Slovak Impressions of America
Currently, I have in-laws visiting us from Slovakia. They’ll be here until January or so. Since this is their first trip out to California and the US, it’s been interesting to note their observations as to what stands out as different from what they are accustomed to at home. Here are a few notes:
Let’s see how that garbage disposal works
The very first day my in-laws arrived, they stood in front of the kitchen sink and asked my husband to demonstrate how the garbage disposal works. Here’s a snippet of our conversation while looking at the bottom of the sink:
Father-in-law: So what do you put down there?
My husband: Old food that needs to be thrown out.
Father-in-law: Like what?
My husband: Old kapustnica, for example. (To me) What can we toss down there?
Me: Forget it. We’re not throwing food down the sink just for show.
Aunt-in-law: So then what foods do you flush down the toilet?
Me: Nothing! No food gets flushed down the toilet. Absolutely no food in the bathroom!
I clearly remember the first time I learned that Europeans flush food down the toilet. While I lived in Vienna, I watched in total bafflement as my roommate walked to the bathroom with a large bowl of potato salad, left over from a party we had earlier that week. What could she possibly be doing, I thought. What a shock when she flushed it.
Where are the cemeteries?
My husband and I have taken his family hundreds of miles up and down the California coast and inland, seeing plenty of nature, and lots of towns and big cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. Yeah, that’s a lot to see, but we haven’t passed one single cemetery along the way.
I wrote a blog post about the significance of November 1st All Saints Day and how it is celebrated in Slovakia. Cemeteries are important – and busy – places in Slovakia. Their question reminded me of my first trip to Slovakia in 1989. I remember being surprised by the number of cemeteries we passed on a bus ride from Bratislava to Kežmarok. My thinking at the time was something like, “There’s a lot more dead people in Slovakia than in California. That’s why they have more cemeteries” I probably meant that central Europe has been densely inhabited a lot longer than California has been and therefore, there are a lot more cemeteries per square mile in Slovakia than in California. Still, that doesn’t explain the lack of visible cemeteries. I think Americans have a different view of death. We don’t want to be reminded or to think about death at all. And with medical advances allowing people to live longer, healthier lives, we’ve been able to more successfully avoid thinking about losing our family members and friends. And so we don’t put our cemeteries in prominent places where they can be seen easily. My husband and I have lived in the same area for four years and we have no idea where the nearest cemetery is located. We’ll have to do an Internet search this year because on November 1st we will be going to one.
Courteous drivers seem to be the norm
My aunt-in-law was very impressed with drivers who stop and wait while we cross the street. Overall, she has been impressed with how courteous drivers seem to be with other drivers and with pedestrians. It’s a bit different in Slovakia. If you’re crossing a street you do have to be careful. You can’t step out onto the street thinking that cars will stop to let you pass – even if you are in a crosswalk – because most often they wont. Also, what has been my experience, Slovak drivers tend to be much more aggressive.
Houses with a lawn out front
For my father-in-law, gardening is a favorite hobby of his. On his visit to us he has liked seeing homes with nice lawns and trimmed hedges, and overall how people take care of their property. Most homes in California and in the US don’t have gates and fences around the front as is commonly found in Slovakia, as pictured. He likes the sense of “openness” that many homes have here.
Lastly
Overall, they have been enjoying their stay. The weather has been great – warm and sunny, adding to California’s allure. We’ve been cooking and eating mostly at home, so there isn’t too much that is different food wise. We did take them out for Thai food and that was a success. Mexican is also always a winner. I’ll be looking forward to making a huge turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
My aunt-in-law says Slovaks have wrong information about America, and that they all imagine something but most Slovaks really don’t have any idea. She says she tells everyone who asks her about her visit that America is a normal country with normal people. For all the years that I’ve lived in Slovakia, explaining to my in-laws how things are in America, I’m glad that they finally have the opportunity to see for themselves.
9 Comments on “Slovak Impressions of America”
Ahoj Great article ...Puts a logical spin on the "EHY" of things. In Slovakia my companion often speak of American logic and Slovak logic the same end game ... But a whole different approach... . Not to get too philosophical. Hey, wht about "the clothes dryer" and trash compactor, and the like? Things I feel we take for granted here in the USA... Being a designer and a builder I have often planned a few renovations for my companions at home ...The foot to meter conversion is an easy thing and wandering through "Bau Max" can be a humbling experience at times, even for me... . Hopefully with all the new commercialism descending on Slovakia I will not find myself among the Slovak guys eating fresh donuts from Tesco and drooling over the power tools... ? Anyhewwww, an interesting article about the cultural experiences everyone experiences in traveling. One last thought. We can all still "knock on wood" and throw some salt over the shoulder at times ... Thanks for the great articles. Joe
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:25 PM
Just brilliant .. and so very true !!! you saw my post on All Saints, and it was a remarkable day for me, every village has a large cemetery, and at the moment, they are beautiful !!!! My wife often gets rid of kitchen waste down the loo .. why not she says .... makes sense I guess ! In Levice, I went to cross on a marked crossing... no chance at all of anyone stopping, even when you are halfway across !!!! There are so many differences, and I guess that I am experiencing them the other way around... it's an interesting experience I can tell you ..... the biggest one for me is everytime you go visit someone, not just a cup of tea, but cakes, food galore, Domanca.. nothing is too much trouble, and enough food to feed the village turns up !!!!
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Thanks, Joe and Moon. It's fun to feel that "culture shock" of being in a new culture. And it's been interesting to see how others view my culture, the good and bad. :)
November 3rd, 2009 at 05:34 PM
The difference from Moving from California to here is incredible .. mostly good, but just so different
November 7th, 2009 at 09:24 AM
Hello everyone! I have recently made friends with a najma pekna Slovenka and took an interest to her language and country. I've been learning the basics of the language from her and this website has been a great asset to me, in learning about the traditions and customs of Slovakia. In Slovakia, how are counter-culture groups received? Such as Goths, Hippies, Punks, Gay/Lesbian. Slovakian drivers are aggressive? I can hardly drive at all, how is public transportation? Americans are definately notorious for concealing death in their everyday lives and rejecting the occurence of it. Hospices are becoming more popular though, which is a step toward embracing and trying to ease the pain. I recommend the book "Tuesdays With Morrie", a sweet book about a terminally ill man and his profound perspective of death. Haha! That is bizarre flushing down food... does it not affect plumbing!? If anyone would like to point me in the direction of great sites like this, maybe forums, or language learning tools, please email me at jose.rosaiv@us.army.mil.
November 25th, 2009 at 02:35 PM
The first day in Chicago -- on the way to my house from the airport -- my Slovak cousin asked about everything we saw on the ride. We passed a small Catholic Church carnival and she said "look, is that Great America?" I nearly drove off the road and hit a tree, lol. The very next morning we went to the grocery store to stock up on some things she'd like -- the look on her face was amazing and then she said, "You have EVERYTHING!" I didn't know how to take it at first, I felt a bit as tho we were hogging everything and not letting them have it. Then I said, "Well, we gotta feed America." She pretty much was Americanized within that first week, but the learning curve was fun to observe.
January 20th, 2010 at 04:20 PM
C, Funny about the ride to your home from the airport. For my mother-in-law, from the ride home from the airport until she left, she was fascinated with the freeways, cars, and the big 16-wheeler trucks. She took a picture of a big truck when we were on the freeway. She drives an awful lot in Slovakia for her work so to see our infrastructure was interesting for her.
January 20th, 2010 at 06:10 PM
I had 2 relatives from Slovakia visit with us and, after picking them up at the airport, they first wanted to eat an American hamburger. They also enjoyed eating all types of bread (I never bought so many varieties of bread before) and they also enjoyed several slices every morning with their instant coffee that they brought from Slovakia. They did not like American coffee and my husband and I did not like their instant coffee. However, they are fantastic bakers and cooks. If they stayed any longer than one month, we would have gained a lot more weight than we had! We took them sightseeing to Washington, D.C. and we were very impressed with their knowledge of our history. They know more about American history than many Americans do. It was a very interesting visit and we look forward to seeing them again.
January 31st, 2010 at 03:51 PM
You're right about the breads, Bernie. My relatives ate so much bread and we were trying all different kinds; types I had never bought before. We made a welcomed discovery at our local grocery store and now buy that particular bread all the time, even after my relatives had left.
January 31st, 2010 at 05:32 PM