Tue 09.Jul.2013
Bratislava, Slovakia
I have found a way to make more efficient use of my time, as the
business books love to say. Specifically the time of my daily exercise walks -
use it for my self-imposed study of the Slovak language.
The last couple of days, I have set my cell phone to
repeat the current audio dialog from my textbook. Repeat it enough times, and
it becomes familiar enough to understand as it goes past, and to let me hear in
my head what I am aiming at when I go to pronounce something.
This strategy does seem to be helping me come to grips with the
elusive rhythms of Slovak, which are very different from the way an
English-speaker would instinctively pronounce most words. It is a slow process,
though.
The short-term effect is to tie my tongue in any language.
I tried to give directions to a visiting
Austrian this afternoon, after I had been listening intensely (and repeatedly)
to a Slovak lesson, and I could not get a coherent sentence out in either language,
not on the first try anyway. The best I could manage was an embarrasing,
halting beginner's German!
A littlle knowledge, a dangerous thing.
The fountain across the street is sometimes on, often off. If it has a schedule,
I haven't figured it out.
A Different Fountain
There is some kind of conceptual balance here; the bottom of the
fountain is the top of the skylight.
You can force your camera to make the skylight look more like a skydark.
Standing On The Corner
outside the entrance to the medical school.
The sun's coming up!
No, no m'boy, the hor-i-izon's going down.
Wouldn't you consider setting your wedding pictures in Hviezdoslav Square if you could?
You'd be in Hans Christian Andersen's honorable company.
Neither of these dull brown buildings is the one I live in, though they are both
within a few minutes' walk. There is a lot of that in this city.
I enjoy the life-size circus performers that hang out at the mall this year.
Very much in the tradition of the nearby Old City.
Speaking of which, one of the
Old City's favorite metal persons
has disappeared: the paparazzo outside the
eponymous cafe, which is closed up. I don't know the story, if any.
Hmm.. come to think of it, I haven't noticed some of the other well-known
statue-people in the Old City either. I must remember to check
next time I am in the neighborhood.