6 weeks in the grand SK

It’s been almost six weeks since we arrived in Bratislava. Now that we’ve had a chance to settle into our routine and figured out how to get around a bit, the entire maelstrom of getting over here doesn’t seem so dramatic anymore.

I leave the flat around 7–7:30 to go to work. The most stark difference to my daily life back in SLC is, of all things, not having a car and using the public transportation over here. I really can’t complain too much about it; buses and trolley’s and the like run frequent enough that the most I spend waiting is about 15 minutes. Everything is a short bus ride away. However, between walking to the bus stops and waiting for the buses and riding the bus, makes outings with a stroller 3 times as long and difficult as they would be with a car. The only difference I can tell about public transit can also be said about the Slovak people in general: the people are aggressive and there is no such thing as courtesy on the bus.  I cut someone off to get on the bus a few days ago (you snooze you have to wait for the next bus if you can’t get on), for the first time, and thought When In Rome, and no one even thought anything of it since everyone does it. Everyone rides the buses too, not just the social rejects, so they can be pretty full at times. Yesterday I was on a bus that was so packed, the bus was having major problems getting up a tiny hill and it was sputtering the whole way. People had their faces smashed up against the doors, everyone was really quiet, and no one thought anything of it. I would have laughed out loud had I had the room to exhale.

So I leave the flat and commence my walk down the hill to the bus stop. It’s actually not too bad of a walk, it’s almost like walking down a path of the Unitas or something, it’s very woodsy and pretty. BUT!!! when it snows, this little twelve minute walk gives me an anxiety attack when I wake up just thinking about it. The road is very narrow, very steep. When it snows, what little room pedestrians have to walk is taken up by 2 feet high snow banks. So of course I walk down the middle of the road. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a klutz and very accident prone. So between getting out of the way from morning car commuters who think us mere pedestrians are nothing more than street litter and have little tolerance of our right to be on the road; and the very slippery snow and ice-covered road surface, my morning commute can be quite intense since I am trying with my entire being not to fall!  I’m exhausted by the time I get to the bottom, yay, made it alive one more day!

After work I usually have to make a run to a grocery store. Every day, you ask?  Well, yes, almost, actually. Everything comes in small packages, they don’t use preservatives, the fridges are small, the bread is artisan bread which is very good fresh but means you have to buy it almost every day, and the produce goes bad just as quickly. Normally we’d just fill up the car and go. Nay here. Everything has to be carried to the bus, on the bus, and from the bus. Some days when we have Skye and the stroller, people must think we are insane because we PACK that thing. We’ll have a few bags hanging from the sides, the bottom is full with bulkier items (like diapers or detergent) and then have bottles in the back. We seriously must look like homeless people that live with their grocery carts. The thing is, we have to do it again in a couple of  days!  I think people over here would fall over at the sight of a Costco’s with everyone packing in a 100 pack of eggs and 12 gallons of milk and 84 rolls of toilet paper, and all in their gigantic-sized SUV’s! We don’t have  a stocked pantry for the simple reason that we can’t transport it from the store to home. Thus, we are at the store almost every day.

All of the little things are different here, but not the profound different like I was expecting. I think I was expecting square tires on cars or big purple bugs roaming the street or something. It’s all in the details: not knowing the car models, not understanding a brief conversation of passers by, not knowing which brand of yogurt is good, there is NO consistency between grocery stores either (like Albertson’s and Smith’s or Dan’s. They were all a little different, but at least you could find Cheerios at all of them), which brings me to the only breakfast cereals they have:  Cheerios, Corn Flakes, Puffed Rice, Cinnamon Squares and a crap ton of really good granola. Soap smells different, buildings don’t have any signs on them in some areas so you have no idea which building you want, carpet doesn’t exist, houses are made of a plaster like substance, not wood, music in every store is American music from the early 90’s (we can’t understand conversations but at least we know the music!) etc etc etc. So it’s not that the differences are bad, they are just not what we are used to. In fact, it almost just feels like we moved to another US city, sans all of these little things. Some things we like more,  some things we like less. When we do come home (still planning on Dec. despite some people’s notions) we already know that there will be some things we’ll miss.

So I think we’ve settled well enough and like it here just fine. We’re definitely missing the social aspect of not knowing anyone yet outside of work and being slightly snowed in and a little stir crazy. But all the same, I don’t regret coming over here and we’re very excited for the warmer seasons to get out of the neighborhood.