Polish Festival

It's with excitement that I convinced my family to go to St. Stanislaus's Polish Festival this summer. Arriving at this small church in South Omaha, I was shocked by how difficult it was to find parking. Who knew that such a small parish would bring such a big turnout? Then I remembered that people of Polish descent love a party and beer. Obviously. The festival started at noon, and we arrived around 4:30. After a brief exploration of South Omaha from our car to the church, we discovered that they were already out of many of the food options. Luckily they still had kielbasa and one type of pierogi.

We waited in line for beer tickets, during which the guy who looked at my ID didn't believe it was me.

"This doesn't look like you."
*shrug* "Things change, I guess."

But really, the only thing that's changed in the past year and a half is my hair cut... Same height, same weight, same face.

After we grabbed our Budweiser (Really? No Zywiec?), we sat down to play pickles. This must be a Nebraskan Polish thing. It's my Polish side that loves pickles, and it's only Nebraskans who know what I'm talking about. For reference: They're the pull-tabs.

Pickles are the best. The floor was littered with pickles. There were at least two different stands to play pickles at. Probably eight-ten people worked each stand, and the ground was covered all around the stands with pickles about an inch deep. It was impossible to see the pavement.

After the festival, we visited my great-aunt the nun who advised me to not marry a Polish boy. Instead I should marry a Polish Catholic boy. Obviously. I'll get right on that.

Lesson Plans

After speaking with Maggie, I learned that some Fulbrighters end up showing up to their university and receiving a list of classes they'll be teaching. This makes me nervous because I have the skills for teaching but no real experience. So, part of me hopes that I'll show up and TA. A greater part of me is hoping to show up and sink or swim, teaching my own class. In preparation, I made a quasi-syllabus of things I would teach based on an American Studies curriculum (like an intro to American Studies).

Jasper John's "Maps"

I'm super jazzed about this curriculum which includes American Religion as seen in American Gods, American excessiveness as seen in The Great Gatsby and Black Friday, the West as evidence through On the Road, etc. I have a whole slew of poems and plays and other wonderful, wonderful things. I spent three whole nights doing nothing but watching movies (including the wonderful story of the terrible tragedy - Katyn) and scanning books and books and books.

Let's just say - I hope I can teach around Halloween - because I have some great horror stories included.

Mieszkam w mieszkaniu

Roomie and I are well on our way to finding a Polish apartment for this upcoming year. Mieszkanie.pl had been our go to resource for apartment hunting. After living in the dorms for four years, it's exciting to hunt for a place of my own - even if that place is only for a year. I think this will be good experience for my living in one location for the next seven years of my life when I finally return... I'll hopefully be able to really set up shop somewhere.

I'm feeling very burnt out as far as activities go. I can only focus for so long at a time at Polish language learning, thesis revisions, and reading even trashy novels. It's so that I have a hard time focusing on television shows and movies. I believe this is a result of being overactive. Between my job at the gallery and my volunteer position at the historical society, I spend six hours a day in front of a computer. What's the correct solution to this problem?

That's right! I started crocheting again. Perhaps, if this goes well, I can take my needle and an easy scarf pattern to Poland with me and make everyone pocket scarfs for Christmas. After all, I hear it gets really cold in Poland...