How a Japanese met Slovakia, part 5

(Original notes of Nat)

Bardejov and other places I visited

I found towns like Bardejov were more developed and larger than I´d previously and negligently thought. Before arriving in Bardejov, she told me how small her town was and how it doesn´t have a financial district and other districts like a big city should have. So I couldn´t help but imagine a very small, rural community where only the town square is where people gather. Once you step out of it, you don´t see anybody and anything. It seemed pretty much so in reality, too, but there "was" and "is" more to Bardejov than meets the eyes.
I saw more people and cars than I thought I would see. It was like any suburbs around Sydney. Maybe it was because of the town market. Many streets were filled with people then. Like many places in Slovakia, Bardejov has been developed outward from the square so there´re more shops and restaurants and bars continuing for a few blocks from it. And the establishment there isn´t old or deserted at all but they are nice and cool.
There was also a Tesco which almost became my routine stop in the morning if I had stayed longer. I went there for the first time without her one morning hoping everything would be all right. I thought what could go wrong. Just buying a few things at a supermarket. You pick up whatever and pay whatfs shown at the cashier, right? So I picked up some stuff not knowing what were really in it. I couldn´t read anything. I just went with pictures on packages. Well, I told you everything was a challenge to me.
And I went up to the cashier figuring out which line to stand but I found a self-checkout lane. I usually use these in Sydney so I thought it´d be piece of cake and thank god, this Tesco had the English screen. So it was no problem. However, when I was about to leave and passed an anti-theft alarm gate, it beeped. Of course, a security guy came and said something but who the hell knows what he said. But I showed what I just purchased and empty my pockets. And there I went again. And it beeped again. He looked suspicious but let me go eventually. Well, that was a bit embarrassing.
And next morning I went there again because that was the only place I could shop without having to speak Slovak. I wasn´t completely comfortable because of the alarm the day before, though. When I got there, there was that security guy from yesterday. I felt awkward at first but it didn´t last long because he smiled and greeted me as I passed him. I managed to smile, too, but couldn´t get any words out of my mouth as I didn´t even know how to greet in the morning not to mention "yes" and "no" in Slovak. But it was the last time I saw him. He wasn´t there next day and I didn´t go there again because we left Bardejov to begin our journey.
There are quite a few shops and restaurants in town, and the town was lively but once the market came to an end, the town seemed different. And she told me that was usual Bardejov. Nevertheless, I like some restaurants and cafes there and would like to go to those places again.
Like I said to her, though, there I felt a sense of community which may have been forgotten or lost in a big city. I felt comfortable as if I were at home. People get together to create the town market and enjoy themselves every year. There weren´t too many things available like a big city, but people do without too many things. I envy those people who are lucky to be able to call it home.
After we left Bardejov, she took me other places such as Prešov, Košice, Dedinky, Spišské Podhradie, Smižany, Spišska Nová Ves, Kežmarok, Vysoké Tatry (Lomnické sedlo) , Orava, Banská Bystrica, Kremnica and Bratislava. Except Bratislava, every place like Bardejov seemed to have its own color or ambience. It´s nice to have its own ambience distinguished from others. We didn´t necessarily do much in some places but what I felt was original in each place and I liked every one of them.

Here are some impressions of other places.

Prešov

The main street was lively. Many nice shops and restaurants stand along the main street. It seemed like it was all they needed there. Shopping, dining, and drinking can be done there. Busses run on the main street pretty conveniently, and a train station was on it, too. Because I met many people who went to school or still go to school there, I somehow think of Prešov like an academic city. She and her friends took me to the Šariš Castle. It was my first experience seeing a Slovak castle. Well, it was a ruin, though. Because the castle was "inconveniently" planned on top of a hill like many others, it wasn´t easy to get there. We had to walk up. But I don´t mind walking. The problem on that day was the strong sunlight. The castle was awesome and let us relax while some guys were working to reconstruct the castle or something. I enjoyed my time there but I was kind of exhausted by the sunlight. It was very strong. I was tanned, or one might say, "Burnt." By the time I arrived in Bratislava, my skin started to peel. And my co-workers in Sydney keep saying, "You got burnt!" Anyway, we went down and back to the city before I literally got burnt. We went to a pizzeria on the main street where it had a pizza called, "Kurva." (Whore) Of course, I ordered one. And it was so good. I wonder if the word, "pizza" is female in Slovak...


Well, I had fun with a bunch of her friends at the pizzeria. It was, maybe, too much fun to think about the last bus home. We went to see off one guy at the bus depot. By that time, we were too late for the last scheduled bus. Well, that was just great, wasn´t it? A Japanese guy missed the last bus in a small city in Slovakia with a bunch of locals who didn´t seem to care about it. Some said there were night buses or something, but there seemed to be no point of waiting for those. Well, one guy insisted on grabbing a cab. I almost agreed with him. But I guess the majority ruled. How democratic Slovakia is now! So we walked all the way from... wherever the hell we were to... wherever the hell we had to go back. What a very Slovak night it was! You drink and miss the last bus. And I had something to complain about, too. I wanted to do what the locals do, but it didn´t have to be literal like this.

How a Japanese met Slovakia, part 4

(Original notes of Nat)

I was wondering what kind of people these freaky people might be before I met them. Again, I was in Slovakia. I mean, who would think anyone there would be interested in Japan? They look like normal Slovaks because they drink beer and Kofola. They don´t wear any costumes like stereotypical Japan freaks I see on TV when I was in Japan or when I am in Australia. Some of them are interested in cosplay but they don´t cosplay all the time. Some wear t-shirts with some Japanese words, of J-pop bands, or of Japanese animation. That´s as far as they go in daily life. They don´t look so freaky. Rather they´re so friendly and interesting. All of them speak English well, at least, better than my Slovak which is none but I´m working on it. 
As I got to know these friends of hers, my impression of Slovak people changed. I now think, once they get to know you, they make me think as if I´ve known them for months, if not years. At least, that´s how I felt while I was there. They tell you many things about Slovakia like how proud they are of being eastern Slovaks much like we tell people how proud we are of being Osakans or Kansai-jin. Or how they hate Bratislava like we don´t care for Tokyo. They like to joke around with or without drinks. They have many jokes on drinking of their own or someone else, and neighboring nations like how much the Hungarians are uninformed about Slovakia. Slovakia isn´t part of Hungary today. Slovakia exists not because of Hungary. Not only do they tell you good things but also things that they wish become better, like why many parts of Slovakia except Bratislava aren´t getting attention as much as they wish. Or how their government plays a poor role in many political aspects in EU much like our government play a pathetic role in Asia. Sounds like normal people, doesn´t it? I mean, what kind of local people would talk about these things with a strange traveler from the other side of the planet? They´re open-minded, amazing guys. Again I was wrong about the Slovaks. Many people are willing to talk to strangers in English.
They´re normal. They just happen to like different things from their cohorts. Though many of them wouldn´t openly talk about their interests with their local buddies, they´re proud of whatever they´re interested in. They´re determined to like it no matter what others might say about it.
It was funny though, when I asked some of them if they talk about manga or anime with their friends at work or school who hardly know about these things. They all said, "Hell, no!" See again, they are normal!
The important thing is that they have their own great circles of friends with whom they can enjoy sharing their passions and support each other no matter what those passions are. And what´s good about these guys is that they include you no matter if you have a similar passion or not and show you who they are. They aren´t as shy or standoffish as I initially thought, are they?
I was so glad that some of them showed much interest in me as a guy from Japan although I´m not much of a devoted Japanese. They treated me like their friends.
Me being not much of a devoted Japanese brings up that subject that I was also a freak of a different kind. I fell in love with Slovakia, the country for now. Particularly the city of Košice.
When I told her and other guys that it was very weird to meet so many people who like Japan in this small big country, she said to me, as if the whole world knew it, like, "You know, you´re in Slovakia and you like Košice. Don´t you think it´s weirder that a Japanese guy who likes a Canadian hockey team came to this small big country called Slovakia all the way from the opposite side of this planet, Australia and had his first camping experience here? If that´s not weird, what´d be weird?" Thatfs when I realized something embarrassing. She made me speechless. Why did I end up there and come to like that city in that country? Obviously I wasn´t thinking much. Yeah, I must be a freak, too. Not that anything wrong with that! I´m proud of myself like those Slovak guys are proud of themselves. So I guess, I met my counterparts.
Despite of the economic downturn or general ideas that people have about Slovakia, I found people in Slovakia looked so bright. I´m serious. People were out there enjoying every single day. Maybe the weather helped me form this impression because we didn´t have any nasty rainy days. I wouldn´t have had this impression unless I had visited there. Some people I talked after my vacation still don´t have any positive impression like mine. And no matter how hard I try convincing others what a great country Slovakia is and how nice people in Slovakia are and how bossy Slovak women are, they wouldn´t easily understand what I talk about here. And I wouldn´t blame them. It´s not just because I had one of a kind trip with her but it´s because words cannot fully express these things. You got to go there and sense it all with all your senses including the sixth one. Unfortunately any internet sites wouldn´t justify these things, either. People aren´t just well-informed. Their impressions of Slovakia are largely based on hearsays, or they form their impressions based on however they think Slovakia should be, not based on facts and actual experiences.

How a Japanese met Slovakia, part 3

(Original notes of Nat)

People in Slovakia
So, because of my initial encounters with those Slovak people on the bus, I thought that the general public of Slovakia seemed shy or standoffish, and that English wouldn´t be a means of communication in this day and age in Slovakia. I lived in Canada and now I live in Australia. People in these places aren´t as shy as the Slovak, as far as I know. Many of them are so casual. They don´t care who might speak English. They just come and talk to you. I´m from Japan and I look Japanese, but I was seen as a local on many occasions in these places. They asked me directions, local bus schedules, and so on when I myself wanted to ask and when other people who look more like the locals were in the scene.
I don´t know, maybe it was due to little direct exposure to the world far away from Slovak people. This is what I thought then. Like many Japanese people, the less exposed to the world outside of theirs, the less they know what to do with people from other parts of the world. I didn´t know how much exposed the Slovaks were to the rest of the world outside Europe. But I´d learn that my initial thought wasn´t entirely true later on.
Because my mind was sane again after arriving at Bardejov and meeting her, when I was on streets alone in Bardejov, I saw people´s faces as they passed by me. It looked like they couldn´t believe what they were seeing. They were like, "Am I seeing an Asian man? I mean, in Bardejov? This cannot be happening, can it?" They literally gazed at me. It wasn´t a look.  They might have been thinking, "What the hell is he doing in Slovakia, not to mention in Berdejov." They were probably like those people on the bus thinking like, "What in god´s name is he going to go to Bardejov for? We want to know ourselves what´s so interesting in Bardejov that this guy is going for because I don´t recall anything like that!"
Well, as much as I´d like to communicate with local people, I enjoy these experiences. I like to put myself in circumstances where locals couldn´t believe what they see when they see me, and I like to observe people. I was a psyc major at college. I´ve been to many countries and some remote areas but never been in a situation where people gazed at me like people in Bardejov and other places in Slovakia such as Nalepkovo, Spišská Nová Ves, Smižany, Kežmarok, Kremnica, and even in the suburb of Prešov and Bratislava. I like to observe people. Particularly, kids are fun to watch because they´re pure and they keep looking at whatever and whoever they might find out of ordinary. A couple of kids at a supermarket in Bratislava were looking at me and smiling at me as if they were watching some novelties. And they kept looking at me till they couldn´t see me.
Now, that is my impression of the general public in Slovakia. I came to know some people more closely than these passersby. And these people are the ones who helped me form a different impression of some people in Slovakia.
Before I came to Slovakia, I´d only known one (special) person in Slovakia. That´s her. During my trip with her, I met about 40 people. I haven´t been able to memorize most of their names, of course. These encounters were the most important events while I was in Slovakia (and Prague) except spending my one on one time with her, of course.
What the heck kind of travelers to Slovakia would expect to meet 40 people for only three weeks? They weren´t just passersby like I said. Those were all her families, relatives, friends and friends´ friends. I wasn´t sure if I should have even been with her when she was with some of them, but she was so open and had no problem letting me be there with her. So I felt privileged, and included or part of them on every occasion. I couldn´t unfortunately communicate with some of them but every occasion meant something to me.
Now, what comes to my mind about these people I met or people in Slovakia in general for that matter is that they drink. No, by that I don´t mean coffee, tea or Kofola, on which she made me hooked by the time I left Slovakia, by the way. It´s like one can´t talk about Slovakia without talking about drinking beer. They drink beer no matter where they are, what time of the day it is, or on what occasion it was. Maybe they would even create an excuse or a reason to drink only if there were none. Well, that´s impossible from what I know. Everything and anything is a reason for them to drink. The ultimate got to be those Slovak name days. What with those? With those, every single day is some occasion. Every single day is someone´s special day; your family´s, your friend´s, your friend´s friend´s, your co-worker´s, your friend´s co-worker´s, your co-worker´s friend´s, your neighbor´s, your friend´s neighbor´s, your neighbor´s neighbor´s and on and on and on. You wouldn´t run out of excuses.
One of the first guys I met told me an important fact about Slovak people. Itfs about what they do. They drink, complain and sleep. It seems like you could use another word for the last one, though. Anyway, life revolves with these three things in Slovakia. Well, you cannot go five seconds without spotting someone drinking in Slovakia. Even if you donft drink, youfre with someone who drinks or whofs already been drinking. They complain about politics (lack of governmental supports for national and local growths in many areas), social issues (gypsies), and personal things and so on. And they sleep. You got to sleep after you drink and complain. They drink and complain till they fall asleep, if not till they pass out.
Maybe this is how one Slovak day would go to me.
In the morning, they wake up and complain about why they have to wake up. And they keep complaining about things around them as they work till lunch time. That´s when they might go for a glass or two.
In the afternoon, with the help of that glass or two, they start to complain more and probably they get more work done that way.
And when they finish work, thatfs when the true hidden face of the Slovak life surfaces. They can drink and complain at the same time! ´Till they pass out!
Some people literally drink ´till they pass out. I saw a couple of those people first hand. I saw a guy sleeping right behind the main entrance door of my hotel in Bardejov with his semi-digested food all over himself. And another guy was lying against a church early in the morning. Maybe he was too late for help but too early for confession.
Well, maybe it´s not all like them but it doesn´t sound too far from it, either, according to how I interpreted the fact.
There was one occasion which I thought was intended by these guys and which made me start to wonder about some Slovak plot. We were going to go to the salt mine museum in Prešov. One guy was late for whatever reason it was. We waited and waited. And we decided to go to a pub across the street. Maybe there was no point for us to wait under the strong sun light. I agreed on that. But you know what they did? Yes, they ordered beer! How convenient for them! And right on, this guy being late! Later, I started to wonder if he was late on purpose, or if it was part of Slovak tradition when people meet and whey they are late. Like "if you´re late, be very late. Give us some time to get some beer, at least, while we´re waiting for you, damn it! It´d also give us stuff to complain about!"
This is the kind of thing which only someone of non-Slovak culture would find out, isn´t it? If youfre deeply in it, or if it´s running in your blood, or if you´re programmed like this, you wouldn´t discover these matters. And just so you know, it wasn´t the only time when I had to wait for someone in Slovakia. Not that I had problems waiting, though.
Maybe, when the Slovaks have time to kill, they´d say, "Let´s go have a drink" when we´d say, "Let´s go have a cup of tea or coffee" or "Let´s go find somewhere to sit." And when they have something to complain about, they´d say, "Let´s go have a drink" when we´d say, "Let´s talk about it" or "Let´s go somewhere we can talk." And when someone tells them to go to bed, they´d say, "Have we drunken yet?" or "Have we drunken and complained yet?" when we´d say, "Good night" or "See you tomorrow morning."
Many of the people I met in person are... how should I put it... freaks. I mean it in a good way, if there is any. They like Japan, which is where I was born and raised, and the Japanese culture such as tradition, manga and animation, games, music, sub-cultures and so on. I wonder how many Japanese know that so many people in that small big country which is far in central Europe and is hardly recognized by them are crazy about our country. I only met 10-15 of these people but I´m sure that it´s just a tip of iceberg. The crazy thing was that they know more about what they are interested in than I do or the general public in Japan might do and more than I could have ever imagined. This is how my thought was wrong about some Slovak people. Some people are in touch with the world outside of theirs and knowledgeable. 
Well, it wasn´t so long before I realized that I was one of the freaks, too! She made me realize so...

How a Japanese met Slovakia, part 2

(Original notes of Nat)

Next day, I didn´t know what to do ´till my bus leaves but I checked out my hotel and headed to Náměstí Republiky. From there I wondered around and around and I reached the national museum when I realized. I wasn´t going to see it so I started to head back to Náměstí Republiky. When I got to the bus depot, it was still 2 pm. How was I going to kill another 6 hours in the city in which I had no interest in then?! So I decided to find a bench to park my caboose ´till my bus comes. For six hours I was watching people coming and going; families, friends, couples, people with dogs. Watching people like this helped me kill some time. After a couple hours, hours began to go by so quickly. It also shows how bored I was, doesn´t it? And when I realized, I had to get ready for my bus in one hour. I had to use the bathroom and get something to eat before getting on the bus. So I went to the bathroom. I learned yesterday when I picked up my ticket and also from watching people there that I have to pay for the use of the bathroom at the depot. I didn´t know how much but I had some change so I was confident that I wouldn´t have any trouble using it and coming back out. I was bit nervous but the machine accepted my change and there I passed the gate and came back out successfully. Oh, I felt like I accomplished something there. What a big deal, right? Just using a public bathroom, man!
I made sure of the waiting point earlier so I was confident that I was at the right place but I asked a young guy at the same place who might understand English just to double check it. I said to him, "Is this bus for Bardejov?" So he replied, "Yes." Instantly I thought to myself, "Oh, he speaks some English so he would help me if I need any help on my way." However, a second later he started saying something to me in Slovak or Czech or who knows what it was. What I knew was that I didn´t understand a word that he was saying to me. It looked like he was trying to tell me something, so I followed him to the other side of the bus. There I found that I was supposed to store my bag in the bus from that side. I thanked him and we got back to where we were and started to get on the bus.
I saw people paying to the bus driver as I was waiting to get on. I was wondering about it. I paid the fare already so I wondered what they were paying for. So my turn came and went up to the driver. He said something but of course, I didn´t understand what he said. So I showed him all the change I had on me, and he took some change as he said a few more words but you know - I had no idea.
Then I was looking for my seat. When I got my ticket yesterday, the guy behind the glass asked me if I wanted a window seat or an aisle seat. So I bought a window seat. But when I found my seat, some guy was fake-sleeping like a dead man already. So I didn´t bother to ask him to move and I sat down next to him. Plus, it was night; I couldn´t see anything through the window anyway. And I thought I would fall asleep soon. I tried to talk to this guy but he didn´t understand what I said in English and I couldn´t say anything in Slovak or Czech. So that was it with him.
20 to 30 minutes into the bus trip, a movie began. It was a Hollywood movie, but I don´t remember what it was, but it was played in a language I didn´t understand without any subtitle. So there was one more reason for me to fall asleep. Because I was tired from waiting at the bus depot, it was a matter of time when I fall asleep. I don´t know when but I fell asleep. And when I woke up, we were already in Slovakia. My cell phone also notified me of it.
After the bus entered Slovakia, I couldn´t sleep. I tried but I failed while most passengers were peacefully asleep. Not being able to sleep wasn´t a problem because it wouldn´t hurt me if I skip a sleep. And I knew I wasn´t only one who´s been up all night. She was up working on a night shift, so it didn´t bother me at all. However, this is when I first said to myself, "Where the xxxk am I?", "what the hell am I doing here with a bunch of strangers with whom unfortunately I can´t communicate at all around me on the bus to a small town in the then still strange country for 11 freaking long hours?!", "Am I doing the right thing?", "Was it worth while coming here?" Thoughts like these came to me several times after that, to be honest, until the dawn started to break and I figured out my location on my cell phone which told me I was very close to my ultimate destination. And when I received a wake up text message from her, though I wasn´t asleep, I forgot all those words repeated in my mind in the last few hours. And I began to get extremely excited about the fact that I was going to meet her soon. And the bus finally arrived at the back of the Bardejov station.
Well, this is how my travel began. Everything I did, whether it was major or minor, was an interesting challenge to me. Maybe many things wouldn´t have been any trouble if I had known some Slovak. I didn´t know the language. I knew close to nothing about the country. I was pathetic and helpless. Who wouldn´t wish time would fly faster than it should in these circumstances? And more importantly, who would imagine this trip would turn out to be worth lifetime?

How a Japanese met Slovakia, part 1

(Original notes of Nat)

I´m not going to write anything emotional and too personal here. Such things will go into my personal essay apart from this story. And I´m not going to go into details on each person I met because I won´t finish this in time but I´ll also write about them in my personal essay. The purpose of this is to purely tell what I thought about "Slovakia" after I spent three weeks there. And the hypothetical audience is neither you nor me. So here goes.

What the fxxx?! Where the fxxx is that?! If not "what" the fxxx is that?! What in god´s name did you go there for?! What on earth were you doing there?! Or you mean Czechoslovakia, right? These are some of the things that people would say to me if I tell them that I visited Slovakia and had a heck of a good time. And I would neither be surprised by these words nor blame people for saying these things because I wasn´ft too far away from these words in one point, to be honest. And I would have said something similar if someone had told me that they visited Slovakia. The reason is simple. People don´t know what a great time Slovakia can offer to them. I´m sure I was one of them but I´ve discovered what a hidden beauty Slovakia was and still is, thanks to my special someone with whom I travelled throughout the country where I gained experiences that no one else can ever think of gaining like I did with her.
To be honest, I was not thinking much about Slovakia before I visited there. My only reason was to meet her. The rest was extra. But I´d had no idea that this extra would turn out to be extraordinary by the end.
After travelling more than 20 hours by airplanes from Sydney, Australia, I finally arrived at Prague, the gateway to my ultimate destination of my vacation. There I met her friend who was nice enough to agree with her and come and pick up a total strange Japanese man from Australia. This friend helped me change currencies and buy a ticket to Prague city center. I had no idea at this point that this was just a tip of huge iceberg of what will happen in the next three weeks.
The first thing I realized was that it was summer there. OMG, it was scorching hot! I almost fainted. I flew via Abu Dhabi and felt freaking hot there, too, but Abu Dhabi is always hot. And I forgot to think about the season in Prague. Sydney was still in the winter. I couldn´t think of a hot summer of Prague or Slovakia because I had a strong impression of a cold climate in these countries. I didn´t think these countries have such a hot summer. This must show how ignorant I was about these counties, huh?
We arrived at a subway station and caught a subway next. I´m not sure if it was this station or the station we got off, but I surely remember that some escalators in the Prague subway are massively long and terrifyingly steep. It looked to me like they stand at almost 90 degrees. I don´t recall any subway systems of Tokyo, Osaka, NY, Paris, and Australia (train) that long.
This friend also helped find my hotel and buy a ticket to Bardejov.  In order to buy a ticket to Bardejov, she brought me to a bus depot not a train station which I was expecting. I was only thinking of catching a train from Prague to Bardejov so I was quite confused but didn´t question her because she knew better. After all, she was a local. But I was wondering, though, if she thought I wanted to go by bus, not by train. Anyway we went up to one of the booths. Well, what I was wondering was right. She was asking a bus ticket for me. So then I asked her if there weren´t any trains. And she asked the guy behind the glass, but he said there weren´t. So I asked how long it takes to get to Bardejov and what time it leaves, she told me it´d take 11 hours and it´d leave 8:20. I said, "11 hours!" I thought I was day dreaming but she repeated that it´d take about 11 hours to Bardejov. In Japan it takes as short as like 3 hours to travel for a similar distance. While still in shock, I thought it wouldn´t be too bad because I thought I´d arrive in Bardejov and meet her on the same day if the bus leaves Prague in the morning. But she meant 8:20 PM! That didn´t sound good at all. So I asked if I could leave that day but the guy behind the glass told her that night´s bus was book solid. Yes, BOOKED SOLID! So only choice was going by bus tomorrow evening and arriving the day after tomorrow. I was like "what am I going to do for the next 27 hours in Prague by myself?" I didn´t plan anything to do in Prague because I wasn´t supposed to spend 27 hours in Prague alone.

Ako Japonec po Slovensku chodil, 5. časť

Bardejov a iné miesta, ktoré som navštívil.

Zistil som, že mestá ako Bardejov sú viac rozvinuté a väčšie, než som si nedbalo myslel. Než som do Bardejova dorazil, povedala mi o tom, aké malé je jej mesto a že nemajú finančnú štvrť a podobné štvrte, aké by veľké mestá mali mať. Takže som si nemohol pomôcť a predstavil som si veľmi malú, vidiecku komunitu, kde sa ľudia schádzajú iba na námestí. Keď sa z neho vzdialite, neuvidíte nič a nikoho. Vlastne to bolo v skutočnosti dosť podobné, no v Bardejove toho „bolo“ a „je“ viac, než sa dá vidieť.

Videl som viac ľudí a áut, než som si myslel, že uvidím. Bolo to ako hociktoré predmestie Sydney. Možno tomu tak bolo kvôli jarmoku. Mnoho ulíc sa zaplnilo ľuďmi. Tak ako veľa miest na Slovensku, Bardejov sa vyvíjal smerom von z námestia, takže obchody a reštaurácie a bary bolo vidieť ešte ďalších pár blokov mimo neho. A základ mesta nie je vôbec starý alebo opustený, ale pekný a „cool.“

Bolo tam Tesco, ktoré by sa okamžite stalo mojou rutinnou rannou zastávkou, keby som mal zostať dlhšie. Jedno ráno som tam bez nej po prvý raz zašiel s nádejou, že všetko bude v poriadku. Hovoril som si: „Čo by sa mohlo pokaziť? Nákup niekoľkých vecí v supermarkete. Niečo si vyberieš a zaplatíš, čo ti ukáže pokladňa, nie?“ Takže som si vybral niekoľko vecí, v skutočnosti netušiac, čo je vo vnútri. Nedokázal som nič prečítať, spoľahol som sa len na obrázky na obaloch. Nuž, povedal som vám, že pre mňa všetko bolo výzvou.

A šiel som k pokladni. Kým som rozmýšľal, do ktorého radu sa postaviť, objavil som samoobslužné pokladne. V Sydney väčšinou používam tieto, tak som si myslel, že to bude malina a, vďakabohu, Tecso malo aj anglický displej. Žiadny problém. Avšak, keď som chcel odísť a prešiel cez bezpečnostnú bránu, ozval sa alarm. Samozrejme, pristúpil ku mne muž z ochranky a niečo povedal – kto už len vie, čo to bolo. Ale ukázal som mu práve zbalený nákup a vyprázdnil vrecká. Prešiel som znova. Pípalo to. Vyzeral podozrievavo, ale nechal ma ísť. Nuž, bolo to trochu zahanbujúce.

Ďalšie ráno som tam šiel znova, pretože to bolo jediné miesto, kde som mohol nakupovať bez potreby hovoriť po slovensky. Nebolo mi však úplne príjemne vzhľadom na včerajší alarm. Keď som vošiel, bol tam ochrankár zo včerajška. Cítil som sa najprv čudne, ale netrvalo to dlho, pretože sa usmial a pozdravil ma, keď sme sa míňali. Tiež sa mi podarilo usmiať, ale nevydralo sa zo mňa nič, pretože som nevedel, ako sa ráno pozdraviť, nehovoriac ani o „áno“ a „nie“ po slovensky. Ale vtedy som ho videl naposledy. Na druhý deň tam nebol a ja som tam už potom znova nešiel, pretože sme opustili Bardejov a začali našu cestu.

V meste bolo celkom dosť obchodov a reštaurácií a mesto bolo živé, no keď jarmok skončil, javilo sa inak. Povedala mi, že takto zvyčajne vyzerá. Tak či onak, mám tam rád niektoré reštaurácie a kaviarne a rád by som tie miesta znova navštívil.

Hoci, ako som jej povedal, cítil som tam dojem komunity, ktorý môže byť vo veľkých mestách zabudnutý alebo stratený. Cítil som sa tak pohodlne, akoby som bol doma. Ľudia sa každý rok zišli, aby vytvorili mestský jarmok a užívali si. Veľa vecí, ktoré sú prístupné vo veľkých mestách, nemali k dispozícii, ale ľudia sa bez mnohých vecí zaobídu. Závidím tým šťastlivcom, ktorí sú schopní volať to domovom.

Po tom, čo sme opustili Bardejov, vzala ma na také miesta ako Prešov, Košice, Dedinky, Spišské Podhradie, Smižany, Spišská Nová Ves, Kežmarok, Vysoké Tatry (Lomnické Sedlo), Orava, Banská Bystrica, Kremnica a Bratislava. Okrem Bratislavy každé mesto, tak ako Bardejov, akoby malo svoju vlastnú farbu a atmosféru. Je pekné mať vlastnú atmosféru, odlišnú od ostatných. V niektorých mestách sme nerobili takmer nič, ale to, čo som cítil, bolo jedinečné pre každé mesto a páčilo sa mi každé jedno z nich.

Tu je pár dojmov z ďalších miest.

Prešov

Hlavná ulica bola živá. Pozdĺž nej stálo veľa milých obchodov a reštaurácií. Vyzeralo to, akoby tam bolo všetko, čo potrebovali. Nakupovanie, stravovanie a pitie – mohli tu robiť všetko. Autobusy jazdili po hlavnej ulici celkom výhodne a vlaková stanica na nej bola tiež. (Tu došlo k omylu – vlaková a autobusová stanica sú v Prešove od centra vzdialené asi 1-1,5 km, no keďže sa k nim ide cez všetky križovatky rovno, Nat si myslel, že ide o súčasť Hlavnej ulice ^.^ ) Pretože som stretol veľa ľudí, ktorí tam kedysi či ešte stále chodili do školy, myslím na Prešov ako na akési akademické mesto. Ona a jej priatelia ma vzali na Šarišský hrad. Bola to moja prvá návšteva slovenského hradu. Aj keď to vlastne boli len ruiny. Pretože bol hrad „nevhodne“ postavený na vrchole kopca, nebolo ľahké sa k nemu dostať. Museli sme si to vyšliapať. Chodenie mi nevadí. Problémom bolo v ten deň silné slnko. Hrad bol úžasný a nechal nás oddýchnuť si, kým nejakí chlapíci pracovali na jeho rekonštrukcii alebo čo to bolo. Užil som si čas tam, pretože som bol tým slnkom celkom vyčerpaný. Bolo vážne silné. Opálilo ma, i keď by sa dalo povedať „spálilo.“ V čase príchodu do Bratislavy sa mi začala lúpať koža. A moji kolegovia v Sydney stále opakovali: „Spálil si sa!“ Zišli sme nadol a vrátili sa do mesta, kým ma doslova spálilo. Šli sme do pizzérie na hlavnej ulici, kde mali pizzu s názvom „Kurva.“ Samozrejme, že som si jednu objednal. A bola dobrá. Zaujímalo by ma, či je slovo „pizza“ v slovenčine ženského rodu...

Nuž, v pizzérii som sa s kopou jej priateľov zabavil. Možno bolo tej zábavy priveľa, aby sa myslelo na posledný spoj domov. Šli sme odprevadiť jedného chalana na stanicu. V tom čase sme už minuli posledné autobusy. Nuž, bolo to skrátka skvelé, nie? Japonský chlapík zmeškal posledný spoj v malom meste na Slovensku s kopou miestnych, ktorých to zjavne netrápilo. Niekto spomenul nočné autobusy alebo niečo podobné, ale zdalo sa, že nemá zmysel na nejaký čakať. No, jeden chlapík trval na taxíku – takmer som s ním súhlasil. Ale myslím, že väčšina prevládla. Aké je teraz Slovensko demokratické! Takže sme kráčali z... kdekoľvek v pekle sme to boli do... kamkoľvek v pekle sme sa museli vrátiť. Aká slovenská noc to bola! Piješ a zmeškáš autobus. A tiež som mal niečo, na čo som sa mohol sťažovať. Chcel som robiť to, čo robievajú miestni, ale nemuselo to byť vzaté tak doslovne.

(preložila Hacret)