Yellow

Days are getting shorter (according to Facebook statuses in Finland the situation has already got critical: only couple hours of daylight a day) but the raging colour schemes everywhere are bringing some solace. It's already November so I'm starting to feel like I'm on the "winning side" time-wise: December (= home) is only a month away!  

You know that saying "Ignorance is bliss". I've come to realize how true it is. I notice a teeny tiny difference in my well-being when I don't watch the news for a while. A complete ignorance of how bad a place this world is feels nicer. Also at work I have thought how lucky I am to have such amazing team mates, but turns out that is only due to the fact that I don't understand a word of their conversations in the office. Turns out there's just as much bullying going on as there would be anywhere else, and like usually it's women who are the cruelest. Also, I've known since the beginning that Slovaks are quite racist, not just towards coloured people but towards anyone who isn't Slovak. But only recently I've started to notice exactly how bad the situation really is here. I don't know if it's gotten worse because of the immigrant crisis (which doesn't actually concern Slovakia in any way) or if it has always been like this.

Of course majority of people are friendly and welcoming to (at least white) foreigners. But sometimes my friends translate to me how a group in a bar wouldn't give a free chair to us from their table because we talked English. I really hate their stupid attitude problem, partly because I can see the same development happening in my country and it makes me sick. On the other hand I find these "observations" interesting and I look forward to how these things develop here in the future. After all Slovakia is just a baby as a country, properly independent for the first time in their history only for 20 years in a world that they have never known before (not dictated by Russians, Austrians or Hungarians that is).

In other news, Halloween is over so it's time to prepare yourselves for two months of the C-word. (For dummies let me clarify, CHRISTMAS!) Tonight I'm going to dig out my candles, buy extra large package of tea and have myself a lazy night at home Skyping with friends.

Soon they will open up the Christmas markets and there will be Christmas lights everywhere so the darkness that descends around 5-6PM doesn't matter anymore. 

Every year coming up with Christmas presents causes more stress. What do you get people who don't actually need anything? I never give gifts that wouldn't be of any use to the recipient, I want gifts to be honestly useful and usable. This year I was quite lost but then one night it all came to me and by the next afternoon I had taken care of presents for both my parents. Thankfully my brother never gets me anything so I don't have to spend time or energy on his present either ;D