Life in a Village

Hello again!

Life in a village never proves to be boring - but it sometimes does lead to difficulties getting enough time to post a few photos, thoughts, and observations. Thank you all for your interest, comments, and support!

I wanted to let you in on what life is like in this little village between the High and Low Tatras mountain ranges. Music seems to play a big role in my experiences here so far, so I hope you can enjoy what is a working draft of "Slovakia - The Soundtrack":

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Hybe does not even have 2,000 inhabitants, so within my first day it seems like I had met the entire village. Even after being here a month, it is still surprising to me that people in and around this village know more about me than I sometimes do. Just yesterday I took the bus to the big town nearby - about 20 kilometers away. As I did my shopping and waited at the bus stop to return back home I was stopped by two different people for some questions. When I answered in my best attempts - broken English-Slovak mix - to say I was sorry but did not know how to help them, both times their faces lit up and asked where I was from and where I was staying in Slovakia. As soon as I mentioned Hybe, there was a clear and immediate look of comprehension across them. The elderly lady became excited and said, "Sarah?" Well, you could have knocked me over at that moment.
I am trying to get used to everyone in Hybe knowing me, but this was a large town we were in. How on earth could she know me? Communication still is difficult because my main vocabulary has been learned from playing memory games with the children here in the village. Ask me the names for fruits, vegetables, parts of the body, colors, numbers, etc...no problem! However, when conversation requires more than a toddler"s vocabulary, the local citizens and I are reduced to pointing, guesturing, and making odd noises to get our points across. From what I can tell, this elderly lady is perhaps a third cousin of someone named Zuzka in Hybe or she knows someone who lives three doors down from Zuzka.
Yesterday"s second person who knew me was a high school student who knew me because I visited her sister"s classroom a few weeks ago for English conversation. Apparently I was either very helpful or a disaster that day because everyone seemed to share their experiences with me in their classroom that day! This younger sister of a student I had spoken with knew: my name, where I was from in the USA, I had a mother named Peggy and a brother named "Stephen or Shrevan", a brown labrador, I like the Appalachian mountains, and that I was not used to the cold weather. It was so strange for a complete stranger to have so much knowledge about me.
These encounters are a reminder to me that what my parents told us: you never know who you will run into and who will know you. Their implication was that as their children, we represented them out in public and that any behavior could be reported back...but I think the same thing is true here in Slovakia.

Mamma Mia!

One of my very favorite aspects of life in this village are the PA speakers all over town. Every so often announcements are shared from the town offices for the village. The notes do not usually get me too excited because I clearly have no idea what is being said. What I do love, however, are what I am learning to call "ABBA Fridays".
Beginning at 8:00 AM, the town PA speakers blast a different ABBA medley every hour until the afternoon. I have not yet figured out if there is an exact schedule or playlist, but I can be assured to hear "Mamma Mia" at 8:00 and "Take a Chance on Me" at 11:00. I ask you, is there a better way to usher in the weekend?

Money, Money, Money
In keeping with the ABBA excitement, there is a lot of buzz going around about Slovakia"s money. On January 1st, Slovakia will move to using the Euro. While shops and banks will still accept their remaining Slovak krowns, change will only be given in Euros. Some people are excited about this progressive step and the implications of joining the rest of the European union with money matters...however, most people I have talked to are anxious about money. The biggest concern is that people feel their money will lose value in January. You can see this in action in shops and through the village, but the biggest example is the building and construction going. All through the country, people are currently renovating their homes and businesses while they can still pay for the services while their Slovak krowns are still valuable. I feel like I am back in Mt. Pleasant because the view of construction buses and vans rolling through the village brings back plenty of memories from Hwy 17.

Where the Streets Have No Name
You may have browsed through this blog and come across my "snail mail" address. It seemed odd to me until I arrived in Hybe because I was not sure if what the name of my street was. Only upon arriving and walking through the village did I realize that Hybe does not have street names. Hybe 528 is merely the lot number assigned back when the village was plotted and laid out. Next year, however, that will change as the conversion into the E.U. continues...with another requirement that all the country"s have names.
One of my host families will live on Pink Street...isn"t that sweet?

OO-De-Lally...Golly, What a Day
By far, the most famous "person" in Hybe is Pacho. This is a statue in the middle of the village commemorating who everyone describes as, "The Slovak Robin Hood". Apparently, there was a movie filmed about Pacho...and everyone is curious as to whether or not I have seen it. Well, I have not, but I think that will be the next on my assignments.

Up On the Roof
Weekends are very busy times to get things done around the house and gardens in Hybe. My host family is working on construction for their "hotelique"...and Saturdays are times to get a lot completed. This past week, the Muchals replaced their chimneys - and also a good bit of the roof that was damaged in the removal of the old chimney.


The Bees are Buzzing in the Trees

This is Marta Muchalova"s cousin Jan Dumbal...affectionately known to his family and friends as "Crazy Jan". Jan and Pavel Muchal each have their own bees and hives...producing some of the best honey I have ever tried in my life!
By the way, Jan would like all Americans to know he is the white, Slovak version of Barack Obama. I asked for an explanation, and none came. Read into it what you will, I suppose.