Some of my Favorites!

So I wanted to talk about a few of my favorite residents thus far:

Edita: She’s 83 and she’s pretty spunky. She likes to talk about how there’s too much sex on T.V. today (someone helped me translate) and she’s a total packrat. She has piles and piles of stuff everywhere, on her tables and shelf. One of the first days I met and attempted to talk with her, she really wanted to know how to spell my name. She had me write it out for her on a piece of paper, and now every time I come into her room to bring her meals or visit, she says “ahoj Ashley!” She is one of the few residents (although the number is increasing in the past few weeks) that knows my name! And if I’m with another nurse in her room, she pulls out the piece of paper with my name on it and shows it to them. Also, when I come to her room sometimes to collect dishes, she sometimes has an entire bowl of soup leftover. When I ask her if she’s finished, she says yes and tells me how disgusting the soup was, and the she didn’t like it. And she makes great faces as she goes on and on. She cracks me up.

Jozef and Kveta: These two, husband and wife, feel like this amazingly sweet couple of grandparents I’ve gained for this year. One time they invited me into their joint room and showed me pictures of their daughter and grandkids. Jozef is a great artist, he used to do wood carvings and there are many little statues and knick knacks that he carved in their little kitchen and living room area. The detail on these is really amazing. He reminds me of my own Grandpa Rhubee in a few ways, especially with the woodcarving. Jozef is at least partially blind and is continuing to lose eyesight, so he has a difficult time getting around at times, but he’s always linked arm in arm with Kveta. He always takes time to try and teach me new words in Slovak and pats me on the shoulder, saying “After one year you’ll speak good Slovak. I’d learn English, but I’m too old.” Kveta always makes sure to greet me and say goodbye when she sees me, and most of the time says “goodnight” in English, instead of Slovak. She’s always rubs my face and sometimes kisses my cheek and tells me I’m pretty. I love these two!

Bozena: I wrote about Bozena before, in my first newsletter. She is the woman I help feed many times every week. I feel bad for her, because I feel like nobody really pays much attention to her. I’ve never seen anybody come visit her, the nurses don’t really take a lot of time to talk to her because she isn’t very responsive, but she CAN talk. I think the nurses think I’m strange for wanting to feed her and spend time with her, but I don’t care. She doesn’t say a lot, but she’s talking more and more with me! And before when I knew hardly any Slovak, I would just say greetings or words here and there to her and she’d smile. Now I can speak a little more and use phrases, and she understands and responds! Also, I discovered she had a little radio at the back of her table the whole time, so I always turn that on when she eats, just for a little more entertainment. Almost ALL of the songs on the radio here are American songs, and I’m an avid radio listener, so I can sing along to pretty much any song on the radio in Slovakia. (One of the first days I came into one of the residents’ rooms, “Umbrella” by Rihanna was playing on their radio! From the bars and clubs of Minneapolis to a Slovak nursing home…) Anyways, I usually sing along while I’m feeding her and she smiles! It’s cute. I also found a photo album on her end table with pictures of her! It was really interesting to look at pictures of her when she was younger (I’m not sure how much younger), laughing and talking. I wonder what she thinks about this strange foreign girl who feeds her, doesn’t speak much Slovak, and looks through her pictures.

Judita and Magda: I just love these two because they smile a lot and enjoy seeing me as much as I enjoy seeing them! They also know my name, and I like just sitting with them and trying to have conversations. They used to be roommates and recently have been separated. I think they miss each other! Magda is now with one of the crazier residents here (she has severe Alzheimers) and Judita lives in their old room by herself. Judita became very sick awhile back and had to have her leg amputated (from above the knee and down) but every time I see her she is happy and content, and usually smiling. These two are pretty cute little ladies!

Vincent: One day I was trying to understand one of the residents in Slovak (in my first couple of weeks) and it wasn’t going very well, and all of the sudden Vincent chimed in…in English! I didn’t expect any of the residents to speak English here. The recent generations here (like in other countries also) are becoming more and more bilingual, and traveling more and more. Up until about fifteen years ago, nobody in Slovakia could leave their own country and travel, due to communism, and the only language they were allowed to learn was Russian, because of the U.S.S.R’s control. So imagine my surprise when this old man in a nursing home just starts speaking in English! I asked my supervisor about him, and he said that Vincent used to be a teacher. I’d like to know where, and when, and I will ask more as my Slovak improve. He doesn’t speak very much English, but he surprises me once in awhile with a new phrase: “How are you doing? Very well, thank you.” Or “Goodnight, and good luck.” Or “For what reason will you be traveling today?” He’s fun to try and speak to. A few times I’ve walked down the hall with him and just trying to say things in Slovak, and having him help me. It’s pretty amazing what the brain can remember as you get older, and when other parts of your body fail you. Vincent reminds me of my Grandma Verna, because while her mind and other parts of her body were failing her in old age, she never forgot how to play those same songs on the piano.

SNOW!

It’s snowing!! For the first time since I’ve come to Slovakia! It’s pretty exciting. It’s finally getting colder outside. From what I’ve heard here so far, I think the weather is very comparable to Minnesota weather, as far as cold temperatures and amounts of snow and ice. We got quite a bit of snow today, enough to put a nice white covering on everything, but I’m REALLY excited for the first real snowstorm! I guess last year was a really mild winter with no snow, so everybody is thinking this winter will be really crazy! Is it snowing where you are???

October Newsletter

Life in Koseca
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

For this newsletter, we were told to unpack the term “missionary” in our own context and calling. In the past, I’ve thought of the word “missionary” as a heavy and loaded term. My idea of the classic missionary was a person who ventured to a land radically different than their own, living in the worst imaginable living conditions in poverty-stricken villages. My stereotypical image of a missionary was one who selflessly brought only the clothes on their back and optimism, loudly proclaiming the gospel and their love for God.

While Slovakia definitely has distinct differences from the U.S., it’s not radically different. I live in a nice, well-kept building and have my own room. I have both internet access and phone access. I can still easily go to a shop and buy Fructis Shampoo, Aquafresh toothpaste, a Snickers candy bar, or a bottle of Sprite. I can even catch Grey’s Anatomy on t.v. here (except my favorite television characters are speaking Slovak instead of English). Believe me when I say that I brought WAY more than the clothes on my back, and many days I struggle with being very optimistic because I’m surrounded by disadvantage, poor health and suffering. And as far as proclaiming the gospel, well, they wouldn’t even be able to understand me because of the language barrier. I’m lucky if I accomplish a small conversation about the weather. So do I feel like a missionary? Sometimes yes, but most times no. Do I still have a strong sense of what the term “missionary” means, or what connotation it carries? I’m not sure. I know it will be something to consider throughout my year of service, and for years to come.

One thing I have learned is that serving God by helping others is usually not a grand gesture. It’s about the small things, as well the bigger. Helping in the kitchen sometimes so the cooks can go home faster, or helping the teachers correct tests so they can spend more time with their families at night, or just attempting to have conversations with those special people that I’ve found here that are lonely and looking for a friend. And often times, I feel like the people I’m meeting here are missionaries also. I feel like they’ve helped me and offered me more help than I’ve been able to offer them in return. I’ve met some truly amazing people.

I learned in my week of orientation that doing mission work is all about accompaniment. I finding more truth in that than I ever imagined I would. Doing mission work isn’t about fixing things, or making situations better, but it’s about being with the people. It’s about experiencing the realities of life with them and learning their ways of life. “I’m here to share my life with you, and please share yours with me too.” And whenever I feel down and frustrated about the language barrier, I think about how much I’ve been able to share with these people, and the friendships I’ve been able to form without ACTUALLY being able to talk to them. It’s truly God’s presence in Koseca.

Peace,
Ashley

Thank you so much for all of your support!! To read more about my experiences, check out my blog online at:
www.ashleyrenslovak.blogspot.com

Address:
Ashley Severson
Stredisko Evanjelickej diakonie
Koseca 898
018 64
Slovakia

Email: ashseve@hotmail.com
Phone: 011.421.918.310.062

*To learn about the volunteer options through the Young Adults in Global Mission Program, visit: www.elca.org/globalmission

Food

So the food experiences I’ve had here have been interesting! I would say, for the most part, that the food isn’t so different from ours. There are definitely differences of course, but it has been a pretty easy transition overall.

*Some foods/drinks that I don’t especially love: Cabbage (in soggy form), Fried bread (with egg, dripping in grease…yikes), hot tea (although I’m getting used to the fruit tea!
But some are tough to swallow), Carbonated water (a.k.a. “gas water”) and Sweet Lunch (dumplings filled with jelly paste, covered with chocolate syrup). The sweet lunch is good, but after two bites it’s too sweet. Oh, and on my third day here I didn’t feel that great after eating the fried bread, so what did they give me to help? Beer. Yes, beer, at 9:30 in the morning, because it’s supposed to make you burp a lot, which will apparently solve the problem. The nurses gave it to me out of their station room (they keep it in the cabinet with other medicines). Ha! Interesting, and a bit ridiculous, I thought. Also not a fan of the warm milk that they serve.

*Some foods that I do love: Halusky (traditional Slovak meal, very popular…noodles with chunks of meat, served with goat cheese), SOUP (all kinds, all the time, all good), potato bread and meat (usually pork, which I like the most), Veggie rice balls (ok, this isn’t actually what they’re called, but I don’t know the name yet…), and pretty much all of their hotdishes and potato creations (there are quite a few).

More than the food itself, I'm not used to the way they eat it. For example, they eat their entire meal first before drinking anything (like big pieces of meat and potatoes, but nothing to drink....how do the old ladies not choke while eating?? No idea). Ok, more to come again soon!