A Place to Call Home - Pictures at Last : )

For the next year, I am calling Tisovec, Slovakia home.  

Tisovec is a mining town.

This is the trail to the carbonated and still water springs where most of the town gets water.

Here’s Heidi and my friend Rachel at the spring.

This is the eastern part of the town.

This is a road leading to the town square. You can see the steeple of the Lutheran church where I worship in the distance.

This is a main road in Tisovec.

I live in a green apartment complex on the first floor. Here’s my building.

This is the view from our kitchen window.

This is the view from our “dining room” window.

This is our living room.

This is our table.

This is our kitchen. Heidi and I have done some serious cooking in here: we made bread, yogurt and granola this past week!

This is our foyer. Thanks to the Advent Quilters for our beautiful quilt – this helps make our house a home.

This is our bathroom.

Last but not least, here’s our bedroom.

Meghan and Her Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

((A small warning: This entry definitely does not contain what mom would consider good dinner table conversation.))

Okay – so this past Thursday wasn’t terrible or horrible per se. It wasn’t even very bad, but it was definitely no good. On Thursday, two other American teachers (Heidi and Eric) and I had to go to the hospital for testing so that we could receive health insurance in Slovakia. We woke up at 4:30am and headed to Martin – a town that was two and a half hours away – so that we could go to a good hospital. One of the fifth year students, Lucas, came along so that he could act as our translator.

By the time we arrived at the hospital in Martin, the sun was high in the sky. Our first stop was to one of the clinics for a round of tests. I went first. I walked down the hall to a room where two Slovak nurses were stationed. They motioned for me to sit down – and from there, I was at their mercy. For the record, my nurses were warm and friendly. They tried to communicate with me through hand motions – but even that was difficult. It is disconcerting to have people doing things to your body with little to no warning. One nurse took four large vials of blood from my left arm. I knew from the second she started that I was going to have a whopping bruise. Check out the shiner I had the next day:

Once the first nurse finished with my blood, the second nurse motioned for me to lie down so that she could listen to my heart and press on my abdomen. Once that nurse was done, the first nurse handed me a stick with cotton on the end. The other nurse began pantomining what I was supposed to do with the stick. Apparently, they wanted some kind of anal gland sample. Sweet Lord. Let’s just say I was happy to be out of there!

The second stop was to an x-ray clinic for tuberculosis tests. Heidi, Eric and I took turns getting scanned. Then we waited. And waited. Finally, the radiologist finished – and declared all of us TB free. Woo hoo.

At this time, it was late morning. We hadn’t been allowed to eat breakfast because of the blood test. We were tired, we were hungry, and we stunk from the first van ride. Because the end was in sight, we settled into our seats and began what we thought was the two and a half hour ride home. After about an hour and a half of driving, we stopped in Banska Stiavnica. Lucas shared with us that we needed to pick up a shipment of uniforms for the school. This seemed to be a minor delay en route to home. We didn’t know that we needed to be worried until the van stopped again about twenty minutes later. When Lucas got out of the car, he motioned for us to follow him. “What’s going on?” I ask. “We are going to do tourism for one hour,” he answered. Apparently the headmistress at our school told Lucas that he should show us around Banska Stiavnica on our ride home. At EGT when the headmistress tells you to do something, good teachers and good students do it. Lucas, being a good student, looked up the history of the Banksa Stiavnica and had even made notes. He was ready to be our tour guide. We were ready to be comatose.

During our hour of mandatory tourism we saw two churches, a few historical monuments, and some of the mainstreets in Stiavnica. Lucas was an excellent guide. We really did do our best to be good tourists.

Finally, we returned to our van. At best guess, I figured we were a little under an hour away from home. Thank God. “Lucas,” I ask, “How far away is Tisovec?” “We are three hours away,” he answered.

After ten and a half hours, Heidi and I walked into our apartment at last. Home, sweet home. Life was good…. until I looked in the mirror and realized that my eye was bleeding. When I showed Heidi, she remarked, “Wow. Your red hair really brings out the red in your eyes.”

My eye doesn’t hurt, but I figured I should probably get it looked at – which means another doctor visit hours away. I thought perhaps WebMD would count. When I looked up "bleeding eye" online, it looks like I have a subconjunctival hemmorhage. Subconjunctival hemmorhages can be caused by sneezing or even coughing. I may have rubbed my eyes too hard in the van. It’s supposed to take about two weeks to heal completely. I’m still undecided about going to the doctor –I think I’ll see how the weekend goes. Just in case - does anyone know how to say opthamologist in Slovak? : )

School House Rocks

The American teachers at Tisovec began reporting for school this past Monday. This week we have been inundated with school policies. We’ve met our Slovak colleagues. We got up at 4:30am to travel to Martin to have blood drawn and x-rays done so that we can receive health insurance in Slovakia. We’ve even been assigned offices. Life has been busy!

While the students will officially begin school this Monday, regular classes will not start until the following Monday (September 7th). This means that we have a little over a week to begin preparing for classes. Life is about to get busier.  

EGT, the Evanjelicke Gymnazium at Tisovec, is a five-year, bilingual high school. During a student’s time at EGT, he or she will learn academic content in both Slovak and English. At the end of a student’s fifth year, he or she takes the Maturita which is a state-legislated “leaving exam.” The Maturita covers everything the students learn in school –science, mathematics, literature, religion, history – and is given in oral and written components in both English and Slovak. As you can imagine, teaching fourth and fifth year students at EGT can be fairly stressful.

Yesterday, the American teachers finally received their teaching assignments – and I could not be happier with my classes! My schedule may seem confusing (I think I am still a little confused!) but here goes nothing:

I teach two sections of 1st year English five days a week.
I teach two sections of 2nd year Religion once a week.
I teach two sections of 3rd year Religion once a week.
I teach two sections of 4th year Religion once a week.
I teach one section of 5th year English Writing twice a week.

First and foremost, I am excited to be teaching all five years of students! This means that during this semester, I will have well over 200 different students. I’ll let you know the exact number once I get rosters.  
  
With regard to my classes, I am happy to have first year English students. I am excited to be teaching a beginning level of English --- in fact, during my study in ESL, I spent the most time teaching level one and two learners. I am also thrilled to be teaching writing. I love to write, and I enjoy editing papers. I find the writing process particularly fascinating – especially as it pertains to non-native speakers. The only surprise in my schedule was the religion classes I will be teaching. When I was appointed to this missionary position, I was told that EGT did not need any religion teachers. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I will be teaching THREE religion classes! Woo-hoo. I can’t wait!

The Battle but Not the War

Don’t tell my mom, but it looks like I’m going to have to buy panty hose.  

There has been a long-standing battle in our house: Mom vs. Meghan. For years, mom has insisted that I wear panty hose with skirts and dresses. For years, I have frowned, rolled my eyes, and told mom that I would rather freeze in sub-zero temperatures than wear panty hose. “Ladies,” my mother says, “wear panty hose.”

I’m pretty stubborn. So is my mom. Every once in a while she’ll buy a nice pair of nylons and place them on my bed. Most of the time, I smile and tuck them into a drawer. It hasn’t gotten that cold. Over the years this argument has continued, but it has lost a lot of its original heat. Sadly, after today, it looks like mom might have (temporarily) won.

You see, today was Sunday, and today was also the first day that Heidi and I worshipped at a Slovak Lutheran Church. We were a little nervous and very excited to meet part of the Tisovec community. We woke up early and carefully picked out our clothes. Heidi and I were both decided to wear a nice skirt, shirt and sandals. Our clothes were clean and well-ironed. We both even put on jewelry. At about 9:15 we left our flat with English Bibles in hand, wearing clothes that we thought were perfectly appropriate for church.

Yet as we walked into church, a returning volunteer named Rachel looked took one look at us and pulled us aside. “In Slovakia,” she told us, “women are expected to wear panty hose.” Immediately and self-consciously, Heidi and I began looking around. Every woman in sight was wearing flesh-colored panty hose. Well, darn. Looks like I’ll be going to the store.

The First Act of Love

On Wednesday, Michal Valco came from the Bible school in Martin, Slovakia to give a lecture entitled “The Purpose and Potential of Religious Education in the Renewal Process of Post-Communist Society.”  Michal began his lecture by settling himself on the edge of his desk, propping his feet up, and saying with little pre-amble, “The first act of love is careful listening.” He paused for a moment as we digested his statement. “As missionaries,” he told us, “if you want to love the Slovak people, you must listen carefully to where they come from.”

I’m not sure what I expected from a lecture about religious education and the renewal process of post-communist society – certainly not a lesson on love. Yet through his lecture, Michal helped us take our first step into a loving relationship with our Slovak brothers and sisters as he invited us to listen carefully to the history of the Slovak people.  

Michal shared with us four major historical struggles that have influenced the thinking and feeling of the Slovak people in the present day: the inequities between Catholics and Lutherans (16th – 18th century), the ethnic oppression of the Hungarian empire against the Slovaks (19th century), the atrocities against the Jews during WWII, and the era of totalitarian regime under the communist rule (1948-1989). I was fascinated by the discussion on all four of these series of events; however, what I most want to share with you is the struggle that the Slovak people experienced under communism and the ways in which this struggle has affected the Lutheran church in Slovakia.

As you know, communism is a Marxist critique of Hegel’s philosophy of law. It places the emphasis not on the value of the individual, but on what is deemed good for society as a whole. Communists sought to create the perfect society – one that was free from the evils of social classes. Theologically, we now recognize that the communists made a critical mistake in the assumption that the sin and short-comings of a particular society reside in its class structure. It is not in the structure of society that sin resides. All sin stems from original sin. An evil societal structure is merely a manifestation of that sin.  

Michal posited that atheism as we know it today stemmed from both communism and existentialism. As you can imagine, the ideas that “man is the highest essence” and that “man becomes what he is by his labor” distressed the Church. With communism, there was no room for an almighty God who intentionally and intimately creates and infinitely values each individual person. It is easy to see why Christians were against the revolution – and why communists despised the Church. For this reason, the communist quest was to replace the Church with the State.  

Within one month of the communist assumption of power, all pastors became state employees. Their salaries were – and still are – paid by the state. Throughout 1948 and into 1949, the state confiscated all church-owned buildings. The communist state trumpeted the following motto: “In order to make the church irrelevant to society, we must cut off its arms.” And so, the communists took over the social ministries of the church. Church-run children’s homes, nursing homes, hosptials, and schools were shut down. A pastor’s only legal function was to lead the liturgy on Sunday mornings. The communist hope was that the people would begin to think church was unnecessary because the state could provide everything for them.  

In 1950, the Greek Orthodox church in Slovakia was completely dissolved. Its members were either transferred to the Russian Orthodox church, tortured or murdered. Between 1968-1988, over seventy pastors of varying denominations were murdered. There are documented stories about parishioners coming to church on Sundays only to find their pastor dead, sitting in his own blood, and tied to his chair or the church altar.  

During the communist regime, people owned very little – only what was essential for survival. The state owned everything else. For this reason, the slogan “Unless you steal from the state, you are robbing your own family” became commonplace. Actions that would have been considered morally reprehensible were now deemed acceptable. This attitude has carried over into Slovak society today. Michal shared with us that if no one sees them, people are prone to take things to which they are not entitled.  

This year marks twenty years since the forty-year regime of Communism ended. Still, the fingerprints of communism are visible in Slovakia. Michal compared post-communist society to Israel’s grumblings in the desert upon escaping from slavery in Egypt. Just as the anxious Israelites asked God why he brought them out of Egypt, so some Slovaks wonder why God has led them out of communism and into this time of uncertainty. For some Slovak citizens, it is not yet natural to use political freedom. Many Slovaks have a weakened sense of personal responsibility and take less initiative because the communist government usurped all personal responsibility and individual initiative in its quest for control. The injustices of communism produced a culture of fear, distrust and suspicion. Even under a growing socialist democracy, Michal shared with us that the Slovak people live with an “uneasy hope.”  

The long-term consequences of Communism for the church have been severe. For the church, the sad heritage of communism can be “seen and felt in the overall loss of vision for the renewal and development of church communities.” For some Slovak Christians, “church” is still simply a place to go only on Sundays. Many people call church “a one-man show” meaning that the pastor does everything with little participation from the people. Church leadership is struggling with re-teaching Christian diakonia which servanthood in the name of Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they are training to change the mentality of the parishioners, to renew the church – and like most things, this takes time.  

The Lutheran church in Slovakia has made good strides towards once again becoming a visible and active component in society. Soon after the fall of communism, the Lutheran church began planning to re-open one of its church schools – a high school called the Lyceum in Bratislava. In order to draw students, the church brought in teachers from America to educate their students in the English language. After a struggle with getting supplies, a large enough student population and teachers, the Lyceum reopened in 1991. Since then, three other Lutheran schools have opened in Liptovsky Mukulas, in Kosice and in Tisovec, where I currently serve.  

The church schools are a way in which the church in Slovakia has re-claimed the arms that the communists have cut off. The Lutheran education system is truly a ministry and a witness with and to the Slovak people. Slowly but surely, the church’s reach is extending beyond worship on Sunday mornings.

I am thankful and proud to be part of such a vital and necessary ministry in the church. I pray my fellow teachers and I may serve faithfully in the name of Jesus – and that our service will inspire lives of service in the people around us. This summer, I have prayed that I would fall in love with the Slovak people. I pray now that I may demonstrate my love through the gift of careful listening to the stories and histories, and the hopes and dreams of the people around me.  

Language Lesson #1

Today, I can add two VERY important words to my Slovak vocabulary: muzio and geny. These words, "men" and "women" are helpful when deciding which bathroom I should use. Unfortuantely until this afternoon, these words were unfamiliar to me. After careful consideration (inny, minney, miney, moe), I chose the one closest to me. I think I have the male seminarian a jolt when he reached for the bathroom door and I walked out. What can I say? I guess some learning is experiential.

Boots 'n' All

On Sunday afternoon, I left Charlotte, NC, with my ukulele, a carry-on bag, two suitcases, and a pair of winter boots on my feet. (There wasn't room for them in my luggage.) As one of the families at Advent wrote on my car, it was "Slovakia or BUST!" Boot 'n' All, I was on my way.

I arrived in Vienna on Monday at noon. I met two other missionary teachers at the airport there. Together, with a Slovak driver from the bishop's office, we headed to Bratislava. We are staying at the seminary for orientation until the end of the week.

I have already learned what I consider the four most important words in Slovak: dobre den (hello or good day), prosim (please), dakujem (thank you), and ice cream (zmrzlina). I heard a rumor that we will be heading into Old Town Bratislava for ice cream later in the week, so I've been practicing : ).

My first breakfast in Slovakia felt a little bit like dinner - or lunch at least. We were served heaping helpings of bread, ham, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives and peppers. We buttered our bread and ate open sandwiches for breakfast. Go figure! I was okay with everything but the peppers. I'm not sure that I like peppers at any time of day let alone breakfast, but I thought I should have at least one so that I could cross "peppers for breakfast" off my Sovakia experience and list of things to try in life.

So far, the food here is very good. We eat soup at every meal except for breakfast, and I've never had so much and so many potatoes in my life. We also eat a lot of garlic and onions. I am convinced that Slovaks must have some killer toothpaste because I haven't met anyone with bad breath yet!

My roommate for orientation is Heidi. She and I will both be teaching in Tisovec. I'm thrilled to call her my new friend - I think we're going to have a ball together! I'll keep you posted on more adventures from my first week here, but until then, I'll send love to you from Slovakia.