Count down!

Hello all! I'm getting really excited about our upcoming trip. I just want to give you some itinerary info/contact info for me while I'm in transit.

I'll be in Wroclaw, Poland on Monday May 4-Thursday May 7. The best way to contact me there would be to send an email message to Ula Broda in the International Office. I'd love to see the students who are studying in Poland, if you are still in town?
ulbr@adm.uni.wroc.pl

On Thursday I'll head to Estonia. I fly into Tallin late afternoon (5:35 pm) and will need to catch a bus to Tartu (anybody wanna meet me?) I don't know where I'll be staying yet--but the International Office will know where to find me. I think that Piret Must will be out of the office, but Sirje Uprus will be in touch with me.
sirje.uprus@ut.ee

Once I'm in Estonia, I'll also have this phone number 372 5311 6581 SMS 372 533 57081

We'll head out on the bus at about 11 pm on the 8th (Friday) so let's be in touch about when/where to meet--I'll need to check out of my hotel midday I guess, I'll be checking in at the university, but maybe dinner?

Once I have our final packet with our intinerary in St. Petersburg, I'll send you the hotel info in case you want to leave it with anyone back home or in Poland/Estonia.

See you soon--
Kathleen

Frogs

I came here with the intentions of taking Biology courses. As that was not possible, I sought out a professor in the Zoology Department here at the Uniwersytet Wroclawiu and asked if I could help out in her lab doing research for credit. She said yes and I met with the Graduate and PhD students in her lab right away. We exchanged emails and phone numbers and I was invited to help with amphibian relocation and rehabilitation. I was excited.
A month later one of the students finally got back to me. She is only two years older than I am and is working on her Master's degree. She invited me out to catch amphibians from this lake that is being destroyed due to a new stadium being built pretty much on top of it and move the lil guys to a lake within a park about a kilometer away.
It was a warm, sunny morning and we jumped trams and buses until we arrived at our destination. I asked a million questions about amphibians and learned that there are more than just toads, frogs, and salamanders. It is all very interesting. I had to admit that while I had done research in lake systems I knew nothing about amphibians and so she told me even more; fun stuff like coping mechanisms for such a cold environment :). After breaking the ice with science we turned into two girls around the same age interested in the same things and so talked about being who we are in two very different countries. Comes to find out we're not all that different in the end. We talked about boys, about friends, and music. Ok I'm getting too cheesy so you get the picture. Then I had to ask why it had taken so long for some one to get back to me about the research when I knew they all had mentioned needing help the week I met them. She gave a an uneasy "uhhh....well Danielle..." and told me that they were all nervous about being around me. Why? of course I asked. She said they didn't want me to laugh at them or think badly of them for not knowing more English while they're at almost professional levels of education. I couldn't believe it but of crouse I understood it. It's weird though to think that they would even assume I would laugh at them for something like that, I can't speak a lick of Polish past, "My name is Danielle and I have a question." Anyways I told her that I would never be so rude and I didn't know many that would and that I understood they were the ones doing me a favor. I haven't heard from any of them still but I am planning on going on a bat excursion with them this weekend in which we follow and record behaviors of local bats at nighttime for two nights. I hope to make amends or things clear through the experience as well as get some photos of cute flying rodents.

They shave their heads and throw the salute

Running behind on blog entries so I'll so a few in a row here and boy do I have some things to write about.
Last Saturday I went to my first concert in town with two girlfriends from the dorm. It was a pricey concert but my friend said that the headliner band was "totally worth it." So I decided to go.
We start our journey on the tram taking it until our directions told us and then we had to walk about a kilometer past the tram stop. It was a series of lefts and rights and right agains and as we walked we noticed the streets getting a little dirtier and less crowded with people. At one point we passed a house that had 7 to 8 grungy middle aged men sitting on the broken boarded and paint chipped porch. But we laughed and took note to take a taxi home.
The last stretch of the journey led us down an ally, pretty well lit in actuality, and to a man selling tickets for the show. We bought three tickets and entered the joint.
The inside was like any other bar, two nice enough bartenders serving cheap beer; the walls displayed a number of figures including a graffitied portrait of Bob Marley. A space was cleared for 'dancing' and tables were set up for setting drinks down while you enjoyed the show. The first band were tuning their instruments up on stage while we grabbed a beer and went to a table behind the 'dance' floor.
Finally the band started playing and as it was all in Polish we just bobbed our heads and danced around a little bit. At this time the crowd began to congregate on the dance floor and moving to the music. The girls had partially shaved heads, plaid where there could fit in into their wardrobe, and big, hunking army boots which they kicked around as they danced in the punk rock style that has been popular for some time. (Lame excuse for dancing if you ask me.) The guys had camoflauge where the girls had plaid, T-shirts old and worn, and often suspenders which held up their skin tight pants. And they all had completely shaved heads. Looking around I noticed that more and more of the guys had this shaved head, skinheads. The band played on and it went to leave but recieved an encour. The request went out for some song and the band agreed to play.
The song started out like their others, lots of guitar, crap bass, and a drum skeme that lacked creativity and the dance floor filled up. Then I thought I understood some of the lyrics, was that english? Yes, it was english. "Skin head for life!" was repeated over and over and the crowd did something I least expected. They all threw up the Nazi salute. Girls, guys, young, old all put their flattened hands towards the band at that unmistakable angle.
It was a werid an scary feeling to be in that bar then. Us three girls decided to just play it cool until the headliners came on and certainly get our money's worth of the music. In between bands you could hear, "Adolf! Adolf! For Life!" I just wanted to scream at them all and ask them how they, of all the countries affected by the War, could remain so ignorant. I want to bust full beer bottles over the guys' heads. But I also didn't want to get the crap beat out of me.
The headliners came on and we stayed for a while but decided it would be smart to leave a little early. The headliners seemed scared themselves with the croud as they were a band out of London with one of the guitarists out of Paris. They spoke into the microphones with chilled English accents but gave the crowd nervous glares and played on anyways with songs containing lyrics such as, "I call and you but you'll never return!" and "Oo oo baby, you don't want to stick with me..." Very corny stuff that surprisingly the lame skinheads took to.
I am never going to another concert at that bar again.

Polish Easter

So I comprehend that Easter is about a week and a half removed from now, but this post was delayed by my laptop's unexpected hard-drive crash. As I was determining what topic to do for this blog post, I realized that one of the things I had been most looking forward to with a semester in Poland was to observe the Easter holiday and see how it is done here. Being Catholic myself, one of the reasons I had chosen Poland was for the strong Catholic background of the country, and the presence of Catholic churches every block much like Baptist churches in North Carolina. 

As I have traveled all over this city, exploring the various regions, I have always been struck by the number of clergy, particularly nuns, that I have seen going about their business. How often does one see a nun in the traditional habit going through the checkout lane in the grocery store in the US? To me it has been refreshing, a place where religion can mix in public society without causing stares or insulting comments. There is nothing like running into a nun on the street to remind one to attend church on Sunday. 

Anyway, as Easter approached, I was looking more and more forward to attending Mass in the Cathedral of Wroclaw. I was also looking forward to finding some ham and making a brown sugar glaze over it as is traditional, but more on that in a few moments. 

I typically do not go grocery shopping until I run out of food - it saves money that way, to me. This way, none of my food goes bad, and I stretch my stipend as far as possible. That reminds me, someone needs to educate this country on how to make a proper pizza, but since I do not possess an oven, I guess it will not be me. 

I managed to have 'perfect' timing, running out of food on Holy Saturday. I figured 'No problem, I'll run out when I wake up Sunday morning and find something.' Well, it never occurred to me that being in such a prominently Catholic area, stores would be closed for Easter. Turns out every grocery store near Olowek was closed, and had been closed since Saturday, and would be closed until Tuesday. Momentarily stumped, and completely out of food, I was a little uncertain as to what exactly I was going to do in this situation. Finally, I reasoned I could survive on junk food for two days, and I went in to the petrol station next to Olowek to see what food I could find. Turns out gas stations in Poland are unlike gas stations in the US for what food staples are available, as I could only muster potato chips and ramen noodles - ramen noodles! I almost never eat ramen, let alone purchase it for myself, let alone eat it as my Easter dinner! So there I was, Easter Sunday, consuming potato chips and ramen noodles, listening to my mother tell me about the wonderful ham and brown sugar glaze, mashed potatoes, and black forest trifle she had made, and then listening to my girlfriend describe what her family was having - Italian beef, ham, cheesy potatoes, and the list goes on and on - my noodles paling in comparison between either family's repertoire. And of course, Monday I ate the same thing as the grocery stores were still closed. 

However, at least the Mass was excellent. It started exactly on time, at 18:30 hours (6:30pm), and was about as traditional as Mass can get. Those in attendance were of course dressed in their Easter finest, high-class formal clothing. I do not understand much of it, due to it being entirely in Polish, but still, it is always nice to see such a high level of reverence and respect displayed. Younger members of the congregation paused and allowed the elder members to approach the Communion line first, everything was conducted almost silently, the choir singing in the background, etc. As I was not sure what to expect from an Easter Mass in Europe, I cannot say if my expectations were met or not, but that I was completely satisfied with what I received.

ASAP

I need to know the status of Robert and Gabriel's visa application right away. Please email me TODAY to let me know what you've done.

71 days...

Before I left the States one of my friends told me that I would go through stages of being here, which sound a lot like the whole culture shock talk from orientation now that I think about it.. He said at first everything will probably be overwhelming, be you're making so many friends and having so many fun new experiences that you push through and adapt. Everything continues to be fun as everything is new and there is so much to discover in every day. Then things will lose their new appeal and you might get bored of them, even frustrated because they are new and different, and want to come home. Then it's time to go and you become sentimental and don't want to leave, as you realize that realistically you may never see these places or people again.
I've been watching to see if these stages develop, and have definitely seen them here to some degree, in myself as well as others. I noticed recently how there aren't so many new things in my day anymore. Last week my Mom came to visit me. She kept pointing out and observing so many things that were different from home. These same things I didn't even notice anymore, they've just become a common part of my day and surroundings. My mom and I traveled to Helsinki for a couple of days too while she was here. As much as I really did enjoy Finland, I felt a little bit relieved to be back in Tartu, I think it's becoming a second home to me.
Before I left home I had also heard that it wasn't a good idea to visit with people from home mid-way through the semester, so I was a little worried about what would happen after spending a week with Mom and then having to say goodbye again. But I think it was more helpful than anything, kind of like a refresher of home. It was also nice for her to see everything in person that I had been trying to explain through words and pictures. Now she can relate more to my experience here.
I have been feeling a little homesick lately though. I've even noticed myself missing random things, like graham crackers. I was a little worried about this until a couple of other people here started talking about missing home too the other night. For whatever reason I think now is when it's starting to sink in for a couple of us that we're away from home and have been for so long. It is pretty much the halfway point. But there is still so much to take in and experience while I am abroad. As much as I want to be with my friends and family from home again, I want to take advantage of the relationships and time I have left here.

Bus or Car Or Bike or Train?

There is a reason why transportation systems are different in the United States than they are in Europe. For starters, as everyone is aware, Europe is not as large as the United States. You can drive through three countries in less than a full day.
Europe also has an excellent public transportation system in comparison with the States. Subways, trams, and buses are all very accessible, some are 24 hours and almost all are very inexpensive to ride.
On this note, however, I would like to point out that the States are miles ahead on roads, road signs, and drivers....at least in my experiences.
For example, two weekends ago, three friends and I rented a tiny little Fiat to drive to Budapest. All was good in theory, except the driving friend figured she knew the best way to go based off a tiny map I had in a traveling book. Error number one.
8 hours later on a trip that should have only taken 6, we were still no where near Budapest. No road signs were even telling us what road we were on or if we were even going the right way. Kilometer after kilometer of bumpy and pot-holed roads, and still no clue of where we were. Not only had we not seen a single road sign in over an hour, but we had nearly been run off the road several times due to impatient drivers behind us. Not only did they pass us, but they sped off into the distance, down the topsy-turvy roads, only for us to hear them squealing tires turn after hairpin turn. As if they had a death wish.
10 hours later, we have finally spotted a sign for Budapest while we were in Slovakia. Tiny, inconspicuous, and out of the blue, we had no clue if we had been going the right way or not until we stumbled upon this sign. And it was the only one we saw until we reached Hungary and were about 10 minutes outside of the city.
Finally arriving in Budapest after 12 hours of driving, double the amount of time it should have taken, we still had to navigate the city to get to our hostel. However, in Budapest, all the names of the streets were posted on tiny signs in seemingly 12 point font on the side or a corner building.
"Is this Erzbeth?"
"I don't know, I can't see...."
Passing the turn.
"Yeah, that was Erzbeth."
I think we must have pulled at least 20 u-turns getting to the hostel.
The trip was great, but then the return home was also a nightmare. Before leaving, we looked up directions on Google Maps to avoid another 12 hour adventure. But no one wants to listen to the American driver when she points out that it would be much quicker to cut through the corner of Czech then it would be to drive straight across the middle of Slovakia. European drivers, even ones that have only driven from Wroclaw to Budapest once before, apparently know better.
So, a 10 hour drive home, with many more rocky shifts, crazy drivers passing us at the speed of light, and guessing at which fork in the road to take, we arrived safely home in Wroclaw.
I think I prefer Europe's public transportation, and I think next time I'll take the train.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

I hope that you all have a great Easter...I'd love to hear what goes on in Estonia for Easter, but for those of you in Poland, I hope you'll make an effort to be around Poles this holiday weekend. Since many Poles are Catholic, Easter is a pretty big deal. Enjoy!

I also wanted to point out an issue that is on the table at UNCG that you may be interested in. Have any of you lived in on-campus housing at UNCG? were you on the quad? The Board of Trustees is holding a meeting on April 16th (next week) to discuss a master plan for the quad. There is a link on the UNCG home page (Board of Trustees to Hold Quad Forum) to the Chancellor's web page for comments and suggestions. I thought that since you've now spent some time abroad and maybe had some reflections on what you've enjoyed at your host institutions and what you miss about UNCG, that you may have some productive suggestions about how UNCG could rebuild the quad to house more students and house them better!

At any, just a little news from home! Enjoy your holiday and then get ready for a great trip to Russia! As I get the final details, I'll be in touch again. I'm planning to arrive in Wroclaw on May 4 and then I'll head to Tartu on May 7th. I'll post my cell phone number (I think I have an Estonian number!) so that you can contact me if there are any last minute issues. I'll also be in contact with the International Offices in Wroclaw and Tartu.

Peace

Pickles, Cookies, and Flowers

In my last post, I described what a typical Estonian meal would be. They very much like the staple plan of pork, potatoes, and salad. Which, by the way, "salad" here does not mean a bed of lettuce adorned with tomatoes and veggies, it could pretty much be anything that you cut up into pieces and mix together. What I failed to mention, however, is the Estonian passive-aggressive love of pickles. No one ever talks about them or promotes them, but they are everywhere, yet in random places. It sounds like a conspiracy theory I know. But really, I've had pickles appear unsuspectingly in so many things that I order, everything from pizza to soup!

This past week we had in international food fest on our dorm hall. I have never eaten so much in my life, but I've never had so much fun eating either. All afternoon nations teamed up together to prepare something wonderful to unveil. In preparation for the event, we Americans spent quite a while thinking about what to make. We were challenged to come up with something that was feasible to make for a lot of people, feasible for us to make period, and wasn't already borrowed from another culture. We finally came up with chocolate chip cookies. Although a very good idea, I didn't have much faith in our simple and meager menu. To further my insecurity, every time someone would ask what America was making and I told them, they would just look at me. "Great," I would think, "they think it's lame". But the night finally came, and after much chopping of chocolate bars to serve as chocolate chips, and a work-out of mixing, our first batch was finally ready. They were so good. Just like a little handful of America. And apparently the rest of the international students approved, because no fresh batch lasted for more than 3 minutes on the plate. I finally figured out that when people looked at me strange for telling them what team America would be making, it was because they didn't know what chocolate chip cookies were! I was so proud that America could contribute a cultural element that went over just as well as the delicious authentic Greek salad and Italian pastas.

This past week I also had my first experience with a full language barrier. For the most part in Estonia, everyone either speaks English, or knows enough to get by. And if all else fails, you can just point to the menu or read the small digital screen telling you how much money to pay. When I made my first excursion to the small flower market in town, however, it was a little different. I walked up to one of the vendors to look at a specific type of flower he had. He saw me come and immediatly started to try to make a sale. I apologetically shook my head and explained I only spoke English. He was convinced I knew what he was saying anyway, however, and proceeded to make arrangements and quote prices. We finally both got so confused and flustered that he called over a nearby vendor that did speak English. She kindly explained to me what he had simply been trying to tell me all along. After she left, I paid, and he was putting my flowers in paper, he kept talking out loud in Estonian. All I understood was the word for English, and right then knew what it must feel like to come to America with little or no English. The situation didn't upset me, I left feeling a little amused at the whole thing actaully. But it did make me realize that I need to be more patient with people new to my environment at home.

Fire on the Odra

Spring time is here in Wroclaw, I think we can all concur on this. Last night there was a barbecue scheduled by the neighboring dorm called Kredka. My roommate Oktay and I went down to the river with some Kielbasa and some beer to find the barbecue. On the way down we met some other international students coming back towards Olowek who told us nothing was going on. We decided to go anyway. We took a left off the bridge. The trail took us through a bit of forest and down the river bank. After a little ways in you could see a lurid illumination in the distance of campfires, and the movement of many dark forms in the glow. The crowd turned out to be entirely Polish with nary an international anywhere. It was a bit difficult to approach, so instead we went to a small campfire on the perimeter of the area with three Polish people sitting by it. The fire was really just a board burning slowly atop a pile of ash and coals, but the board was large and the coals were hearty. The Poles could speak only a little English, but it was enough, and they were drunk enough that they werent too worried about it. After we sat for a time we learned that one of the Poles was an experienced and enthusiastic barista, very knowledgabel about all aspects of coffee. We then had a very long and in depth discussion on coffee forms and levels of caffeine in different types of coffee. For example, American coffee has the most caffeine, moka has quite a lot, and espresso the least of the major types. the conversation was interesting but very fractured. I think its nice though, attempting to talk about why different forms of coffee making are stronger than others, with a strong language barrier. Its kind of like a puzzle, how can this information be relayed when no one understands each other very well.
It was a good night, watching a board slowly burn up on the banks of the odra, drumming and guitar in the distance, and a sky full of stars.

Hey Gabriel, please copy the email to Robert

Hey Gabriel, please note that Gordon sent you both support documents-yours and Robert's. Robert just emailed me about this, so apparently he doesn't know that you have it. Yes, you will have to go to Warsaw to apply for the visa and it would be a really smart idea to check before you head out on Friday to see what the turnaround for a visa is. Perhaps Robert could submit your materials as well, giving you a better shot at getting to go on the trip. I really hope that the two of you will put some thought and effort into this as LIHC has invested quite a bit to include you (rooms in St. P's, bus ticket, visa support, tours and admissions) that we may not be able to recoup should you not be able to go. PLUS...we really want you to GO WITH! Go online to the Russian consulate page in Warsaw, ask a Polish friend for some advice (or Urszula in the international office) and see if Robert can help you out with getting the app in before the 20th.

Obama Obama Obama

It has been so cool hearing everyone talk about our President as he's been on this side of the world. Watching CNN and reading the articles on ABC, I get to go, "Hey! I've been there!" as Barak went through Prague, and "I'll be there soon!"as he entered the London-Stansted airport. Some friends of mine were saying how proud they were that he chose their country to go visit and speak at. It made little sunshine rays shoot from me from the inside out. To realize, finally, that you are living within history is a cool feeling. Me and 4 friends went for a day trip outside of Wroclaw yesterday to Opole. The town is not even in my Lonely Planet for Poland. The train tickets were cheap and we wanted to be able to say that we did something over Easter Break so we headed out early and planned to return in the evening. When we got there we walked around a bit, a bit more than we wanted because we recieved bad directions from the first woman we asked, but we made it to Opole's rynek. Because of the holiday, everything was closed or closing early. We jumped in a restaurant to grab some food then came back out and thought, well what do we do now? We went to the park, which was adorable and clean, and laid down. We just laid in the park for hours talking and listening to the radio. I got a good nap in. It was great not having an itinerary for museums and sites. We aquired a friend as a little girl about 4 years old came and scared my friend as she slept. She gave each of us flowers and one of my other friends tried to speak Polish with her but she just replied, "nah na nan nah." We walked around a bit more then hopped the train home. I add it up as a sucessful trip. Here in Poland, Easter Monday is known as Wet Monday. Appearently the locals throw water on each other to celebrate the day. It's mainly little kids attacking unsuspecting adults and guys getting girls when they least expect it. So I don't really plan on heading outside my room that day. :-P Things are so quiet in the streets below our dorm, and the dorm is almost empty. I have to say it's nice. I doubt there will be any other time when Plac Grunwaldzki will be this devoid of cars.

Can I get some preservatives, please?

I have never borne witness to food that expired so quickly.
Two days ago, I was assaulted by a moldy loaf of bread (I'm slightly terrified of mold). The bread was purchased by a friend less than a week prior, and when she went to the kitchen to fetch it, she returned with something that resembled one of those green styrofoam blocks you stick silk flowers in. I have seen moldy bread before, but this was a whole new class of expired. How could one week cause this much damage?! A carton of milk also managed to expire in under two days, even though it was refrigerated. And jam! This was something I had never seen before in my life. A jar of jam was moldy after no more than ten days. I have jam in my refrigerator at home that has been there for months and it is still good.
I even checked all the expiration dates to make sure I hadn't purchased old food by mistake. But all of the spoiled food was spoiled well before it was expected to expire. I am at a loss. Many more of my purchases have gone bad and I'm sure many more will. But this makes me much more wary of the food at home in the States. How many more chemicals are going into my food than I'm aware of? If food spoils this quickly, what on Earth am I putting into my body at home? Or is it just Poland? Does food just spoil unreasonably fast here for some reason? I would love to know the true factors that come into play in this situation.
I am enjoying the European trend of purchasing fresh food. It's nice not going to Walmart and purchasing bags of frozen vegetables and chicken. However, if I want to make a salad, I have to actually purchase a head of lettuce, a carrot, a jar of olives, an onion....you get the point. I don't really have the option of buying a bag of pre-mixed salad. I am beginning to miss the pre-packaged convenience of certain items, because if I buy a whole head of lettuce, it's going to go to waste. I can't eat a whole head of lettuce in one salad, and as I stated early, everything will be spoiled by the time I am ready to eat more. Even though it seems insignificant, it is actually quite a dilemma. We're on a limited "income," or stipend, here, and I really can't afford to be throwing food away, no matter the amount.
I'm really missing that UNCG meal plan right now....

Bus to St. P leaves at 10:45pm

Hallo group!

The tour service just notified me that we DO have the direct bus to Russia, so we leave at 10:45 pm and arrive at like 6:30 am (wow...that's early) The return bus is also an overnight, so we'll have the most of our days in St. Petersburg. Hope this helps you to finalize your plans!!

Bus schedule Tartu to St. P

So, at the moment, our tour people have us leaving Tartu midday and going to Tallinn, then catching a late (11 pm) bus to St. P. I've asked them if there is a late night bus directly from Tartu (which we've taken before) but maybe this is a cheaper rate...I'll keep you posted!!

Late bus

I'll check with our tour people today about when the bus leaves, but 11 pm might cut it too close!

Russia, almost there

Kathleen,

Mandy and I have plane tickets into Riga on the 7th, now it's a matter of getting bus tickets. The buses all run at night time, we miss them on the 7th so we'll be in Riga for a night but we can head out the next day,the 8th but we'd arrive in Tartu around 11pm. Is this too late to catch the bus into St. Petersburg? There is a night bus that Kelsey enlightened us to and we'd get into Tartu around 3am...don't really want to be wandering around the city at that time...

Gabriel,
Gordon Stearns sent me this email about your visa support:
Dear Kathleen:I sent to them (actually, to Gabriel) an email with their visa support,then another with a copy of the American citizen form for applying. I told them what I expected they would have to submit, but notknowing the Russian Consulate in Warsaw I cannot do much more(though I did specify to their inviting organization that they wouldbe submitting in Warsaw). They'll likely need some Polish friendto go online and find out what, when, how much, etc. for applicationsin Warsaw. Even with Holy Week, when the Poles may take offmore time, they should have more than enough time to process theirapplications.I'll look for yours, then we can finish up train tickets and hotel, andget yours submitted.Many thanksGordon

If you don't have this (from around March 20) you need to be in touch with me asap. There is still time to get the visa, but let's get this figured out!

Are we ready?!

Hellooo!
Are you ready to go to Russia? I know that Gabriel and Robert still need to get their visas--have you not heard anything from Gordon Stearns at Tour Designs in DC? He emailed me a couple of weeks ago to verify your UNCG email address so that he could send the visa support. I've emailed him again, but be on the lookout for info from him! I'm loving reading your posts--keep them coming!

Orphanage in Estonia

This week I went to a local orphanage to volunteer. After getting my unsuccessful test grade back and watching a drunk be pulled away in an ambulance while eating a cabbage roll in the Town Square, I was ready to see some orphans. Kara, another international student, and I walked about 15 min outside Old Town to this pink stucco home. Upon entry, one is supposed to take off his or her shoes, which I did. The whole time I felt so uncomfortable and awkward. Kara showed me around the place. There are two floors. The first one has a kitchen, dining room, living room, and several middle-age (8-10) boy rooms. Upstairs was all the other kids rooms, a worker room, and another living room with a balcony where the cool angsty teenagers smoke. One of the reasons I thought it was awkward was the fact that there wasn't much communication between us and the orphans other than the younger ones coming up for tickle fights and hugs. I am sure once the whole "getting to know you" process is over, the teenagers will be more friendly. Normally Kara said on Tuesdays she watches choir practice (which is downstairs in the basement) and folk practice, then eats dinner with them and helps them with their homework. So we watched the choir practices which made me laugh because although I don't understand Estonian I could tell what the teacher was commenting on. One of the interesting things, the kids who are there may have parents or extended family still around, it's just that their parents can't afford or don't want them. That's why they are there, in addition to what one may already think. When I left I was pretty sure I never wanted to go again (probably because I am HUGE chicken), but while writing this and remember each kid's attributes makes me want to go again.

I found all the Polish people!

Yesterday was our first all-day sunny day here in Wroclaw. The sun did not drift behind a single cloud all day and the temperature got up to 60 degrees. I went downtown to do some errands and I have never seen it to packed. There were tours going on for tourists, restaurants were installing awnings for outdoor seating, a guy with an accordion, and people, people, people. The whole scene made my heart jump around a little, especially when me ears caught English being spoken by someone who I knew wasn't from Olowek. I felt the sleep getting wiped from Rynek's eye as I noticed the sand blasters were completely gone (they fill the cobble stone in) and the fountain in the square was actually running. The people were laughing and smiling finally. Students were just laying on benches soaking up the sunlight. It was weird to stand amongst Wroclawians and tourists, which group do I belong to? It's weird to see tourists in a town that you live in, that never happens in Greensboro. It all made me proud to claim Wroclaw as my city.
Wroclaw is getting ready for Easter and so shop windows are displaying eggs and chicks and flowers foretelling the holiday. I haven't noticed a change in the meat selection yet though; no summer hams or big turkeys rolling out. Perhaps they don't get into that tradition. I have noticed these weird bundles of colored reeds popping up everywhere though, I wonder what they stand for.
As a last note: my friends and I have been commenting on how the city is a completely different one in the sunshine; one that seems less lost in it's own smog. Finally!