My experience with culture shock began right away with a complete inability to contact "the outside world" since my departure on Saturday...
Today, I received a temporary password which will only allow me on the computers in the basement of the dorm (which you can only get into with a key you have to ask for at the front desk) and in the university (which are propped up to about the height of my belly button. Two of them are near ledges low enough to sit on and of course those are the most commonly used). I would've had a real password yesterday except for the fact that they miss-entered some of my information for the IT guys, resulting in no internet for me. No one in the dorm has quite figured out the connection, but I hear they'll give you the cords. I would've received one by now, but they give you one when you turn in your paper that has personal information about your computer (ipconfig sort of stuff). I cannot get this personal information about my computer because the fuses in our room blew. (At first I thought my computer cord had broken, until I tried my ipod in the kitchen and it began charging, but I didn't have time to fully charge it, so it's not even of entertainment use). I went to the fuse box, and it was locked.
The people in the entryway of my building don't speak English, so I have to ask for my room key in Polish. The rooms are very small. The pillows are 3x a normal pillow size. It takes about 20 minutes to get from the dorm to class.
Arriving in Warsaw, I heard a Rod Stewart cover on the plane, which made me miss my former roommate, a big Rod Stewart fan, and by proxy, America. The airport was fine, and the passport control didn't even ask me any questions!
The computers at the university. keeps correcting my spelling. It thinks I should type in a British manner.
Also, on the first day of class, the pronunciation chart they gave us for Polish used British pronunciation, so it was awful. There was a handout, thank goodness with American pronunciation.
Two women from Bolivia are in my class. I'm drawing on my 7th and 8th grade Spanish to communicate, but it's rough since I mostly just remember the Padre Nuestro.
The Europeans largely all speak French and English, so communication isn't impossible.
The dorm has no a/c and no screens on the window, so I opened up wide and just hoped the mosquitoes don't bite.
I must still be in the "I LOVE IT HERE" phase. Classes are awesome, but I wish there were more. I love it. I have class from 9-12:15. There's a lecture from 12:30-1:30 in English. Then there's lunch. Between lunch and 5 I'm free. Then I have a conversation class at 5, which is helpful for the hard words and a review session from the earlier class. Dinner's at 6:30. On Wednesdays they take us out to a Polish restaurant or show us how to make Polish food. Then we eat. Every other Monday is a Polish sing-a-long, starting two Mondays from now. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings they review the Polish news. They arrange field trips of museums around here and Polish movie nights.
The weather is good. It's been hot - maybe in the 80s. It rained the first night here and a bit yesterday, but when I was inside. Today it's nice and cool. It gets bright here at like 4 am, though. Very annoying for my sleep pattern.
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