Becoming...

So, I have been feeling this week more and more like a Slovak (or at least not a guest) these last few weeks.

Case in point. Last week, Karin and I went to our favorite little neighborhood pizza place. Side note: A while ago, when we had been in, our server noticed that we were speaking English and tried to get us an English menu. We told him that we didn't need one and he asked again. We finally convinced him we did not. The next time we came in, he didn't offer us the English menu, just accepted our limited and badly pronounced Slovak. End side note: So, we were sitting talking and just enjoying our meal like we normally do. Then, Karin noted that it seemed that we had it seemed slow even for our normally quiet pizza place and that the service seemed slower as usual. Now this may not seem like an amazing observation. But, it made us feel like regulars, to be talking about the service (which is definitely much slower than in the states).

Second case in point. I feel like I made a break through today. I was invited to one of my student's homes. For those of you who know me from Oster, you know how much I enjoy getting to know my students outside of school. I accept every invitation that I possibly can. Well, with the language barrier and just the different culture, I have not gotten any invitations. Until today. Today, at one of my conferences, I had a mom who spent a year in the states with her family, so her family all speaks English. She was lamenting the fact that she doesn't have anyone to speak English with. So, I volunteered to practice English with her. Her eyes lit up and she quickly gave me her phone number and email address and invited me to come to her house regularly to practice English not only with her, but also with her whole family. I am very excited about this opportunity and hope that it will open up more doors for me.