This week before I was sick

Zilina this week was fantastic. Or, at least Monday and Tuesday it was. Both days were quite long, but fun and rewarding. Monday, I went earlier than normal because one of the professors (whose classes I teach on Thursday morning) wanted to have lunch with me. We went to what she thought was the best pizza in Zilina. It was right by a big tennis facility and I almost got the pizza called Pizza Match Point except that it had meat on it... Talking to her was fascinating. She is educated (obviously) and opinionated and interested in facts and history. So many students that I talk to don't know much about their history and I was interested as to why. I'm used to that in the US, but most people in Europe seem to know more about their past. She said it comes from the communism sentiment. If things were going to happen/change, then someone was going to tell you to do it. No one initiated things on their own. In some classes when we were comparing people in the US and Slovakia, some students said that they thought people in the US were more apt to stand up for themselves and make changes that they believed in.

Dana is her name. She told me about the announcement that she remembers in 1989 that meant the end of communism here. It meant free borders. I have also wondered why not many people here have traveled outside of Slovakia when they are surrounded by opportunities to travel. It's because they weren't allowed to leave. Citizens (of then Czechoslovakia) were not allowed to own foreign currency, but you had to have it before leaving the country if you were going to travel somewhere. To get that approval, you had to apply to the banks and even then, you were only granted about the equal to $100. Without that paper, you couldn't board planes or trains bound for foreign countries. Dana said that when that law changed, they grabbed their passports and went to Vienna just because they could. I can not imagine the feeling she described of not being stopped by border control after all those years!

This defiance to change things that you don't agree with still lives on in the students even though they have mostly known Slovakia as a republic. The third class that I visit on Tuesdays is probably the best in English. I really like this class for some reason. The first day I was there, someone brought up that many students don't like systems or procedures or even the basic design of the university...but they won't do anything to change it! Last week I asked if they wanted me to tell them about steps to take to DO something about it. Enough students were interested that this week, that's what we discussed. I talked to them about the Student Government Associations at home and what they have achieved. I used examples from TCU often because that is what I knew best. I acted like we were at an SGA meeting and we were going to do something to initiate change. They came up with anything from getting WIFI in the building to building a library... Toward the end, I asked what a first step can be to getting something done and one student said "I don't know - we'd ask you?" haha! I wanted to say "I'm not the one in charge [even though I was acting like it]. YOU are the students at this university!" Next thing I knew, I was playing group leader and I definitely should have had a microphone in front of a stadium of eager students with how enthusiastic I was.

At the end, I asked if they wanted to talk about it again this next week. One student said "No, it's not worth it." They don't believe in the power they could have! It was frustrating to see and I, of all people, never thought I'd be the kind of person to "rally the troops." They don't see the advantage of doing anything because it would take time and energy and they graduate in a year anyway... It's as if they don't get the idea of reciprocity. People did things so that these students can enjoy a university as they know it now but they won't do something for the betterment of future students. That's Slovakia...

Other classes were fun too though. Monday, for the first time, I went to a beginner class where I could only talk in the present simple tense (which is really difficult when they ask questions about the past). In another, I explained the hellish process of applying for my visa and the students couldn't believe I went through so much trouble to stay in their country. In media classes, we talked about how/why movies are exploring the 3rd, 4th, and 5th dimensions. Uncle Tom, I feel like you could have contributed here! Tuesday, the first class invited me out for coffee this coming Monday night! :) And finally, one girl asked if I'd do an interview for the university paper. haha, it was a busy, fun two days and I'm sure I'd have more stories if I stuck it out with the 3 classes yesterday.

Wednesday night I still tutored the boys but I also began tutoring with the woman who owns our apartment complex, Petra. She wants to be able to communicate better with the Norwegian students. How interesting that really I teach English.....

Wow, that was a lot more than I thought I had to say. It was a big week despite my sickness. Thanks for reading....and caring. Happy Friday :)