About the Author
When I moved to Slovakia to teach English back in 1999, there wasn’t much information about what life was like in Slovakia. Though I had some idea since I had come as a tourist years before, I didn’t know what to expect or what it would really be like living on a day to day basis in a country that was so different from my own.
As time went by, I learned from my students and friends about daily life and how to go about fulfilling my goal of living as a productive member of my adopted society. It wasn’t easy and some things took longer to adjust to than others, but my road to self-fulfillment was laden with discovery and an education that things can be done in different ways. Of course before you take such a giant leap of faith of moving to another country you would like to be as prepared as possible, to know what you are getting into and to have an understanding of what you can expect. In the end, however, no matter how much you read, ask questions, and do research, you still will feel the ‘culture shock’ of entering an environment that is so different from your own.
After living in Slovakia for five years, I realized I had accumulated a lot of practical information on living and working in Slovakia. I had been sharing bits and pieces of information on forums but found that I was answering many of the same questions again and again; questions such as, “How much money should I bring?” or “What is the food like?” That’s when I decided to write The Foreigner’s Guide to Living in Slovakia.
This Web site continues with the theme of viewing Slovakia from a foreigner’s perspective and contains resources to help you find more information on the Slovak language, links to useful sites, and also my personal blog that touches on a range of topics such as food, culture, architecture, and any other curiosity I have noticed as a foreigner in Slovakia.
I hope that this site will assist you in learning something about Slovak history, culture, and life, if you are not familiar with it, and to encourage you to take that leap into something that could be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.
Author
The Foreigner’s Guide to Living in Slovakia
8 Comments on “About the Author”
As I said in another comment, your site is fantastic. I just explored the "Slovak recipe" section and am a bit frustrated. What I would like to see is a list of equivalent American ingredients for the Slovak ingredients. e.g. Vegeta is found in Slovakia, but is there an equivalent here in America? What are the American names for spices and ingredients used in Slovak cookery? I'm a member of the Slovak Heritage Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania. We hold a cooking class each year and it would be helpful to have such information. Our website is shsnepa.com. Check us out.
January 5th, 2009 at 04:18 AM
I live in Los Angeles, and frequently find Vegeta and other Central European fodd at Jewish, Russian, and Polish markets.
January 13th, 2009 at 08:41 PM
What a fantastic site! Your blog is a great read :-) I’m an Englishman and in June 2008 married my Slovak wife in the city of Žilina. As a frequent visitor to Slovakia I have found Slovak culture both fascinating and sometimes bizarre (e.g. Easter Day morning). On my first visit to Slovakia in March 2005 my wife’s family dropped me in at the deep end of Slovak culture and have never allowed me to resurface since. Žilina is a great place to visit/live and during the entire year has many free festivals, carnivals and other great outdoor events. Žilina is surrounded by the beautiful Malá Fatra mountains and nothing beats waking up in the morning, throwing back the curtains and looking out over such a spectacular sight! I’m at the stage now where I can talk basic Slovak and be understood, but my grammar is still pretty awful. But as everyone says to me, learn the words and the grammar will come naturally. Over the next few years we will be setting in motion our preparations to move back to Slovakia. The move fills me with excitement with what is to come, but it also saddens me to leave loved ones and friends behind. But hey! It’s only a short flight way and I’m sure the lure of free summer and winter holidays will keep them visiting :-) Best wishes Chris P.S. We’ll be back in Žilina in 3 weeks to go snowboarding, visit friends and family and partake in one of my favourite pastimes, VODKA!!! P.P.S. Ordered a copy of your book on Amazon UK today :-) Sorry I didn’t order it direct (I feel a bit mean), but I was given an Amazon voucher for my Birthday so used it to buy your book.
January 25th, 2009 at 07:35 PM
Thanks, Chris. Žilina is such a cute town. With your interest and enthusiasm, it sounds like you are on your way to having a wonderful life there. All the best to you.
January 25th, 2009 at 07:44 PM
Hi! I found your blog and I think it is amazing, congratulations and thanks for all the useful info. My girlfriend is slovak and I would like to learn more from her culture without her finding out, I want to surprise her you know. I currently live in Munich but I am Mexican, I travel often to Bratislava, maybe one day we could meet. Regards
March 27th, 2009 at 11:54 AM
I'm bummed I didn't find your site earlier! I have been living in Bratislava since January and really could have used this resource this whole time! I am getting ready to go back home to the U.S. in the next couple of weeks--flight still pending--but I was wondering if you had any suggestions for traveling? I haven't been outside of the city much since I've been here, only to Vienna (which was wonderful). Any suggestions to where I should go before I go home in the next couple weeks? Thank you so much, if I come back I know where to find all the information I need!
April 24th, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Dear Margarete, this is really amazing web site. Thank you for all the information about Slovakia. There are beautiful people, friendly and helpful. I appreciate specially the part about slovak souvenirs. I love Medovina, it is said to be a drink of gods, and Vianocka . . . it is so unique!!! To Andrej: at Polish markets you can even get Bryndza!!!
May 2nd, 2009 at 03:23 PM
Hi Margarete! I'm just accidentally passing slovak. Looking for a slovak ornaments on web I have found your page. I must really appreciate it. It has nice design, interesting information (relevant too) and it is amusing for me to get a point of view on Slovakia and slovaks from "outside". Thanks for this. Good continuation. Mojmir
May 13th, 2009 at 07:38 AM