Slovakia.  

A small, beautiful country in Eastern Europe, formerly part of the Soviet Union and bordered by the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Ukraine.  Like many European countries, the architect in Slovakia reminds us of our deep history and the ingenuity of the human spirit and mind to build and create edifices of beauty.  Majestic castles with intricate designs were symbolic of the Medieval times and are today one of the things travelers seek out to experience.  The sprawling, open and green lands with snowcapped mountains maintain a fresh almost unpolluted air, bidding tourists to admire the beauty and inhale its serenity. Some of the best ski resorts can be found in Slovakia. I tend to hibernate during winter, but if you enjoy being outside in freezing temperatures and skiing down dangerously steep slopes, put Slovakia on your list of places to visit. The winter season is from November to May.

A Little Can Be a Lot

Despite its scenic appeal, there are significant economic challenges - low wages, insufficient jobs and general hardships in Slovakia.  According to Katarina Spackova, whom you’ll learn more about shortly, many of her fellow citizens are not happy because of these challenges.  However, in solidarity with the Ukrainians, Slovakians are welcoming Ukrainians into the country.  Slovakia is assisting Ukrainians with finding housing, jobs and learning the language.  Sometimes we think we do not have enough to give, but even when we don’t have much, sharing the little we have is like planting a seed that over time grows into a tree that bears fruit from which we and others can be nourished and find shade. Don’t ever underestimate the returns on kindness and generosity. If you would like to support relief and recovery efforts for Ukraine, Charity Navigator has compiled a list of reputable organization from which you can choose here.

Katarina Spackova

Several years before this European crisis, the economic challenges in Slovakia led Katarina to seek a better life in the United States of America. In 2010, she left the country of her birth on a J1 visa to be an AU Pair.  Katarina had the privilege of being the au pair for a Czech family and a Tanzanian family over the course of 2 years living in Yonkers, NY.  She says it was a great experience.  Her host families got her started by paying for her schooling and to learn English as a Second Language (ESL).  While you do have to be at max 26 years of age to be an au pair, Katarina highly recommends this path if someone is seeking to migrate.  She transferred to F1 visa as an international student by soliciting assistance from friends for sponsorship and also hired an immigration lawyer to assist with the process. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in Data Science.  She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in economics because she wants to get into Finance, has received scholarships and has been on the Dean’s List.   She also is considering getting her PhD to be a professor in the future as she loves teaching and currently is a Math Tutor.

Holding On to Traditions

As much as Katarina considers herself an American and loves living here, she holds on to her Slovakian culture through her involvement with a Slovakian community close to where she lives. In this community, she continues practicing some of the customs, eating Slovakian food and speaking the language.  Her daughter goes to a Slovakian school where she is learning the language and Katarina attends a Slovakian Church.  She communicates with her mom and brother on a regular basis, who still live in Slovakia, but her mom visits her at least once per year. Not many Americans may know much about the country or the culture, so Katarina has had to communicate to the curious and well meaning, that Slovakia is not part of Russia and yes, there are cars in Slovakia! That question, about cars, always boggles my mind.  It seems to be a common question immigrants get in the US, as we all think, but don’t verbalize – “Really!?! You need to get out more!”

Struggling?  Ask For Help.

While Katarina has had many successes in America, we know that being an immigrant is challenging.  Katarina, like many of you reading this, has shed many tears during the uncertainty, struggling through times of lack or loneliness or the pain of just not understanding the US education, immigration or housing systems or just getting lost on the subway system.  On multiple occasions she had to ask for help and Katarina says people were always willing to help.  But you have to ask, she admonishes.  As immigrants, sometimes we are too proud or ashamed to ask for help.  But it is impossible to succeed in a foreign country without support. 

Green Card Petition

Katarina and her husband have been waiting over a year for their Green Card interview after submitting their petition.  If you have had to wait on anything related to your visa status in the US, you know how stressful the uncertainty can be. But like so many of her former challenges, we are confident and very hopeful that she and her husband will be successful.  As you may know,  USCIS is currently working through a backlog of petitions and reportedly the US State Department is putting a dent into the backlog.

Work For It

Katarina shared her story with me because she wanted you to know that she always felt welcomed in the US, whether it was at her jobs or even at school.  She wished, however, that more resources were allocated to making sure international students and immigrants in the workplace better understood the education system, American workplace culture and how to navigate them.   Sometimes Katarina hears negative feedback on social media about living here, but she wants you to know you can make a good life for yourself here, if you are willing to work for it.  

Listen

Listen to my conversation with Katarina here.

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Network

You can connect with Katarina Spackova on LinkedIn.