Month #10

Hey everyone! I’m a tad bit late writing this… but this last month has been SO extremely busy that I haven’t been able to find time! Well I have now been in Poland for TEN months (plus a little extra)! Crazy stuff. I must admit that my last month here was one of the best. So let me update you:

End of Week #39 (May 26-May 30): The day after I got back from the last Rotary meeting (which was held up north in Mielno), I had rehearsal with Ania at the crack of dawn. For those of you who haven’t read my last post, Ania is a friend studying piano at the music academy. She and I have put together a short 8-song concert to perform as a “Welcome to Poland” for my mum and aunt, as well as to thank Rotary for hosting me in this year. After rehearsal was Polish lessons. I showed Kaila (from Australia) how to get to lessons. She recently moved into our city, so it’ll take some getting used to for her. After lessons a few of us went on a picnic by the river, since the weather was surprisingly nice. I had piano lessons, which were fun as usual. Wednesday I went through all of my stuff and gave whatever I could to Kaila, since she’ll be staying here half a year longer than me. I am up and down these days. One day I’ll be thrilled to be getting home and seeing my friends there, the next I’m so sad to leave everyone here that I can’t get out of bed. I think it’s normal, though.
Later in the week was a going away party for Jill (from California) since she leaves next Sunday. We all had lunch and then went to our favorite place to hang out in the city center. After the party I went home to get ready for my mom. I had mixed feelings about her coming. Of course I was so excited for her and Aunt Debsy to visit me. But I was also having a hard time thinking about leaving my friends and I wanted to have more time to spend with them. But like I said, up and down, up and down. When the day finally did come, I couldn’t have been more hyper to see my mom. I had rehearsal in the morning and it was hard to concentrate. But it went really well so I was without worries. Next was Polish lessons. Then Kaila and I picked up some photos that I’d had printed. I still had a lot of time before I needed to meet my host dad and go to the airport, so Kaila and I had coffee in my favourite café and I worked on my scrapbook that I’m making for this year.
Finally I went to the airport and picked mum and Debsy up. It was wonderful to see them! I felt so happy about showing them my city. We went directly from the airport to the house where we were staying (a very generous member of Rotary gave us a room in his house to stay in). We had the intention of going back into the city but Mum and Debsy were too tired to do much but eat and sleep. In the morning we had breakfast and left for the city. Our hosts kept trying to convince Mum and Debsy to borrow their car and drive, but I was NOT about to drive in Europe with my mum haha. Plus, I was excited to show them how well I could get around a big city… as it’s quite a difference from Cherry Valley. We walked around the city center and went to a café until it was time for Ania and my concert. The concert was held in a beautiful place- the Music and Literature Club in Wroclaw. The walls were lined with some sort of string instrument which I don’t know the name of. The room was packed with people and with my friends, so I felt really supported. And the concert itself went really well. I think my Rotary club enjoyed it. After the concert we returned to the house where we were staying. There was a big BBQ there for Rotary members and friends. I sang some more there, and all us exchange students received our certificates and souvenirs for the year.

Week #40: On Sunday Mom and Debsy got to meet the Stasinski’s, professors in Wroclaw who translated some of my Dad’s articles into an Encyclopedia they worked on. We had tea and cake with them at a cute little café on the main square. After that we did some more walking around, I showed them the University and some of the monuments around the square. We spent an hour planning out our stay in my city and what we wanted to do each day. Then I sent them back to the house and I went to the airport to see Jill off. Saying goodbye was weird. The goodbyes haven’t sunk in yet. I just feel numb.
Monday was “Children’s Day” in Poland, which is a cool concept that I DEFINITELY think the USA should adopt. There were lots of celebrations going on all over. Today Mom and Debsy saw my home for the first time. I unpacked and repacked for our upcoming expedition. Then we toured Cathedral Island and met up with Kaila after. Together we all went to the Japanese Garden. Mom and Debsy could name every single plant… it was a big hit for them. Then we took a trip to gymnastics and I sad goodbye to my trainer.  I still can’t train because of my leg, but I said farewell anyway. Next was the Rotary Meeting and I did my presentation today. I think it went okay.
Tuesday we went to Prague. We caught a 6AM train and after a few confusing things (such as the train tracks breaking and us having to take a bus and then yet another train to get around the broken tracks) we got there and found our Hostel. I didn’t know when I booked the hostel, but it was actually the same one I stayed in in November when I was in Prague with Rotary. We spent the day walking around the New Square, Jewish Town, and Old Town. Before going back to the hostel for the night, we had coffee in front of the Astronomical Clock. Our second was a well spent day. We woke up early and walked across the St. Charles Bridge and to the Palace. We had a picnic of fruit that we bought in the market in Old Town. We walked around the Palace for the rest of the afternoon. We saw the Old Royal Castle, the Royal Gallery, and the Castle Picture Gallery, as well as some other sights. Then we had lunch in a little sandwich shop that a few people had read about for us in the New York Times. We returned briefly to the hostel and left for the train station. At 9pm we caught our sleeper train to Krakow. It was pretty cramped and I couldn’t sit up in my bunk (I was 3rd) but it was a bed and got us to our next destination.
We arrived in Krakow at 6am and stored our baggage in the train station. Then we walked to the center of town and had breakfast. Mom and Debsy went to a Museum and I stayed behind to work on some college stuff that I’ve been procrastinating about. It was finally time to get the keys to the apartment we’re renting so I did that, and then met Mom and Debsy. We got to see Lady With an Ermine in the museum, which was awesome. After settling, I took a nap and then we walked around the center a bit more before heading home. Our second day was spent mostly in Czestochowa, a 2 hour train ride from Krakow. There we got to see the Black Madonna, which millions of pilgrims come to see each year. It was quite magnificent. We got the see the holy item unveiled (she was covered in what looked like gold foil) and we were able to visit the treasury and view all of the jewels and riches she has been offered throughout the years. It’s amazing. After a quick dinner, we trained home. I made pierogis at home for the next dinner, my first time cooking them alone. They came out better than I expected and I think it’ll get even better with practice. Our third day was another cool one. We shopped around the Amber market in the morning. On the way however, we got to see all the hand-made dragons in a parade that people had made for the Dragon Festival, taking place this weekend in Krakow. We then took a tour of Wawel Castle and explored the Dragon Festival booths below the castle. We went home shortly for dinner and returned for the nighttime parade, which included HUGE blow up dragons and monsters that were floated down the river on barges through lights and mist and fireworks.

Week #41: Early in the morning we left our VERY cool apartment and took one last hike around the center of Krakow before getting on a train to Warsaw. I navigated our way to the Hostel and we checked in with no problems. After reading a little about Warsaw we went walking to Old and New Town. We ate dinner in my favorite restaurant in Warsaw- traditional Polish cooking. Then we walked for an hour more and returned to the hostel. Mom and Debsy went on their own today and I stayed in the hostel to take placement exams for school. Oh how I wish they covered the Polish language and converting currencies instead of French and Math. Ugh. Anyway when they were done I met up with some friends (exchange students from Warsaw) and spent the rest of the day with them.  The next day we took a train to Torun, a beautiful and old city famous for its gingerbread and being the birthplace of Copernicus. My friend Pat (from Scranton!) met us there and helped us to our hotel. Then he gave us an amazingly detailed tour of the whole city, including the oldest ruins. We all went out to dinner and returned to the hotel. The second day, we visited a very interesting Ethnography Museum for about an hour, and then bought souvenirs. Then we caught our train home and for the first time in over a week, went back to MY house. It was nice to sleep in my own bed again. My host parents were really happy to have us there as well.
Our first day back in Wroclaw was very relaxed. It was a Church Holiday in Poland so most things were closed in town. Mom and Debsy went to the Panorama and then had dinner after a long walk. We ate at my third host family’s restaurant and it was absolutely delicious. Probably the best meal I ate my whole time in Poland. The next day they visited an exhibit about the history of Europe while I got some shopping done. We got Gofri (very well known in Poland, they are waffles with fruit toppings basically) for lunch and then I hung out with Sami (from Colorado) and Daniel (from West Virginia) until Mom and Debsy were done at the National Museum. I’m trying to find ways to fit in my friends and my family. It’s working out pretty well. We finished packing up all my stuff at night (I’m sending home almost everything with them to the US so I have almost nothing to carry back myself). The following morning we took them to the airport bright and early. After saying goodbye (which really wasn’t sad since I’ll be seeing them SO soon) I went back home and slept basically all day.

Week #42: This week had a horrible beginning. I had a rough spot with my host family (the first one) over some exchange student drama. Something happened with another exchange student and they were very angry about it, and decided to punish me (don’t ask me why) by not letting me go to the airport to say goodbye to Daniel and Kaitlyn, two of my favorite people. These goodbyes are hard enough, so not even having a goodbye is just devastating. It was a very sad day for me. The fact that exchange is ending is REALLY close is very much starting to sink in. Like I’ve previously said, it physically hurts. I can feel it.
After that my week got a little better. I caught up on some much needed sleep and spent a LOT of time with Kaila. We’re very close now. She’s the sweetest girl ever and I don’t know how I will be able to say goodbye to her. I don’t even want to THINK about that. I did a pre-packing job just to make sure everything fits in my suitcases and is under the weight limit. The next day Kaila and I hung out again and spent the morning shopping for last minute items. I had a pretty exciting time because (wow, this is so lame… the things that excite me) I finally got my free mug from Coffee Heaven, my favorite café. It’s like a starbucks and I got a card from them around Christmas. Every time I go there I get to mark off a cup of coffee and after a certain amount I get a free mug. And I finally got it today. The woman behind the counter was a little shocked at how excited I was. Then Kaila spent the night.
We got up really early the next morning and I had rehearsal with Ania. We’re performing yet again for the Rotary party next week when the new President will be inducted. It’s a really big deal this year because it will be a woman president, the first one ever in this club. Unexpectedly, I ran into Gustavo (my 3rd host sister’s boyfriend from Mexico) so we got to hang out a little as we walked around the center. I hadn’t seen him in a while because we’ve both been so busy so it was nice to catch up. After that Kaila and I had lunch together and met up with Camilla (Brasil), Tamara and Isaac (Mexico) and hung out with them until they all went home.
I got up really early the next morning and took a train to Warsaw for the weekend. Kristy (Australia) picked me up and we went back to her house to hang out for the day. We went shopping in the evening and ended up staying awake until about 6am, so the next day we were pretty lazy. We watched some movies, and headed into the city to meet up with the other exchangers in the evening. After going out with Carlos, Luis, Emerson (all from Brasil) and Cascia (Canada), we went to the airport to say goodbye to Sami (Colorado) and eventually Carlos. It was hard to say goodbye and even harder to watch others say goodbye to our good friends. There were many tears shed and it was really painful. After the goodbyes, I went back with Cascia to her house and we slept all day. So I ended up with jet lag and stayed up the whole night until my 6am train back to Wroclaw.

Week #43: Back in Wroclaw on the very same day, was the Rotary Club Wroclaw’s closing ceremonies. It was the official end of the Rotary Year and also the induction of the new Mrs. President. I sang 3 songs with Ania playing and one a capella (How Do I Say Goodbye to This Exchange… the lyrics were a little switched around). Then Kaila and I picked up Hayley (Canada) from the train station and returned to the after party of the event. After hanging around for a little while, we got really hungry so we went out for dinner at the Nalesniki (Polish pancakes) Place. Hayley is staying with me for the whole week to celebrate my birthday!
Monday was the day Tamara (Mexico) left, so we all went to the airport to see her off. All of these goodbyes are so weird. I thought I’d start getting used to it, but every time another person leaves I have a full day of sadness where I can barely move. I’m really starting to HATE this. After saying bye, Hayley, Kaila and I met with Gustavo for some lunch. As I said, I haven’t seen him for a while so it was nice to catch up. It was also goodbye to him, too, as he returns to Mexico and I won’t see him again. I can’t stand all of this. Then was a Rotary meeting, and then Hayley and I returned home.
Wednesday was a great day! Kaila, Hayley and I took a day trip (9 hours and about 23 minutes to be exact) to Poznan, a city obviously pretty close to Wroclaw. There, we walked around the center of town, explored the oldest cathedral in Poland, and hung out by the lake there. The center of the city is absolutely beautiful. It’s very similar to Wroclaw, but more colorful. There is a legend about goats in Poznan from long ago (I don’t know it by heart) and to commemorate that, there are two goats that come out of the Town Hall tower every day at noon and bang heads. Unfortunately, we missed it because we were eating lunch at the time and didn’t know it only came at noon, but it was still cool to see everything in the city having to do with goats. My sister Avery would have loved it there. We did a lot of walking and touring and by the time we took the train home we were exhausted.
Thursday was another goodbye. I had hot chocolate with Ania and said farewell to her. That was a sad one, as they all are. She has done a lot for me musically this year. Without her, I would never have had  my concert for my mom as easily. And she was a great friend who understand my musical side. I will miss her dearly. Friday (my 10th month anniversary!) was a good day. I had ice cream with my first host mother. Because of some issues, she and I had not spoken since I left her house in December. It was really nice to connect with her again. I feel so much better getting to leave Poland and knowing that she and I are on the same page now. It’s almost like I can’t leave with strings untied, and reaching an understanding with her is one of those strings. We had a great talk about my exchange year and said goodbye on very nice terms. She also bought me a rose for my birthday tomorrow! How sweet!
After meeting with her, Hayley, Kaila, Isaac and I met with 3 of our friends from Brasil in town. After hanging out in Rynek for a while, we all returned to Isaac’s house and hung out there for the rest of the night.  At midnight we celebrated my birthday, which was a lot of fun! We stayed up really late and got up late the next morning. I ran into town in the afternoon to meet quickly and say goodbye to the Professors who translated my dad’s article. They were very kind and gave me flowers and a book for my 16th. Then my friends and I hung out at one of our favorite places in town before returning to my house for my birthday party. As soon as we got home, my host mom had pizza and cake all ready for us. After eating, we took a nighttime walk as the weather was beautiful. We got back home around midnight and I spent a few hours packing. I ended up staying up until 7am talking. I got a few hours of sleep and then woke up and finished packing. Hayley made “American Pancakes” for my last breakfast and then we all went to the airport.
If you can’t tell yet, I’m writing about my last day in Wroclaw! That’s right, June 27th marks the almost end of my exchange year. I didn’t want the goodbye to be sad, but pain can’t be helped when you’re saying goodbye to the best friends you’ve made. Although I didn’t cry (it seems that when I’m most sad, tears just don’t come…), I was breaking inside. If I’ve explained before how I can feel the pain in my chest, it’s nothing compared to how I felt at the airport. We got there extremely early, so my friends and I sat all together on the floor talking and just being close to each other. When it was finally time to go, I got pictures with everyone and said goodbye one by one. I got really numb during the final goodbyes, which I guess is good since it’s what held me together. Then I boarded the plane for Munich, where I’ll be for a couple days before heading home.
So I had the best birthday I’ve ever had in my life. I got to go to Munich for my birthday which is awesome, but the actual 2 last days of exchange were even better. I don’t know if this makes sense, but those days might have been the best of my exchange. I felt so close to my friends and I just loved being with them. Hayley is one of the funniest people I’ve met and she always makes us laugh. Kaila and I have become incredibly close in the past few months, she’s like my sister. Isaac is my brother from Mexico and he and I just click. Camilla is the sweetest girl and I’m always happy when I’m with her. You couldn’t find a nicer guy than Luis, he’s so easy going and true. And Emerson is one of the greatest people, I’m going to miss him. The two days I spent with them really helped me with the separation anxiety. While I wish that so many others could have been there, most have either gone home or couldn’t make it.  But the 7 of them really made me feel so included and loved in those 2 days, that I really now believe that no matter how many miles separate us, I’ll always have really true friends from my exchange.
As I’m in Munich now, I am visiting with new people and learning more about Germany and Munich. It’s a good thing, because I don’t have too much alone time to be sad about leaving. But I also don’t have time to write a full reflection on my exchange. I think I need more time, anyway, before I can write an essay about my year. Right now there’s too much pain from leaving, it would come out not exactly the way I wanted.
Also, my exchange isn’t over yet! I still have much to learn about Munich and the Opera Company in which my friends work here. So I will be sure to write an update in a few weeks covering my stay in Munich, my journey home, and home itself. It should be interesting. Thank you to all of you who have followed my journey this year. I haven’t decided if I’ll keep up a blog anymore… it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting I’m sure. Anyway, in a few weeks I will have a new update that officially concludes my Rotary International Youth Exchange to Poland, 2008 and 2009. But until then!