Christmas in my Classroom

The whole week before Christmas I did nothing but play Christmas games and make decorations in my classes...and it was awesome! The Christmas spirit in Poland is wonderful and I really enjoyed learning about Polish Christmas traditions from my students.

~Merry Christmas to all and 

a Happy New Year~

Homonym Hilarity

As a Native English speaker trying to teach the language to English as a Second Language Learners, it often becomes apparent how difficult the language is to learn. Take homonyms, for example, a group of words with the same spelling and pronunciation but with different meanings. There, their and they're is a good example of a group of homonyms that, unfortunately, even Native English speakers struggle with. While this causes me anguish at the sight of misuse on Facebook, it brings me joy in the classroom.

Scenario #1:
Question: "What is your favourite dish?"
Student: "Ummmmm, my favourite dish is a plate."

Unfortunately I did not have the where with all to ask her why a plate is better than a bowl or a cup.

Scenario #2:
Question: "Are the roads slick? Are they icy?"
Co-teacher: "What do you see?"

Think about it...

Scenario #3:
Question: "Say three things that smell good and three things that smell bad."
Student: "Three things that smell good are flowers, perfume and rain. Three things that smell bad are...boobs. Smelly boobs? Boobs right?

Nothing to do with homonyms, just an incredibly coincidental swapping of 2 letters.

Happy Santa Claus Day!

Capitalists Rejoice! In addition to celebrating Christmas, Poland also celebrates Santa Claus Day on December 6th. How do they celebrate you may ask? By receiving gifts from Santa Claus, of course. So for those of you keeping track, that's two separate holidays on which Santa Claus brings you presents. I know, I couldn't believe it either.

Thank you Poland for yet another amazing holiday that I will be taking back to the United States with me.

A Polish Thanksgiving

After spending 3 days making hand turkeys, thank you 2 years of day care experience, and teaching the Polish children about Thanksgiving origins and traditions, it was nice to sit down with my new friends to experience a Thanksgiving meal. We had a fantastic feast of turkey legs, mashed potatoes, stuffing, deviled eggs, salads, Polish soup, and delicious pies for dessert. We took turns giving thanks for all we have and stuffed ourselves in true Turkey Day fashion.

I do realize the irony of our Thanksgiving pictures being taken in front of the British flag.

~Happy Thanksgiving from Poland~

A Rose By Any Other Nickname

And here I was, thinking that my student's Korean names and their English monikers were hard to keep track of. Thank you Poland for proving that thought wrong. I have compiled a list of Polish names accompanied by their nickname in an effort to prove that 'Dick is to Richard' like 'Bill is to William' situations also exist in different countries.

Girls
The nickname for Katarzyna is Kasia (Kah-sha).
The nickname for Joanna is Asia (Ah-sha).
The nickname for Dobroslawa is Dosia (Doh-sha).
The nickname for Aleksandra is Ola (oh-la).

Boys
The nickname for Witold is Witek (Vee-tek).
The nickname for Jakub is Kuba (Koo-ba).
The nickname for Franciszek is Franek (Frah-nek).
The nickname for Arkadiusz is Arek (Ah-rek).

This is a small sampling of what I deal with on a daily basis. It has taken over a month but I am almost positive I know all my student's names now. And hopefully seeing these names will help you understand why I am having such a hard time learning Polish!

My Favourite Colour is Purple and I am Keen on Maths and Travelling

Yep, that's right, I am an American in Poland teaching British English, in which there are extra u's and l's and math is plural. On top of teaching British English, my school in Poland is slightly different than in Korea, so allow me to explain. There are multiple locations of the school and I work at 3 different locations during the week. I walk about 25 minutes to Radom, but it is a 30-40 minute drive to Pionki (Pee-on-kee) and Zwolen (Zvohl-en). I only see each class once a week, which is nice, except it is getting confusing trying to coordinate my wardrobe so my students don't see me in the same outfit every week. Let's just say, I am never bored and the weeks now go by fast.

Radom School on Mondays

My school is on the second floor with the yellow sign, and there is a Tango Studio on the 3rd floor.

Pionki School on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays

Zwolen School on Thursdays

Again on the second floor, and the post office on the first floor is where I send mail to you people.

Nerd Goggles - City I

My midnight run to Berlin was born out of necessity to get my Polish work visa, but after I got to play tourist for a day, Berlin instantly became so much more. Within the past 100 years alone, the city has seen and been through so much, including but not limited to: the rise, rule and fall of Hitler and the Nazi party, and the building up and tearing down of a wall that would divide it's people and rulers for multiple decades. So to appreciate my new found admiration for this city, it is definitely crucial to put on your nerd goggles and see it as I saw it.

I have to write the disclaimer here that I am in no way an expert on Berlin's history and it's people. I literally only spent one full day exploring and learning bits and pieces from my tour guide...who happened to be Irish. But don't let that fool you, he was more knowledgeable about Berlin than I am about any topic.

Moving on, our tour started at Hackescher Market in West Berlin.

Next, we saw about .09% of Berlin's museums and cathedrals.

Then it was on to the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and East Berlin.

Berliner Mauer 1961-1989

 The last stop on the tour was the Brandenburg Gate.

It is important to note that Berlin was bombed during WWII and buildings were destroyed. Many buildings were rebuilt to look as they had looked originally, so it is sometimes difficult to tell which buildings are originals and which are rebuilt-original. Also, FUN FACT: Hilter knew the potential of destruction on the architecture of the city, so he ordered his soldiers to remove all statues from the tops of buildings to put them in rivers and lakes for safe keeping. Every now and again, someone will stumble upon a forgotten statue in the water, and the quest begins to figure out where that particular statue belongs.

During my stay I was only able to scratch the surface of things to do and see and learn. I also saw and learned more than I am able to tell you here, and even if I could, I definitely won't do it enough justice. I guess the reason I admire this place so much, is that it has been through some horrible things and some very recent horrible things at that. And yet, to be there today, people are still moving and living and finding joy in life. It does not shy away from it's past or look to forget, but it is not hindered by its history. And I find that a very admirable quality.

"History may not repeat itself, 
but it rhymes a lot." ~Mark Twain (unsourced)

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is not a traditional Polish tradition, but due to the presence of people like me, more and more Polish children are learning about costumes and Trick Or Treating. My wonderful co-worker Sylwia really got into the Halloween spirit and carved at least 7 jack-o-lanterns in less than one week for classroom decorations.

3 out of 5 dressed up!

Yes, lot's of boys and only one girl. Poor dear!

We made our own Haunted Houses!

Mind your V's and W's

You must be wondering if I have been able to learn any Polish during my first month here. The answer is 'not really,' and I will tell you why. First, Polish is just about as hard for me to learn as Korean was. Polish is a Slavic language, with just as many unpronounceable sounds as Korean has, along with a different subject/verb/object order. Second, I don't have a brain that is conducive to speaking multiple languages. I just don't soak it up like other people seem to do.

So I am here today to tell you practically the only thing I understand about the Polish language: The W's are pronounced like V's.

Sylwia = Sylvia

Weronika = Veronica

Wiktoria = Victoria

Oliwia = Olivia

Wisa = Visa

Warsaw = Vorshava

Krakow = Krakov

In addition, J's are pronounced like Y's.

Maja = Maya

Julia = Yulia

Anastazja = Anastasia

I know I have a dizzying intellect, but there you have it, the extent of my knowledge of the Polish language. I also know how to say 'hello' and 'thank you' but lately I have been interchanging the two phrases which makes for an awkward hello and many strange looks in my direction, so I have cut back on using them for fear of saying the wrong one.

Happy Name Day!

Here in Poland, and in most predominantly Catholic European countries, people celebrate their Name Day in addition to or in lieu of their birthday. This celebration stems from way back in the day when people were named after a particular saint and would celebrate that saint's Feast Day. Of course now the list has grown to accept a wide variety names in addition to saint's names. But imagine my shock and awe to learn that I had my own Name Day, given that the name 'Amanda' is neither European nor Catholic in any way.

Well folks, I am proud to announce that in addition to celebrating my birthday (which is August 30th in case I happened to allow you to forget), I will now be celebrating my Name Day on October 26. Celebrations include giving the celebrated chocolate and flowers and possibly eating cake.

On my first Name Day ever, I was the lucky recipient of this rose and I also received two boxes of chocolate. Not too shabby for only telling a few people.


I also figured I would use this forum to make a list of things I have observed so far about Poland and it's culture:

1. Everyone wears their wedding ring on their right hand. For a few days I didn't think anyone was married...
2. People drive on the right side of the road, right as in direction not correctness.
3. Most of the country is Catholic, which means lots of cathedrals.
4. Children don't start school or learn to write until they are 7 years old because "their little bodies can't handle the cold temperatures of the winter."
5. Teens can drive and drink, not simulataneously, at age 18.
6. Polish teens are much cooler and more respectful than Korean ones, not to mention much taller.
7. There is a noticeably large disparity between the attractiveness of Polish men and Polish women, and in no way does it work in my favor.
8. Most families have 1 to 3 children.
9. The Poles are eerily good at making pizza.
10. Polish children know and love 'Gangnam Style.'

I Left My Heart in Krakow

I was THIS close to passing up on the opportunity for a weekend trip to Krakow, but luckily after someone mentioned the word castle, I was easily persuaded to change my mind. After a brutal first week of teaching, it was nice to leave behind the chaos of the classroom for a romantic weekend get away...with my 4 female co-workers. Little did I know what Krakow (pronounced Krakov) had in store for me: a 3 story bunk bed, a castle, a gorgeous main square, a traditional Polish dinner of pierogi, and a gorgeous Saturday filled with sun and shopping, followed by a rainy Sunday complete with a 3 hour walking tour and no umbrella, rain boots, or raincoat. Imagining Amanda as a cranky, drowned rat does not do it justice. In spite of the weather, I had an amazing time and cannot wait to return.

The Hostel

I slept on the top...which was only scary on my way down...and felt a lot higher than it looks.

Wawel Castle

 

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