Wohoo!

The past few days we have been buying tickets for here and there, but tonight we made the most fantastic plan of them all - Bratislava and Budapest! I am so excited right now! 

The New Week Begins Now

As I promised to go to work for a few hours a day and because my holiday starts on Thursday, this officially feels like Monday. This means that it might also be a good moment to talk about work - rather, about the difference between working in Slovakia and in Sweden. Please note that these are mere observations based on subjective experiences. In Slovakia I only worked for one company, so these experiences come from there. As I am writing this in a hurry, sources and other material will follow in another post. 

In summary, I would say that working in Scandinavia is easier and it is also more pleasant than working in a lot of other countries. I can also see why some companies outsource - after all, much about pleasantness of work (as I see it) directly relates to how the company treats its employees, often requiring a fair amount of money. An example, in Slovakia our manager would sometimes (once every two months) arrange a common breakfast for our department. Any AW-activities we had, we had to pay for ourselves. At my current job, the entire company gathers every Friday for a "fika" (coffee and cake), we have fresh fruit brought in daily, the coffee is free :). The company pays for any AW-activities. In other words, there is a completely different approach to including employees. 

I have also experienced that the style of leadership and management is very different. In general, Scandinavian managers seem to be more down-to-earth. It is not a shame to listen to what employees have to say and the information flow seems to be greater. Everybody doesn't need to know everything. sure - but I do think everyone benefits from knowing the things that directly affects their work. As an example, in my former job in Slovakia, our closest manager (who had the title team leader) would not inform the team if one of the members would be exempted from certain tasks, the rest of the team or parts of the team would need to do these tasks on the top of their own with no explanation! The team leader did also not participate in the daily work, which is not the case in my current team. In Sweden and in my current job, there have been cases when the information has not gone all the way down to everyone, but there is one essential difference. When people here feel excluded, they feel that they can talk about this to their management. And that's exactly what they do. And usually the management listens and tries to find a solution with the whole group. 

As I'll soon be off to work for some overtime, the topic of overtime will be my last point. As an employee, I am prepared to work for my employer for 40 hours a week for my normal salary. Outside work, I have a life. The company is aware of this, so it compensates anything above 40 hours to me. I think this sounds like a fair deal. That was not the case in Slovakia. I remember reading an article about Slovakia in one flight magazine for Austrian Airlines. Apparently Slovakia is so attractive because it offers a low-cost and high-skilled work force. Yes, low-cost- What does low-cost mean? Among other things, it means that you are expected to work more than 40 hours for free. I would not have worked on a Sunday in Slovakia, but as my salary will double today, I do not mind doing it here in Sweden.

The Multiple Language Experiment - Summer 2014

A while back I wrote about picking up some of my old languages.  I have given this some thought and have decided to do a little language project as I finally have the time to do so. I spend a total of 80 minutes on a train each working day, so why not spend the time efficiently.

3 languages. 5 days a week. 5 weeks for each language. 15 weeks.

The languages are Slovak, Polish and Russian. And this is how I'm going to do it:

• Day 1: Read from a book or other text
• Day 2: Read an article on current affairs
• Day 3: Translate the article into English
• Day 4: Translate a poem into English
• Day 5: Write a short story

I will be starting with Slovak because it is the weakest of the three languages. The goal is to be able to produce something in the language, a written text.  We will see how it goes.

Go Vote!

Today the citizens of the European Union member states are electing their representatives to the Parliament for the next five years to come.

In previous years the participation has not been very high, with the turnout in 2009 being 43%. I personally find it quite interesting that Slovakia had the lowest turnout - a mere 19,6%.

Swedish media have given the elections much attention, and central Stockholm has been filled with political speeches and that special, jolly campaign atmosphere.

Some campaign posters in central Stockholm, May 2014

There are some hot topics that have dominated the discussion here in Sweden. Maybe a bit unexpectedly, a lot of attention has been given to pigs. Numbers show that Sweden is the EU-country that uses the least antibiotics in pig farming. The current debate revolves around banning the importation of pork from Denmark. Other issues include the rise of the extreme right in Europe and the free movement of people within the EU. The current issue with an increased number of beggars from Romania that are filling the streets of Stockholm and other Swedish cities.

I have heard people say that they will not vote because they don't believe in the European Union, because they do not want to be a part of it. Others feel that they don't have anything to say anyway, there is no way to influence EU politics. It is - excuse me for this - a lousy excuse. The moment we decide not to vote, we also lose our chance to influence who gets elected and who will make the decisions. 

Read more about....

...election statistics: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdf/eurobarometre/28_07/FR_EN.pdf

...pigs: http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=5867412

...immigration and the Nordic countries: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/uk-europe-immigration-nordics-idUKKBN0DU0EE20140514

...Sweden, Romania & the Roma Issue: http://www.thelocal.se/20140408/we-have-more-empathy-for-beggars-than-romania

Pravda [SK: Truth]

Pravda

Pravda! -- Ja o nej poznám veľa.

Jej hlas mi vždy bol najdrahší.

Bohovia si ju nerozdelia

v hre pri hazardnom mariáši.

Jej trpezlivým slovom večným

kdekto sa lživo honosí.

No jej sú cudzie sladké slečny,

neznáša zlaté podnosy.

Pravda je ako voda v studni

-- čistá a prostá, hlboká.

Pravda je úsvit nezáludný,

ktorý ťa budí z obloka.

Je v tvrdých dlaniach zapísaná,

zasiata v brázdach našich čiel.

A nie je ťažká žiadna rana

na cestách, ak si za ňou šiel.

Ján Majerník,  Stalo sa, 1978

Truth

Truth! --- I know much about her .

Her voice was always the dearest to me.

May the Gods not break her

in the game of hazardous poker.

On her eternal voice of patience

many would falsely pride themselves.

Indeed, hers are strange sweet ladies,

 not carrying golden plates.

Truth is like water in a well

-- pure and simple, deep. 

Truth is the non-deceptive dawn

that awakes you from the window.

She is written in the hard palms,

planted in the furrows of our aims.

And on the roads no blow 

is heavy, if you'd gone for her yourself.

Ján Majerník,  Stalo sa, 1978 - translation mine

Slovak is pretty amazing [Považuj každý deň ako svoj najlepši]

One more day in this country. For now. Oh-oh. I will miss it – will try to keep learning some Slovak in the future – even though I haven’t been so active about learning it since I moved here, mostly because of the constant lack of time.

At this moment in time I understand Slovak pretty well, but when trying to speak it, it all turns into a fabulous mix consisting mainly of Polish with some Russian and some Slovak thrown in.

Anyways. I think proverbs are fun, so I decided to post some Slovak ones. See how pretty the language is? And wise? You other Slavic speakers may practice your guessing skills….

 

S pravdou najd’alej zajdeš.

Človeka pri pijatyke a pri hre poznáš.

Silená modlitba nejde do neba.

Na zajtra je len hnev dobre odkladať.

Do domu, kde láska byva, slniečko sa rado diva.

Kto nemá v hlave, má v pätách.

Premôž svoj hnev, pokým je malý.

Považuj každý deň ako svoj najlepši.

Lepši chlebik v pokojí, ako koláč v rozbroji.

dva dni, tri dni

Two days from now will be the last day of living here in Bratislava. Three days from now I will already be in Stockholm.

The past few days have been hectic, with a lot of packing and goodbyes. I feel overwhelmed and somewhat melancholic. The experience here in Bratislava has been fantastic.

I will probably try to sum up the whole experience in separate posts. However, one thing I can say now already. Since a very young age I have been attracted to Central and Eastern Europe. While living here I have been very much inspired by people and by stories. It’s a different type of inspiration that I ever experienced at “home”. In fact, most of these stories I want to write down.

The name of this blog will probably need to change. The stories will no longer be from Bratislava. Will need to think about that. Any suggestions?

Dnes. Je sobota.

Today I have spent the afternoon reading constitutions. It is actually rather fascinating. I finally decided on a topic for my thesis (Law and Society in Post-Communist Central Eastern Europe: Poland, Slovakia and Russia) so now I’m conducting surveys and reading legal acts and constitutions and what not. In case you live in one of the countries in question and would like to respond to the survey, please let me know (susankaaa at yahoo dot co uk) and I’ll send you the link.

Apart from that we (the boyfriend) have been packing and tonight we are having a farewell party. So sad.

Wishing you all a cheerful Saturday!

jarná prechádzka [spring walk]

This weekend has been absolutely gorgeous, so when some Swedish friends came for a visit we decided to take them on a long walk: first to Slavin on the hill for a picnic and then down to the river for some cocktails.

Places: Southern Slovakia

Last weekend we made a trip to the south of Slovakia – more precisely we visited Šahy, Vinica and Balog nad Ipl'om.

The trip was actually quite amazing. Not only did it feel like we were in Hungary (the majority of people in the area speaks Hungarian and the ones we met only spoke Hungarian among each other) but the nature was very beautiful with some hills, vineyards and flatness. The kind of nature I always associated with Central Europe when dreaming of this place. Unfortunately there was a constant storm during the weekend so we did not have the chance to walk around and enjoy the nature.

The absolutely greatest part of the trip was the hospitality and kindness people were showing. We were travelling with a friend who’s from this area and for this reason were fed by her parents (great people and great food) and invited to two wine-tastings. The people were so open and friendly.

I had a very special feeling of serenity when visiting this place. It is difficult to describe such a personal feeling in this blog, but when I was walking around in a vegetable garden I felt like this is what life should be like.

a tiež

While Slovakia votes, I will be exploring the southern parts of the country. Keeping my fingers crossed for no rain and with a wish to learn more about this amazing country.

Interesting Day Ahead!

Today – on the 15th March – the first round of the presidential elections here in Slovakia will take place. I have with some interest followed the campaigns and seem to have notice that common themes are justice and strength.

The leader in the polls has been Robert Fico, the current prime minister and a member of the social democratic party. There are a few other candidates:

Though the race features 14 presidential candidates, the highest number in the country’s history, opinion polls suggest that the next president will be one of these five: Prime Minister Robert Fico supported by the ruling Smer; Andrej Kiska, a businessman and philanthropist; Milan Kňažko, an actor and leader of the Velvet Revolution; Radoslav Procházka, a former member of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH); or Pavol Hrušovský, backed by the opposition People’s Platform.

Slovak Spectator, 12th March

The second round will be held on 29th March. Here are some of the campaign posters that I have managed to catch on camera  (reading the slogans has been so much fun).

jar sa blíži [the spring is approaching]

The Slovak word for spring, jar, is quite interesting as it reminds of few other Slavic languages. In Polish spring is wiosna, in Russian and in Ukrainian it is весна. In the Balkans the word for spring are quite similar: in Bulgaria one speaks of пролет, in Serbia it is пролеће and in Croatia – proljeće. The only version being close to the Slovak version is – not so surprisingly - the Czech jaro.
My point? There is none – except that it is a lot of fun comparing languages.

One thing I’m often thinking about is the mutual understanding between languages and where to draw the line. Say, I am fluent in Swedish – does that mean that I’m capable to function in Norwegian? My initial reaction is no! Even though I might understand some of the things the other person is saying - I might be able to read a book even – the risk of being misunderstood or to misunderstand is too great! It is very often, however, that I find myself alone with this view. In general I think that the limits of languages knowledge are too fluffy. It is often the case that a long list of languages on the CV looks great, the higher the level the better. Insight into one’s own skills is often forgotten. Countless are the times people have claimed to be fluent in English – until they had to write a piece in advanced English or talk to someone from Ireland. Fluency – to me – means that one is able to communicate fluently no matter the context.

What I’m trying to say here is that one’s language skills are often judged based on what a subjectively written piece of paper says. Sometimes there are such things as language testing, but if these tests are not carried out by professionals, then what kind of a result do you expect?
And then there are those who have worked hard to acquire a foreign language and speak it like a native. That should be the goal and you who have done it, you are a great inspiration!

(this post was supposed to be about the wonders of wearing a leather jacket after a long winter, but oh well – I got a bit carried away)

Bratislava Tip: Arab Restaurant

One day, on our way home from the supermarket, our eyes caught a sign saying Arabská reštaurácia. We were a bit intrigued; Bratislava does have some restaurants of the more exotic kind, but this was the first Arab one we had bumped into.

On Sunday we went there with a few friends. The restaurant is small, but cosy. The service was good; the waiter spoke English (do not take this for granted in Slovakia), but more importantly, he was very friendly and service-minded. The restaurant had run out of some very basic things (such as coke and some wines), but we got good replacements as recommended by the waiter. The food was very tasty; simple, yet fresh. There was a lot of meat on the menu, but some of the dishes would suit a vegetarian as well. The feta cheese was delicious, and so was the Lebanese wine  

My rating (I think this is the first time I do a rating in this blog): **** (out of *****).

Name of the place? Sindibad - Arabská reštaurácia

Address: Trenčianska 56F, 821 09 Bratislava – Ružinov

Website (in Slovak): http://www.sindibad.sk/Sindibad.aspx

Cesnaková polievka/ Garlic Soup

I might have mentioned it before, but it may be worth to repeat it. Slovakia is the dream for any garlic-lover out there.

One of our favourite foods – which is served at most restaurants – is garlic soup, or cesnaková polievka. This is something we make in our house as soon as either one of us is showing any trace of a cold or an illness. It’s quick, it’s tasty. Basically, all that is needed is some vegetable stock and garlic.

Now, this is the simplest version. At a restaurant, garlic soup may come in many forms. There is creamy garlic soup, garlic soup with cheese and garlic soup served in a bread bowl.

February Beginnings

At the beginning of the year we make resolutions. We like to begin a anew on Mondays or when a new season begins.

February is also a type of beginning. The spring is beaming behind the corner. Or something. Yesterday we started the month by talking a long walk through town from Ružinov to Petržalka, where we visited the Danubius Gastro Exhibition. The gastronomy part was so and so, but the real fun part was the travel exhibition. There were so many lovely travel photos from all around the world and the stand were nice too – we were taking an extra look at the stand of Morocco as that is a place we both want to go to soon!

 

January Ends

Dear Friends. I hope January has treated you well and that February will treat you even better. The snow came to Bratislava this month, and with it came the running noses and the sneezes. It’s spring soon, I hope. Walking around in Old Town is something I would recommend. It’s nostalgic with the scarce lights and snow covering the streets. The romantic cafés and the warm, cosy bookstores are worth a visit.

The tower you see in these pictures is Michalská Brana – Michael’s Gate – the only town gate that is still standing from the medieval fortifications that surrounded the city.

Kde je moja káva? Posledné dobrodružstvo.

 

Practicing my Slovak.

Now you too know how to ask where your coffee is and say recent adventure. Life has been quite an adventure lately. I don’t have the energy to stress about it so I decided to start giggling instead. I think that’s a good rule. Giggle. The day will always end and a new one will be starting tomorrow.

How about the adventures?

 

Some time ago I went crazy in the supermarket. The result: a lot of fruit. What can one day when the fruit cravings kick in? The adventure? Carrying them home.

 

After a year and a half in Bratislava, I’m starting to find my way. The other day I realised that the main sights are visible in almost all places in the city. Here I was standing at Racianske Myto. looking at Slavin. To my left I could see the castle.

 

Adventure: trying to capture the sunrise. This is the view from my office. I am not complaining!

 

I don’t know how many times I have mentioned the fact that I like duck. Actually, the cabbage is the best, then the potato pancake and THEN the duck. We have found a really cosy place (recommended by a friend ages ago but it took some time to locate it) in central Bratislava. The food is good, the service is good, the prices are good. And they serve duck and salmon and other tasty things. So I strongly recommend Pulitzer!

Dobré ránko slniečko!

Good morning sunshine!

New day, new week and new opportunities. I started my week with a very good attempt to get up at 5 am. It was so efficient, that I only snoozed until 5.30.

Expectations for this week? Well, I want to go to the gym after work. And I need to write an assignment on citizenship. Tough stuff. This morning I have been reading about nationality and citizenship in Slovakia. That article is strongly recommended if you are interested in the state of affairs of the Slovak Republic.

And one more thought for the week – hope it’ll be a great one for you!

dnes (SK: today)

 

Dnes som unavená. I am tired today. It’s good to know all the essentials in a foreign language The second cup of coffee (with some Arabic spices) is being emptied, while I’m pondering about the schedule for today. I need to make some pea soup, start painting (!!!!), start on an assignment for sociology class, go to Raca (one of the districts of Bratislava, also known as the producer of many good wines), buy some eye cream etc etc etc.

Maybe the correct word is not unavená, but rather ohromená (overwhelmed).

Language note: adjectives in the Slovak language – very much like other Slavic languages – need to agree in gender and number with the noun. As I’m one female, I’m unavená and ohromená instead of unavený and ohromený.