I'm finally at my placement!!

**I've actually been here for one month now...due to limited internet access, I'm a bit behind on my blog, but working on catching up!**

After about a month, I’m finally on my own at my placement. September 15th was the day that all of us volunteers separated and went off in our own directions. I will miss everybody! Some of us are pretty close to each other, but others are on the other side of the country and I know I won’t see them again until our retreat in November. We are getting together in the capital (Bratislava) at the end of November to meet and celebrate Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to it!

Anyways, the director of the facility I’m working at (Marcel) picked me up at the train station in Puchov after a 3 hour train ride from Velky Slavkov. I rode the train with Mark and Daniela, which was nice, so the ride went quickly. Marcel had to pick me up in Puchov because my village doesn’t have a train station in it. Puchov is a pretty big city (60,000 people) that is about fifteen miles from Koseca.

The center is very nice!! It was remodeled only a few years ago, so it’s pretty modern. There are two floors with an elevator built in, a nurse’s office and dining room/kitchen. There is a nice patio area with a little picnic shelter attached to the main building, and there is another building currently being built next door. This will be used for more staff and residents rooms, a fitness room, another laundry facility and bathrooms, and more. My room is very nice, it’s cute and decorated with curtains, some artwork, plastic vines, and candles/other knick knacks.

A few minutes after getting there I was introduced to a woman named Zuzana (Zuza for short) who has a room right down the hallway from mine. She was very nice and welcoming!! Within hours I felt SO much better about being here and being alone, and I didn’t feel so alone anymore. She was a little guardian angel right from the start. She made sure I had a spot to sit at dinner, showed me where things were, and took the time to patiently page through the dictionary and look up words so she could communicate with me. She has been SO patient, trying to explain words and things to me (as best as she can with my limited Slovak knowledge). Right away the first night when I got here, I could feel God showing me my new friend. She is 38 years old and has quite a few health problems and physical disabilities. She was thrown out of her house by her brother less than a year ago, so she is living here at the facility. She’s not really a resident, and not really working here, and she is just sort of lost in life right now. It was great because I need her, and she needs me. After weeks of frustration and adjustment, I felt like I was in the right place and I found God through her. She’s wonderful and crazy!