Students are almost fluent by graduation. This is a new perspective on the importance of foreign language because in the US many people expect that everyone around them speaks English. Often, I feel that in the United States, there are people who believe that if you do not speak English, no one will help you. Here, I do not speak much Slovak, and when people realize this, they quickly switch to English to help me.
Another perspective change for me has been the way laundry is done. This might sound silly, but it’s true. I am from a family where we sometimes separate clothes by lights and darks, but sometimes just put it all together. From the washer the clothes go into the dryer. We do laundry whenever we need to, but at least once a week. Here, clothes are separated by lights washed in cold water, darks washed in cold water, lights washed in warm water, and darks washed in warm water. Then it is hung on a drying rack to dry. This was a big change for me. I am used to knowing exactly when clothes will be clean again for me to wear, but here, I usually have no idea. People in Slovakia do laundry a lot less often because they have a different perspective on the importance of resources. By separating clothing into more categories and not using a dryer, clothes are treated better. This means that clothes last longer, so you can buy them less often. Buying fewer clothes is better for the environment. Additionally running a dryer uses a lot of energy, which is more expensive in Slovakia than in the United States.
One final area of perspective change is in meals. Slovaks typically eat cereal, oatmeal, fruit or bread topped with meat/cheese/vegetables for breakfast. All of the bread is bought freshly from the store every few days.
