Well, my parents have been gone for a whole week now.  It actually feels like a lot longer than just seven days.  I guess life without the excietment of visitors just drags a bit more.  I just finished writing this monster post about their entire trip but I’ve decided to spare you, dear reader, and break it into three or four parts.  So, here you go, prvá časť (Part one.  Slovak is not very intuitive, is it?)

As my parents’ visit got closer, I began telling the kids at school that my family was coming.  They were all quite excited, but my favorite response was from the second graders.  Immediately after I told them, they began to debate about what language my parents would speak.  Initially I think they were all excited to meet them because my parents would speak Slovak like everyone they know (Burke and I of course being the strange ones).  Then a few of them realized that they probably would speak English, but still a select group of them for some reason didn’t quite get the concept and thought maybe they would speak French.  Eventually one of the kids asked and confirmed to the group that they would indeed speak English.  Sorry kiddos.

Also in preparation for the visit I gave Nici a bath!  He doesn’t hate the water so much as he is just afraid that when one of us goes in for a shower we will never come out alive.

So Burke and I took the rental car Monday morning to Budapest to pick up my parents!  They arrived on my Dad’s birthday and I was even the first person to tell him Happy Birthday!  AFter arriving home, we enjoyed a birthday dinner of lasagna and birthday cake.  I love to bake, but it was the first cake I’ve ever made compeletely from scratch.  No photos, but it was a double layered white cake with chocolate fudge frosting and two heart candles.  Basically a chocolate brick.

The next morning Mom and Dad walked me to work before heading downtown to get their first impressions of the city.  Near the end of the schoolday they stopped by again and I had a few of the braver students greet them.  The kids were all so nervous!  The next day they accompanied me to one of my English lessons, and they heard all about Slovakia straight from the source.  Then they  drove to Banska Stiavnica, a city built in a collapsed volcano!  The following day was another Banska Bystrica day (Banska means something like mining incase you are wondering) and a few hours of preparation for the upcoming trip!  Check back to hear all about our six day vacation and posts with more photos.