Traveling to and settling in at Nitra, Slovakia

The Trip

We have been here in Slovakia now for about 2 weeks. It has been a very busy time for us. We decided to take a breather to provide a bit of information about our trip here and the settling in process.

We departed from Philadelphia International Airport on September 11,2007 at 4:50 p.m. EST. Yes, it was 9/11. We traveled from Philadelphia to Frankfurt on USAirways. From Frankfort we took a short commuter flight to Vienna on Berlin Air. The trip from Philadelphia to Vienna was about 3,800 nautical miles. Including a three-hour layover in Frankfort, the trip to Vienna took about 12 hours. We arrived in Vienna at 11:00 a.m. CEST. The entire trip to Vienna was largely uneventful. We did not experience any of the horrors that are sometimes reported on TV news shows about international air travel. While waiting to board our flight at Philadelphia, there was an announcement over the public address system that there would be a moment of silence to honor the victims of 9/11, but most people seemed to ignore it.

A driver from Slovak Agricultural University met us at the Vienna Airport. We quickly loaded our belongings into the university’s late model Skoda passenger car and traveled about 170 kilometers northeast to Nitra. We were struck by how much the Skoda had changed since our time here in 1996. Except for the nameplate, it would be difficult to distinguish the Skoda from any comparable model American, Japanese, German, or Korean car. (Incidentally, a rough English translation of the Slovak word skoda is “what a pity.” Slovaks today joke that the communist era Skoda was indeed just that.) For most of the way from Vienna to Nitra we traveled on a well-maintained 4 lane divided highway through the beautiful Danubian lowland countryside. We arrived in Nitra at about 1:00 p.m. CEST.

Settling In

Before departing for Nitra we made arrangements to live in an efficiency apartment in the Anton Bernalok complex on the university campus. We were met at the complex by an individual from the international office who assisted us with completing the paperwork for checking in. All in all the process was pretty painless. By US standards our living quarters are small and spartan, but the building is modern and reasonably well-maintained. The university houses international faculty and graduate students and the individuals who participate in the many conferences it hosts in this complex. We decided to live here rather than in a flat in the city because our stay here is only for about four months and because it is only a 10 minute walk to the building in which the Department of Economics and Management is housed.



The day after we arrived we were met by a faculty member from the Department of Economics and Management who acquainted us with the department and university. Within a couple of days, I met the departmental faculty, was provided with office space and high-speed internet access, and given my specific teaching assignment. All of the people in the department with whom I met were very hospitable and supportive.




Trip to Bratislava



After settling in and before classes began we spent three days in Bratislava, the historic capital and largest city of Slovakia. During this time we were given additional training in the Slovak language, heard lectures on Slovak history and culture, and were given tips on how to negotiate our way through Slovak society.

Some people here in Nitra speak English and German as well as Slovak. So with a little understanding of Slovak and some understanding of English and German we are able to manage quite well. While in Bratislava we had the opportunity go on a guided tour of the city, attend the opening of an art exhibit at the American Embassy and attend a Richard Strauss opera at the historic Slovak National Theatre.



We will continue to keep you informed as our adventure unfolds.