Let's meet a Slovakian, an American and a Ukrainian in, and from, Bratislava

We know there are amazing life stories out there.

Today, we wish to do something different. Today we tell you the story of two people who live in, and of one who went away, from beautiful Bratislava.

Elizaveta: how the company keeps you safe and close

Elizaveta works for a VR startup from Kiev. After what we all know happened in February, her company moved several employees to the nearby countries.

They first considered Poland, not only for the nearness but also for the language and the similar culture. However, with so many people arriving the prices for renting an apartment or an office got prohibitive. Slovakia ended up being the best compromise. Besides, the company always wanted to have an office in the EU.

Elizaveta had never considered moving to Bratislava before, but now she has been there for 7 months and enjoys being in a city which is smaller, and therefore easier to live in, than Kiev with its 3 million inhabitants. Besides, Bratislava has a good life standard and prices.

If you would like to know more about her story, check out our interview!

Alex: from Philadelphia to Bratislava as a Teacher

Petra: a Slovakian who moved to Lisbon. Let's compare the two.

"Bratislava made a huge progress in the last 20 years. I came here from the east of Slovakia to study when I was 19, and left when I was 35, about ten years ago. Back when I was a student it had a very 'communistic flair', especially the district of Eurovea. The buildings were shabby and nasty, with homeless and squatters".

Today, Bratislava is a lovely city of about 600,000 inhabitants with great work opportunities. Big tech companies are situated here, like Dell, AT&T and IBM. "Unlike what one could expect - Petra says - companies do not keep the cheaper workforce here, like the customer support section. In fact, they take the recruiting very seriously: you cannot work in the finance branch, for example, if you do not have a solid background in the field. This said, foreigners are welcome, and no Slovak is required".

Petra, on her part, is in her 40s today and lives in Lisbon: 

"My husband and I came to a certain point of our relationship where we needed to decide where to settle. Since he works in aviation and Bratislava does not offer much in that field, we eventually decided for Lisbon.

Was it a good choice? More no than yes. When I came here, my salary dropped by 50%, and finding a place in the insurance branch is much harder here. I miss the work stability I used to have in Bratislava.

Slovakia has a much better healthcare and social security system than Portugal. I would prefer for my kids to go to school there instead. Slovakia might be a bit more expensive, but the quality of the services (for example hairdressers, restaurants, transports) is comparable to western Europe. The food is of course better in Portugal, but it is a country where one should go on a holiday, not live there. Slovakians leave the country for some time, but out of curiosity, and not necessity. Had it not been for my husband’s job, I would have never left". 

What about the people?

"Slovak people can seem a bit harsh in the beginning. I had to leave the country to be able to see it from the outside. Do not think that they don't want to have anything to do with you, they just do not take the initiative, they do not make the extra effort, you have to reach out to them. Besides, Slovaks complain about everything. Maybe they do not go directly on strike like the French do, but they protest in the streets.

However, once you have become friends with a Slovak, this is going to be a much deeper, and longer, relationship".