Dancing Shoes

The ballet of 'Cinderella' was great [http://www.narodni-divadlo.cz/Default.aspx?jz=cz&dk=predstaveni.aspx&sz=299&sb=3&ic=5535]. The dancing, dancers, music, story, and theatre were all wonderful. I liked the costumes more seeing 'Anna Karenina,' but this performance had great dancing, acting, and I knew the story better, of course (but it was changed a bit in interesting ways, such as the use of a fairy that was really Cinderella's dead mother, rather than a fairy godmother; the father and mother were a lot more involved, and so was the fairy for that matter. Cinderella knew her future before she left for the ball and there was a lot more mourning for her mother. There was a search for a foot using a picture rather than using a lost slipper. Cinderella's parents were heavily involved in the storyline and the prince did a lot more work - more traveling and temptations - to find his love again). And tons of glitter, but no mice or pumpkin carriage or glass slippers (only glittery feet and her mother's dress). I was happy to go since the location was so beautiful and this has been one of my favorite performances since coming to Europe. Pictures of the theatre will be added soon... Tomorrow we head to Germany!

Pretty Prague

Today, we had breakfast at the hotel before our first Metro ride in Prague (and the first underground transport my family has had since we used trams and taxis mostly in Warsaw). We went to Old Town and walked around, taking pictures and enjoying the sites. We walked along the river and down all kinds of streets. Our lunch was at a small cafe on the river (I had another Nicoise-like salad and some rye bread) before buying some fruit and heading back to relax at the hotel. Tonight we are attending a performance of a Cinderella ballet. The weather is warm and sunny, which made walking outside easier since traveling by foot would be difficult if it were cold or raining. Tomorrow we have some plans to go on tours of the city and I am not sure what else. Now I may do some homework...

Photos added to Photobucket. :)

Not in Prague, but pretty :-P

“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you…I could walk through my garden forever.”

― Alfred Lord Tennyson “Millions and millions of years would still not give me half enough time to describe that tiny instant of all eternity when you put your arms around me and I put my arms around you.” —  Jacques Prévert

7 Days Entry

Our CIEE program directors asked everyone on my program to make an entry called "Warsaw in 7 Days." We each are assigned one week to describe among our entire time here and this past week was my turn.
Here is my entry:

When people discuss how they chose their location for studying
abroad, numerous reasons come up: cost, distance to other places, culture,
courses, heritage. I have been thinking about studying abroad since I knew that
it even existed and my mind has always thought of Poland. When I finally made
it to college, my desire to study outside of the United States only grew
stronger and my mind was pretty much set on Poland, the country where my mother
was born. I only had the chance to see it once in the summer of 2006 for only
two short weeks and did not see enough of the country and its people to be
satisfied. I also was quite disappointed at how little of the Polish language
that I knew at the time. When I looked through my options for study abroad
locations that my school accepted, I found out that the option I had in Poland
was to study at the Warsaw School of Economics through CIEE; last time I was in
Poland I did not go to Poland's capital city, so I thought if going to Poland
meant only going there, then I would enjoy being in a new city and traveling to
other parts of the country as well.  

One hope for my semester in Poland was to visit family and friends
I had met my first and only time here five years ago. It would mean visiting
other great cities in Poland while reconnecting with old friends in person
rather than only on Facebook. My weekend began with a train trip to Wrocław
(both Warsaw and Wrocław train stations are undergoing major construction,
which only made my journey a bit more colorful). I made it to Wrocław's main
train station in the early evening, where I was met by two brothers - the sons
of my mother's childhood best friend [I met these boys, their parents, and
their sister when I was in Poland before] who are also students at Wrocław
University. They showed me around their great city of Wrocław and even let me
stay at their apartment. I brought gifts with me (American Hershey kisses
chocolates from my Mother forboth boys; a t-shirt and a book - in Polish that I
had read before in English - for one of the brothers who had recently had a
birthday at the beginning of March) and then we went to see the American film
"Sucker Punch" at the nearby cinema. This is my second time going to
the movies in Poland and I am proud to say that I DO look at the Polish
subtitles a bit to see if I can learn something new. :) The movie was OK. After
the movie, we walked around Wrocław's rynek and I saw some of the university's
class buildings that the guys go to regularly or had been to before. We looked
around for a place to hang out and eventually one brother chose a small
cafe/bar where we had mulled beer (served warm with spices, such as cinnamon
sprinkled on top; best beer I have had in Poland so far). We chatted until late
in the night and then went to bed. 

Saturday the weather was a bit chilly and rainy, so we went to the
National Museum in Wrocław (free admission to permanent exhibits, which is
most of the museum, on Saturdays) and then walked around the city some more; I
saw monuments and churches and a really interesting bridge that people put
locks on to symbolize strengthening their romantic relationships. We took some
pictures (not on my camera, so I am a bit anxious to see how they turned out
once I finally see them!) and headed back inside for some coffee at their
apartment after we had a quick lunch at a Polish cafe. That evening we went to
the cinema again for "The King's Speech," called "How to be a
King" (more-or-less) in Polish. Again, I would both watch the movie and
glance at the subtitles for an interesting lesson in the Polish language. ;) We
all liked this movie a lot and had a chat about how movie titles change so much
here. 

Sunday we spent a few hours chatting before my afternoon train
back to Warsaw. I was very sad to go after having such a wonderful time with my
friends. I made it back later in the night and was ready to go to bed for
classes the following day. 

Weekdays spent in Warsaw are always interesting. Mondays and
Tuesdays are my main class days, while the rest of the week only consists of a
longer Polish lesson on Wednesday and one class on Thursday. Coming back to my
home base - our student dorm - meant doing homework, washing dirty clothes,
buying some food at grocery stores or restaurants (such as one of the Warsaw
restaurants I enjoy: a quick and inexpensive vegetarian place called VEGA that
I had lunch at on Monday). There are also some "checks with reality"
when I return to dorm life: emails from school (already almost time for Fall
2011 course registration), notes from family in the US, working on reading
assignments for classes. 

On Wednesday evening, our CIEE group had a great cultural
excursion: we went to see a new ballet ("I PRZEJDĄ DESZCZE..." or
"And The Rain Will Pass") that was great! Our seats were fantastic -
on the floor and only a few rows from the stage. The dancers were amazing and
afterwards everyone in the group was talking about the skills they showed
during the performance. Some of us even tried to replicate the moves. ;) 

The weather lately has been beautiful and, as April begins, it
really feels of Spring. The Spring semester really was a great choice to come
to Poland (I feel this way all the time, especially when I hear about the
weather I am "missing" at school or at home in the US)! The sun is
shining and the sky is blue; the temperature is warmer, to the point of putting
on a lighter coat and grabbing a pair of sunglasses before heading out for a
nice walk around the city - maybe even to the parks or outside decks or roofs.
The beginning of a new weekend, and a new month, means both planning what to do
and enjoying the unexpected that comes. Now I am just sad that my time here is
closer to being over. I may not want to go. :) 

The Rain Will Pass

Aaa, kotki dwa,
szarobure obydwa,
jeden duży, drugi mały
oba mi się spodobały.

Aaa, kotki dwa,
szarobure obydwa,
nic nie będą robiły,
tylko ciebie bawiły.


http://czasdzieci.pl/czytanki/id,149bed-aaa_kotki_dwa.html
This is actually from a website for small children/babies; this is a "song" or poem I actually remember my Mom and Babcia/grandma saying to me. I tried looking quickly for other familiar ones, but this one I know for sure.

The ballet last night was very good. Ballet does wonders to a man's body, but just makes women thin. The guys all seemed to have every bone and bit of lean muscle visible... I was a bit sleepy before the performance, so when the music was slow and the stage was darker, I became a bit sleepy and thought I could easily nod off to sleep. :-P There were some scenes our group labeled "homo-erotic" and even one where a guy danced in falling water. There were many, many dancers (several groups, costumes, dances, "story-lines among the dancers), choir-persons, and orchestra members in the performance. But, the ending was very bright, loud, and lively, which was good because it woke me up a bit before having to leave. Whenever I see ballet (such as after watching "Black Swan," I feel in the mood to replicate the moves, to stretch, to do yoga or Pilates, and to move about. Some people in my group even began to pretend to dance in the lobby. ;)

After the performance, I finished watching "Watchmen," which turned out to be very different than what I expected and I liked it a lot (how could I NOT like a film with an owl super hero? ;) )

No classes today, so I am relaxing and catching up on "How I Met Your Mother" right now. I may head out in a bit since the weather is so nice (low 60s with some sunshine).

And there is a new toilet paper rule being instated tomorrow; I guess each resident is allowed one roll per month; my sister asked if Communism is starting again when I told her about it. :-P

The Scientist

"Nic o nas bez nas."
["Nothing about us without us."]


Two days (the "tougher"/longer ones) of classes complete. :-P I had Polish history in the morning and then a break since this is the first of two weeks without my politics course. During my break, I watched one of the recent "How I Met Your Mother" episodes I had yet to watch ("Desperation Day") and it was really good. I later discussed "Promised Land" in literature class and received some reading for our next class (which will be in a week because our Thursday class is cancelled, which means my weekend starts tomorrow. :-D Maybe we will push the idea on this teacher that we do not need to make up this missed class... one can hope.) I then had my Jews in Poland course before heading back to the dorm for the night. It was there that I noticed how I am receiving more and more emails about registration for fall courses at Fairfield. It is weird to think that housing and course registration is being done already since it seems so soon. :-P I looked over what I have completed and what I have remaining and I think if I do some work over the summer and then have a regular schedule in the fall, I might be able to complete my requirements for graduation in December. This is tempting since then maybe I would take the spring off to work and apply for graduate schools. It seems both far and close. Gee. I emailed my advisor about some of my thoughts and questions, so we will see where it all goes! I even received my pin for online registration already and will be picking classes on April 12th (2:30pm my time, 8:30am Fairfield's).

Tomorrow I have Polish in the morning followed by a break and then a CIEE program-paid lunch in the afternoon (it relates to an assignment involving directions that the Beginning group has to complete). In the evening we are going to a ballet: http://www.teatrwielki.pl/repertuar/balet/kalendarium/nowy_balet.html?kid=528

Some thoughts I have had recently are that, when thinking about or planning or preparing to go abroad, I rarely thought about emotions. The only well-known ideas that are discussed during pre-orientation are culture shock and homesickness when away. Well, lately, I am wondering more about the end of my time here in Europe (Poland specifically) and thinking about how hard it will be to leave, to go back to "reality." There is a lot I am missing right now, but I have already come to terms with the fact that no matter where I am or what I am doing, I will ALWAYS be missing someone or something; there is no way to have everyone and everything I love together with me all of the time. I discussed it with my friends this weekend, how difficult it is for me to settle because of my indecisiveness, dispersed loved ones, and all of the great places I have lived or visited or want to visit. It will not be easy to pick one place or one profession, but now that I know there is no way to make everyone happy, then I can at least think about making decisions based on greater good instead of being stifled by innumerable choices. It is tough to be in a world where I may be able to communicate with people all over the globe, but if I want to see them, I cannot simply "fold a map" as if the world were flat and see them in person whenever I wished.

Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are

I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I've set you apart

Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh, let's go back to the start

Running in circles
Coming up tails
Heads on the science apart

Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh take me back to the start

I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart

Questions of science
Science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart

Oh tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start



Adjective of the Day for Me: Nieśmiała (timid)
Website of the Day: http://polish.typeit.org/ [helps with typing Polish letters with accents.]

In A Big Country

Sadly, the weather today was not of the same quality as yesterday's. :( It was gray and cold and a bit wet outside. I decided it was another indoor activity kind of day. First, I headed to a museum in Stare Miasto (Old Town) and found out it is closed on Saturdays. :-/ Maybe tomorrow I will see it. :-P After that, the weather was so gross that I decided to just go to the movies. This meant going to the Multikino at Zlote Tarasy (yuck) since I did not see the main movie I was interested in seeing available at another cinema; the mall was busy as usual (maybe even more since it is Saturday and a bad weather-day). The movie theatre prices are probably close to prices of some American ones, except maybe a bit less than in big city multiplexes (so actually cheaper and there are not just child, but student, discounts). There are different prices depending on day/time and age; I tried to ask for a student price, but the girl at the box office gave me some issues about my student card's date (I think? I had told her I don't speak Polish well and ordered in Polish and then she said something about my card was bad that I did not understand) - which I think was just her not reading it correctly, but I don't know how to argue in Polish well enough, so I just paid normal price since I understood that part of what she said. I saw "The Adjustment Bureau," which was pretty good. The movie theatre is big and nice with a large screen and comfy seats with cup holders. The place is multi-level and even has bars and clubs inside, so it is very large. At this cinema, you are actually assigned seats - which I don't think ever happens in the US for films... - which remided me of seating being done on an airplane. Because of this, I actually was surrounded by people rather than using the "one stall" rule in America that always has people giving each other space in terms of seating in bathrooms or theaters - we Americans like our space and tend to give each other courtesy room. ;) My thoughts on the movie include: good chemistry between Damon and Blunt (she is lucky with all of her Boston Boys); YAY JOHN SLATTERY (wish he were used as much toward the end as in the beginning); and interesting characters (especially the agent who "watches" Damon's character). It was interesting just watching the movie and glancing at the subtitles to see words I knew or to try and learn new ones. The previews were better when showing English-language films because they were not dubbed, whereas everything from Poland did not have English sub-titles, of course. ;) :-P I headed back after the movie to a slippery, moist-aired city with light rain. I saw some dumb tween/teen girls on a tram who had beer and seemed drunk or just stupid; one fell down stairs by a Metro stop and another kept swearing before leaving the tram. Plans for tomorrow include museum visits and not sure what else.

More Updates

-The ballet our group is seeing at the end of March: http://www.teatrwielki.pl/en/current_listings/ballet/kalendarium/new_work.html?year=2011&month=4&kid=498

-Gdansk trip will be April 15-17

-Lublin trip will be May 15-16

But Why Is The Rum Gone?

I guess I will not leave it as a surprise, but say that I went to the main post office here [upon recommendation by Gosia, who said there is virtually no wait there, whereas most other offices are similar to a deli where you take a number and wait for your turn], where in mixed Polish and English I bought stamps and sent postcards to some lucky people. ;-) I did "ordinary" over "priority," so I am uncertain how long it will take for the cards to make it to the US. :-P It was interesting because on the way there women with clipboards tried to ask me for help with something - maybe a petition to sign? - so I had to keep saying I didn't speak Polish well and/or did not understand and walked away.

Yesterday I had classes and after they were over, I met with my Polish "buddy" [similar to the Big Brother/Big Sister programs of high schools]. She is very nice. I finally had a chance to give her the small gifts I brought her from America [she was so busy with exams and classes and going on break that I only saw her at the airport for a few moments and have only spoken to her via text messages and Facebook since then] and at first she refused to take anything, so I had to push a couple of times until she finally accepted. :) She asked me where I wanted to go and I said it was up to her, so we headed towards Old Town to a pub. I met a friend of hers who works there (she said they live together, so I am uncertain whether this fellow is a platonic friend or a boyfriend or what...). I learned some about my Buddy:

• Likes Cuba Libres :-P (I think ours were free since her bartender/friend gave us some and I didn't hear or see any mention of money)
• Used to be a bartender, so she knows how to make a lot of drinks or at least is familiar with names
• Likes rum, sweeter/flavored beers - not regular, strong beer, white wine sometimes; doesn't like vodka, red/strong wine
• Studying for a Master's in International Business (so I am pretty sure she is older than me)
• Has studied many foreign languages and knows Russian, Polish, and English (her classes are in English now)
• Going to Finland next semester (leaves at the end of August)
• Born in the Ukraine and moved to Poland around the age of 14
• Her parents live in the suburbs of Warsaw, not too far away (still technically Warsaw area)
• Has friends who live in different parts of the world - a classmate from NY, a friend in Portugal, a girlfriend in Gdansk area, family in Ukraine
• Speaks well in English (her friend knows a lot as well), but wants to work on it as I want to work on Polish (we will help each other and she is pushing for more Polish since she is not confident in her English, but it is better than my Polish, so I try to encourage her as well)
• Smokes (she buys slims of whatever brand - which a lot of girls here seem to prefer)
• Fan of soap operas as my Babcia/grandma is and movies (more comedies)
• Reads Paulo Coelho - favorite book being his "The Alchemist"
• Loves sushi and wants to go to Asia - especially Japan (almost went to China for vacation, but went to Malta instead because it was not as expensive as going to China)
• Tongue pierced and at least one tattoo

We stayed at the pub talking (and smoking for her :-P ) until closing when we left with her friend. It was fun; she starting making ideas of more activities we can do together now that she is back in Warsaw - having sushi (apparently her friend has made it himself before and they like to go to sushi places), going to the Warsaw Uprising Museum, hanging out at her apartment, etc. She also gave her opinion on pubs, clubs, malls, stores, restaurants, neighborhoods, cities/places, etc.

Today I changed my bed linens; every three weeks a sign goes up specifying two consecutive days and the hours on those days when you can take your sheets to the office and put them in piles to be laundered and then collect new/clean ones to replace the dirty ones. This morning I had a group meeting with everyone on the program and then a class, but now I have a break until two classes later this afternoon. During the meeting, we learned about finalizing course registration and some important dates, in addition to asking any questions we may have. Monday we are going to see a choir/folk dance group at the National Opera: http://www.mazowsze.waw.pl/ On Thursday morning we are doing a tour of SGH's library. Next Tuesday, we are having a group dinner. Our weekend trip to Gdansk is either March 25-27 or April 15-17. Also, we are going to a ballet on March 30 and our day-trip to Lublin may be April 1-2 or 2-3, but this could change. The Krakow/Auscwitz area trip is May 1-6. We also have a Spring Break around Easter (April 22-30 I believe).

The Sun Shines in Warsaw!

Thanks for sharing some blue skies and sunlight, Jenn. ;)

Everyone put on sort-of semi-formal wear for the ballet; we stopped at an Italian cafe/restaurant beforehand for a quick dinner. I had a fish soup with pieces of salmon, carrot, and soba noodles with fish broth and a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, hard-boiled eggs, cheese (pushed aside), cucumbers, and dressing.
Restaurant: http://www.giovanni.pl/rubino/main.html

The ballet was GREAT. I adored the costumes and men in tights, haha. The dresses the girls wore I wish I could dance around in. :) After the ballet it began to POUR rain down on us as we anxiously waited for the bus. I stayed at the hostel while some of the others went out to a couple of clubs and to have some food (I heard kebabs and McDonalds mentioned... NO KFC OR MICKEY DS FOR ME!) I stopped at a gas station on the way back and bought a LITER of cola. ;) (in addition to an apple and gum). I relaxed, read, finished up homework (selected classes already, so it was pretty much finishing some Polish vocab) and fell asleep. :-P Tonight I have to finish up packing since we leave the hostel tomorrow! :-D We should all celebrate leaving! Hooray! Less than 24 hours before dorm life begins. I will not be living only out of a suitcase. :-/

Today, we went to the Chopin Museum. It may be one of the most beautiful museums I have ever seen; gorgeous inside: marble staircases, chandeliers, classical music, artifacts... Wow. It is probably an important attraction I would recommend to anyone who comes here. We had made another Starbucks run before hitting the museum; this is still the only American chain I have had here, so I am still "pure." I had the fruit salad again, which is not cut up into the smaller chunks, but still mostly tasty (especially the pineapple). The only negatives I have about the Starbucks are the seeded grapes (have not really seen seedless there or at the market) and the lack of light mocha/caramel/etc. frappuccinos. :-/ What can you do? Near this Starbucks there is a Chinese restaurant and we saw a person dressed as a panda bear (second day in a row seeing it) advertising to eat there. It was walking near a woman selling flowers while holding a sign for the Chinese food.

Starbucks City Mug: Warsaw (with Chopin's Monument)

Other side of the mug

After the museum, the group decided to go have some great views of Warsaw from the Palace of Culture and Science (Palac Kultury i Nauki) since the sun was shining and it was pretty warm. This is the first day of really nice weather - nearly spring-like. :) This made the group happy to stay out. We had a chance to walk around a bit - especially in the Centrum area. There are so many places I want to check out - tea shops, bookstores, cafes...

I prefer beautiful and meaningful art/graffiti. This is Chopin with his head being a map of Warsaw, the blue being the river (Wisla)

View from the Palace of Culture and Science (notice the tall building is the Novotel Hotel)

Another view from the Palace

The ceiling by the elevators on the observation deck floor

A few of us bought train tickets to Berlin (I am holding off for now since I know of at least a couple of other train tickets for which I need to save money). I stopped at a market with a few others for snacks: fruit, rice cakes (rice waffles here), and snack bars. I have had this German brand lately, in addition to Nestle ones:
http://www.corny.de/

Now I am relaxing again, about to pack, and wondering what else I may do before leaving this "fun" hostel at 10 AM tomorrow morning (especially glad to leave after so many days of "breakfast," "bathrooms," and hearing about people trying to break into our rooms...)

Pa, pa. ;)

It's Been One Week

Quick note this time!

There were some issues last night and this morning with Internet and we all mostly took it easy after waking up early and staying up late a lot recently. I woke up to grab some food from our regular breakfast and went back to sleep until almost noon. After that, some of us explored the city on our way to the National Ballet - most of us are going to see "Anna Karenina" tonight. (Theatre: http://www.teatrwielki.pl/en/polish_national_ballet.html and performance: http://www.teatrwielki.pl/en/current_listings/ballet/kalendarium/anna_karenina-1.html?year=2011&month=2&kid=489) We are going to dinner beforehand shortly and we stopped by the Frederic Chopin Museum on the way back from the ballet box office. The museum was full, so we bought tickets to go at noon tomorrow. We received student discounts for both the ballet and the museum. :) Plus, we will be reimbursed by the program for going. On the way to the hostel, I stopped inside of my first Starbucks here and bought the fruit salad that I have had before as more of a fruit cup at Starbucks in the States. The downtown area is amazing. We stopped by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and saw the changing of the guards. It is surprisingly warmer - nearly 9 Celsius! - but still gray, chilly, wet (even some slight drops of rain), and WINDY. Oh my. And especially near Nowy Swiat Street there are a lot of great places to see - stores, restaurants, etc. Now I have had some tea before I go change for tonight.