My new Flat

So I have moved into my new flat. Just remodeled, it is a unique mixture of a traditional Slovak flat and IKEA. The new floors, lighting and some of the furniture can easily be found in the new 2005 IKEA catalogue. The rest appear to have been in the family for some time, and like the other flats I have seen, decorations include porcelain animals and dishes, fake flowers, and of course, religious icons.

Pan and Pani Kalincic showed me around the new flat, that they have been remodeling all summer, through the interpretation of their son, Zdeno, who speaks quite good English. They began with showing me what every light switch does, how to open the windows, and what was in all of the cabinets. Next came the task of how to work the washing machine, (which this is not the first time I have had the washer in the kitchen), stove, oven, TV, VCR, iron and finally the microwave.

As the mom talked, the son stops interpreting. “You’re American. You know how to use a microwave, yes?”

“Yes. And all of the dials are in English.”

Zdeno agrees, but his mother continued to show me how to turn the knobs. They are obviously very proud of the work they had done to remodel the flat, and also of all the conveniences it has, which I admit was more then I ever would have expected, or even wanted. On top of all the appliances, there are also linens, towels, cleaning supplies and some instant coffee. But it also reminds me how often we interpret people who do not speak the language as stupid or naive. Admit it, we all do it. How odd it is to be on the receiving side, though.

Anyway, my new flat has plenty of room, and even a sofa bed, so come over and stay awhile. I’ll even show you how to use the microwave.