Holiday parties

I went to three holiday parties yesterday. First, my department (Ethics and Civic Education) had an extended meeting with all sorts of treats, especially pastries, along with wine, champagne, and brandy. (I'm going to miss those pastries when I return to the U.S.!)

We then went over to a lovely dinner party with faculty from other departments in the Šoltésovej cafeteria. The menu featured a delicious, traditional Christmas soup, Kapustnica, with smoked pork, sauerkraut, and plenty of spices. Dessert was two types of strudle, with coffee. Here's a view of the room before dinner started.

Here's a shot of most of my colleagues, taken by someone else. Yes, that's me at the end of the table with the gray jacket. Standing behind me is Erich Mistrik, the department head.

Before dinner, we were treated to a marvelous concert by music majors - a trumpet solo, string trio, and several vocalists. Songs were sung in English, ranging from Frank Sinatra's "Something Stupid" to Henry Mancini's "Moon River." It never ceases to amaze me how much American pop culture has permeated central Europe.

For the finale, a wonderful a cappella choir offered Christmas carols in English, German, and Slovak. They sang the first stanza of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" in English and I recorded the second stanza in Slovak. The lighting is poor, but here's a sample of the great sound.

We then went over to a student-organized party at the huge dormitory complex west of the Old Town area of the city. About 30,000 students from the University live in a maze of high-rise dorms built by the Communists in the 1960s. The students in my department started this annual tradition in 1990 when the department was formed, the "Ethical Dragon," a ceremony to welcome first-year students and congratulate third-year students for completing the program. I took a lot of pictures, but the lighting was so low, they are all quite blurred, alas. I'll have to visit the dorms in the daylight and get some pictures of the buildings.

An academic quiz was conducted, along with drawings for prizes. Each and every faculty member was introduced individually (including me). I was impressed at what seemed the genuine respect and admiration of the large gathering of students for the faculty.

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