Being a Filipina, I love to smile. I conquer everyone when I smile. And with this I expect a reciprocation of a smile. Everywhere it works.
But in Slovakia? I enter a supermarket, I enter a shop, I see my landlady, I see the tennis court caretaker (the young guy is the worst!), its much less at the German school (I hope), my friends Slovak husband, The do not frown nor smile even if I send everyone the positive energy of a smile. I ask myself if they really could not the very bit smile.
I tried to find explanation on this. First, I thought it is because of the language. But if I enter a shop and say "Dobry Den!" That is po slovensky, right? I tried to say it right too so it could only be po slovensky! The tennis court caretaker is as rude as he could be and I thought that he is shy dealing with all these international women who cannot utter a word in Slovak. I forgave him. But one of these international women is actually Slovak and she also admits that this very young man does not change his attitude towards her! So its not the language.
It is because of history. I could only tell that during the communistic era, one is just skeptical of everyone. No one trusts anybody. One should not trust anybody. One does not greet and smile anyone who comes across. Much less to a foreigner looking like me, Asian and really foreign to them!
Of course there are always an exception. The Slovak women at the club, the employees where my husband works, the hotel and restaurant industry, younger ones. But they are the ones who has been subjected to foreigners. And the younger ones, they have not lived during the iron curtain days.
With this I rest my case.
Happy smiling!
