Is there really spring in Estonia?

I finally figured out what traditional Estonian food is. It took 2 months to officially uncover the well-kept secret, but here is a typical Estonian dish: usually some type of pork, potatoes, rye bread, and slaw/salad. I've actually had several Estonians tell me that they feel Estonia doesn't have a lot to offer in food, so they don't promote food as part of their culture, like say Italy or France for example. This is why there is a Georgian, French Crepe, 2 Chinese, 3 Italian, and several other international restaurants in the town square. Many of us have picked up on the fact that Estonians like food that is very simple in taste. Especially those of us used to a lot of spices, sauces, and heat. I do really like the food here though. Especially the coffee and pastries everywhere!

We started to celebrate spring's arrival too soon. But we really did think it was coming. I mean, what else are you supposed to think when the sun comes out for almost a week and melts all of the snow and ice from the side walks while being serenaded by birds? But oh no, winter is not done yet. This past Saturday it was freezing, gray, and rainy. And Sunday morning we woke up to a view of white outside the window, with continuing sheets of snow falling all day. Thankfully today was a bit sunnier, but I am so longing for spring. When I mentioned spring coming before this weekend's blizzard, an Estonian actually laughed at me and told me I had at least through April before I could start talking like that. But I'm hoping this year is different, just this once!

I was waiting for it to come up sooner or later, but I finally got scolded for being a wasteful American yesterday. As my Georgian flatmate was washing her dishes, my Spanish roommate began to lecture her on using too much water. When the rest of us defended the Georgian for the fun of a debate, my roommate looked at Kaylee and I and said to the rest, "You know what they do in America? They flush the toilet every single time. Do you know how many liters of water they waste a year?" Of course she was just giving us a hard time. But when I started to think about it, we do use a lot more single-use items in America, which generates so much more trash than we do here. I've noticed I use less plastic bags, paper towels, and things like that here. Maybe Europe can further motivate me in effort to go Green.

Drinks, please!

Something that has been noted before but never commented on from my behalf is the amount of alcohol this building consumes daily. Maybe I just missed the "college experience" when I was back at home, and correct me if I'm wrong, but did the students drink EVERY night of the week? Did I miss this?
To me, it is far from a party if it happens every night. Don't get me wrong, it is great fun going out in Wroclaw, but I would really like to come home with my liver intact. And 'no' isn't really an answer in Poland, at least not to drinking, as we've learned from our Polish language course. In colloquial Polish, the word "no" actually means "yes."
But what are we to do? Every night, the party folks come round and try to convince every one to go out to a certain place with them. They are persistent. And if they leave with an English "no" instead of a Polish one, they aren't the most pleased people in the world. They still go out, and you wonder what experiences or fun you'll miss out on that night. If you become one of the crowd that commonly doesn't go out, the number of people you see and talk to on a daily basis begins to dwindle.
This also brings me to the realization of how badly I want alone time. I want to be around everyone here, I love them all. But every one has limits before they just need a little bit of time to themselves. I have had no time to myself in the 7 weeks that I have been here. No mental health days, no peaceful, quiet days to myself in my room, and no completely alone wanderings. Someone always pops up to your room, or you run into someone while you are out. And not that there is anything wrong with that, as I said, I love seeing all the people here, but some days it would be nice to just fade into the background and mill around as a nobody for a while.
Everyone keeps saying, "It's Erasmus, you have to live it up!" But are we living it up if we only experience it in the same way, time after time, through beers and vodkas? I feel that nothing new really happens in this city, everything is actually a secret routine that hides behind the premise that each night is a new adventure.
Maybe it's just me, but I for one would like to see something different. Fun that borders on alcoholism has become far too routine and ritualistic. I guess I'm going to have to start a new wave....

There are so many hours in a day

This week I've been thinking a lot of how my daily routine at home compares with the one here. It seems that during the school semester at UNCG, I hardly have time to breathe. With every day scheduled down to the last minute of study, I run from class to activity, from meeting to meeting. Although it's quite overwhelming and exhausting sometimes, I enjoy the busy life pace. My typical day in Tartu, however, is a little slower. Each class only meets once a week, so actual classroom time is cut down considerably. The work load is also very different. With classes at home, I'm used to having several assignments given and due everyday. In contrast, my lecturers here assign papers with aloof topics and vague due dates. I have a good amount of work and reading to do, but nothing pressing to be done. The Estonian students are incredibly disciplined, with any assigned work always done and the up most respect given to every lecturer. So maybe I don't feel so much pressure directly from my lecturers because it's expected that I don't need it to be motivated.
It's possible that the slow and easy pace is unique to Tartu. I finally had the chance to visit Tallinn, the capitol of Estonia, this past weekend. Tallinn is certainly bigger than Tartu and felt much busier. But still, in comparison to other cities, Tallinn could be considered a little bit slower too. I enjoyed my visit there. I got to see the Estonian Parliament building, the president's house, and many medieval themed shops and costumes in Old Town. One if the biggest things that stuck out to me was how closely we could get to the President's house, and without being monitored. I was just in D.C. over Christmas break, and could not even take a picture of the White House without feeling the security guard's stare. Of course, I must recognize that even though Tartu is certainly a calm town, this is only the observation of my small bubble here.
It also hit me this week how much the U.S. has infiltrated seemingly everything. My teachers continually reference U.S. history. And just today in a t-shirt print shop I saw several design options that promoted America somehow. It always takes me off guard when I see or hear these things, because at first it seems natural to here about the U.S., but then I suddenly realize that I am not in America, and quite far from it.

Russia Trip

Hey Danielle,
I think that my posts said we are meeting in Estonia to leave on a bus the evening of the 8th, and arrive in St. P's the morning of the 9th. So, meet on the 8th, but we'll be in Russia May 9-13.

Hope this helps,
Kathleen

"The semester is almost over"

That's what everyone keeps saying as we all plan for trips out of town. With the promise of warmer days soon to come people are realizing that soon we'll be going our separate ways before we know it and we've decided we all kind of like each other and aren't sure if we want that day to come so soon or not. It's a weird feeling.

So some more Polish observations: tram etiquette. Every Polish student I've seen respects their elders through always offering a seat on the tram. I have never seen a grandma or grandpa have to stand. I gave up mine for the first time the other day. It felt really nice to do it. I know that's super cheesy but it did. I hope I said the right things in Polish but she said "dzenkuje" none the less and sat down. 

So Kathy, to  change direction, when exactly is our trip into Russia? The 9th and 8th are both on this blog. I have a plane ticket for the 7th into Riga, I just have to figure out bus schedules which Kelsey has been a big help with.

Le Convenience d'Wroclaw

Le Convenience d'Wroclaw

Being of a simple nature and rather easily pleased, I must admit to finding Wroclaw far superior in terms of convenience to that of UNC Greensboro. With all due respect to my colleague's remarks in an earlier post, I have found this city simpler than Greensboro. However, as the disclaimers say, "Actual product may vary." In this case, Wroclawian experiences may (and do) vary. From the moment I landed in Wroclaw's Copernicus Airport, it has simply been one convenience after another with just a few exceptions.

After acquiring my suitcase from baggage claim, the very first thing I did was walk over to the Bankomat, or ATM, in order to withdraw some Polish money to handle initial Wroclawian expenses. I slid my debit card in the slot, and was immediately presented with Polish, English, and German language choices on the screen, thereby beginning to evidence convenience. I will readily admit that in the last month or so I have used ATMs in Deutsch multiple times simply because it is enjoyable to use my second language. The last two ATM transactions, though, I have actually completed in Polish. 

As mentioned in my original post, the first full day I was in Poland I went to the international office at the main university building in order to check-in, get my student ID, and various other small details. Well, this trip to the international office took less than ten minutes, and that included my wait time. In fact, the four or five times I've been to the office when I had any sort of question, including when I took Leigha and Kelsey there to get them some help, I have always received attention above and beyond the call of duty in such an expedient manner that I have spent only ten minutes or so of my time on the entire thing. I have my doubts as to whether many schools in the United States would be able to match such administrative efficiency. 

This next point is perhaps the most significant one that would fall under the header of varied Wroclawian experiences. For me, the slate of classes I have wound up taking are all located in the same room of the same building of the Rynek, making it absurdly easy to attend my classes and make it to the next one on time. However, from what I have found out, that sort of luck is rare here, so take it with a grain of salt. 

In line with that element of convenience, the prawo, or Law, building that my classes are situated in also has a small cafeteria-like restaurant on the first floor with decently cheap prices. Granted, the Bryan School of Business at UNCG is possessed of its own cafeteria-like area, but last I checked, nothing that I termed 'real food' was to be found there. However, the food in this small restaurant is quite sufficient at passing my inspection and includes traditional Polish food in addition to more mainstream dishes such as French fries and lasagne. I have eaten many a meal at this place so far this semester and will continue my patronage.

Another convenience would be Hala Targowa, the one-stop-shop that is the tram stop closest to the main university building and subsequently my prawo building. Hala Targowa means 'covered market' and within its distinctive doors are many vendors selling meats, produce, flowers, baked goods, clothes, alcohol, souvenirs, kitchen products, et al. I actually bought my wrist watch there whilst showing Kelsey and Leigha around town. This market provides a location right at my stop to go back to Olowek, allowing me to shop without going out of my way at all. Moreover, the market is decidedly Polish, certainly a benefit in terms of my learning the culture. 

Decidedly in the realm of conveience lies the proximity of the Rynek to Hala Targowa and my classes - the Rynek being where many of Wroclaw's most famous churches and buildings reside. Additionally, housed within the Rynek are dozens and dozens of eateries along with shops of all sorts. There was a Polish bookstore I walked into where I used my German with the proprietor in order to search for a book, which alas was not there. Quick access to the largest mall in the city, Galeria Dominikanska, can also be had at this locale. Right by the Rynek, incidentally, is the Cathedral of St. Mary Magedelene, from high atop which the picture accompanying this post is taken. On the left hand side of the photo you can see two skyscrapers in the clouds, the one on the right of those is Olowek. 

Okay, so the convenience of downtown/the Rynek has been covered, but what about at our place of residence? How convenient IS Olowek? For the answer to that question, the best place to start is simply with the dorm rooms themselves. As a former Moore-Strong resident, one of UNCG's fairly newer dorms, I have to say I would much rather pit my living conditions here in Olowek against those of Moore-Strong, with no hard feelings towards fellow MSers. In Olowek, we are given two-bedroom one-bath (shower) kitchenette flats with a small foyer. These two bedrooms house two people to a room, for a total of four people sharing the rooms. Just a quick visual guess puts the room to be larger than Moore-Strong rooms. Not only are the rooms a bit more robust, but each bedroom has its own balcony, unlike the few communal balconies at Moore-Strong that are locked most of the time due to the immaturity of some residents. These balconies prove invaluable for contacting people while your roommate is asleep, or for merely enjoying the silent fall of snow or the distinctly mute fall of rain. 

Another advantage to having these kitchenettes per flat is that they are much easier to maintain - Moore-Strong has a single communal kitchen for over 300 residents, and as such, I always ignored the fact we had a kitchen, since when I went near it I needed a gas mask connected to a tank of pure oxygen stolen from an intergalactic Molly Maid just to be able to survive. If anyone has ever read War of the Worlds or seen the Tom Cruise movie of the same name but not the same quality, one will know that the aliens could not survive in our atmosphere/environs - all we needed to do was send those aliens to Moore-Strong's kitchen, and much loss of life (and a bad movie) could have been averted. 

But I digress from the point of convenience, it is true. Therefore, I shall return to discussing my thesis. The foyer is perfect for leaving those shoes and coats covered with snow or rain. In Moore-Strong, those items just have to be brought in the room regardless of their overall condition. Even the bathroom is also rather convenient, as in Moore-Strong you either share communal restrooms or lives in a suite with people who do not clean up after themselves, speaking only from my personal experience and the experiences of those I know who resided within said suites. 

Following that, we now have a place for classes, a place for exploring, a place to sleep and live, but I have yet to discuss intrinsic and inherent functions of life - eating and drinking - not that kind, the kind that actually hydrates and replenishes. Situated within a 30-second walk from Olowek, if even that, are a gas station convenience store, a McDonald's, a bakery, a grocery store, a Pizzeria that serves the so-far best pizza in the city, a smaller, more specialized market, and two tram/bus stops. If I left Moore-Strong and walked for 30 seconds I would reach absolutely nothing of value to replenishing my vitality. Perhaps in 90 seconds or so, one would reach The Caf, but as we veterans of said establishment know, how much does The Caf really do towards replenishing vitality? 

If that is not enough convenience to you, within the breadth of one song on your mp3 player, Sony PSP, or any other kind of audio device, you can arrive at Pasaz Grunwaldzski, my favorite mall in Wroclaw. This mall even has a larger grocery store on the bottom floor if you cannot find what you are looking for in the two right next to Olowek. The mall also has a movie theatre for entertainment purposes. Lastly, if one cared to listen to just over one song, perhaps long enough to hear one's favorite introductory pattern to a song, one would arrive at Biedronka, which is right across the street from the Pasaz. Biedronka is essentially a budget grocery store, providing many products at less than half the price of the markets right next to Olowek. Indeed, the first time I perused the aisles there, I bought 20 zloty worth of food and drink - at the market next to Olowek I had spent 47 zloty on the same amount of food and the same type of food. For me, Wroclaw has been a city that has proven to cater to the majority of the whims I have thought of since arriving. 

Hey from NC!!

I'm loving your posts! I've been on that hike in the Karpacz mountains in the snow--amazing! and I loved reading about the students' visit from Tartu to Poland. You were hosts!! You showed them around your town! YAY!

I'm finalizing the plans for our trip. We will be meeting in Estonia and taking a bus on May 9 (step one). Robert and Gabriel should be getting their visa support/instructions from Gordon Stearns very soon--onwards from there!

I can't wait to hang out with you and show you St. Petersburg--
Keep posting!

Living harsh. I think this is Poland. Nothing is soft in this society. From the language so chock full of "zh" to shot after shot of vodka and strong bad beer on dirty cement, dilapidation, and angry old women scrambling up from their chairs and lace curtain ensconced hiding places by the bathroom to shriek that you owe them 2.50 zl for the use of the urinal. I need a plush chair, a softly lit living room, and a movie.

I met a Polish guy named Casper this weekend, in the mountains, on a get away trip half Polish half international. We met because he plays guitar, and the conversation started on this subject. The guy is a classic husky Pole. Wide shoulders and a wider face, smoking cigarettes with a thug jacket and a new york gangsta wide brimmed baseball cap tilted to the right. A stocky man if I've ever seen one. He had a bit of a friendly bumbling demeanor, but immediately seemed dangerous. I commented on his hoodie which featured a 1700s painting of hell or somesuch, demons cracking skulls, and dark knights impaling the innocent, it was faded. Joking I pointed to it and said something like 'that hyper violence, hell yeah.' His response wasnt what I expected, he moved in a little bit, dipping his cap over one eye, an enthusiastic and slightly manic smile twisting his wide jowls. "You like the violence? You know, you know, I don't know, but sometimes when things get hard, violence can be good." This was said with a sinister camaraderie that expected my full approval. It gave me the chills.
Shot after shot and smoke after smoke, these people were drunk the entire weekend. We left Wroclaw for the mountains on Thursday by train, a group of about seventy heading for a lodge at Karpacz. The spirit of the trip seemed to be to get drunk as much as possible, and to get as drunk as possible. Police met us as we got off the train, immediately fining one of the Polish boys still holding his beer as he left the train. You cannot drink on the street in Poland. Most of the French, German, and Spanish, and of course Polish, were drunk upon arriving, and continued to drink. I cannot comprehend these peoples tolerance for alcohol and will to drink, drinking beer and smoking cigarettes while scrambling up icy slopes on Saturday afternoon, vodka from ladles in the evening.
Good trip though. On Friday we hiked up a mountain for about three hours in the snow. A long line of people trudging ever upwards in the soft light, and white between the spruce trees. Apparently there are reindeer in the mountains of Poland.

Why do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway?

Or, in the case of Poland, drive and park on sidewalks?
The photograph, by the way, is of a normal parking job in Prague. Notice how the car is NOT on the sidewalk.
Never in my life have I seen so many cars parked on the sidewalk. I have been witness to a few in Greensboro, but they have always been in the process of getting tickets written or they were involved in an accident that made them go up on the sidewalk. Never in my life have I seen people drive up on the sidewalk like it's normal.
Yesterday, I was witness to an astonishing event. A woman, I would say around her late 50s to early 60s, was walking down the sidewalk a little ways ahead of me with shopping bags in her hands. As I would come to find out, they were groceries and she was on her way to the tram stop so she could take her food home. Well, something happened, her bag ripped or something of a similar effect because a few cans hit the ground along with a head of lettuce (or maybe it was cabbage) and a loaf of bread. She cursed (some of the few words I've learned and can immediately recognize in Polish) and stooped to pick up her things. I hastened my step a bit to help her, but as I approached, a car pulled on the sidewalk moving far to fast, squealed to a halt before it hit her, and the driver proceeded to roll down the window and shout at the woman. The woman shouted back, and curse words were flying between the two.
Now granted, my Polish isn't worth much. Maybe I totally misunderstood, and the driver wasn't yelling at the woman for being in the way of his parking space, even though his gestures to his car and the sidewalk and the cars trying to get around in the lane behind him certainly indicated so. Maybe he was a really nice young man, and the woman was his mother, and he was frustrated that she hadn't let him give her a ride home. I have to admit, I've invented a bit of a game with the Polish people. Whenever I pass conversations in the market or in the street, I try to catch words and phrases that I know. Most of the time, I understand so very little what they are talking about. So I make up a conversation for them in my head. It's sort of like watching a television show on mute...the Polish people are very animated, and I love them for it. Hence why I created two scenarios that could be occurring between the young man and the grocery lady...Although, I don't think someone would swear at their mother the way this young man was swearing at her.
And that's not the first time I've seen a pedestrian nearly run over by an automobile on a sidewalk. I've nearly been a victim myself a few times. And I've even seen an car waiting at a crosswalk light on the sidewalk here....I was shaking with laughter when I saw that. I mean, it was a tiny car and all, but it still had no business at the crosswalk. My biggest question however was what the driver intended to do when the light turned green. Was he going to use the crosswalk to cross the street and get to the other lane? Or was he going to use it to turn out into his lane and resume "normal" car activities? If I hadn't been running late to class, I would have stuck around to find out.
Oh Poland, the many curiosities you house.....

My Sanctuary in Tartu

Since we have been in Tartu for a month and a half, my restaurant exploits have been reduced and eventually replaced by a much more amusing activity. Now, I am a proud member of Tartu University's gym. The gym has a full indoor track, the usual weight rooms, a room of row machines, several basketball courts, a table tennis room, a badminton court and indoor football court. I would move in there in a heart beat. My favorite place is the track. It has places to practice discs, high jump, long jump, triple jump, and hurdles. It's a full track... but inside!

In this gym, athletes train in hopes of representing Estonia in the Olympics. I can't think of better motivation than that. This is one of the many differences between the American gyms I have attended and the Tartu gym. In America there seems to be three groups: the big guys who everyone suspects are pumping steroids, the people who just want to be fit, and then the people who are trying to lose massive amounts of weight. This being said, one hardly sees Lycra or Spandex as an outfit in America, but here everyone wears it. Okay, okay, it is not the bright leotards from the 80's, but they are just as intimidating. When running, I sometimes feel so out of place wearing my cotton tee shirt and pants.

During the first two weeks of my membership, I attended several workout classes. Not surprisingly, the classes were taught in Estonian. The first class was equivalent to Body Pump, which is one of my favorite classes back home so I didn't really need to listen to the instructor. I just had to mimic what she did. Then I went to a dance and step class. I have never had trouble with those classes back in the US; however, I was fumbling about in the sea of Lycra. The step class was traumatizing.

Therefore, I have not gone to a class since. I appreciate my indoor track all the more since it doesn't make me look clumsy.

While running one day I saw this old man and little boy running ahead of him. In my mind I was gushing over the pair. "Oh, how cute! I want to bring my children to the gym when I get older. Not only does it promote healthy living, but they also run out all their energy. He's so smart!" Somehow I lost track of them for a few laps until I saw the small boy doing curl ups on a pole and the old man angrily scowling at him. Then it hit me. This guy wasn't his father, it was his coach. I felt so ridiculous.

Ah, Poland.

This past weekend Leigha and I traveled from Tartu to Wroclaw.

One of the most memorable experiences was trying to get to and from the airports. Finding the right bus and the right stop in a different language was really challenging. For me, the actual traveling part was stressful at least that is until I got on the planes where I would normally fall asleep immediately.

My first impression of Wroclaw when we got off the tram in Grunwaldski Plac was "Oh geez this place is depressing. Where are all the cute buildings I saw on Google Earth?" Later I found out that G.P. is in the industrial part of Wroclaw. On our way to meet up with the other UNCG students, Leigha and I managed to get lost in this area. A moment that stands out for me during this time was when we had walked over the Most Grunwaldski Bridge into a run-down area. To get across the street we had to go through an underground tunnel. Normally, a tunnel does not scare me, but there was so much graffiti that the tunnel seemed really intimidating. In Tartu there is graffiti, but it is not as prevalent. That moment where I was standing paralyzed by fear of a tunnel seems quite ridiculous now after exploring the Rynek.

Once in we arrived in Rynek, I felt at home. The small size and quaintness of the town really appealed to me.

We have a couple of churches in Tartu that I've explored, but Wroclaw's cathedrals were amazing. I really enjoyed when Danielle and Robert showed Leigha and I around the churches at night. Not only were they amazing architecturally, but the lighting on the churches was unbelievable. When we came back to the churches the next day, although pretty, I was not as flabbergasted as I was earlier.

I also realized another trait about my travel style in addition to falling asleep as soon as I am on a plane. Ironically, I feel like I look more toursity when I have a map in my hands searching for a site or road then when I have my camera out snapping photos. In the future, I think I will definitely study a map before I leave and learn how the public transportation works.

Overall, I really enjoyed our trip to Poland and am thinking about going back in May to see the rest of the country.

Poland!

This past week I had my first ever experience in Poland. My initial impression of Wroclaw was completely overwhelming. After spending so much time in Tartu, I had become pretty accustomed to the small-town feel. I can basically walk out of my dorm, turn right, walk for about 5 minutes or so and be at the central buildings of our university and the town square. I knew that Wroclaw was not huge, but a fairly big city compared to Tartu, but I wasn't quite prepared for the many trams, buses, people, and towering buildings.
We managed to find our way from the airport to our hostel, but only with a lot of help. I immediately fell in love with the Polish people. We met so many who were cheerfully willing to go out of their way to help us find where we were going. I noticed, too, that they were much more open than Estonians. Which is not a surprise given how introverted Estonians are compared to many people groups. But after becoming accustomed to this social norm I had strangely almost forgotten what a more open was like. In the way that the people in Wroclaw interacted with each other, it reminded me a little of America.
When we finally found the university campus and met up with the other UNCG students, they took us exploring through the city. It was a relief to finally be with someone who knew their way around. We visited a couple of the many churches in Wroclaw, which took on a looming ambiance in the night and gave quite daunting effect. I enjoyed walking through the cobblestone streets and grass without worrying about ice or snow. This was definitely a change from our white-blanketed Tartu.
After a while of being tourists, food was definitely next on the list. I really enjoyed Polish food, and the low prices! My favorite food there was, of course, pierogies. I also enjoyed the thousands of coffee shops. Here in Tartu we don't really have coffee shops, just small cafes that. Coffee shops are the go-to location for college students, I feel, and I hadn't realized how much I had missed one.
One of my favorite things about Wroclaw was all of the little gnomes hidden around the city. As cheesy as it may seem, it was fun to hunt for them and take pictures of the comical little scenes they each played out. We also had the chance to climb the tower of one of the churches and look out over the whole city. That was a breath-taking surprise and one of my favorite moments.
One random thing I noticed that was different between Wroclaw and Tartu was that in Tartu, I have not really noticed people smoking. Of course they do, but not in or close to public places like restaurants. I did notice our first night in Wroclaw that while we went from place to place looking for an open table (which is definitely another difference from Tartu), there were people smoking inside almost every place we went to.
I'm sure I'm forgetting so much to talk about, as there are so many new things to take in in a new location and culture. I did enjoy my time in Poland very much over all, although I think I hold a fondness for Tartu and was very happy to return.

Aptekas

I have been blaming Poland for all of my problems lately, which it has been, but how can an entire country not have anything for a runny nose? I guess it's part of that culture shock thing, not very fun. A neat thing is that they have pharmacies called aptekas and their soul purpose is providing medication over the counter. So I didn't have to guess at what I was getting, I just handed over my list of symptoms and she gave me a plethora of goodies. Unfortunately none of them take care of a runny nose. 

What has been fun are the courses I've been taking. For once I am completely interested in the courses I'm enlisted in. I love going to class only one time a week and having the rest of the week to study and figure out what I want to about the course material. It makes me want to study abroad for the rest of my semesters at UNCG. Looking up classes for next semester is making me never want to go home with a class everyday and exams every week and papers every month. Ugh... I wish our system would take on Wroclaw's for erasmus students. 

The girls from Tartu came into town this past weekend. Most of us left town for Prague but it was neat to show them around a little the first night they got in. It made Wroclaw really seem a part of me, like an actual home. Oh yea, Kathleen, student days in Tartu run the week before Russia so I think us Wroclaw students won't be able to attend them. It would mean two trips up to Tartu and I don't think any of us are willing to do that. But we were thinking we'd stay the weekend after we get back from Russia instead to do our Tartu adventure.

Because I can't expect everything to be "on campus."

I have always liked UNCG's campus. It is very attractive, as well convenient. All classes are "within ten minutes walking distance from each other." I am sure everyone from UNCG has heard this line. I believe it is flaunted at every single orientation that UNCG hosts.
I would also like to commend UNCG on its spacing and multitude of courses. Usually, if course times conflict, there is a way to arrange your schedule so you can take everything you want. The times may not be your top choice, but you still can manage to arrange it so you can get to all the courses.
Maybe it is just that way because I am an American student at an American school. All courses are available to me because courses are taught in English and, you know, I can speak enough English to get me by.
However, all the courses here seem to overlap. "Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism" starts at 14:00 and "Social Psychology" starts at 14:40. "Islam in Europe," "War Crimes and Genocides," and "Balkanization to Europeanization" all overlap each other by about 30 minutes. Which, in all honesty, is bad enough. But then you have the placement of classes.
Each faculty building is in a different part of the city here. I'm unsure of exact mileage, but I can tell you the time it takes to get from one place to another. From my dorm, Olowek, it takes at least thirty minutes to walk to any classes in the Rynek. This includes any history classes, which I am taking several of. I would like to know more about Poland's history. In order to get to classes at the Social Science buildings, which include Political and Psychology courses, which I am also taking several of, you have to walk between forty five minutes to an hour in the complete opposite direction you would go for classes in Rynek.
Now, I will commend them, there is public transportation. But even then, to get a bus or a tram from History to Social Sciences would take 45 minutes to an hour. So even if you have 30 minutes to an hour between courses but they are at seperate faculties, chances are, you'll never make it on time. Hence, you won't be able to take the course. Which, in honesty, is terribly frustrating because there are many classes I wanted to take, but they fall under this situation.

I quite miss UNCG's convenience.

Excuse me, I need to phone my fashion consultant...

I am still behind in my blogging. Please bear with me as I catch up!

I have become aware that I need to phone home for a new wardrobe. Going to class in sweats and a tee is NOT an option in Poland.
Thinking of class at home, I have to laugh. The majority of students are in sweats, pajamas, or just plain jeans and tees and it's a miracle if they walked into class actually on time. Literally rolling out of bed and going to class isn't an odd occurrence. Girls sport their hair in ponytails that resemble a rug that's been put through a blender, make-up may still be on from the party they attended last night, and breakfast is being eaten while class is in session. Guys also go for the "Hello, professor, I JUST woke up" look. If someone comes to class in heels and a dressy top, you assume that they are either giving a class presentation or they are going on an interview or an important meeting after class. Dressing up for classes just isn't common.
However, in Wroclaw, Poland, I feel that I am constantly being chased down the sidewalk by a pair of stilettos.
When arrive to my courses, I usually feel a person wearing red at a funeral. Everyone is dressed so nicely, especially the girls. Their hair is done nicely, and if it's in a ponytail, it's not because it hasn't been washed or because they had a bad case of bedhead. Make-up is perfectly (if not liberally) applied, the shirt is fresh and fashionable. Jeans or other skirts with leggings/tights are polished off with an attractive pair of heels or boots. And of course there is a matching or complimentary handbag. Even their coats are nice, though. I know I was hard-pressed trying to find a decent looking warm winter coat in the states, but here, they are everywhere.
I've never been one to dress up everywhere I go, and it's a bit difficult running errands here. If I need to go to the shopping center to pick up some food, I can not go in my sweats. I did once, and I received a lot of unpleasant looks. At home, I work around the house in sweats and a tee and just run errands as need be, no changing necessary. Here, I change when I'm milling about the dorm, but as soon as I need to go anywhere, I have to put on "decent" clothes. Even just walking room to room, I get odd looks if I'm not dressed "properly." And what I wear out still usually looks too casual next to what they have on.....
Maybe the Polish girls just wear nicer pajamas than I do.

Running Behind...

So I just counted my blog entries and realized that I'm two short, so here's another. 

With all this traveling around Europe, it makes me really want to see more of the US. I wish only that it was just as cheap to fly or catch a train somewhere. Or of course as timely to go by car but that's still expensive too. I've seen a lot of the East coast but I haven't even been to California. I really wish that cheap jet system would not have gone under, what was that thing called? I now also think Greensboro should invest in some trams. They are so much fun to jump and just take you where you need to go. It was nerve wrecking when I first started figuring out where they went but now I know and it gets me to class on time. I think it won't be as intimidating when it's not in another language either. :-P

Speaking of language difficulties, self medicating is tricky. I have only pictures to go by when picking out cold medicines and now I thank goodness for these marketing techniques. 

Jumping Borders

Where the time goes here, I have no idea. I can't remember if I've said that in a previous entry but it still blows my mind.

Both times that I've crossed Poland's border there's been passport trouble. Coming back from Berlin, my friend from France had lost her ID card which let's her cross borders pretty much everywhere (except Russia I think). We were worried she wouldn't make it back into Poland. Luckily, for whatever reason, the Polish border guards decided not to check out cabin for our passports. Again, this time coming back from Prague, two of my friend's from Scotland had forgotten their passports. Czech Republic enforced a fine and luckily the Polish guards accepted this as suffice and no trouble ensued. I'm glad Poland has nice border guards, this makes me wonder what other border guards are like at other countries. 

Seeing other types of currency is really cool, and when the conversion is in favor of the dollar it's even cooler. The hard part is learning what the average cost of things are, how much a beer is, dinner, a postcard... I know when I get back onto the dollar I'm still going to go, "ok now this is how many dollars...oh yea." But for the most part I'll be happy not to have to do a series of arithmetic every time I go grocery shopping.

I'm terrible at remembering

So I've missed two posts. So here's one.

Two weeks ago, I started classes. Finally, back in school. It felt incredibly strange for me to go on such a long break from classes. 

So everything was going well. I had found all of my classes and made it to all of them on time. And mind you, this is quite an accomplishment, being that all of the classes are at least a 30 minute walking distance from my dorm, if not more. And none of them are in the same direction.

So, of course, on the day of my second class, I have to wake up too late to make it to class on time by walking. It's okay, I think, I can take the bus. I've done it a few times before. Should be no problem. 

Waiting at the bus stop, I checked times. The schedules do not tell you where the bus goes, just what time it comes to the stop. I saw that 116, the bus I knew I needed, would arrive in 3 minutes. 

Three minutes came and went, and still no bus. Five minutes, eight minutes, no 116. Finally, after ten minutes, I saw a bus approaching over the hill. I saw that the first two numbers were 11 and assumed the last number must be 6. I gathered my things and boarded as soon as the bus stopped.

Relieved to be on my way to class, I took a seat near a door in the middle of the bus. I pulled out my schedule to make sure I would arrive on time to class, and also to make sure I was aware of everywhere else I needed to go that day. 

About ten minutes into the bus ride, I had finished checking my schedule, and I began to look around. I did not recognize any of my surroundings. I figured I just didn't remember walking through this part of town because I had been talking to someone, so I would wait a few minutes and check again. 

Another ten minutes passed, and still I recognized nothing. I should have been at my class by that time. So I looked up to the front of the bus to see which stop was next, and lo and behold, I was on bus 119 and not 116. So, I would definitely be missing class that day.

So after exiting the bus at the next stop, waiting 20 minutes for the next one that would take me home, and checking three times that it was, in fact, the right bus, I was headed back toward my dorm. Another 30 minutes, and I was back at Olowek. I emailed my professor to apologize for my absence, and then left to, quite happily, walk to my next course.

I need to be more careful with the bus system here. 

I would like to give my regards to you all, fellow posters, fellow samplers of these Eastern European states. I would also like to send you all my apologies for my late entrance into this blog.
There's so much that can be said about a month spent here in Wroclaw, so many things done and seen, that I think I'll just have to skip summary and move directly on to a few impression and events.
Perhaps the most important impression of Wroclaw for me really stems from the nature of our dorm. Wroclaw from the 13th floor is a mass of orange roof tops, forest on the outskirts of the city, and clusters of aging soviet block housing in the distance. The view has changed so many times, and taken on so many different types of moods and garbs. On certain days early on, when it was snowing hard, the sky was so full of snow that one could only see a little past the first rows of snow shod houses below. Sitting and smoking in the stairwell, I would watch the white flecks hammering through the wind tunnel created by the dual Oloweks. On a certain occasion, it was snowing fiercely and blowing hard between the two spires, and up from below flew one beleaguered pigeon, trying to manage the updrafts, and finally roosting on a jutting cement beam, I watched him for a while.

Then on other days, the view which was so often white and grey a few weeks ago, would take on the black flapping frenzy of a hundred thousand blackbirds swarming by the spires in which we live. The first time I noticed this phenomenon I was smoking. A black mass came into view above the city many blocks off. What frenzied flock was this? I leapt to my feet to look from the window, and lo what a murder it was. The flock of ravens stretched for many blocks, hundreds upon hundreds deep and wide, it swept up and back on itself, curling around as a great dragon of asia might twist through the clouds. It grew closer and closer, and finally drew up and charged Olowek, breaking upon the spire to swarm over and around it and move on.

Now on to more societal issues. Upon arriving, I had the distinct impression that the basic code of conduct for Poland worked in different ways from that which us Americans might be used too. I think my favorite personal example of Polish manners takes place in the grocery store across the street from our dorm. I was about to check out, and when I came to the check out lines I noticed that one was somewhat shorter than the others. There was a lady in her early sixties already in line, and a shopping basket in the aisle next to her. It looked like everything was going all right, so I stepped past the basket, it wasnt really in the middle of the aisle, but kind of sticking out into it. I realize now that that meant that the aisle was closed, but at the time for whatever reason I didnt make that connection. I stepped over the basket and was about to set down my groceries on the belt, when the lady who was checking out, mind you, not the lady at the cash register, but the sixty year old one in the aisle, turned to me with a wild eyed expression. Her whole presence puffed up like an irate grouse as she drew back and the blood rushed to her face, and with a throaty Slavic cry, summoned up her reserves and gave me a very startling shove.

Do widzenia for now,
Gabriel Morgan

Location: Wroclaw / Setting: First 24 Hours / Date: 19.02.2009

Please allow me to introduce myself and provide a slight bit of background as to who I am and why I am here in Wroclaw before I relate the events of my first full day in Poland. My name is Robert Gilbert, and the story of how I wound up at UNCG would take a little while to recount, and would perhaps be beyond the scope of this blog's subject matter. Feel free to email me if you would like to learn more. At UNCG, I am a double-major in English and International Business with a minor in German. I would also be considered a second-semester freshman for all intents and purposes. I work for The Carolinian so some of you may recognize my name - I covered varied Spartan athletics for the duration of the fall semester and will continue upon my return to Greensboro in the fall. I also am one of the inaugural members of the Honors Ambassadors program at the Lloyd International Honors College. It was at the LIHC's welcome dinner for fall semester 2008 that I heard part of an announcement mentioning the Honors Abroad in Central and Eastern Europe program. It stuck in my head, and I continued thinking about it. The application deadline was some four or five days after the dinner, so I did not have much time to make my decision. I finally decided to apply for this study abroad program, and be a relatively rare second-semester freshman international student. 

My reasons for applying were varied, but some of the most central were related to the fact that I intend to go through law school in the states and become an international business lawyer. I felt that in the long run, the more cultures I saw, the better I would be able to approach my career. This program would guarantee my being able to see at least three different countries and their respective cultures within the course of the semester. I chose Poland over Estonia due to several minor reasons - the Catholic presence in Poland, the Germanic history of Wroclaw, the proximity to other European countries, et cetera. 

My process of actually physically leaving the United States and arriving at my destination was perhaps one of the most complicated, drawn-out procedures intrinsic to such activity. Some know the issues I went through attaining my passport, blood-type for insurance purposes, and the multiple departure date changes incurred as a result of the aforementioned problems. It eventually entered the realm of farcical happening, and I reached the point mentally where I could only laugh at each subsequent occurrence, watching the size of my bank accounts dwindle daily. 

After initially deciding to arrive in Wroclaw on 6 February 2009, I did not actually step foot in Poland until 19 February 2009. I flew from London via LOT Polish Airlines, with a connection in Warsaw. My first reaction to Poland, specifically Frederic Chopin Airport in Warsaw, was that of bemusement tempered with understanding of the reasoning behind Polish concepts. The Polish airports have a state of security that would put American and London airports to shame, the London airports being the closest to those of Poland. Unlike in America, the Poles have security checkpoints when you disembark your plane at your destination or layover in addition to the standard security protocols before your initial departure. I also observed that Frederic Chopin Airport has chain link fence in the terminals all the way to the ceiling, a rough guess of which would be circa 125 feet high at its apex. There are also a large number of Polish flights that bus passengers from the gate to the airplane, or the airplane to the gate. Moreover, as in London, there are guards patrolling heavily armed with assault rifles, sidearms, and other accoutrements. To digress for a moment, I will say that London's guards were slightly more impressive, as they carried Heckler und Koch G36 assault rifles, pistols, and at least two other kinds of weaponry. That said, England is able to spend more money on their equipment as opposed to the Poles. Lastly, another interesting point about both Polish airports I was in is that the security checkpoints required that you open your laptop, which has never happened to me at any other airport. 

I transferred to Wroclaw's Copernicus Airport, landing at roughly 16:45 CET. For those in the eastern time zone, that would be 10:45am. It was snowing lightly and the presence of a few inches of the lovely white flakes was already on the ground, thusly making my first impression of Wroclaw about as good as it possibly could be. Again, those of you who know me know that I am in my element in what would be frigid temperatures for others, and especially snow, and by snow I mean serious snow, not North Carolina snow. Thusly, arriving in Wroclaw with snow both on the ground and in the air was as if Wroclaw had rolled out the welcome wagon on a red, velvet carpeted road. Speaking of the welcome wagon, my ride from Copernicus Airport to Olowek, one of many student dormitories in this city, was late. I waited roughly 30 minutes and had decided if it were another ten minutes and no one showed, I was taking a taxi and doing it myself. 

Well, about two minutes later, my ride showed up, and my first solo adventure in Wroclaw was delayed. The two students who picked me up provided me with some basic information, and helped me check-in at Olowek. I met my roommate, a Turkish man, who has been perhaps the best roommate someone could possibly have. Shortly thereafter, I went out with Mandy and others to Pasaz Grunwaldski, the mall I have spent many an afternoon at and will spend many more at during the remainder of the semester. 

I had already unpacked, having left over half of my stuff and nearly 2/3 of my clothes in London due to yet another issue on the way to this country. Mandy and company purchased ice cream, but I held off, going the route of pizza instead. To date, I have yet to discover good pizza, but I have already obtained a promise from a friend back in the States to buy me real pizza when I return. 

I then went back to Olowek, chatted with my roommate for awhile, and went to bed. The next morning I went to the last session of the two-week Polish intensive language course I had missed completely. After that class period, I went to the Foreign Office of the university to pick up my student ID, my February stipend, and check-in with Urszula Broda, my contact in Poland throughout my entire application process to Wroclaw University. 

After completing these orders of business, I took the tram back to Olowek, but after awhile went back to Pasaz Grunwaldski. I spent awhile shopping, making various purchases of an electric and electronic nature to enhance my flat's capabilities. I had picked up several Polish phrases already and have since learned a relatively decent conversational amount, and am sure I will learn more on the fly throughout the duration of this semester. Later, I returned to the dormitory, and went to bed early. I am uncertain if my first day were typical of stereotypical first days in foriegn countries, but I will state that I was never nervous about my ability to handle being abroad. It has merely gotten to be an even easier transition over my first fifteen days in this country. Please feel free to comment or email me with questions, and I will get back in touch with you as soon as possible.

This past weekend I had my first go at Estonian skiing. Friday afternoon a group of ESN students went to a nearby city, Otepää for skiing through the great hills of Estonia. And yes, hills. Estonia is a fairly flat country, so there really aren't any mountains here. After several hours of snow and wipe-outs we went to a lodge about 30 minutes away and had a nice traditional Estonian dinner. This consisted of a beet slaw, another salad similar to cole slaw, rye bread, a type of meat loaf, boiled potatoes, and a cream sauce to go over them. All of this served with juice. (side note- I've noticed that the drinks go differently in this part of the world. In the States you are always served a drink with ice in it, have the option of complementary water, and usually get free refills at restaurants. Here, however, drinks are not served with ice, only water is rarely, and water is not free. In fact, sometimes it costs as much as a soft drink. And there are definitely no free refills) After dinner we were served a traditional Estonian dessert. The only way I can think to describe it was a smooth raspberry flavored oatmeal/custard. We were also given milk to mix with it before eating. I don't think I've ever had anything with that consistency, and not many people were fans of it, but it was part of the experience! After the dinner we went to a smoke sauna in the lodge. I really think that this is the same process that they smoke meat with because the next day all of my clothes smelled like smoked ham. The sauna was nice though. Several people were crazy enough to run outside in their bathing suits, run through the snow and jump in a small hole in the frozen over lake, then run back into the sauna. I didn't manage to make it past the snow...

I thought I would note some things about life here that is different from home:
For one, there are coat checks in almost every building except for stores here. The way they work is you leave your coat with the person, who in turn gives you a plastic card with a number on it. Whenever you are ready to leave the building, you simply hand the number back to the person and they give you your coat. Many places even have benches and mirrors around to assist you in dressing in your entire second wardrobe before braving the cold again.
Although the grocery stores are fairly similar to those at home, the stores here do not provide bags. You either have to provide your own or purchase plastic ones. And where chicken is probably the most common meat available at home, with beef right behind it, they are second to pork here in Estonia. I have actually found beef to not be very common at all.
When entering a home in Estonia, you are expected to take your shoes off at the door. The host or hostess will then offer you slippers to wear, or they may offer the choice for you to remain in your socks if you wish. I like this tradition. It makes you feel more at home as a guest in a house.

A month? Already!

Thirty days I've been in Wroclaw but where has the time gone. No one was lying when they said time here would fly by.

I finally got out of Wroclaw for a weekend with a group of erasmus people and it did me a world of good. I've found that when I'm in a new place I feel very small

and my surroundings seem infinite. The train ride out of town into Krakow helped shrink my world and provided a sense of geographical placement in this foreign land.

The 5 hour ride was all sunny and warm and relaxing as we each had 1.5 seats to ourselves. (much different to the ride home :-( ) The trip and sights were wonderful

with Wawel Castle and it's Dragon. The lesson learned was to get out of town more often. Of course the trip let all of us get to know each other a lot better which is 

also important, to know who you're sharing this experience with.

The people in Krakow were just as nice in Wroclaw even though we were obviously tourists there. If someone in line hears that you speak english but you're

attempting so hard to say your order in Polish they will ask, "what is it you're trying to say?" and then relay the order or tell you how to pronounce it. It certainly cuts 

the embarrassment of the situation down in half. It must always be pretty obvious that I'm an out-of-towner because I take this deep breath of "here we go" before I

order things. :-P Unfortunately I hear that though natives are not unhelpful to most foreigners, they do look down on some. And this is based on skin color. :-( A fight

erupted outside our dorm between 5 polish guys and 2 spanish guys. One of the Spanish guys came out with a huge black eye. Actually a lot of fights happen right

outside of Olowek, another happened last night when I heard screams below. I ran out to the balcony to see 8 guys running around each other. Pretty scary.

There was an instance in which a group of us were harassed. A club had held a Carnival themed erasmus party and a group of us were heading home from it. We

were 4 girls and 1 guy and snowballs started landing around us. We turned around to see two Polish guys yelling and lobbing them in our direction. We yelled back but

the ambush did not stop. I decided to turn around and asked them in polish to stop,please. They accepted laughing still but they stopped. After rejoining the group the

guy with us lent a bit a truth to the situation. The guys were probably trying to flirt with us as we're all dressed in cute outfits and we just couldn't understand what they

were saying. And that they were laughing probably because I was trying to act intimidating while dressed and painted as a leopard. Oh that wonderful language

barrier.

Our Russia trip!

Hello!
A couple of people have emailed asking for details on our Russia trip (May 8-13)--so I thought I'd update you here.

Remember that the Estonia group needs to make a trip to visit their peers in Poland at some point during the semester. I know that you are all rather mobile, so I will leave the timing/planning to you---the first days of May are good travel days (May 1 is a holiday) but if the Estonia crowd plans to travel to Poland then, you should check on the Students Days calendar first. Student Days is a festival in Tartu in the beginning of May--it should work out for the Poland group to be in Tartu for Students Days just before board a bus for Russia on May 8. The plan at the moment is for all of us to meet in Estonia, departure for Russia the evening of May 8. Arrive in St. Petersburg May 9 (am) transfer to hotel and begin our adventure! We have a guide for a walking tour/a couple of museum tours/ a minivan trip out to see some incredible palaces just outside of town. We should have time on our own to roam the streets, take a boat tour of the city (this isn't on the schedule, but it is easy to book on our own, it costs about $15 but if we are lucky enough to have a sunny afternoon, it is a beautiful and relaxing ride) and find some interesting food to eat. We'll be staying in a hotel with breakfast included (2 to a room as far as I know, we can work that out on arrival). The tours and transport are paid for so you just need money for food and souvenirs.

I have really been enjoying reading your posts! I was thinking about posting some points to ponder about recording observations on the blog from a conference I just attended. I want to encourage you to get out on your own, make a list of places to go and just observe how they do it there (grocery store, market, religious service, public spaces, cultural event, riding a bus or public transportation). I'd love to hear where you all are shopping in Tartu and Wroclaw--the markets and grocery stores are really different in Poland and Estonia (as I hope you'll have the chance to see!) so some descriptions, please!!

Last note--I have the passport scans from Gabriel and Robert, but still don't see them on the blog. Could you nudge them? Hopefully I will be in touch with some instructions for you guys on the visa front very soon!

Best,
Kathleen