This little guy frequently meets us as we go from the bus stop to the school. He has nothing to do with the blog, but he's cute so his image comes to you. He has a couple of siblings and the mother apparently lives one street over.
Has it really been since November 7 since we posted last? Well, it has been busy. We went to
the Slovak Wine Institute and got a tour, including tastes of ten 
wines. The institute is housed in an old castle that was used as a winery in the 19th and 20th Centuries. The Soviets, of course, had to try to make it more efficient with steel barrels for aging. Nevertheless, the Slovaks preserved several of the old wooden barrels, some of which had religious carvings on them. Many had wooden bungs; one had a glass stopper, so we had to take a picture.The hunt was on--for sweet potatoes. What are they called in Slovakia? Sladke zemiaky, translated--sweet potatoes. Tesco had them, and then they didn't, and then they had them. Not exactly a widespread phenomenon here, but of course they have them all the time now! Maybe we'll get some and bake them. Paula made two casseroles, the first for
the American teachers' Thanksgiving, held in Bratislava on November 20, the Saturday before Thanksgiving Day. ELCA teachers came in from schools in Central Slovakia and Poland, and the American teachers in Bratislava invited guests as well. There were about 26 people there. The cook at the school prepared the turkey and cooked the potatoes; we mashed them. Paula also made 
green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup from Marks & Spencer, the British department store, and French's dried onions from Janna Haug, wife of the pastor. Janna usually has coordinated the food and participation, but this year she was taking a river cruise with her father 
and brother, so Paula got that privilege. She also made the display with stuff from our flat, the open-air market, and Tesco. We also learned about the "It" game. Everybody contributes gag or white elephant gifts (wrapped). Each player has dice and rolls, and passes them quickly to the right. If the player rolls doubles, he or she claims a prize. After all of the prizes are claimed, winners open and describe them and then comes part 2. Players roll and pass as before, and if they roll doubles they "steal" a prize from another player. If the player rolls double sixes, the player calls "it!" and gets a soft toy thrown to them. The one who ends up as "it" at the end of the game gets a special prize, in this case, 20 euros.
On Thanksgiving Day, after classes, the Student Council hosted a Turkey Party for the American teachers (and, truth be known, for the students themselves). One of the posters is pictured above; in case you can't read it, the little guy in the corner is saying, "Save a turkey--Order a Pizza!" Other posters will undoubtedly show up on Facebook. This was the occasion for Paula's second sweet potato casserole, which got eaten up post-haste. Needless to say, the spread for 
this party equaled the first feast; once again, the cook made the turkeys. Six in two weeks, in an apartment-sized oven! Some of the students did a "man 
(person?) on the street" video asking if their interviewees knew what "Thanksgiving" was, what got eaten, and whether Slovakia should adopt the holiday. Pretty much universally, the Slovaks interviewed said, "No." The sentiment would be lost. (Nobody ever takes a picture of the guy who takes pictures--hence the "deer in the headlights" look).Then last weekend the Bratislava Christmas Festival Market opened. The Vienna market opened the weekend before, but we've not gone yet, so perhaps we'll devote a future blog to
that. This is the night of the second Stuzkova event too, so that also will be a 
future topic. It's not as if we lack for things to write about; we just lack for the time!Oh--Paula continues teaching, and Jim in the library. We spend most of our time doing that, truly we do! We got our first snow today; just a dusting, the sun came out, and it was gone by noon.
I bet that kitty would love some leftover turkey bits.
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