Welcome to Bratislava. I hope this little guide of generalizations helps you acclimate.
Alcohol -- Slovak beer is ok though not special. Some brands (Topvar, Stein) are more akin to animal urine. The best is probably Zlaty Bažant. All the beer is either lager or pilsner (svelte, light colored/ blonde) or the dark (tmave) version thereof. There is no ale and no porter. Most beers are available in 10 and 12 degree. (For an explanation of what this means exactly look up 'beer measurement' on wikipedia.) Generally 10 is about 4% and 12 is about 5%. When you order a beer, the default is ‘svetle’ and either 10 or 12 degree. When you toast - and you toast at the beginning of every round - make sure you make eye contact. Na zdravie! (cheers).
Wine is popular and apparently of high quality – ask your students for details, they're usually happy to talk about it.
Alcohol -- Slovak beer is ok though not special. Some brands (Topvar, Stein) are more akin to animal urine. The best is probably Zlaty Bažant. All the beer is either lager or pilsner (svelte, light colored/ blonde) or the dark (tmave) version thereof. There is no ale and no porter. Most beers are available in 10 and 12 degree. (For an explanation of what this means exactly look up 'beer measurement' on wikipedia.) Generally 10 is about 4% and 12 is about 5%. When you order a beer, the default is ‘svetle’ and either 10 or 12 degree. When you toast - and you toast at the beginning of every round - make sure you make eye contact. Na zdravie! (cheers).
Wine is popular and apparently of high quality – ask your students for details, they're usually happy to talk about it.
Consumption of hard liquor (preferably home-made) grows as you move east -- reaching epic proportions by the Ukrainian border. The most popular are made from fruits: Slivovica (plum) and hruškovica (pear). Borovička is made from juniper berries but isn't as good as gin.
Bicylcles -- Extensive trails around Bratislava but not much in the city. You can buy maps in bookstores. And you can buy a bike from, well, ask your students, or Aran. Theft is not rampant.
Bratislava and the rest of Slovakia -- Bratislava is about 2x as big as the next biggest city (Košice) and is the political, economic, social, and cultural center of the country. Many if not most of your students will not be from Bratislava but will have come here either for university or afterwards to find a better paying job, or simply, a job. Like in all countries, there is some tension between the 'arrogant big city' people and the provinces.
Church -- Unlike the heathen Czechs the some Slovaks still go to church. You can find service in English here (by “Evangelical” they mean “Protestant”):
Construction Work -- Will be one of the constants of your life here. Above your apartment, below your apartment, across the street from your apartment. On the weekend. At 7 in the morning. At work. Life is empty without drilling.
Courtesy & Politeness -- Based on my observation, Slovaks are politer than we are. People usually open doors, give up seats, help pregnant women get the pram/stroller on and off buses. Say hello and goodbye on elevators/lifts.
When they pay or return change, Slovaks usually put the money on the counter or in the change dish rather than straight to your hand.
It’s ok for parents to strip their little kids and have them pee in any grassy area, at any time. (My students disagree about this point.)
Finger-pointing is for kids. It is considered kind of low-class for adults. Slovaks prefer describing.
Czechs and Czechoslovakia -- Slovaks say that while ČSSR was supposed to be an equal partnership, the Czechs dominated it and served their interests first. Nowadays, adults can understand each other but Czech children often can't understand Slovak (Slovak kids can understand Czech because of TV programs) and sometimes look down on Slovaks as a kind of little brother/younger cousin. I don't know if the Slovaks have an inferiority complex with the Czechs but it is important to beat them in sports. Try to remind your parents that you don't live in Czechoslovakia.
Czechs and Czechoslovakia -- Slovaks say that while ČSSR was supposed to be an equal partnership, the Czechs dominated it and served their interests first. Nowadays, adults can understand each other but Czech children often can't understand Slovak (Slovak kids can understand Czech because of TV programs) and sometimes look down on Slovaks as a kind of little brother/younger cousin. I don't know if the Slovaks have an inferiority complex with the Czechs but it is important to beat them in sports. Try to remind your parents that you don't live in Czechoslovakia.
Dogs -- Like other Central Europeans, Slovaks love to carry their dog around. I don’t know why. People in Bratislava are also into putting clothes on dogs, ostensibly because of the weather.
Drugs -- You rarely see them on the street and they seem to be more on the margins of society than in ‘the west’.
Family and friends -- Same nuclear family structure. Slovaks seem to enjoy spending time with their parents much more than ‘we’ usually do. Also, many of my students still regularly spend time with friends from grammar or high school. Friday night is for going out -- Saturday for more family pursuits.
Food -- A light uncooked breakfast, a two-course lunch (the main meal), and a small dinner.
Slovak food is, frankly, nothing special: lots of deep-frying, pork, canned vegetables, peasant stodge, little spice or sexiness. The national dish is Bryndzové halušky (boiled gnocchi made from potatoes, sheep cheese, and a bit of crispy back-bacon squares on top). Slovaks are big soup eaters; the cabbage soup (kapustnica) and garlic soup (česnaková) deserve special mention. The tripe soup (držková) is, well, available. Some Slovak cheeses, particularly the smoked ones, are quite good but there is little variety.
Slovaks don't eat really weird things like insects or rotten sheep, so don't worry. One student told me that bull testicles (byčie žľazy) are available but I have never seen them.
English language – A lot of people (under 40) in Bratislava will be able to speak some, especially in jobs where they need to interact with us foreigners. Never assume the people around you don't understand what you're saying. Slovaks have usually learned British English. Slovaks like wearing t-shirts with English slogans of varying degrees of silliness that I don’t think they understand: "This shirt is hiding my nipples" (on a man), "I've got Jungle Fever" (with a playful cartoon lion). I saw a little boy with "Urban Aztec" on his shirt recently. What does that mean?
Escaping from Bratislava – Buy your train tickets at the station and your bus tickets (usually) from the bus driver, unless you’re going to the Vienna airport. Train tickets are not for individual seats (unless you get a reservation “miestenka”) and if you are traveling on a holiday weekend you should make a reservation. If you decide to travel with Student Agency, which is a good idea, it's best to buy your ticket in advance from the office on Obchodna. Useful link: www.vlaky.sk. I have a blog in which I’ve written travel guides for day trips around Bratislava. It’s at www.mbtodd.blogspot.com
Gestures – Pretty much the same as ours. People count beginning with their thumb not index finger. American-style middle-finger.
Gypsies/Roma – Slovaks generally fear and loathe them and can be open in their racism -- much more open than your average Anglo. They view the Roma as lazy, thieving parasites. They say that this is based on experience not raw prejudice. Do yourself a favor and just avoid the topic in class unless you feel very comfortable with the student. If you want to see for yourself, one student recommends visiting “Letanovce”.
Homosexuality -- Doesn't seem to be very open here and public signs of affection are rare (I've never seen one). There are some gay bars here though -- best to look online. Or just ask the barman if he’s gay.
Hungary and Hungarians – To make a long story short: what is today Slovakia was part of the Hungarian Empire for about 1000 years. Generally speaking, Hungarians and German-speakers ran things. After the Great War the winners (and that includes Czechoslovakia) helped themselves to a lot of territory, including Bratislava, which had never been Slovak. (My students want me to point out that the Slavs arrived before the Hungarians.) Fast-forward 90 years: a large percent of southern Slovakia is ethnically and linguistically Hungarian. Demagogues on both sides of the border try to capitalize of crude nationalism. I think individual prejudice is quite rare -- unless you hang out with the dregs of society. You will have Hungarian-speaking students.
iTunes -- Doesn’t work with a Slovak credit card although you can buy things in Slovakia if your monetary source isn’t Slovak.
Kofola – The Czechoslovak coke was first cooked up in the early 60s with the extra caffeine left over from domestic coffee production. (That doesn't make sense to me but that's what I read.) It's good, even to a non-pop-drinker like myself. Some say it's the best thing to come out of communism, or as the Slovaks like to call it "socialism".
Litter – Slovaks litter freely. One student informed me it’s a national sport. That’s an exaggeration. You know, the wind will probably blow it somewhere else, or something. Maybe it’s a class and generational thing but Blava can’t be so trash-strewn from the Gypsies alone. Here’s looking at you, Slovaks.
Mail/Post – Best to get delivered to the school. At the suggestion of a local, I used a Slovak pseudonym so my mail from America isn’t pilfered.
Aran says “Have people write ‘Slovak Republic’ on post items. If you're getting a package from outside of the EU – especially the US - use DHL, FedEx, or UPS - I've been screwed by the Posta too many times.” I’ve had 2 packages disappear myself, one was a biography of Bix Beiderbecke -- I’m sure the people at the post office, or customs or wherever, were all over that one.
Malls – 4 main malls: Aupark, Eurovea, Avion, and Polus, in descending order of swankiness. The Marks & Spencers at Eurovea has some English food. There's an IKEA (I enjoy the restaurant) near Avion. Avion has ice-skating at certain times. To get there take the 61 or 63 bus from Trnavske Myto.
Movies / Cinema -- Most English language movies are subtitled into Slovak. If a large number of children are expected to see it (“Harry Potter”, for example) then the movie may be dubbed into Slovak. There is a time lag between their home and their Slovak release. There is also a film festival. To see what’s on, google “movies in Bratislava”
Music -- In Ireland you are never more than 80 kilometers from the sea. In Bratislava you are never more than 15 minutes from being the captive audience of Top 20 radio. You’ll soon know all the songs whether you like it or not. What? You don’t want to listen to Bon Jovi and Lady Gaga while you eat dinner? There is a big music festival (with good music) called “Pohoda” in the summer.
Public transport – is generally reliable. You can't buy tickets from the driver (unless you're going to Hainburg). If you get in a jam, you can buy one with your mobile phone – sms ‘listok’ to 1100, instructions are on the bus doors). Tickets are less than a euro so there's really no need to gamble on riding black. Old people (and some other people, usually men) often smell bad so try to navigate accordingly.
Night transport is NOT included with your bus pass unless you pay the 3.33 a month extra - otherwise you have to buy a 70 cent ticket in addition to your bus pass.
http://IMHD.SK is available in English and will make your commute much easier. 'I must have doughnuts' has helped countless English speakers remember the site.
Restaurants – Seat yourself. Tip by rounding up, e.g. a bill of 5.23 would be 6 or give about 10%. Slovaks usually tip the waiter by telling him directly as they are paying the bill rather than leaving it on the table. And speaking of tables, Slovaks love reserving them in restaurants and even in bars. If you're in a crowded restaurant it's ok for you to share a table with people you don't know, provided of course that the table is big enough and you ask first.
Service may seem slow, but they'll get to you - eventually, and the service is actually generally good once you reset your expectations. The flip side is that you can sit there forever with your drink and nobody will tell you to free up the table.
Slovenia – Your mail from home might go here. Remind your family and friends that you don't live there.
Smoking – Like most Europeans, Slovaks love smoking. You can't smoke inside of restaurants unless there is a separate room, you can smoke outside and in bars. You can, in theory, be ticketed for smoking at a public transport stops.
Sports – The two most popular spectator sports are (ice-)hockey and football. It's cheap to go to the games -- probably because all the best players are overseas. Whether it's hiking, mushroom-picking, skiing, in-line skating, biking, swimming, or team-sports, Slovaks are physically active. This explains why they are pretty fit even on a steady diet of pork and fried food.
Superstitions – Are pretty similar to Anglolandia. Other than, an even number of flowers is for the cemetery or a funeral -- so bring her/them an odd number unless death is involved. They'll open umbrellas inside buildings to let them dry. And they think seeing a chimney sweeper is lucky -- but only if you touch one of your buttons. (It doesn’t matter which one.)
Taxis/cabs – Cheaper by half when you telephone for one. When they detect your non-nativeness it's possible they'll screw you. I almost never take cabs so it's best to ask a student, or someone else for more details.
Time – People get up early here, meet in the evening earlier , and usually end the night earlier than in the UK or US. They are also a bit more punctual but not Germanically so. When the concert says it begins at 7:30 then it begins at 7:40 not 9:30.
Vegetarians – Not so common here although almost all restaurants offer a vegetarian section on the menu, almost invariable featuring deep fried cheese and deep-fried broccoli (or mushrooms or cauliflower). Dishes can still have meat in them even if not written on the menu. Why are there chicken strips or bacon in the salad I ordered from the vegetarian section? Because it’s a salad, of course.
If you like cheese, a good call would be the 'nakladany hermelin", or pickled cheese. It comes with a bread basket. Good deal.
There is a good vegetarian restaurant on Obchodna that's run by Hari Krishnas. And La Ramblas has an all-the-tapas-you-can-eat deal for 6 or 7E if you pay before 5pm.
Vienna – It's best to take the train (11Euro, 15 w/ unlimited public transport in Vienna) rather than the bus (unless you're going to the airport) or the hydroplane which is slower, louder, and more expensive.
There is a good vegetarian restaurant on Obchodna that's run by Hari Krishnas. And La Ramblas has an all-the-tapas-you-can-eat deal for 6 or 7E if you pay before 5pm.
Vienna – It's best to take the train (11Euro, 15 w/ unlimited public transport in Vienna) rather than the bus (unless you're going to the airport) or the hydroplane which is slower, louder, and more expensive.
If you get the unlimited public transport ticket, you need to specify which day because the ticket will only be good for that day.
BRIEF LANGUAGE GUIDE
Dobrý den (do-brie den) – hello
Informal hi / bye = čau, ahoj (that’s right, like a pirate)
Dovidenia (do-v-den-yuh) - goodbye
Fúha (foo-hah) - used for unhappy surprises
Fíha (fee-hah) - used for happy surprises
Ty kokos (tee kokos), Tý kokšo (tee coke-show) wow, holy shit, no way, cool (literally, "you
Fíha (fee-hah) - used for happy surprises
Ty kokos (tee kokos), Tý kokšo (tee coke-show) wow, holy shit, no way, cool (literally, "you
cocoanut")
Počkaj – (poachkai) - wait
Prosím (proseem) - please, your welcome
Nech sa páči (necks apache) – here you are (when giving you something), may it please you,
Počkaj – (poachkai) - wait
Prosím (proseem) - please, your welcome
Nech sa páči (necks apache) – here you are (when giving you something), may it please you,
can I help you? The short from is “páči sa”.
Pozor - watch out!, careful, caution
Daj mi pokoj (die-me pok oi) - leave me alone
Ešte jedno (esh-tjuh yedno) - one more (beer for example)
Môže byť (mozh-uh beat) – maybe
Daj mi pokoj (die-me pok oi) - leave me alone
Ešte jedno (esh-tjuh yedno) - one more (beer for example)
Môže byť (mozh-uh beat) – maybe
Učet, prosím (ooh-chet pro-seem) – Can I have the bill please?
Ako sa má sestra -- How is your sister?
