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It was during a sunny morning in the summer of 1997, whilst trawling through a list of embassies in London, that I first came across Slovakia. I had just started a job selling a web-based tourism product and having exhausted all of the National Tourist boards, I was now working my way through a list of embassies, attempting to set up sales meetings.
Up until that day, I had only ever heard about Slovakia in the context of Czechoslovakia, the country in Eastern Europe that was hard to pronounce and almost impossible to spell. Of course I had heard of the Czech Republic, in fact I had called the Czech Embassy the day before trying to arrange a meeting. However, in my ignorance, I had thought that Czechoslovakia had just decided to change its name to the Czech Republic following the fall of Communism, or perhaps to make it easier on children around the world taking their geography exams. I had no idea at this point that Czechoslovakia had actually been made up from two unique nations that had peacefully gone their separate ways four years earlier.
My first reaction on discovering this new country was to feel quite pleased. Not because Slovakia had finally got its independence after a thousand years of waiting, but because the Czech embassy hadn't agreed to a sales meeting, and so this was like a second bite at the cherry.
About two months later, I found myself walking down Kensington Palace Road on my way to the Slovak Embassy, and in my hand was a ticket for the Ambassadorial Champagne Reception, to celebrate Slovak Day. You see, not only had I managed to get a sales meeting that morning when I phoned up the Embassy, but when I went there a week later I ended up having a two hour conversation with the Commercial councilor about Slovakia, the Gabcikovo Dam and whether the country was ever likely to join the European Union.
They didn't buy the product by the way, but then I was never meant to be a salesman and I changed jobs quite soon after. Then a couple of weeks later I received an invitation to Slovak Day at the Embassy.
What happened at the Slovak Day Reception will be the subject of a future "Letter from Slovakia", but needless to say I had a great time. And the invitations didn't end there! I continued to receive letters from the Embassy for over a year, inviting me to art exhibitions, poetry recitals, craft fairs, etc., which were all taking place at the Embassy.
And it was thanks to the Slovak Embassy, that when I met my Slovak wife-to-be for the first time at a party the following March, I was able to give her the perfect chat up line.
'Do you fancy going to a classical concert at the Slovak Embassy, on Saturday?'
