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)