Staying at My Slovak Classmate's Home ✨

📸 The Exchange Connection Maria from my photography class invited me to her hometown after our semester in Poland. We bonded over camera settings and now she’s showing me her slice of Slovakia! 🏡 In the Heart of a Tiny Town Her village is minuscule—I walked end-to-end in 30 minutes! But the scenery? 🌿 Surrounded by mountains that turn neon green in summer ⛰️ and pure white in winter ❄️ Forests where we foraged mushrooms 🍄 and wild blueberries 🌿 (she taught me which ones are safe!) Creek behind her house where we dipped our feet on hot days—water so clear you could see trout swimming 🎁 First Time Staying with a Local Pre-visit jitters: Bought tulips 🌷 and Polish chocolate 🍫 as gifts Home sweet home: Her house is a rainbow of colors! My cozy sofa bed in the living room had fairy lights ✨ Cultural exchange moment: She showed me how to make Bryndzové halušky (sheep cheese dumplings) 🍲, and I taught her to make tomato-tofu stir-fry 🍳 🍳 Food & Friendship Maria’s Slovak specialties: ▫️ Warm sheep cheese dumplings with crispy bacon ▫️ Roasted veggies from her garden ▫️ Banana-oatmeal porridge with honey from her neighbor’s bees My Chinese menu: ▫️ Tomato-tofu soup (she loved the umami!) ▫️ Bacon-lettuce fried rice 🍚 ▫️ Banana pancakes with maple syrup (her little brother asked for seconds!) 💖 Little Touches That Melted My Heart She left a goodnight note in Polish on my pillow Walked me to the bus stop with a packed lunch (including my favorite Slovakian cookies) Laughed at my broken Slovak but always patiently repeated words "From foraging in mountain forests to cooking together in her colorful kitchen, this stay proved that the best travel memories happen when you go beyond hotels." #SlovakianHospitality #CulturalExchange #EuroTownVibes #StudyAbroadStories #FemaleSoloTravel #NatureLover #PhotographyJourney