God is Great. God is Good. Let us Thank Him...

Yesterday was my first Thanksgiving away from home. In Slovaia, Thanksgiving is just a regular Thursday. We had school and classes just like we normally would. I began every class I had by saying in an excited voice, “Good morning Ziaci (pupils). Today in the United States is Thanksgiving. (The students already knew this.) And right now, my family is sleeping (remember that I am six hours ahead of the East coast). But in a few hours, they will be awake. My mom and dad will be getting Thanksgiving lunch together, and if I were in Charlotte, I would be running the 8K Turkey Trot and I would be wearing a shirt that says, ‘I run so I Can Eat.’ Then, I would come home, shower and have Thanksgiving lunch with my family. We will take a nap after the meal and then go see a movie at the theater together.” I ended this description by saying, “BUT I’m not in Slovakia… I am here… with you” (And I fake glared at them). “On Thanksgiving," I told them,"people will often tell others what they are most thankful for. This year, ziaci, I am thankful for you. I very much like being your teacher, and I am so happy that you are my students.” My students grinned, and I smiled back. Then, I told them I had a Thanksgiving present for them –and I hoped they would be thankful for it. “Please put everything away and take out a piece of paper and a pencil,” I said. You know, I don’t think any of them were thankful for the pop quiz.

It seems strange to hear about people back home preparing to travel to the houses of their friends and families for turkey, football and the Macy’s Day Parade. Black Friday is definitely worlds away from our small town where out only stores are grocery shops and corner drug stores. Thankfully, the American teachers here have two opportunities to celebrate Thanksgiving. Last Saturday, we traveled to Bratislava to meet with other missionaries from Slovakia, Poland and Austria. We each prepared our best Thanksgiving dish --- and it was wonderful to eat AMERICAN food!!! Our table was overflowing with turkey, casseroles, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, and pies (PUMPKIN PIE!). It was good to gather with other Americans to laugh and share a meal.

Then for dinner on Thanksgiving day, the American teachers at Tisovec were invited by our Slovak colleagues to celebrate a Slovak-American Thanksgiving. We met at Central, a Slovak restaurant across from the school for a Slovak meal. The Bishop, the Church Inspector and the mayor joined us. We ate turkey, mashed potatoes (Slovak style), green beans, stuffing (with liver), and cranberry yogurt. It might not have been mom’s cooking, but it was still a feast for the record books.

Spending Thanksgiving in another country has helped to remind me that Thanksgiving is not a day – but instead, it is a lifestyle. Whether I am in the United States or in Slovakia, I have so much for which to be thankful.

Michael Jackson in Slovakia!

Last night I met Michael Jackson. While some may have claimed he died, he is in fact alive and well – singing and dancing in Tisovec, Slovakia! Michael Jackson isn’t the only celebrity visiting in T-town. Last night, I also met Paris Hilton, Amy Winehouse, all four singers in ABBA, and Lady GaGa.

Our fourth year class hosted a Celebrity (Impersonation and Talent) Show. They began the night with a group dance routine to the Black Eyed Peas song “Let’s Get It Started.” Check out how talented these students are…



As the night went on, Hannah Montana made an appearance… with Mr. Richter and Mr. Molter (both American missionary teachers) accompanying her as back up dancers. Amy Winehouse sang, “They tried to make me go to rehab and I said, ‘No, no, no’"…… and two men in white coats hauled her off the stage presumable to take her to rehab.

Here is a picture of Paris Hilton and Lady GaGa.




As you can probably guess, the best part of the evening was Micahel Jackson’s surprise appearance. Here he is… in the flesh. (Pardon the poor camera skills… I am not a videographer.)



These students are THE MOST TALENTED kids. What a great night!!!

An American Contribution to the Celebrity Show: Let's Get It Started!

For those of you in the United States who have ever worked with me in a church, you know that I am a huge fan of “Would You Rather” Questions. I think they are a great tool for getting people talking.

Would you rather be rich or famous?
Would you rather have to say everything you think or never be able to speak again?
Would you rather have diarrhea or be constipated?

“Would You Rathers” cover a wide range of issues – and usually, after answering a couple of them, you find that you get to know the people you are talking with a little bit better. One of the “Would You Rather” Questions that I often ask youth is: “Would you rather sing and dance in front of your school or shave your head completely bald?” Until last night, my answer has always been, “I would totally rather shave my head completely bald.”

The fourth year students asked the American teachers if we would participate in “Celebrity Show.” We, of course, said yes. Then, we panicked about what we should do. Finally, we decided that the seven of us white Americans teachers were going to sing… and dance… in front of the school.

For our act, we changed the words to “Part of Your World” from the Little Mermaid and sang about how great Tisovec was. (Many of our students complain that our small town of 4,500 people is just not enough fun.) We had (somewhat) choreographed motions and a powerpoint with words and pictures to help our newer English speakers understand what we were singing.

I would like to share with you the lyrics to our song. Before I do this, here are a few things that you need to know to better understand our version of “Part of This World:”

1. Kofola is a type of soda sold in Central Europe.
2. Gulas, bryndza, and halusky are all typical Slovak foods.
3. A potraviny is a very small grocery shop.
4. Ovce is the Slovak words for sheep.
5. Ako sa povie is Slovak for “How do you say?”
6. Potok is Slovak for “river” or “stream.” (There is small stream that runs through the center of Tisovec.)

Here are the lyrics to our song.
(Sing the words to the tune of “Part of Your World” to get the full effect.)


Look at this place, isn’t it neat?
I get around on just my two feet!
Wouldn’t you think it’s the town,
the town that has everything?

Look at this view - treasures untold
How many wonders can one valley hold?
Lookin around you’d think sure,
It’s got everything.

We’ve got kofola and guláš aplenty
We’ve got bryndza and halušky galore
Want potravinies? We’ve got twenty!
Yeah t-town!
But that’s not all
It’s got more.

You can be where the ovce are
You can see, you can see ‘em grazing
Strolling around on those – ako sa povie – HILLS!

Taking the bus you don’t go too fast
But there’s no rush and no reason to leave
Strolling around down those ako sa povie – STREETS!

Down where they bike
Down where they hike
Down where they play all day on the courts
Not getting tan
But glad that I am
Part of this world

What did I give
to be able to live next to this potak?
What did I pay
to spend my days looking at rocks?

People might say let’s get away,
let’s go to Praha for the weekend!
See new faces. Go new places. Ready to leave.

But we want to be where the two streets are
In our small town where we can’t get lost

When does a town become –
ako sa povie - home?
I’m here to stay,
Laugh, learn and play,
and give my heart to friends in this place
At EGT, Glad I can be
Part of this world.

Prague from the Inside

Often tourists spend their time in new places as outsiders merely looking into a city or location. During my time in Prague, I had the privilege of seeing Prague “from the inside.” Whitney and I stayed with the Klepkovi family – a real, bona fide Czech family of two parents, six kids and three grandchildren. The Klepkovi house was loud, crazy, and the perfect place for two young women who were missing their own families to be.

November 14th-17th was the PERFECT weekend to be in Prague. The last day I was there was Tuesday, November 17th – which was the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism. We were also staying with the perfect family to help us celebrate this major holiday. The Klepkovi s were religious dissidents during the communist occupation. They held secret prayer and anti-communism meetings in their home. Vaclav Havel, who helped lead the revolution and later became the first president of Czechloslovakia, had often sat in their living room. The Klepkovis were able to tell us what life under communism was really like. Tomas, the Klepkovi patriarch, said that for the first twenty years of communism, people literally feared for their lives. Then, under the second twenty years, the communists switched tactics. They began to employ a form of psychological warfare in which people feared not for their phsycial person – but for their livelihoods and rights to happiness and a future. Most families lived in fear that one of their loved ones would be black listed or sent to a forced labor camp in the USSR. Tomas said he wasn’t sure which of the communist strong arm tactics was worse.

The Fall of Communsim in Prague occurred through the domino effect. First, Poland was liberated from communist occupation. Then, the Berlin Wall fell. Finally, on November 17th, 1989 revolution came to Prague, Bratislava and Vienna.

On Tuesday, November 17th, 2009, Whitney and I went to mass with the Klepkovis at the Prague Palace Cathedral. As you might expect, worship was standing room only. The current Bishop of Prague, who, 40 years ago had been a priest who was thrown into prison for practicing his religious beliefs during the 40 year communism reign, gave the homily. Together, we joined our Czech brothers and sisters in giving thanks for freedom. We prayed for nations in this world who suffer at the hands of dictators. Bread was broken, wine was poured, and we remembered the grace and freedom that God free offers all of us.
Sharing this worship of thanksgiving with the Czechs was by far the best and most meaningful part of my trip to Prague.

Here are some pictures of the Cathedral.












After mass, we went home and feasted. Whitney and I were treated to a traditional Czech meal. We joined the Klepkovis in toasting truth and freedom. Then, we listened and Tomas and his wife, Jana, shared with us what their lives were like under the communist regime.

I could not stay for all the festivities in Prague. (I had to teach the next day at school, so I left Tuesday afternoon.) Whitney was able to stay for the marches, the concerts and the fireworks! I was, however, able to walk through the square in front of the palace and read the “We Didn’t Give Up” displays that were set up. I think it is appropriate to close this blog with five quotes from the “We Didn’t Give Up” reflections of men and women who participated in the Velvet Revolution in Prague.

“If you ask me about November 1989, I say nothing. I remember that a lot of people were passing my shop on November 17, 1989, and that SNB servicemen and some soldiers stood in front of the sales counter. But whether it was a revolution or not, that I don’t know… What changed is that I can talk to you about the gulag that I experienced. Back then they banned me from doing so; they said it didn’t belong on my CV and that I should keep quiet about such things. So I did.”

“Names like Auschwitz or Treblinka are for every European a synonym for the millions of innocent victims of the Nazi regime. But how many of them – with the exception of the few survivors – know names such as Vorkutlag, Norillag, Uchticemlag, and the hundreds of other Soviet camps in the repressive Soviet GULAG system? Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including Czechs, went through these camps, in which millions of people died between 1934 and 1960.”

“I was not surprised by November 1989. It was to be expected after the movements in Hungary and Poland. But I am quite disappointed by the way people regard freedom and democracy today. They think that in a democracy, everyone is allowed to do whatever they want. I see that among young people there is a diminishing interest in public affairs, and I feel sorry about that. And it’s not only me, but people around me as well. We believed it would be different.”

“After November 17th, 1989, me and my wife went to Wenceslas Square to join the demonstrations. It was very beautiful, touching and hopeful to see the communism regime break down. We only regretted that it was too late… I was sixty eight.”

“I thank God for November 17, 1989.”

Prague from the Outside

This past weekend, I traveled to Prague with my friend Whitney. We left Tisovec at 6am and arrived in Praha (as it’s called by the Czechs) at 4pm after a loooong train ride in a train car with two other, rather cranky passengers.

Our first stop was English mass at Bethlehem Chapel in St. Thomas Church. Both Whitney and I had been craving English worship. The chapel was small but beautiful.





Then, after church, we headed to the Klepkovi house. Whitney studied abroad in Prague for a semester in 2007, and her host family, the Klepkovi’s, had graciously offerred their house for our stay.

On Sunday, we spent the day as tourists. Prague is absoutely stunning.

Unlike other capital cities in Central Europe, Prague was not bombed during World War II. Here is an excerpt from a Travel Companion’s Guide to Prague:

“On March 14 1939 the President of Czechoslovakia emil Hacha was summoned by Hitler to Berlin. At 1AM on the 15 of March, Hacha was ushered into the presence of Hitler who warned him that the German Army was ready to invade Czechoslovakia. Hitler demanded surrender. Unless the president signed a paper requesting Hitler to take the Czech people under the protection of the Reich, hundreds of bombers would reduce Prague to ashes within a few hours. The elderly, sick Hacha fainted and had to be revived with an injection of destrose and vitamins. Worn out by the bullying and blackmail he capitulated and signed the document. Prague, one of the most enchanting cities in Europe with a history of over a thousand years was saved.”

This is the famous Charles Bridge. This picture was taken from a park above the city. Isn't Prague stunning?



Here is the view I saw as I walked across Charles Bridge. You can see the red roofs that Prague is famous for.



This is one of the MANY famous churches in Prague.



In the sqaure, we saw the world-famous astronomical clock. The gruesome legend that is told about this clock says that a man named Master Hanus built this clock in the 1390s. When the clock was finally finished, the townspeople flocked to Wenceslas Square to see the technological marvel. This one of a kind clock was the pride and joy of Prague's town council. At the debut of the clock, Master Hanus explained the inner workings of the clock to the people who had gathered to watch it chime the top of the hour. While he was speaking, someone approached the governeor and said, "I do not believe that a more magnificient clock could be found anywhere else in the world... unless Master Hanus built it."

This comment frightened the governor, and he began to worry that Master Hanus had already been planning to build a new clock for another city in Europe. His worry grew until finally he decided that something must be done.

One night while Master Hanus was working by the fire, three men sent by the governor barged into Hanus' house. They gagged Hanus and gouged out his eyes so that Master Hanus would never be able to duplicate the clock he had made for Prague.

The next morning, when Hanus had broken free of the ropes that had bound him, he stumbled through town and up the tower where his clock was placed. Just as the clock was about the strike the hour, he began to rip out some of the springs.

The clock that the city of Prague had coveted was no useless, and it remained so for a couple of hundred years. Today, the repaired astronomical clock draws crowds of people from around the world at the top of every hour. Here is a picture of the face of the clock.



On Sunday, we also spent some time in the Jewish Quarter. This is a picture of the Temple that serves as a memorial for the Jews who lost their lives in Nazi-occupied Prague during World War II. There are over 88,000 names of men, women and children written on these sacred walls.



Outside of the temple, the Old Jewish Cemetery is said to contain the bodies of 13,000 Jews. You can see the time-ravaged tombstones that once stood proudly, now lean haphazardly on top of each other.



If you ever have the chance to see Prague as a tourist, take it. The city's rich history and architecture are enchanting. During my stay in Prague, I was lucky enough to see Prague from the outside, as a tourist, but also from the inside thanks to the grace and hospitality of our host family, the Klepkovis. Stay tuned for my next blog entry, "Prague from the Inside."

Brownouts and Blackouts

In Slovakia, the power flickers quite regularly. I’m not sure if these are power surges… or if there is something else going on. However, I know that at school and at home, it is not unusual for the power to turn off and back on again in rapid succession. Most of the time, these power issues are only minor blips in the course of a day; however, sometimes, they cause trouble.

At about 4:45, we experienced what Heidi calls a “brownout.” All the lights in our house grew very, very dim. We weren’t sure what to think of this. Our best guess was that someone in our apartment building had gotten a microwave and that the power it took to use the microwave had temporarily limited our own power supply. After about ten minutes of dim mood lighting, our brownout became a blackout. So, Heidi and I lit some candles and a wonderfully relaxing evening at home. This is a picture of us cooking dinner in the dark. Keep in mind – this picture was taken at five minutes after 5pm.

The Ukrainian Flu

While the United States is suffering from a swine flu epidemic, those of us in Eastern Europe are dealing with the Ukrainian Flu. Over the last few weeks, the “flu from the East” has slowly been making its way to Slovakia from Russia and the Ukraine. This week, we can say it’s here. The government has called the Ukrainian flu an epidemic. People are dropping like flies, and schools across Slovakia have closed down. EGT’s doors are still open even though we only have 65% of our students. I’ve heard that we are moving to an “adjusted schedule” tomorrow so that the students who are sick do not miss too many lessons.

I Couldn't Resist...

In my first year class, my students and I have been working on vocabulary and phrases related to celebrations. We have discussed baby showers, birthday parties, award ceremonies, weddings, graudations, retirements, etc. They have enjoyed learning about American traditions, and I've enjoyed sharing stories and customs with them. This week, the students were completing an exercise in which they matched a remark with a particular celebration. I asked my students, "Someone said, 'Well done! You played brilliantly!' What might this person be commenting on?" One of my students answered, "A football game." Another student answered, "A piano recital." Then, I asked my students, "Someone said, 'Wow! When's the big day?' What might this person be commenting on?" The students agreed. This person would be commenting on a couple's engagement. Finally, I asked my students, "Someone said, 'Congratulations! You worked hard for it.' What might this person be celebrating?" No one raised his or her hand. So, I called on Fizzo. "Fizzo," I asked. "Congratulations! You worked hard for it! What could this person be talking about?" Fizzo looked at me. He shrugged and said, "Baby?"

A Very Slovak Halloween

Yesterday was All Hallow’s Eve. While children in the United States were dressing up and traipsing through neighborhoods for tricks and treats, the young and old were celebrating Halloween in a different way. In Slovakia, Halloween is a day for families to remember those who have died. All three regions of Slovakia (Western, Central and Eastern) have a four day weekend so that people can travel to their hometowns to tend the graves of those who have gone before them. As I sat by my window yesterday, I watched as groups of people armed with flowers and candles made their way down the street and up the hill to the cemetery. When I went on a run through the neighborhood, I saw people in their windows setting their tables for a large, family meal.

At about six o’clock my friends and I met to watch “The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and to eat some candy corn that Rachel’s dad sent her last week. Then, we too made the climb to the cemetery. As I stepped onto the hallowed ground and saw the graves lit up in candles, I was struck by the simple beauty and reverence of Slovak Halloween.
















This last picture is my favorite. The name on the tombstone has long since been weathered away. On any other night, this tombstone woud look like an anonymous grave. Yet tonight, and year after year this person is remembered with flowers and candles, love and care . If I had to title this picture, I would call it "Never Forgotten." Perhaps this is the point of Slovak Halloween. We should not forget those who have gone before us because they ground us and center us. As we tell the stories and tend the graves of loved ones, we remember a shared history and we learn again the things that these saints can teach us. What better way to end the church year than by reflecting on the past so that we can prepare to move forward to the next?

“You will never prepare good gulas without love.”

This past week, all the schools in Slovakia were out on Thursday and Friday for fall break. Thank the Lord for short holidays! On Thursday afternoon, the American teachers met to catch a bus (well, really two buses) to Kokava Linia. One of the teachers at EGT was sweet enough to offer her family’s small cabin for us to use there.

We arrived at 2:45 or so, and immediately set to work trying to build a fire in the outdoor fire pit. Unfortunately, it had been raining and it took a while to get a good blaze going.

Betka and Rudy Dubrovsky met us at the cabin to give us the keys and show us how to turn the electricity on. The first thing Rudy said when he came in was, “I need something to warm me. Who will prepare the warmth? Who is responsible?” Without missing a beat, Becky crossed the liquor cabinet and took out …. And nine shot glasses. We toasted “na zdravie” and knocked back shot number one. Two minutes later, Rudy tells Becky that he would like to sing her “Happy Birthday” but he needed some inspiration first. Becky grinned and poured everyone more ….. Shot number two.

Then we headed outside to begin cooking gulas over the fire. Rudy, the gulas master, seemed a little skeptical about our ability to make good Slovak gulas so he decided to stick around to supervise. His family had been making gulas over this same fire pit for the last twenty years, and we were happy to have his expertise. He solemnly shared with us his secret ingredient: “You will never prepare good gulas without love.”

Eric was the boss of cutting the meat.

Once this was done, we tossed the meat into the bucket over the fire.

Then we peeled the potatoes, tomatoes and peppers, and when the meat was “seventy percent done,” we added the vegetables.

Somewhere in the middle of this, Rudy announces that he was running short on inspiration.

Shot number three.

We had a lot of fun stirring the gulas, and laughing and talking with each other in the cold. Towards the end of cooking Rudy announces that it’s getting pretty chilly out. “I need some more inspiration,” he said. At this point, Betka (his wife) tells him, “No you don’t. You need to stand by the fire.” We laughed, and I snuck him another shot of inspiration. (With Rudy as our ring-leader, we were the most inspired group of people!)

The gulas was specatcular. We ate it with large wooden spoons, and life couldn’t have gotten any better.

We spent the night singing.

And laughing.

And dancing.

The next morning, we woke up at 8:30 and had breakfast. We talked and read by the fire. When the outside had warmed up a little more, people went exploring in the hills and low mountains in the area. We came back together for more gulas at lunch, and then we talked Eric into reading out loud to us. So, we sat by the fire and listened to Eric read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Four Fists and O Russet Witch.

Before long, our short holiday was over and we cleaned up the cabin and headed back home to Tisovec.

I think Rudy provided us with the moral of our holiday and of this story: You will never make good gulas – or have a good fall break – without love. Thankfully, love was never in short supply.