A Week of National Mourning

The recent events hit Poland's heart hard with the loss of many prominent figures resulting in a week of national mourning. Flags, pictures and candles cover the ground in front of the Katyń memorial in Krakow, located right in front of my language school. All over Poland, memorials both big and small are on display.

Today, there was a procession through the city ending with a ceremony at the memorial. Taking a break from our speaking midterm exam, my fellow classmates and professors watched from the window as those who were lost were honored, as well as commemorating the historical event of Katyń. A true tragedy within a tragedy. The crowd was filled with hundreds of people young and old. Below are pictures from today.

Interesting Articles:

The Glory of Poland, Why Poland's Grief is Doubled, Layers of History and Grief in Katyń, Anna Walentynowicz

President Lech Kaczynski

Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and other top Polish officials, died in a plane crash yesterday morning in Russia, near Smolensk. Kaczynski was on his way to Russia to commemorate the Katyn Massacre of World War II.

Memorials are set up all over Poland, flags flew at half mast, as the country mourns for its loss. Please keep Poland, and all those affected by this tragedy in your prayers.

Polska

Wielkonoc!

Happy Easter! Through numerous entries I've emphasized how Catholic Poland is, therefore it is no surprise Easter is a big holiday as well. Most of Poland's traditions are similar to those in the states. For example, Poles paint easter eggs and have Easter baskets (not sure if the Easter bunny plays the same part.) Lamb is also a main course mean for Easter. Just like at Christmas, Krakow has an Easter market selling colorful eggs, baskets, flowers and other festive goodies.

However, warning to all those who may be in Poland on Easter Monday, for you may fall victim to Śmigus Dyngus or Lany Poniedziałek or Wet Monday! Traditionally, young men would splash young women with buckets of water! The more drenched a woman got

the more likely she would get married within the year. The following Tuesday, however, women sought revenge and splashed men. It is also believed to represent the Baptism of Poland in 966 AD when Poland converted to Christianity. However, over the years this tradition has changed, and now, no matter your gender, you run the risk of getting splashed with water. Unfortunately,

Easter Monday in Kraków this year was rainy.

My Easter break, as well my 23rd Birthday was spent in Frankfurt, Germany visiting a family friend. I had a wonderful time. It was nice to get away and see a familiar face. I love Poland, but that break was exactly what I needed. Frankfurt is a pretty spectacular city. Its the only city in Germany that has a real skyline, with a few high rises. It was a pretty chilly weekend, but I made the most of my time and had a wonderful host/tour guide.

I hope your Easter celebrations were wonderful!

Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers....

Learning Polish is a challenge. Period. Grammar is difficult. You try mastering the 17 different ways to say the number 2 (actually, I think there is more than 17). However, the biggest challenge I face with learning Polish is pronunciation. Shocking. Because it should be easy to say a word where four letters in a row are "szcz" like Pszczyna or Szczecin. Or to say "Konstantynopolitanczykowianeczka" which is apparently one the longest words in Polish meaning "a little girl from Constantinople." Basically my days consist of spitting all over my worksheets.

Last week my professor thought it would be entertaining to teach us Polish tongue twisters. As if learning Polish isn't a tongue twister all on its own. Needless to say, I epically failed. Seriously though, if these tongue twisters are difficult for native Poles, then there is clearly no hope for me. Below are some tongue twisters. I'm not even going to attempt to spell them out phonetically. Enjoy. Class was pretty entertaining that day.

Zaszeleściły szuwary, szary świt przepłoszył drzemiące stadko srebrno-rdzawych kuropatw.

Król Karol kupił królowej Karolinie korale koloru koralowego.

W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie.

Pszczyna

Yesterday, several friends and I took a day trip to a town right outside of Krakow called Pszczyna (Yes, there is a way to pronounce it.) The first day of spring was beautiful, so it was a perfect time to take trip. The main attraction is the Pszczyna castle which was constructed in the 13th Century but because of the various renovations it looks more like a palace today. What I found most interesting was William II resided there during WWI and served as a headquarters of sort. Just after WWII it was turned in a museum. Its very beautiful inside, especially the music hall with high ceilings and intricate decor.

The town itself is very quaint. The main square is small with several restaurants and shops. There is also a park dedicated to Bison, however we did not go inside (wasn't quite worth the money.) The park on the castle grounds is nice as well and being the first warm day in quite some time, many families were out taking a stroll.

Semester Goals

I have a habit of setting goals for myself and then to not follow through with them. So in order to prevent this habit from haunting my life in Poland, I plan to share some of my goals with you. I'm hoping because it is in writing, I will accomplish what I set out to do this semester. You can hold me to it and guilt trip me at the end of my stay here in Poland if I fail to live up to my own expectations (although I hope this won't happen).

Goal 1: Review everyday for at least an hour. The hour will focus on what I learned that day. If I take a little time everyday to review, my Polish (I hope) will improve. I tend to put it off until the weekend, which becomes overwhelming when I shuffle through worksheets and written notes, trying to remember what I couldn't understand. This goal seems rather obvious, but distractions live on every inch of this city.

Goal 2: Explore and find at least three different cafes a week. Krakow is full of little cafes hidden in alley ways and small streets. Kazimierz (a part of the city, my favorite actually) is brimming with cafes. It is impossible to walk down any street and not pass at least four.

Goal 3: Travel more. This does not just pertain to huge trips around Poland, but also includes day trips to small towns around Krakow. I have yet to visit Czestochowa, a problem I hope to remedy in the near future.

Goal 4: Read more. I'm attached to my computer. Its an outlet for frustration and the easiest way connect to friends and family. It is also how I keep up to date with current events in America. Really glad I don't own a Toyota by the way. However, I know I can accomplish what I need to do on the computer in a designated time span everyday. It is not necessary for me to check my email 600 times a day (I wish I were that important). I want to spend my recreational time reading, not surfing. The first time I lived in Poland I think I read 6 or 7 books, no great feat, but I have yet to read that many to date. This time I plan on reading more than that. I don't have a set number yet, but when I figure it out I'll be happy to share. This being said I am open to suggested readings. Keep in mind I live in Poland and my resources are limited. One of my favorite places is Massolit, an English Used/New bookstore. Their selection is extensive, but its not a Barnes & Noble.

On a side note, Goal 2 & 4 are in full swing already. Current book of choice: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I've been moody lately, really moody and Jane Austen is the best literary pick-me-up. Cafe of the day: Cheder Cafe. Located in Kazimierz it is a cafe with a small library. Extra plus is the no smoking policy! It is hard to find cafes that are non-smoking, so my lungs especially love Cheder Cafe.

These goals are not extreme. They are not impossible. I promise to keep you, my dedicated readers, up to date with my progress.

Gdzie jest tolieta?

The simple question one learns before jetting off to a foreign country is "Where is the bathroom?" And even through broken english, one can usually decipher the directions to the desired destination. Even if a wrong turn is taken, the bathroom is usually found. Logical steps take place next. Girls enter the bathroom that either says "ladies" in the native language or the door is equipped with a picture of woman in a skirt. Once inside, your business is your own.

However, in Poland, the simple act of using the bathroom stresses me out. Mostly because Poles don't feel the need to use the word "kobieta" for woman, or even use that famous image of the skirted damsel. No, no, no. That makes sense and this is Poland. The method used here is the circle and the triangle. Women are circles and men are triangles. I've lived in Poland for about a year now, if you include my semester in Poznan. I can never remember which is which. Before I leave the dinner table or movie theater lobby, I have to double check with my friends that the circle is meant for women. As a result of frustration, I developed a way to remember that the circle is for woman, but sorry my avid readers, its not quite appropriate to share. Yet, even with this little game I have in my head, I always need reassurance from whomever I'm with at that particular moment.

Perhaps by the end of my time here, I'll remember, but until then I hope a friend is around whenever I need to use the restroom.