This time last year, 2007 Capital University graduate Daniel Lichtenberger had just started his final semester as a Capital student. Today, he’s doing global missions work in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Anxious to see the world and make a difference in it, the English and religion major applied last winter for a position with Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Global Mission. ELCA Global Mission offers teaching opportunities in many of the 49 countries its missionaries serve. When it was recommended he serve in Slovakia’s capital, Daniel saw it as a good fit.
“I liked the idea of working in a fairly new country that has a rich history,” Daniel wrote in a recent e-mail. “Slovakia has only existed for 15 years. It went through communism, and was under the occupation of numerous countries for 1,000 years.”
He traveled to Chicago during spring break to interview and got the job the next day. After he graduated, Daniel flew to Bratislava, where he teaches conversation, and American and British literature to second-, third- and fourth-year high school students at the Evangelical Lyceum.
The school accepts just 72 students each year and splits them into two classes of 36. For language courses, those classes are split in thirds. Students attend high school for five years there, and each class stays together until graduation, so students form very strong bonds with their classmates. Most are fluent in several languages – Slovak, English and German or Russian, but as Daniel recently discovered, American Christmas carols can be a challenge.
Daniel Lichtenberger on teaching in Bratislava
“One of my favorite moments here was singing American Christmas carols with the students. On the last day before Christmas break, I brought my guitar into the classroom and taught the students a few carols. The classes decided they wanted to go caroling to other classes. So my class went to other classes singing ‘Twelve Days of Christmas.’ Most of them had never heard the song before singing it, so this posed numerous problems, especially for the one singing ‘Five Golden Rings.’
“Another one of my favorite recurrent moments here is speaking Slovak to my students outside of the classroom. The students are very flattered that I try to speak with them in their language. Many times I cannot understand a thing they say, but usually I can pick up one or two words that they said and guess what they meant. I am always amazed to see a smile cross a student's face when I say ‘Dobre Den’ (Good day in Slovak) to them.
“One of my favorite things about being in Bratislava is how easy it is to travel. I am an hour train ride from Vienna and a two-and-a-half-hour train ride to Budapest. Traveling in Europe is quite inexpensive and easy.”
Future plans
The Slovakia program is a one-year program, but staying longer is an option Daniel is considering. Eventually, he intends to return to the United States for a graduate degree in teaching, literature or religion. Visit Daniel’s blog to read more about his Global Mission experience.