Month #2

Happy 2 Months! I can’t believe I’ve already been in Poland for two months, it doesn’t seem possible. When I wrote the first update, I could remember every day without looking in my journal. I must say that living here is much more “normal” now though, and every day doesn’t stick in my mind. So I had to look back to see what has happened recently. Here’s my update for the last four weeks:

Week 5: I started taking the tram to school Monday, which was a huge accomplishment to me. Seeing as Cherry Valley lacks a tram system, or any type of public transportation, really, it was a very different (and scary!) experience for me. I must say I was extremely proud of myself because I got to school and back all by myself. My host parents didn’t see it as a major feat so they couldn’t really share my enthusiasm.
I also started running everyday this week. It’s helped me get to know my neighborhood and stay in shape. I also had a sleepover with a rotary student from Idaho. It was a nice English break and I think we stayed up until 2 or 3 in the morning (and on a school night!) talking.
In English class on Wednesday, we had a test and I got 3 out of 5 questions wrong. It was horribly embarrassing and very funny. We were given groups of words and we were supposed to rearrange them and make coherent sentences. Needless to say, I failed to do this correctly.
I am beginning to make big steps in learning the Polish language. It’s almost as if light bulbs go “ding” above my head sometimes- something just occurs to me, something clicks, and I totally understand a new concept. It’s the weirdest feeling to make language connections, but I love it.
I have begun to actually sing at choir rehearsal now. We sing in Polish, Latin and English. Latin and English aren’t that difficult for me but, well, Polish. However- now I am beginning to read well enough to pronounce words without butchering them. It’s pretty exciting.
I went to the Japanese Gardens in Wroclaw over the weekend with a friend of my host sister (who is in NY). She was fluent in English but also was a great Polish teacher and knew exactly how to explain concepts to me. We talked for about 45 minutes in the gardens since it was such a beautiful day. It’s nice to have friends.

Week 6: Life is beginning to be very normal here (a good thing!) so not as many things stick out from day to day. I wake up, got to school, do after school activities, learn Polish. Not every day is as special as they used to be. I actually like this, though, because it means I’m adjusting to my new life and it’s becoming habitual.
This week I was a little nervous running because a girl that one of my friends knows was murdered last weekend. She was a 16 year old, and was at a club and definitely under the influence of a lot of stuff. Then she left with a 28 year old and her body was found in the middle of nowhere the next morning. Now when I run, I see everything as a threat and it’s kind of scary. My host mom assures me that it was a different part of the city and that I’m safe, but it still makes it nervous.
This week, someone from home asked me if I was fluent in the language yet. This made me extremely angry because they acted as if becoming fluent in a language was something so simple that could happen in a period of 6 weeks. This is not so. I know many words and phrases, but I am no where even close to being fluent. I work very hard everyday- every second, really. I am always learning new words and I read every sign I see. But I think it will take months more to be fluent. Polish is unlike anything I’ve ever learned.
I found out this week that I can be on the soccer team! My first match comes in October. Because I am more familiar with the girls on the team, they now are okay with passing to me. So I actually get to touch the ball sometimes now, which is a nice change. Actually people in general are more open to speaking with me now. Whether it’s in English, French, or Polish, I find that everywhere I go someone is willing and excited to speak with me. My friend Sandra told me she thinks that if I looked different more people would be excited about me being in their class. She said that no one knows I’m foreign and she thinks this is the reason I don’t have many friends. I also think it has something to do with the language…
This weekend I spent with an exchange student from Minnesota and her host family at their weekend house. It was so much fun! She has three host brothers of all different ages, and one is 6 and talks to us CONSTANTLY. He never shuts up. I found it so helpful though, because he taught me so much. I wish I had some little kid always talking to me in Polish- I think I’d learn a lot more that way. Her family was so nice to be around, too. They were open and very talkative and very friendly.

Week 7: I spent Monday to Thursday at home this week with what I think was a sinus infection. Not much happened- I basically slept most of the day and took medicine. I went out of the house maybe two times to run, which was a stupid idea because it really hurt my head. I finally ventured out of the house Friday for Polish lessons when I could finally walk across my room without getting a headache. I also went to soccer but after practice my fever was back up so I came home and went to bed. I’m not sure why I keep getting sick- maybe the new germs or something. It’s very annoying though.
I now understand why some exchange students are so homesick and depressed. After 4 days of staying at home and doing nothing, I found I was sad, too. Not homesick, just bored and very sad. I think I would go crazy if my life wasn’t busy!
Saturday, a group of rotary students from all over Poland came to visit us in Wroclaw! It was a really nice gathering, and I hung out with them for Saturday afternoon and night. We walked around the city, grabbed a bite to eat at an Italian restaurant and I left pretty early even though they stayed out much later.
I saw Fiddler on the Roof over the weekend, completely in Polish. Although my friend Dorota sat next to me and translated what I didn’t understand, I could understand quite a bit more than I thought I could. I didn’t laugh at all the jokes (well I did, but I didn’t know what I was laughing about) but I could translate a good deal of it. Good thing there were subtitles. It was awesome though- the show was in a 5,000 seat stadium and there was a real horse and a real cow! The cow was lazy and slept during the show but the horse was a trooper.

Week 8: Two very big things happened on Monday of my 8th week in Wroclaw. The first was that a woman asked me for directions on the street, and I ignored my first instinct to say “Nie rozumiem po polsku” or “I don’t understand Polish.” Instead I told her I only understood a little Polish and no German (she said she also spoke German). She decided to let me help her, and because she was going to the same place I was, I asked if she wanted to walk with me. Which meant I had to talk to her. So we talked for a good 15 minutes. She must have thought I was really weird, because I think I said every single Polish word I know to her. She would ask me questions and I’d ask her questions in return. At the end, I told her I liked worms because the word for worm is one of my favorites. So yeah, she probably thinks I’m crazy but at least I got to practice Polish!
The second big thing that happened is not really so big but felt cool when it happened. I have a friend in school named Sandra who is interested in going on Rotary next year to New York. She and I spend a lot of time talking between classes- she speaks English very well but also is a good teacher for me. I had a free period in school on Monday and I was planning on reading and listening to music. She finally convinced me to go to chemistry class with her (even though it wasn’t one of my classes). I’m so glad I went though, because not only did I practice only Polish for an hour (I talked to Sandra the whole time, but I didn’t understand any of the actual chemical words), but I met a lot of new people too. The Rotarians are right- always say yes.
I had my first soccer game on Tuesday and I got to play! It was very exciting! I didn’t think I was going to get to play at all, so it came as a big surprise to me. I actual made contact with the ball, too! Yeah! And I was in the game long enough to get knocked on the ground twice. So even though I’m in Poland, I still play the whole game on the ground. Anyway, our team won 9 to 0. I like soccer but I’m not sure if I’m going to continue playing games (because they take a lot of time and I won’t actually get to play that much) or just go to practices. I have to think about it.
The next three days I devoted to being a tourist. I walked around Wroclaw with (I must admit) English speaking people and went everywhere we could in the allotted time. Even though I was with English speakers, I spoke more Polish than I have any other time. Since I was the only one who spoke (a tiny bit of) Polish, I had to order all the food, ask for directions, ask questions in stores. It was great practice but sooooo tiring. I also had a very funny experience. Someone said something to me that was kind of sad and instead of saying “that’s too bad” or “that sucks” I said “it’s a pity.” Then they looked at me and burst of laughing, because, seriously who ever says “it’s a pity?” it turns out that if you want to say something sucks or is ‘too bad’ in Polish, the word is “szkoda” and directly translates to “it’s a pity.” So this is great news! This means I’ve begun to think in Polish!!!!! Very exciting!
I spent this weekend again in the mountains with my host family. The first day we were there, we took a small walk and then attended a party that was basically a university reunion for my host dad. The people were fairly young (50s and 60s) and were very nice and spoke to me a lot. It was in a beautiful hotel and the food was very good. I also learned this weekend that wooden houses aren’t reserved just for the richest people as I though they were. They just happen to be the mountain style. Our hotel was very new and was made of the most beautiful wood.
The second day we started early and had a tour of the largest cave in Poland (that is open to the public)! It was very cool. Then we took a 2 hour climb up a mountain and had tea at the top in a hostel. Also- it was snowing on the top of the mountain! Not exactly where we were, but I could see snow clouds in the distance. My host parents don’t think it ever snows in Cherry Valley because I was so excited to see snow on the mountain. The way down was easier and shorter, but it was very cold when we finally reached the bottom.
So this is a *brief* summary of my last month. Like I have said previously, there is so much more I could tell you but there’s NO WAY I can say it all. Poland is still great, and I still haven’t been homesick! I have a lot of plans for the next couple months. I have a friends visiting, European Capitals Trip (Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Berlin), Ukraine Republic trip, possibly a week with friends in another city in Poland, American Thanksgiving (my host mother really would like me to plan and make a whole feast!), rotary meetings, and Christmas. My host family might take me to Italy for New Years, but it’s not for certain yet. *** My fingers are crossed.

My Polish really is coming along. I spend an hour a night at home teaching myself and with the help of my host mother- this is on top of 4 Polish lessons a week, and the fact that I live in Poland. That always helps learn the language. I must say that I am shocked by some of the mindsets of rotary students, as they haven’t learned much of the language at all and they aren’t interested in much of the culture. I am mad at myself because I am not fluent yet. My goal is to have the majority of the language clicking by Christmas. I have to continue at this pace and keep working hard. It’s tiring and sometimes I’d rather be out with friends but I know I’ll benefit more if I can speak fluently.

So anyway, my second monthly update finally comes to a close. Dobranoc!

A random goat I found on a bike ride in the country.