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.