January 23, 2012
4 months later….
I'm going to split up my next blog into 2 parts because of my laziness/procrastination and missing a huge gap of time. The first section is about the happenings in Poland:
At the end of September, I found a new job to complement my other job and maximize my hours. I started at the end of October, and 3 months in it has been going pretty well. I have 3 classes that are "mine", as in I keep track of their grades, progress, etc. Then I teach most of my hours with other teachers' classes doing conversation, which is quite easy and enjoyable if I have upper level students. I learn a lot about Poland from my students, so it's beneficial for everyone. The biggest downfall of my new school is I have to work Saturdays L However, my first class is the highest level of English, and we usually end up talking for the first 2 hours of the 4 hour class. The other school I work in is mostly morning hours, and continues to go well.
Apart from work, I have finally found a group of friends to hang out with in Poland. In August, I met a bunch of Americans/other English speakers through my colleague Wojtek. Lodz has an international medical school taught in English, and all of these guys attend. When it was warmer, we played a little football on the weekends, but we still get together Sundays to watch football games and do other manly things. Wojciech knows a club owner, so on Saturday nights when Dagmara and I go out, we can get VIP treatment, which is pretty cool. For Thanksgiving, we had a big dinner get-together with 2 huge turkeys and over 20 people. Two of my friends (both Pakistani) grew up in Norway and have family there, so I've been invited to go back with them sometime. I'm hoping I'll also have a chance to meet up with long lost relatives while there.
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| Halloween at Layali |
Dagmara has been busy with school stuff, apartment stuff with carpenters/designers (our new apartment had to be turned from bare concrete to a sleek, stylin' pad), a trip to Morrocco to crown the next Queen of Poland, and the occasional modeling job. In October, Dagmara and I went to the mountains again to see the fall colors. We arrived a little late, as there was already a good amount of snow in the mountain trails. We took a gondola up to one peak, and ended up sliding down on our butts. The next day, we took a detour home and went over the border to Slovakia. The landscape was the same as the Polish side of the Tatras, but the architecture/towns were a bit different. There was some speaker system set up from the Communist times in this village we drove through. Every 100 meters, there was a speaker playing old music. It still seems weird/surreal for me to just drive across the border of Poland and Slovakia, no checkpoint, and come back "home" a few hours later.
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| Enjoying the late October snow |
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| Excessive border control |
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| Every road in Slovakia looks exactly like this |
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| So much greener than the Polish side of the mountains |
Other than work, a little traveling, and friends, I have been slowly studying Polish, doing some writing, applying to graduate schools for next fall, growing a mustache in November for Movember, meeting Polish politicians, Tori Amos concert in Warsaw, and teaching Dagmara how to carve pumpkins for Halloween.
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| Palace of Culture, Warsaw |
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| Tori Amos concert--amazing musicians on the stage |
Part 2: My Polish "Cultural Learnings" a la Borat
As I write this section, I realize that it will be subject to change as I learn more about Poland and my general opinions evolve. I feel like I know a lot about Polish culture and what the people are like because my job is to interact and converse with students of all ages, but more likely than not, I know next to nothing. This section will be in list format.
#1.) Almost 100% of the time, women clean the bathrooms in Poland. They do not care if you are in there or not. Standing at a urinal doing your thing? No problem, they'll just clean the one next to you. Sitting on the throne away from home with no more TP? They got you covered.
2.) Drivers always speed (except near marked traffic radar cameras), as well as flash brights and tailgate your car to pass you
3.) No one uses dryers, only drying racks
4.) I'm pretty sure A/C does not exist in 99.9% of residences (not that it's needed)
5.) There are a million kinds of vodkas, which is not really my thing so I can't tell you if it's good or not, but apparently there are some good ones.
6.) Their beer is an acquired taste. After being back home for 3 weeks, I was only reminded of what I'm missing over here…
7.) Parking tickets in Poland are more expensive than in Miami. FACT!!
8.) Polish people love tea, coffee is significantly less popular.
9.) Most of the time, light switches are on the OUTSIDE of the room, making it real easy to turn off the light on someone using the bathroom when seeking revenge.
10.) Tipping is 10%, but leaving nothing is also common
11.) Parking lots are built for small-sized cars and I drive a station wagon. My mom's truck would be impossible to drive in many parking lots
12.) Wedding bands are worn on the right hand, and women's bands usually have no stone
13.) Polish students are among the best in the world…at cheating on tests (self-reported by many of my students). Someone who does not cheat can be made fun of.
14.) The education system is quite different from the US: the students do not have to attend high school, which starts at age 16. To get into high school, you have to take a test. Many high schools are specialized, so students specialize at a younger age. High school is only 3 years, and you finish at 19. Then University is 5 years, and is free if you scored well on the Polish version of the SAT/ACT, but this test is also specialized, ie you can take a science test, or math, or whichever subject you would like to go to school for.
15.) Poles eat sandwiches for breakfast
16.) GoĊabki, pierogi, ham sandwiches, and Cookie Crisp are my meat and potatoes in Poland
More cultural learnings to come later…
