A Day with the Rain

Ok, I'm going to keep this short, so that I can resume my attempt at translating "Vlk a sedem kozliatok" (I'll explain later).



So, the days of lovely weather in Bratislava are at an end. I awoke this morning not to lovely sunshine, but rain. It's been raining on and off all day, making things very soggy and cold. Not pleasant, but the warmth couldn't last forever, I suppose.

At any rate, I woke up earlier than usual, even for a Friday, because, you see, I was, well, not skipping per say, as I did go to school, just not Gymnázium Tomašikova (the easier way to say my school. It's on Tomašikova, hence the alternate name to Gymnázium Ladislava Novomeského.) You see, Beth and I were invited by a teacher we met at church to come to the Evangeliké Lyceum where she teaches.

It. Was. GREAT!!!!

Several of the classes were in English! Do you have any idea how nice it was to be taught in English again?!? We went to math class first, and, let me tell you, when she started speaking in English, we both nearly squealed with delight. This just doesn't happen in our school. I never thought I would see the day when I wanted to hug quadratic formulas, but lo, and behold, today I did.

Beth and I made new friend in Noemi, our guide for the day. She was really nice, interested in a lot of the same things as us, and told us that if we ever wanted to hang out, just to call her, because she would be happy to come with us. It was so nice of her. We even exchanged cell phone numbers! I look forward to talking to her again.

After school, Beth and I went to Aupark, one of the local malls, just to wander around a bit. We wound up going to Phanta Rei, my favorite bookstore, and buying Slovak children's books. Beth really scored by finding a copy of Roald Dahl's The Giraffe, the Pelly, and Me in Slovak. I'm so jealous. I might have to steal it from her at some point.... At any rate, I got my hands on a book containing four fairy tales: "Vlk a sedem kozliatok", "Kráska a zviera", "šípová Ruženka", and "Palculienka". Now, the middle two are "Beauty and the Beast" and "Sleeping Beauty", and I'm about 99% positive that "Paculienka" is "Thumbelina", but as I'm not really familiar with the story beyond the cartoon that I watched as a child, I'm not positive. The first story, "Vlk a sedem kozliatok", which translates roughly to "The wolf and the seven kids" (kids in this case referring to baby goats), is definitely not one I've heard before, and is, as far as I can tell, somewhere between "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The three little Pigs". However, I haven't finished translating it yet, sooo....

At any rate, we had a lot of fun at Aupark, so things were going lovely. It was even better that the rain decided to be nice, and go away for a while so we didn't get soaked going home. Things got better, though! Miša made Bryndza Halušky for dinner, which makes me happy. I still hold that halušky is proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy. Tonight there will be another round of česko Slovenska Superstar, and I can't help but hope that the thrice blasted Adriena Kučerova will FINALLY get the boot! Keep your fingers crossed!

In other news, we found out that I had to get my FBI papers translated, because, clearly, we couldn't just leave them in English. Gah! This process of getting a Temporary Residency Permit is pure lunacy! I have been informed that there is a visa that exchange students can get that only lasts for a year, but makes for a lot less trouble, at least in Slovakia. Maybe you'll have to run around like a chicken with its head cut off in America, but, you see, in America, everyone speaks English, so you can talk with the irksome beurocrats yourself. They don't here. You must rely on your host parents, which is mildly annoying. Trust me, getting it done in the States would be better. MUCH better.

So, all in all, a very good day, thanks to English, Aupark, and halušky! You have a good day too!

And that's all there is. There isn't anymore.