Integrating into My Community

Before I arrived, my host mom asked me what my favorite color is (bright pink) and told me how excited she was for me to come. When they showed me my bedroom, there were bright pink items everywhere. In the beginning, my host family had to help me with everything. They took me to get a bus pass and ID card, showed me which stores sold what, and my host sister even took me to school on the first day so I wouldn’t take the wrong busses. In case I did ever get lost, my host mom sat down and taught me a few Slovak phrases, so I could find my way back: 

• Električka čislo štyri - Tram number 4
• Autobus čislo dvanást - Bus number 12
• Nástupište - Platform
• Lístok - Ticket
• Môžesi mi pomôct? - Can you help me? 

My host sister introduced me to her friends and my host mom introduced me to the children of her friends. These people I met helped me get connected to more people and make my own friends in Košice. 

It was tough to not compare everything to my life in the US. The more I compared Košice to Milwaukee, the more disappointed I became that things weren’t the same. I had to accept that this culture is different. I wanted to go to the store and buy peanut butter and Hershey’s, but I couldn’t. Instead I get Nutella and Horalky. There’s no lake for me to sit by, so now I go to the fountain. Instead of having a side of vegetables everyday, I eat a bowl of soup. Once I stopped comparing and accepted the differences, I really started to enjoy my life here.

Now, a month and a half later, I am more confident and comfortable living in Košice. Not only can I get places on my own, I have given other people directions.

Pages