My Younger Sister

Today I went by bus to Bratislava by myself and navigated the short distance from the bus station to the Department of Speech Therapy where I reconnected with one of my colleagues I first met in 1996.  Over the years we have stayed in touch and I appreciate him a great deal.  I walked into his office today and we were both so glad to see each other!  He looked at me and said, "you look so good! so much younger.  For a minute I thought you were your younger sister."  It is good to have friends like this.

I will do several lectures for him and meet with the department while I'm here.  I also met his PhD student who is focusing on Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC) for adults with disabilities.  She and I are going shopping tomorrow to buy sticky velcro and speaker wire so students can create a simple CD switch as part of the workshop I will do.  I brought most of the materials with me, but thought I could get these things in Bratislava,  (I was extremely reluctant to carry wire with me in my suitcase!)  I'll also consult with her on the clients she's working with.  Z tells me she's the first PhD to focus on AAC in Slovakia, so this is really special!

We went for lunch at a new place, which is like a lunch buffet for workers in the area.  The food was delicious and inexpensive -- much better than the previous university-run canteen. 

I retraced my steps to the bus station and on the way realized I was passing one of the health food stores I'd seen on the Internet prior to leaving the US.  In I went and was able to quickly look around and see what they had I might need.

I had not realized when I got on the bus this morning that I needed to state I was going to Bratislava.  The bus driver didn't speak any English.  I offered my 2 Euro and we had a short staring contest, which he won!  I finally said, in English, "ticket."  He then said after a long pause, "Bratislava?" to which I could reply ano (yes).  I quickly had my change and ticket.  Lesson learned!  At least I'm a one trial learner.  When I returned, I practiced saying, Malinovo because as good as my Slavic pronunciation is, I have an "accent," which means I often have to repeat things.  I told the bus driver, Malinovo, twice before he got it.  Now, I have two (expired) tickets, which I'm keeping with me as examples for future bus rides with different bus drivers.