French Writing Workshop. They all went better than expected, and the hope is that I finish out the semester with great grades! (I’ll be finding out my exact results toward the end of January, or so I’ve heard.) In the evening, I booked some very cheap transport for a trip to Lisbon with Fatima, to go visit Karla, our Portuguese friend! I cannot WAIT for that weekend. On Tuesday I had my final exam for Intercultural Communications after a brief meeting with the housekeeper of my residence to ensure that I hadn’t broken anything in my room, and then in the evening I hosted a farewell dinner at my residence! It was such a great way to celebrate the great times that we had had during the semester, and we all had such an amazing time. Facebook users, see the photos here!

What a wonderful dinner it was. Great times shared with all. <3

Hijacking the American picture!

Going out after dinner, to celebrate all the good times. 

Then, on Wednesday, I started my big trip to Slovakia! Linda, one of my Slovak friends, was kind enough to agree to put me up for four nights at her home not too far outside Bratislava, and show me around the city. Linda and Milan had already been planning to return home to Slovakia over the break, and when I found out that the flight they had booked worked with my schedule, I immediately pounced on the opportunity - after all, who wouldn’t want to visit the land their ancestors came from years ago? So I packed my little suitcase, went to the bus station to meet up with Linda and Milan to catch a bus to Brussels Charleroi, and from there hopped on a Ryanair plane. When we got to the airport, Linda’s and Milan’s parents were waiting, and I had the pleasure of meeting all of them. After a lovely dinner and trying a little of Linda’s dad’s favorite cognac as well as some authentic slivovica, I made my way up to bed to get my beauty sleep for the next day.

Since I had known that some of my Slovak ancestors at one point lived in Trenčin, I had requested that we go there during my five-day stay, and Linda graciously agreed. So, in the morning, we hopped on the train for around an hour or so, and we stepped out into the city.

Main train station in Bratislava.

Dobry den, Trenčin!

We first just walked around a while to get our bearings, and then we made our way to the Christmas Market. It was about the size of the one in Lille, if a little bigger, but we found some really neat things there. I hand-picked some souvenirs, and we window-shopped around for a while. We got some cigansku for lunch, which was a like a Slovak version of kebab, and before we left I made sure to grab some warm medovina, the best honey wine in the world. Before I knew it (after more than a few stairs), we were on our way up to the castle on top of the hill, taking in the beautiful sights and the ancient history - including the story of a well of love into which many people are said to have wished for their own fairytale ending. It was such a wonderful experience, getting to see where part of my family once lived, long ago.

Trenčin Christmas Market!

Enjoying some mulled wine and the Slovak atmosphere

Almost all the way up to the castle entrance!

Looking up at the main building.

The Well of Love!

Breathtaking views of the whole city.

Soon enough, our time in Trenčin came to an end, and we hopped on the train back to Bratislava. Milan joined us a few stops later, and we made our way to the city center to see the Christmas Market in all its glory. I had seen a picture of the Bratislava Christmas Market on Facebook before arriving, but the photo hardly did it justice - it was such a wonderful experience! It really helped me to get in the Christmas spirit! (Despite the fact that the temperature for the entire weekend frequently reached 60 degrees Fahrenheit, haha.) After a leisurely stroll, we met up with a good friend of Linda’s, and we all made our way to a restaurant aptly named The Slovak Pub, where I got to try some bryndzove halušky, little pasta dumplings with a typical Slovak cheese on top. It was delicious! And a great way to start the night. We made our way over to Bratislava castle, where we enjoyed the views of the city and had one hell of a night (starting with some borovička and Sprite, then a bar chatting with friends, a heart attack over my presumed-lost passport which turned out to be just fine/completely unwarranted in the end, and a drum & bass club into the wee hours of the morning). At the end of the night we caught a cab and crashed back at Linda’s place.

Bratislava Christmas Market. What a cool place!

Zlaty Bažant (Golden Pheasant) beer, brewed in Slovakia. Because, of course. Na zdravie!

Bryndzove halušky. It was delicious!

First taste of borovička :)

It was glorious getting to sleep in in the morning, and we got to relax well into the afternoon, watching Dodgeball. After a nice, sunny, relaxing afternoon, we returned to the city center, this time to meet more of Linda’s friends, and we had a blast exploring the ancient Christmas market. We made our way back to the modern Christmas Market, where I tried some frndžalica, a mix of medovina with a little bit of slivovica, and had some lakša, potato crepes, for dinner. After a few turns around the ice rink (on skates that were almost dangerously dull), we made our way out for another night on the town, filled with tequila, hruškovica (pear spirit), becherovka, and my first taste of Jaeger. And of course, we all danced the night away to more drum & bass! (I learned very fast how much Linda loves that kind of music, and definitely got lots of exposure to it over the weekend. It was a cool experience that definitely opened my ears to new-to-me music!) After a night full of dancing and partying, we crashed at a friend’s place for what was left of the night.

Ancient Christmas Market - right across the highway from the castle.

Christmas Market round 2

In the morning, Linda’s parents came and picked us up, and we were informed of our plans for the day: a day trip to Austria to do some shopping! We went to a gigantic shopping center not too far across the Austrian border, and we spent a few hours in Primark (the best department store in Europe! or at least the cheapest, haha). Linda’s dad informed me that this was a once-a-year kind of occasion, so  after having lunch, we all browsed around, picked out our select clothes items, and made our purchases. After Linda’s parents got a few groceries, we all got back in the car and headed back to Bratislava, where we had an absolutely lovely dinner. Then, thanks to the wonderful wifi, we were actually able to Skype my grandparents! This sounds a little random, but for those of you who don’t know, my mom’s dad is fluent in Slovak, and so I thought it would be cool for him to speak in Slovak with Linda and her parents. It was fun, and they even discussed the association of which my grandpa is President, the Wisconsin Slovak Historical Association! All in all, it was a pretty great way to spend a Saturday, and certainly a great Saturday in Slovakia!

Slovak-Austrian border!

After some discussion the previous day, on Sunday we headed out to see some last sights in and around the city. Our first stop was a very windy one: a priehrada (dam) on a very big river. It was incredibly blustery there, but it was worth it to see the kayak course that they have there. Apparently Slovaks are really good at kayaking, as in they get medals in the Olympics most every time. (You learn something new every day, I guess!) Then we drove by the Rusovce mansion, which will apparently be the residence of the President of the Slovak Republic in the not-too-distant future, and we stopped by and looked around a little bit. We also stopped at another shopping center, this one a little smaller than the Austrian one, and Linda and I set out to find a book for me to learn Slovak, but unfortunately the only such book the store offered was too expensive and not very good quality, and so I passed on it for the moment (but I still do want to learn Slovak!). I did end up getting some Christmas cards for certain Slovak-speaking people in my family, and then we made our way back to Linda’s place, where we had a wonderful lunch, and Linda’s mom was so kind as to give me an early Christmas present! And I tried the last new type of alcohol for the weekend, demänovka. The last event of my trip was to go on a pretty long walk through nature with Anabelle, Linda’s dog, and the family, during which Linda and I discussed the Slovak language, teaching and teachers, and I incessantly asked Linda how to say this and that in Slovak. We eventually made our way back home so I could collect my things, and then it was off to the airport and on my way back to France. Overall, the weekend was an amazing combination of partying and experiencing my heritage as it exists today!

Right by the Rusovce mansion, there was this building that belongs to a Slovak organization that keeps traditions alive in the current community. How cool to see an organization doing something that I've basically been doing for all my life!

The dam. It was quite a windy day!

A nice long walk in the woods.

Overall, I’m both glad and sad to see that my semester in Lille is already over. I have no idea how it passed by so fast! I was told all year long before I left for Europe that my time would fly by, and of course my first two years of college have flown by...but I guess it’s just another taste of reality to keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds. But it is good to have a break and get to travel a bit - it just keeps reminding me how much I’m blessed and so lucky to be having this whole experience. It’s definitely a cool experience having been in a country I’m interested in getting to know, but not knowing the language (thank goodness for my wonderful guide, Linda!). It makes me appreciate all the more all my time in France, and gives me motivation to seize the opportunity I still have left in France to speak French. And this trip to Slovakia has definitely renewed my interest in learning the Slovak language! I’ve tried to do so a couple times before on my own, but I hope now to actually realize my goal of having at least a functional knowledge of the Slovak language. And with that, I’m off to pack up all my bags and move to Amandine’s house for the next week and a half or so for Christmas - I can’t wait to see what comes next! Until next week - à bientôt!

P.S. Facebook users, click here for more photos of my Slovakia trip!