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Along with teaching American literature I do much work in the field of folklife, and Slovakia has been a rich source of material for my interests. In my early days here I was told that I had come to the best country to study folklore because Slovakia is a country that continues to live with its traditions. I have found this to be true, particularly here in the East. Christmas traditions, for instance, are somewhat different than in the US. I was surprised and pleased when one group of students presented me with a bag of candy, fruit, and cookies in honor of St. Nicholas day, a holiday that I had heard of but never experienced. Similarly, when, the week before Christmas, people began lining up on the street to buy their Christmas carp I was a astonished. Carp has never been a part of my western Virginia diet, and would never be consumed on a holiday there. I heard humorous stories of families keeping their carp alive in the bath tub until the appointed hour arrived to prepare it for dinner. Often, apparently, the fish becomes a sort of pet, and more than one person told of begging a neighbor to come and strike the fatal blow.

My teaching assignments here have been varied. I have taught writing, American folklore, American literature, and American Studies. Each of these classes has offered its own surprises. University students in the department of English language and Culture have a very good grasp of the language, and they can express themselves well. Thus, communicating has never been a problem. In the American Studies course we have studied the significance of the American West in American culture, and my students have always had interesting and insightful reactions to topics ranging from American landscape painting to the Western music of the singing cowboys from the 1940s. They have no difficulty seeing the significance in their own country of a widespread advertisement proclaiming "Objavte Divoky' Zapad s Marlboro!" (Discover the Wild West with Marlboro!). Many feel, perhaps quite rightly, that American culture is already too pervasive in Slovakia. Still, they are anxious to learn the language and about the culture.

Presov, the eastern city where we live and the home of the University of Presov where I teach, is statistically the third largest city in Slovakia. Much of the population of 90,000 live in one of the three housing estates--seemingly endless rows of high rise apartment buildings--that are on the edges of the city. The center of the city, however, is a mixture of Renaissance and Baroque buildings that house shops and restaurants. There are two film theaters that frequently show American films with Slovak or Czech subtitles. We attend these often, and can usually spot a student or two there as well.

For American Studies scholars, Slovakia--and I suspect other Central European nations--is an interesting country to visit. Amidst the frequent reminders of its former allegiance to the Soviet Union there are more recent statements of a nascent opening to the West. It also offers glimpses of the distant past in its customs, holidays and foodways (there are currently only two McDonalds restaurants in the country). For those interested in experiencing a culture that is rapidly consuming what the US has to offer--both good and bad--Slovakia currently presents an excellent opportunity.

Best regards,

Scott