Torun

I still haven't been to Lodz or Poznan, but I wanted to continue my streak of hitting cool Polish towns. So, I went to Torun - the home of gingerbread and Mikolaj Kopernik.

So, I took PolskiBus - which has wi-fi! PolskiBus was awesome. The seats are pretty comfortable, and on the way to Torun, there was hardly anyone on the bus.

After checking in to my super cheap but completely legit hotel, I ventured into Old Town... to The Nicholas Copernicus museum. This is where they think Kopernik's wealthy merchant family may have lived. Instead of legitimate exhibits, it's all things that are copies of old things or copies of things that may have belonged to Kopernik or things that are similar to things that Kopernik most likely used.

There were some real classics. Like the below painting. It features Nick in the middle of all these other scientists. Showing that the planet system does not circle the sun... but in fact, the world circles around Nick himself.

Below is the outside of the house that may have once belonged to the family that Kopernik was probably part of...

Outside the major Cathedral (which asks for a mandatory "donation" to let anyone in) is a nice little poster advertising the First in Poland 3D film at a Cathedral... Who can resist that sort of awesomeness? Unfortunately, I did not watch this awesome film.

I wandered around a little bit. I sat by the Vistula River, just outside of the city gates. I saw some of the outdoors highlights because it was too late for the museums at this point. However, there was a pretty sweet leaning tower. When I was in Pisa, I was told that leaning towers are not special or unique. They're in every old city ever. Which, actually, is a weird thing to hear in Pisa, because you would think that they'd focus on making sure everyone knew that their tower is the best/most leaningest tower ever.

There was a church that was way cooler than the Cathedral - and which didn't require a mandatory "donation." It had some gorgeous frescoes, and it was super way old. Actually, a lot of things in Torun were super way old...

The next morning I got up and did the rounds of the museums, knowing I only had a short amount of time before my bus ride back to Warszawa. So, I hit the ruins of the Teutonic Knights' castle. The citizens of Torun kicked the knights out (although I'm not 100% clear on what that catalyst was, the general consensus seems to be that the knights weren't that cool). Then they tore down the castle and turned it into a landfill. Then tourism starts up (which really, when you think of it, is a fairly new phenomenon unless you could pilgrimages - which have existed since forever). So, some folks clear out the landfill and let the people pay for the privilege of walking amongst the ruins. The weirdest part, however, was this well with a grate over it. And inside the well was a skeleton. Like - what was the point of placing that there? Spooky.

So, They dressed this statue of Nick up to promote Euro 2012, even though Torun won't see any 2012 action. To be fair, Warsaw is doing the same thing with the mermaid and Chopin. But they aren't actually dressing them up - or at least, the last time I was in the rynek or in Lazienki park they weren't dressed up. Instead, they have cartoon images of them (dressed as fans) everywhere. And sometimes on the trams there are little cartoons in which they interact. From my limited Polish, it seems like Chopin hits on the mermaid. Which is just kind of strange on multiple levels.

Next I headed over to the Living Museum of Gingerbread. Note the emphasis on the word "living." So, I show up, and they let me join a demonstration... with 45 Polish school children. So there were some super awkward fun times as they translated the things for me that I didn't understand in Polish. The little girl next to me thought I was so cool, she was all (in Polish) "You speak English?!?" So... yeah. I'm pretty fly. Anyway, I learned how to make Torun gingerbread. However, it's unlikely that I'll take up this skill at home because they let the gingerbread set for months in a dark cellar. Being American, I'm really into immediate gratification. I would probably forget all about my gingerbread. And then centuries from now, someone would discover it in the cellar (which I don't have). That person would probably draw all sorts of strange conclusions from their discovery. It would be weird.

At the super legitimate museum where the Old Town Hall is, there were a bunch of children practicing a court procession. Adorable. There were also a ton of great exhibits from the major museum in Krakow - which is under renovation right now. Though Lola says something about there being mismanagement? I don't know. It must be something that museum-y people know and follow.

After the town hall, I paused for lunch, enjoying the warmth of the sun in a cute town. Then I headed to... the ethnographic museum. How legit is this? There were just a ton of old buildings from all over the country. And the "keepers" of the outdoor museum kept talking to me in Polish, explaining things. Luckily, I know my numbers well enough to know that they were just explaining the century of the buildings. Anyway - there was a mill and a windmill and a houseboat and an old firefighter place and a forge and all sorts of neat stuff.

On my way back to the hotel (then to the bus) I came across this cafe, which tickled my fancy. Yes, It is Central Perk. In Torun. And yes, they made lattes flavored for each of the characters in Friends. It especially amused me because I used "Friends" as an example of cultural differences when I was talking to Amanda R about the problems with marrying someone from a different country/culture. Mainly - I love pop culture references. There are things like Friends in America that everyone knows about whether or not they watched it. They probably know the characters and their personalities and the jokes and the theme song - and most people remember "The Rachel" as a haircut. Well, I guess after seeing this that perhaps Friends wasn't the best example to prove that point.

Pumped Up Kicks

Lola convinced me to go to a concert with her. What concert you ask? Foster the People! Warsaw actually has quite the concert scene. In fact billboards on their buses are advertising a new CocoRosie album or something. Which surprises me because, really, I didn't think anyone in America knew who CocoRosie is... let alone Europe...

So, Lola and I head out to the concert. Because they only have one album, they sang every song on it. Which wasn't a problem for me, as I'd spent the entire night before listening to it over and over in preparation. Some of the songs were really enjoyable! But it was also the first time I'd listened to "Pumped Up Kicks" - their hit song - and realized how dark and violent it is (about gun violence in schools). I guess I should pay more attention to the lyrics on the radio instead of assuming that unilaterally they have no depth.

Szczecin

So, Lola and I headed to Szczecin for the weekend. Surprisingly... there isn't much to do there. But Szczecin does have some real gems. First of... 

That's right. The world's OLDEST cinema. Pretty legit, right? We saw a movie called Certifiable Copy - the Polish translation of the title is more like "Notes from Tuscany." Anyway - it was in English, Italian, and French... with Polish subtitles. However, it was better for us than trying to watch "The Skin I Live In" (Spanish with Polish subtitles) in Gdansk.

The next morning, Lola and I headed to the underground tunnels underneath the Szczecin train station. There was a WWII tour and a Communism tour. We were placed on the WWII tour. We saw a pattern that would follow the rest of our time in Szczecin. They had a German tour. They had a Polish tour. And they gave us notes on the tour in English. We did OK on the Polish tour. And I even understood most of everything they said abut phosphorescent paint.

The train station is also where the tourist route begins and ends. It's basically these red lines throughout the city that take us to the highlights of the city. Along the way, we hit some interesting museums. The modern art museum had a pretty cool special exhibit on luck and superstition. But the real highlight was the maritime museum. See below. There were real scintillating features.

That evening, we went out with Cordelia's friends. We had some real Polish hospitality. The mother of the girl whose house it was kept making sure our shot glasses are full. Then we went to a bar where there was lots of music and dancing. I miss dancing at bars. It was like the Backer all over again. Hopefully there's something awesome like that at Utah.

The next morning, Lola and I explored the Pomeranian Dukes' Castle before taking a train home. The train was the most crowded ever. There were people crushed into the hallways and the doorways. It was miserable. Then there was someone in our car who kept standing up, walking over to the window (it was really cold outside) and lowering it while standing there. Let me reinforce how exactly small the train car is and remind you that I'm in the window seat. So, I keep having to move my feet so he can stand there and make me freezing cold. Annoying. Then the train ended up taking an extra 90 minutes to get to Warsaw. I thought I was going to die. More or less.

Bitwa Narodow

Everywhere I go, I see posters for this epic. Bitwa Narodow. Battle of the Nations. Reenactments of medieval fights. By people who are very serious about the authenticity of their medieval reenactments.

So, when I found out that there was a very very long holiday in Poland, I started searching for all included vacations to the Canary Islands. However, the cheapest trips were to Tunisia. I thought about it fairly seriously. Then I began to wonder if it was really a good idea to go somewhere with a US State Department travel warning. So, I figured I had to take advantage of what Warsaw has to offer.

Mainly: Sunshine and Bitwa Narodow.

On Monday, we took the longest hike ever from the bus stop to Fort Bema. Once we were inside Fort Bema it was another long hike to the entrance of Bitwa Narodow. Luckily, we arrived in time for the opening pageant. Well, partially into the opening pageant. So, we walked in to the sounds of the American National Anthem. Holla. Then we watched the American Medieval Warriors (pause for chuckles) walk out. We caught up with the American team, and they were super nice to us. They talked to us about the battles and the weaponry andwhatnot. They were very chill, even giving me an American flag to wave around.

After all the walking we did, we already had a sunburn by the time we walked in. So, we waited a bit before heading out with the intention of coming back soon.

So... Thursday we rolled in again. Just in time for the jousting. Once again, we managed to get into the best situation for photo taking as the jousters paraded into the arena.

After watching the jousting - which was almost as good as in A Knight's Tale or at Medieval Times - Lola tried out her Katniss Everdeen skills with a bow and arrow. We did a little shopping at the booths of craft goods. Some of them were super authentic. Some were super ridiculous. There was a coffee mug with images of knights fighting all over it. I loved it, but I did not buy it. Knowing I'm going home soon, I'm trying to stay minimalist.

Before we left, we watched a giant "all-on-all" battle in which all the participants got into the rink and fought each other. It was pretty epic. Then I snuck over to the American encampment to take photos with the "authentic" American medieval crowds and stuff.

The Week of the Americans

Tuesday after class, I was leaving when a man stopped and asked me to take  his photograph. Of course, I was friendly and nice and took his photo. Then he asked me where I'm from. So, we start talking about America. Because he's from America too! He's been teaching at my school all year, and no one sought fit to introduce us. JM is this adorable old man. We ended up chatting for quite a while before we made plans to get lunch the next day after my class.

The next morning, I taught. Then JM and I headed to the 49th biggest tourist attraction in Warsaw. It's this large market with lots of little mom & pop stores. Through that, we found Asia Tasty - which JM loves because it has Vietnamese food he can't find anywhere else. Asia Tasty was decent food, and I enjoyed chatting with someone from back home. JM has since started sending me all sorts of news articles from NPR and the like. It's very enjoyable.

After that, I went to Charlotte where I loitered, waiting for the moment I would meet a new American friend. This girl is a friend of two other Fulbrighters here. All three of these people went to the same university. I agreed to meet with her because the other friends know and like her. New girl was in Warsaw for a couple weeks. So, she didn't have a telephone that works here. Nor was she familiar with public transport. But she assured me that she could meet me. So... I waited. I waited. And I waited. And when she was 30 minutes late, I thought... Golly. She's probably lost in Warsaw. So I waited some more. I've never felt so idiotic in my life. Because this girl was not going to show. Embarrassing.

The next day, I met a former Fulbrighter from Morocco who is currently working in Warsaw. She showed up. And was really cool. It was fun comparing experiences both as a Fulbrighter in a new country and as a teacher in Warsaw.

Anyway, I figure it was just like life to have me encounter all sorts of new people... at the end of my year in Poland.

Zakopane! Or the Weekend I Ate Oscypek

I arrived at Zakopane late on Thursday night. I was giving myself a full day there on Friday and Saturday, then returning Sunday morning. Since it was so late, I decided to take a cab to my hostel. Big mistake. They speak a different dialect of Polish in the mountains. With my foreigner accent, the cab driver couldn't understand me when I said the street and address of the hostel. Eventually he took the paper from me. Then he proceeded to drive in circles before stopping and taking the paper from me again. He turned on the light in the cab and put on his glasses so he could actually see. At this point he says, "Oh! Stara Polona" Like I was deliberately hiding something from him. Then he goes and drops me off at this apartment complex that is not my hostel and proceeds to force me out of the cab. I'm trying to explain that it isn't right, and he insists that it is. So, I pay the 15 zl, begrudgingly. Very very begrudgingly. Then I proceed to walk down the street, roaming the wilds of Zakopane in the dark, until I reach my hostel.

At this point, I'm very frustrated and thinking that my vacation was going to go this way. Luckily, the person at the hostel was super friendly and nice when I checked in. My room was small but adorable. I settled in for the night, knowing I could get up early and explore.

Explore I did. I had a map of the city, but I tucked it away and just followed my instinct (or rather, all the other people) until I found the main street. It's a pedestrian street with all sorts of shopping and restaurants. The whole town reminds me so much of a resort town in the US. Though, being Polish, it was a bit different. For one, there were fewer oxygen bars than in Breckenridge!

I explored the town then stopped at a Tourist Information desk to get some information about must-dos for the next day.

The next day, I arose bright and early to go explore the mountains. It was the first day that the funicular was open to top the green mountain so that I could look out at the valley and the white mountain. I'm sure these mountains have much better names, but I was satisfied with my distinction between trees and snow.

Afterwards, I wandered back into town. I did some souvenir shopping, picking up a few things for myself that I had really wanted, including a very nifty set of jewelry and a shirt that says "Jestem Hardcorem." I love little anglicisms in Polish like that.

Next, I went to the Museum of the Tatras. It was OK. There were a few neat exhibits like the inside of traditional mountain people's homes. Otherwise it was just an average little museum.

After the Museum of the Tatras, I headed for the oldest street in town to see some of the traditional wooden architecture. Zakopane is very proud of its wooden architecture. I guess it's pretty cool. I stumbled into the oldest church in the city, which is dedicated to Our Lady of Czestachowa. So you'll notice that the image behind the altar is a copy of the Black Madonna. Of course, after sitting down to take a break and enjoy the peace of the little church, a tour group comes in, surrounding me, and proceeds to start praying the rosary in Polish. There was no way to get out without majorly disrupting someone's prayer moment. So I awkwardly sat until they finished. I may have finally memorized the Hail Mary in Polish, though!

There was an old cemetery behind the church. It was beautiful, and a lot of the graves featured things like this really pensive/depressed looking Jesus. He's known as Jezus Frasobliwy. So, after seeing these, I remembered hearing about it at some point in a tour I've taken somewhere in Poland at some point in my life. Anyway, I went back down to the nearby path toward the mountain. This was lined with tourist stalls. I eventually found the coolest little Jezus Frasobliwy for myself. My only regret is that I didn't have him earlier so that I could send him home with my parents! Now he'll weigh down my giant suitcases instead. C'est la vie!

Readjusting to Life in Warsaw

Once my parents left, happy happy fun times of Europe ended and reality of Warsaw resumed. The daily grind, so to speak.

I had to teach the upcoming weekend. Between preparing for classes and tutoring, I did little else. Other than, of course: catching up on my e-mail correspondence, house hunt for Utah, and read. I do a lot of reading these days...

Class, as always, was an adventure. My weekend students are still showing up, unlike my weekday students. I think they'll be surprised when they realize that my speech about them all being adults means that they will suffer consequences from their actions. I don't have the time or energy to chase down my students when they can't show up to class. It's disrespectful to me and to their own attempts to get a degree.

School was fairly unexciting. I realized I had a free weekend the next weekend. So with some planning, I decided to explore some of Poland. This eventually caused me to book a trip on PolskiBus to see Zakopane. I think I'm pleased with this decision. After all - who doesn't like resort towns. I guess we'll see next week!

Monday I agreed to be part of the International Education Week at Warsaw University. I'm not sure what that all entailed, so I just showed up. Luckily I did because evidently I agreed to be on a panel about education in the US. I tell you this. Being put on a surprise panel is not very enjoyable. I didn't know what was going on or necessarily what I should say about anything. I hadn't had time to think. I didn't know what they were expecting from me. I even managed to fumble on my introductions. Whenever they asked a question, they would pass my the microphone if I had nothing to say, and they kept it away from me if I did have something to add. And trust me - there were times when the advice that the other panelists were giving was just flat out bad advice. Like, yes, state schools can be great. But if you're an international student trying to afford an education in the US, you can probably get more money out of private universities. Even though many of the people there wanted to visit the US for undergrad, the other panelists kept talking about grad school. They also didn't seem to appreciate that location and character of a campus can make just as much of a difference as the professors you have. Obviously you want to go to somewhere with a high academic reputation, but even if you go to the best school in the country,  you could be miserable if you can't adapt to the social life. College in the US is about class - but it's also about more than learning. It's the difference between getting an education and getting a degree. No one else seemed to acknowledge that this was an issue. I could've gone to the exact same classes on a different campus than Notre Dame, and my education would be incredibly different. I needed the traditions and the social life and the opportunities for grant funding and the like that weren't necessarily accessible in other locations. Anyway, I didn't get a chance to talk about any of this, and I was frustrated at the end to see all the Polish students flocking to talk to the one Polish woman who kept saying things I disagreed with. Yet, she once had a Fulbright to Harvard. Therefore she must be the most knowledgeable person ever. Right?