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.