Under the Weather

The Wisła Outside Wawel at Night

So I didn't escape Marta's (my roommate) cold after all. I got very sick and spent the entire week in bed building up immunities to European germs. Turns out Marta's mother is a doctor and she has a GIANT box of medicine underneath her bed. Her and my suite mates were very concerned about me. They thought I looked pretty bad and were convinced I had a temperature. The thermometer reading kept coming out way too low and they were very perplexed by this. I tried to explain that my temp is normally low, but they said that the result was impossibly low. It was centigrade so I couldn't offer much help. Then Marta got on the phone with her Mom and the three of them were crowded around the box of medicines arguing about what I should take in a mixture of Ukrainian and Russian while they all took turns intermittently feeling my head. As all the medicinal instructions are in Cyrillic, they explained what I needed to take when and how often in a mixture of English, Polish and gesturing. They finally made me drink something, take a spray for my throat, a spray and drops for my nose and put something like vapor rub on before I went to sleep. Then Marta insisted on making me a special tea with jam that she brought from the Ukraine. It was delicious. It had whole raspberries and was not very sweet. The whole situation felt completely ridiculous. I never in a million years thought that I would be surrounded by teenagers taking care of me, but I just surrendered and felt much better because of it. They were very sweet. Every day each one of them checked-in to see how I was doing. I have not been that sick in a long time, but I am much better now!

The Walk Along the 72 Line

I finally got all my proper forms of Polish identification. Below is my dorm ID, my school ID, my train pass and my train pass ID. I need all of them on a daily basis which seems a little ridiculous. AND, I still need my U.S. driver's license to get into clubs. 

After being here almost a month I encountered  a ticket checker for the first time on the tram. I was staring out the window, zoning out and this older man came up and poked me and said, 'przepraszam!' I just looked at him, bewildered as to what he could possibly want. Then he waved this thing that looked like a handheld credit card machine at me and said, 'proszę dokument.' Suddenly a light bulb went off in my head and I pulled out my card which he touched to the machine and then headed on his merry way. I now know what they mean when they say these guys come out of nowhere. They are normally dressed, so you would never see them coming. 

The Plethora of IDs I have to Carry at all Times

Green Space

I recently became acquainted with the biggest green space in Karków. Ten minutes West of the city center are a series of parks that are joined together. One is a massive open field with a few trees, while another has lots of trees, walking paths, sports areas and playgrounds. The weather was warm and sunny, so there were lots of people out and about.

The open field with mountains in the background

I was thinking about my week and it seems pretty uneventful. I'm going to take that as a sign that I am adjusting to life here. Last week I had my first tests in my classes. I'm proud to say I got an almost perfect score on both of them. Both of my teachers asked me if the coursework was hard enough for me. I had to explain that it's not easy, I just study a lot.

The trees are all starting to turn along the path

I spent the weekend at my friend Doro's dorm because she lives very close to the Rynek and her roommate was gone for the weekend. We hungout, walked around the city, had meals together, etc. On Sunday we made bruschetta with Shelley and had it on this delicious french baguette. We also practiced our Polish a fair amount. Our goal when walking into a place was to do it correctly and never have to use any other language other than Polish. We successfully and correctly ordered ice cream which we learned we weren't doing right before (knowing the correct grammatical case helps and we just learned it). Success! It ended up being perfect because my roommate got very sick this weekend, so I avoided the majority of the germs. She's still pretty under the weather, but I've been washing my hands and the doorhandles like a crazy lady in an effort to stay well. Today she handed me an orange and informed me it would be good for me. "Like lemon," she said. 

foliage along the outer wall west of Park Jordana

The outer, brick wall of the park reminds me of The Secret Garden. It is so overgrown with vines and vegetation that you can barely see the Graffiti underneath.

Fiery leaves west of Park Jordana

The news front on Polish men is that they are quite the gentlemen. I haven't gotten used to that yet. They have a way of beating you to the door in any situation and holding it for you with a sincere, 'prosze.' Often if there is a woman standing on the tram, men will refuse to sit, even if there is a seat available. I've seen this happen more than once. Also, I have yet to witness any cat-calling, which has been nice.

Laundry Day

Laundry is quite a process. You have to sign-up for a 3 hour slot in the book at the front desk. However, there are only times available for the next three days. Good times fill up pretty fast, so I was left with a 6am slot (which was better than 3am). At your assigned time you have to go to the front desk, pay them 2 Zs and give them your dorm ID as collateral. Unfortunately, the machine on my floor wasn't working so I got bumped to the machine on the 6th floor. Bummer. Nothing like a little stairmaster at 6am! My favorite part of the whole laundry extravaganza is where the pralnia (washing machine) is located. In every kitchen there is a closet that locks and that is where the pralnias live. It's the strangest mix of scents you have ever experienced. Anyway, I put my clothes in and 1.5 hours later they were clean. No dryers. It's been a full 12 hours and my clothes are still pretty wet. We'll see how many days they take to dry...

A Shot of Wawel Castle on my Walk Home

While I was waiting for my clothes to finish I thought I'd try my luck at the Magazyn which is where you go to check-out bedding, curtains, lamps, internet cables and other room furnishings. They only gave me two thin blankets when I moved in and I've been so cold I haven't been able to sleep. The place looked completely different from the first time I went. There was nothing out for me to point at, and the clerk informed me that I could only speak Polish. So after I struggled for a minute, he agreed to help me. In Polish, of course. As soon as he saw my name on my ID he asked what side of my family was Polish. He then said that after being here I will have to go back and teach my Mom Polish! He was very nice and gave me two thicker blankets so now I have a stack of four blankets and a coverlet on my bed! I am thrilled :-)

Right as I was about to head to class this morning, my roommate stopped me and asked if I was "in a hurry to class." I didn't quite understand what she meant. Then she asked if I would braid her hair for her, quickly. Of course I did, and she absolutely loved it! It lasted all day and she is currently curled up in bed, with her hair still braided.

YUM!

Two weeks in and things are starting to get interesting....

A little afternoon girl time over some Szarlotka and tea at our favorite cafe. It's a bookstore in the front and a cafe in back. You can see the books in the background. Everything is made in house (even their tea bags) and delicious!

The girls and I often meet at Cafe Bona on our three hour break between morning and afternoon classes or sometimes we grab some coffee and visit when our classes start in the afternoon. It's a darling little bookstore/cafe. I like to read the children's board books in Polish. I usually don't know even half of the words! But we have lots of laughs here. We keep meaning to go to other places, but we like Bona so much that it's hard to go somewhere else.

(Left to Right) Doro, William and Shelley on our first cooking adventure!

William decided to treat us all to some French Cuisine, as he just spent the last few years in France. None of us have a complete set of dishes or cooking utensils, so we had to make a patchwork of what we all had. It turned out brilliantly, and we had a delicious meal together. It was sort of an Italian-French-Polish dish in the end. Pasta with a fresh tomato and meat sauce. We were going to add wine to the mix, but we forgot to get a corkscrew, so we had to settle for Krupnik  as an apertif (of course we had a bottle lying around). 

William fancied my 'jumper' as they call them in the U.K., so naturally we had to swap

I've also had some random interactions this week. I was running one morning and this older man stopped me and said, "good run?!" with a big smile on his face. I was completely out of breath and couldn't reply, but it made me smile. It was nice because people often give me odd looks when I'm out running. I've only seen about 3 runners, the entire time I've been here. 

I also met a boy at the tram stop the other day. He started yammering away to me in Polish and I had to tell him I didn't understand what he was saying, and asked if he knew any English (all in Polish). I helped him with the tram route and then he said I had a pretty good accent in Polish and wanted to know where I was from! He's a mathematics student at the Jagiellonian University. We talked for awhile on the tram and then went our separate ways. 

I also met my friends roommate who is Polish, 'Kinga.' She is very sweet and is fluent in German and Polish, and understands English, but doesn't speak very much. I had the most hilarious conversation with her. She would speak to me in German mostly, and I would answer in Polish and sometimes in English. When we couldn't understand each other quite, Doro would step in and translate for me. Kinga told me that I need to learn not only the language, but the culture, the people and Kraków while I am in Poland and that anytime I want to go out with her, she will take me along. She's such a dear!

Rules of the Road

When in Poland: 

• Formally greet everyone in Polish before any other interaction
• Never directly hand anyone change (the plate is there for a reason) 
• When crossing a six lane road you have to run unless you only want to make it half way and wait for another light.
• Don't carry big bills. It makes cashiers cranky.
• You have to ask for the cheque. It's considered rude to bring it before the customer has asked.
• Always use 'sir' and 'ma'am' unless you are told otherwise

Pleasantries: 

• Walking to class the other day, the street was suddenly filled with bubbles. It was beautiful. 
• Church bells, the trumpeter of Kraków, street musicians, horses hoofs and church choirs are all common sounds everywhere you go. We often have to close the windows at school because you can't hear the teacher over the horses hooves or the music.
• Poles are big on fresh air. Classroom windows are opened during every break between or during classes.
• When people ask you how you are, it is not a figure of speech. They actually want to know.
• There are parks everywhere in Kraków. They really value their green space.
• There are fresh fruit and vegetable stands on every block. It's cheap and convenient. However there are just as many bakeries and pastry shops.
• There is always something delightful going on in the main square if you are looking for a little entertainment. 

Challenges:

• In the words of the Genie from Aladdin I have an 'ittty, bittty living space'
• If you bend your elbows too much in the shower, they knock the walls.
• You can't drink the tap water
• Dryers are a luxury
• Any official business takes LOTS of time
• No one informs you of anything unless you ask - knowing what to ask is a challenge

My Teeny Dorm Room

Progress:

• I have become an expert at walking on cobblestones. You always encounter a few loose ones - now to master the art in heels, which all the Polish girls wear everywhere
• I can now shave my legs balancing on one foot, pretty much in the fetal position
• I can now walk around the city without a map
• Muted clothing is most acceptable. Bright accessories are also okay
• I can go to class without looking at my schedule

Night in the Rynek

The square after dark

Night view of ul. Grodzka where it meets the square 

At night I went to the Rynek and there were all kinds of sights to see. Szweyk Fest was going on in the Mały Rynek where there was a huge stage with live rock music, tons of vendors, and lots of food, beer and hot wine. In the main square there was a jazz band playing at one end, a Spanish guitarist in one corner and in front of St. Mary's there was an actual baby grand piano out on the square and a man was playing all sorts of lovely tunes. It was a night of music and good food! 

The fountain in the square

This is a chocolate shop in which you can watch them make the chocolate. Everything in the picture is made of chocolate.

1 Week and Counting...

My View From Class- No Joke

I took this picture of Wawel from my classroom window. Stunning, isn't it? I have survived the first week of classes. I know my way around the city pretty well and I finally have internet in my room. I really like my classes so far and I love being able to go out and hear examples of what we learn in class out in the streets. The best part is meeting people from all over the world and hearing their stories about how they ended up in Kraków. There are about 100 students in the language program from 27 different countries. I have met people from Germany, Hungary, Norway, Austria, Ukraine, Bulgaria, England, Canada, Colombia, Korea, Japan, Russia, the U.S., Nigeria and Poland. We are all so different. One of my favorite moments so far was when I came back from a run, I was stretching in my room and my roommate (Ukranian) gives me the strangest look and says, "What are you doing?!?" Exercise, stretching, etc is a foreign concept to her. 

A Day on the Square

This was my view as I had coffee on the square after placement exams with one of my classmates. This is Krakow on a sunny day. Everywhere you look is like a painting.