When In Slovakia aka Chris The Rapunzel

Chapter 43

The bus takes off at 11 o'clock, and we head to the Stara Lubovna Ethnographic Open-Air Museum. Greta gives me one of her earbuds and we listen to music all the way to the museum. I'm a Directioner and Directioner ONLY, while Greta's playlist consists mainly of Justin Bieber. However, today I don't mind the fact I'm listening to his songs. I somehow even feel pleased to finally step out of my comfort zone and listen to something that isn't 1D.

The area of the museum isn't very wide. There are some twenty log houses built in the 19th century and a church as well. I start exploring the area together with Dina and Paula. It's surprisingly easy to spend time with people, who have no idea what's on my mind. I don't think about Christian at all during the first fifteen minutes while walking around the houses. Somehow the three of us – Paula, Dina and I – speed ahead of the rest of our group, so we get the feeling we're alone in the museum. We enjoy the deep silence and fresh air of the green and magnificent Slovakian countryside.

I hear the sound of a car engine working from somewhere outside the territory of the museum. It's so wonderfully silent here that I find this noise distracting and annoying.

The three of us enter the first church we see along the path. It's so beautiful in here! The opposite wall is covered in crosses and icons of Maiden Mary, Jesus and the Apostles. Behind the altar there's a small door to pastor's cell. The altar is decorated with carvings and covered in golden overlay. There are long wooden prayer benches along the two other walls, so Dina, Paula and I sit down for a minute to take in the magnificence of this place.

- Can you imagine we're in a room where some 200 years ago people used to come and pray to God? – Dina asks.

Paula joins in. – I wonder what they were asking for. Money? Health?

- Maybe they just wanted to feel loved? – I can't keep it inside me any longer. It's vital for me to talk about what I think and feel. Even if the girls have no idea what I actually want to say with this.

- Love isn't something you can ask for. I believe that the moment a person starts loving himself and the world around him, he also starts feeling loved. It's your own decision whether to let love into your heart or not. – Dina explains.

- Do we love ourselves? – What does "to love yourself" mean? Does it mean living healthy lifestyle or putting on lots of make-up and your best clothes to look more appealing, or avoiding any kinds of stressful situations and living peacefully?

How can I even love another person if I don't know how I can love myself?

- I think I do love myself. – Paula says. – I never blame myself for making mistakes in the past. I know I'll learn from them and live a better life tomorrow.

- It's not that easy. – Dina interferes. – To seek for progress in your life – it's very good. It just doesn't mean that you've learnt to love yourself. Trying to be better means growing and becoming more mature. It's not love, it is self-development.

- Love is something like self-sacrifice. Do we have to sacrifice something in order to love ourselves? – I ask. I've never thought that talking to Dina could be so worthwhile. Until now both girls seemed so immature to me.

- Mum says that love is almost like a synonym of happiness. And I start thinking – aren't we happy enough? We have parents, friends, a home to return to, we have plenty of food and we have lots of other things which make us happy – cell phones, laptops, an opportunity to travel abroad...