Last days in Wroclaw, last days in Olowek, everyone is saying goodbye with hopeful promises of future travel plans and long distance visits. Yet it seems that I am not really leaving this country that has taken up such a large portion of my life inhabiting me. As Mandy said, we'll get to the plane terminal and the stewardess will laugh and say, "That plane doesn't exist!" Goodbye parties have an uneasy sense of lack of conversation because no one wants to speak what is on their minds, no one wants to say goodbye. So conversations turn to remebering the times and recalling other parties which were more lively and contained that person that everyone loves but who now has gone home already. Hugs last longer and kisses are given more freely and the guys take in deeper breaths as girls swat the dense air in front of their faces and cover their mouths which tremble with the words; goodbye. Countdowns on Facebook get smaller and hearts get anxious, what a time to be in Olowek. The first to go really had it lucky.
When the first left, they weren't really gone. I caught myself going to the elevator and pushing the floor to their room.
Today is my last day, well for a while, I'll be back to Wroclaw to fly home so I can't say goodbye yet, but they are kicking me out of Olowek. I must say I can not wait to be faced with administration which I understand and who will understand me. Simple questions will be overcome with the beautiful fact of understanding each other's language...ahhhhh.
I was searching the internet for that cheap spa in Wroclaw and came upon someone's blog. They are British and had been staying in Wroclaw for the same time I had. I went to the first entry and began to read. It started the week before I first got into town. I read about how they dealt with the snow and cold and driving to and from work in it. They wrote complaints about the Polish cold disposition but wrote it off as winter blues, the same as most of us. I jumped around and read what drew interest, it was so weird reading about thsi person who was going through the same thing and having no idea about their existance. I have to wonder how many times we've passed in Rynek or sat near each other on the 17 tram. We live in a small world.
Leaving has so many feelings. I think it is this mess of emotions that takes the validity away from the event. I look forward to going home, well to most of it. I look forward to leaving Wroclaw, well most of it. I am sad to see my friends go. I am sad to leave behind that bakery beneath the dorm. I plan on hitting the ground running when I step off the plane, see if I can outrun those post-study abroad blues. Life is life as a friend here always says and Europe will always be here. The times I've had will always be with me, good, bad, and ugly. So I guess you can tell this is summing up to be my last blog entry (unless we have to write about the after effects when we get back) so goodbye blog writing. I will say goodbye to Wroclaw when the time comes. Blog Monster over and out.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Most Wonderful Place in the World
If you have not been to the Estonian countryside, stop what you are doing, buy a plane ticket to Estonia and a bus ticket to any city in the South and you will find happiness. This is what all fortune cookies should say because it's true.
During my last weekend in Estonia, my friend, Colin and I decided to bike to several towns in South. The tour included Polva, Rouge, Voru, and Otepaa. Ambitious, yes. Delusional, yes. Possible, no (at least not for us).
After four hours of biking in the pouring rain and gusty wind in the only part of the Estonia that had hills, we revised our plan and took a bus from Polva to Voru. Now note here: After giving my drawing covered in stick figure versions of us and our bikes with arrows pointing to a rectangle with circles underneath to the bus attendant, I was amazed to find out that not only could we take our bikes on the bus with us but we were not going to be charged extra. I would suspect in the States, this would not be the case.
Once we made it to our guesthouse, everything went smoothly. The guesthouse was run by a cute old man, Tiit, who was obediently followed by his golden retriver and black cat. Tiit cooked us two meals each day. They were simple usually composed of fried eggs, a slab of ham each, a fresh cucumber-tomato salad that was generously topped with dill, a loaf of bread, an A Le Coq, and yogurt for desert. Simple, but it was the best couple of meals I had all semester. On the last day we were there, he told us of his life in the Soviet Union and when Estonia gained its independence he decided to move from the city back to the "motherland" to live out his life.
In Voru and Rouge, we rode our bikes around visiting the churches and gawking at the natural beauty. In Rogue, there is a nature park where you can walk along the outskirts of the deepest lake in Estonia. I feel, only in Estonia would you find a nature trail dedicated to water pumps. The path was lined with moss-covered metal cylinders and signs explaining the challenge of pumping water up a hill. I have never been so knowledgeable of hydraulics in my life.
Now, I love Tartu and I am quite fond of Tallinn (because of Alexander Nevsky), but the Southern towns were what I imagined Estonia to be like. They were rustic, and did not specifically cater to tourists. The birch forests were amazing because they lack undergrowth so you can look in and feel like the rows of trees go on forever. The hills, although a pain to bike, just increased the charm because you couldn't see what surprise was next. With all the quaintness, I definitely advise future students of Tartu to visit Southern Estonia.
The Great St. Pete
So here's me being uber late with all my blog entries... first off, St. Pete.
My expectations of Russia were complied from a conglomeration of sources such AP European History, what little I had learned from Estonians, clips from the news and of course, spy movies. I had expected Russians to be boisterous with a bottle of vodka in one hand and a furry cap upon their heads. Fortunately, or unfortunately (I was really looking forward to the hats), this was not the case.
As for the city itself, I really wanted to dislike it because everyone who had been there told me I was going to love it. In the end, there are some buildings I adore such as Our Lady of Kazan or the Dom Knigi, but the gaudy European Baroque style that adorned most of the buildings just does not appeal to me.
What really interested me, as usual, was the food. Tepemok, the blini place we visited, I would venture to say is average fast food for Russia, and in that case, the Baltics as well (I visited a similar pancake place in Vilnius). Compared to American fast food, I found Tepemok not only more flavorful but also more healthy. An American greasy french fry which occasionaly will bend on its own, falls flat to the light yet filling side order of simple blini and smetana. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
When it came time to leave St. Pete, I have to admit I was overjoyed to be going home to Tartu. Although St. Petersburg is lovely, I wish we had a chance to explore more of the "real" Russia; the Russia that isn't so Europeanized. But as our bus rolled away, the scenery slowly changing from a maze of canals to forests of birch trees, I seceretly couldn't wait to return to St. Petersburg and Russia once again.
My expectations of Russia were complied from a conglomeration of sources such AP European History, what little I had learned from Estonians, clips from the news and of course, spy movies. I had expected Russians to be boisterous with a bottle of vodka in one hand and a furry cap upon their heads. Fortunately, or unfortunately (I was really looking forward to the hats), this was not the case.
As for the city itself, I really wanted to dislike it because everyone who had been there told me I was going to love it. In the end, there are some buildings I adore such as Our Lady of Kazan or the Dom Knigi, but the gaudy European Baroque style that adorned most of the buildings just does not appeal to me.
What really interested me, as usual, was the food. Tepemok, the blini place we visited, I would venture to say is average fast food for Russia, and in that case, the Baltics as well (I visited a similar pancake place in Vilnius). Compared to American fast food, I found Tepemok not only more flavorful but also more healthy. An American greasy french fry which occasionaly will bend on its own, falls flat to the light yet filling side order of simple blini and smetana. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
When it came time to leave St. Pete, I have to admit I was overjoyed to be going home to Tartu. Although St. Petersburg is lovely, I wish we had a chance to explore more of the "real" Russia; the Russia that isn't so Europeanized. But as our bus rolled away, the scenery slowly changing from a maze of canals to forests of birch trees, I seceretly couldn't wait to return to St. Petersburg and Russia once again.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Nie dobrze
I know in Russia I was saying 'bardzo dobrze,' but I'm SO far behind on posts I can't even bring myself to say those words in this blog space.....So, in the honor of being behind, I would like to make a few observations about Polish Erasmus.
I am excited to come home and have responsibilities again. Not the thing you'd expect to hear from an Erasmus student, huh? While my experience has been amazing and I wouldn't trade it for anything, I must admit I am getting weary of the life I lead in Poland.
As far as responsibilities go, in Olowek, you literally have none. You aren't even responsible for your keys. First of all, if you leave the building, you're to leave your keys at the reception desk. The lovely (haha, not) ladies in administration hold on to them for you and give them back when you return to the building. Or, in my case, when you drop your keys down the 15th floor elevator shaft, they'll call the elevator man to fetch your keys and loan you out a spare set.
You don't have the chore of checking your mail. It's delivered directly to the reception desk, and you don't even have to ask for it. They inform you if you have a letter or a parcel.
If something happens, and for some reason you can't get into your room, you always know at least one person whose roommate is currently travelling and you can just sleep in their room.
Wake up late? No worries, there's several buses and trams each hour. Don't bother remembering which turns to take, don't worry about having to physically exert yourself by walking. Someone else can drop you off right at the door while you doze on the way there.
Don't feel like going to class? It's okay. The vast majority of professors don't take attendance, and honestly, don't care whether you come or not. If you turn in the essays, take the exams, and do the presentations, you'll get your grade and your credits. Don't worry about coming to class. Its really no biggie if you miss a class....or twelve.
Forgot to pay rent? Don't worry. Administration will remind you. When you pick up the keys you aren't responsible enough to carry from the reception desk, there will be a little tiny note attached to your key ring, telling you that it is necessary to pay the rent. Can't remember after that? Don't worry, they'll keep reminding you with little notes.
I know the point is to have an amazing time experiencing the country and its culture, but really? Can we not have a few more rules? A few more things to be held accountable for? Where there are no rules, there are no consequences, and I know that myself, personally, will have a difficult time readjusting to all my responsibilities at home.
I am excited to come home and have responsibilities again. Not the thing you'd expect to hear from an Erasmus student, huh? While my experience has been amazing and I wouldn't trade it for anything, I must admit I am getting weary of the life I lead in Poland.
As far as responsibilities go, in Olowek, you literally have none. You aren't even responsible for your keys. First of all, if you leave the building, you're to leave your keys at the reception desk. The lovely (haha, not) ladies in administration hold on to them for you and give them back when you return to the building. Or, in my case, when you drop your keys down the 15th floor elevator shaft, they'll call the elevator man to fetch your keys and loan you out a spare set.
You don't have the chore of checking your mail. It's delivered directly to the reception desk, and you don't even have to ask for it. They inform you if you have a letter or a parcel.
If something happens, and for some reason you can't get into your room, you always know at least one person whose roommate is currently travelling and you can just sleep in their room.
Wake up late? No worries, there's several buses and trams each hour. Don't bother remembering which turns to take, don't worry about having to physically exert yourself by walking. Someone else can drop you off right at the door while you doze on the way there.
Don't feel like going to class? It's okay. The vast majority of professors don't take attendance, and honestly, don't care whether you come or not. If you turn in the essays, take the exams, and do the presentations, you'll get your grade and your credits. Don't worry about coming to class. Its really no biggie if you miss a class....or twelve.
Forgot to pay rent? Don't worry. Administration will remind you. When you pick up the keys you aren't responsible enough to carry from the reception desk, there will be a little tiny note attached to your key ring, telling you that it is necessary to pay the rent. Can't remember after that? Don't worry, they'll keep reminding you with little notes.
I know the point is to have an amazing time experiencing the country and its culture, but really? Can we not have a few more rules? A few more things to be held accountable for? Where there are no rules, there are no consequences, and I know that myself, personally, will have a difficult time readjusting to all my responsibilities at home.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
American Accent
You're in the grocery store and there is a buzz going on around you. Moms are scolding kids, couples are cooing, and the young store clerk is helping an older lady carry her bags. So much can be understood by all these situations just by looking at them but as I get closer to each I find that I can't understand anything else from them because of the language barrier. In the beginning it was frustrating because it was so strange and a feeling of exclusiveness messed with my brain that was so used to participating in other people's conversations. Now when I walk through Carrefour (err I mean Delicatesy because that strike is going on against Carrefour) I hardly notice the discomfort. I now know what the labels mean on the items I'm buying and so dinners have gotten way more satisfying since Februrary. This is such a cool feeling! I guess it feels like a really big accomplishment in my life and it is neat. I have a friend coming into town soon and I can't wait to see her reaction when we enter the grocery store, in a hope that I'll get to witness what my reaction must have been but this time from an outside view. Her and I went to Edinburgh and it was her first time out of the country, out of the US. I knew this but I still forgot to be sort of careful to the fact as she slunked off her 8 hour flight and I bounded off my 1 hour one. It was a bunch of big hugs and giggles and then off to the hostel, to throw our bags down, join a free tour of the city, and then scramble for a cheap but delicious place to eat before places started closing for the day. Over dinner she finally confessed to being absolutly blown away today by it all. I laughed and apologized for being so inconsiderate and she rebuted me with no worries and just went on to say how shocked she was by how different it really is and how the realization of being so far from home swamped her about an hour into that free tour and how she had a few weeks to go before she went back. It was so neat to talk about all these things because I felt them so long ago but the exact same things. She said she was scared to tell me (:P silly friend) because she felt silly about it. I told her not to worry, it's something everyone reflects on and feels and that I certainly felt the same for a long time. So I can't wait until we get to where no one speaks English and to see and hear her first impressions. We've met some fun and friendly Irish fellows on our travels and twice now we've had conversations about the "bizarre Poles." They go for trips over into Krakow and Warsaw and soon to be Poznan for a wedding frequently and they can't get over how "unhappy" the Polish people are. They claim Ireland to be the happiest country on the planet and so it's a really big shock for them when they visit the country. It was also funny to talk about the outdated tram system and the way Polish people never cross on the red at crosswalks. While we're speaking it's kind of cool to talk about a place I call home, I don't know I guess I feel like I have authority to share a little knowledge about the place. I'm giving the guys a list of some more useful words and phrases in Polish seeing as the only one they claim to know is kurva, not a very helpful word. After traveling through Scotland and hanging out with these Irish guys, when we entered the airport yesterday morning I finally heard it, the American Accent! I used to think that our accent "didn't exist" and that we just spoke "plain English" but after talking to some Scottish and Australian People about it my friend and I found that they enjoy it. Not in the sense that it's melodic or even interesting but because it's exotic, it's different and so it's just plain interesting to hear to them. I found that to be quite neat. :) It was funny when we asked them to do impressions of us, well Americans in general, we came off sounding like jerks as they mimicked George W. Bush and Tom Cruise. But after enjoying the Scottish accent for a few days (I've decided it's my favorite now, it is soOo sexy!) when I heard an American, well a ton of them, around us in the airport it was music to my ears; in the sense that it was familiar. I really liked it. When we started talking their ears would perk up to us as well and we did the lil chin up hello because we hold something in common, our homeland. It was neat. But as I'm excited to go back to the states in a few weeks, I'm also excited to get back because I miss Wroclaw; I want to be able to show my friend the good places to eat and my school buildings and just sleep in my own bed. Crazy how that happens.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Missing: 4 months and focus
I cannot believe that I leave Estonia for good in a month. I know this is how things go, and how people said it would. But to be in the cross paradox of everything is a little mind blowing. The first days of ice, snow, and sledding seem like a year ago, but it feels like I've only been here a couple of weeks all at the same time. Last week I was more than ready to come home. I was just done being here, I'm sure you all know what I mean. But now that days are flying past, I'm realizing the people and aspects of life here that I will miss.
Spring has finally truly come to us. I think my concentration and focus on school work faded along with the cold. All I want to do now is be outside, and doing really anything other than sitting at my desk working. I have only 2 more papers of my Tartu University career, but it is just not getting done. I still find it strange that I never had a true test/exam this whole semester. The only things I have been graded on are papers, papers, papers, one essay exam, and one oral exam. This oral exam was for Archeology of the Ancient Near East, and my first one ever. The whole process was quite intimidating, and hopeless if you hadn't studied. This is how it went: the four of us that showed up for the exam sat in front of the professor as he wrote 5 subjects on the board. We volunteered for what order we would go in, and then picked a subject. With this subject, you were to say everything you could on the matter, and then wait for you slow and painful interrogation. I happily made it out with a B, but not with my pride. If this class was truly critical for my major I think I would have been mortified, but since it wasn't, the whole process was actually amusing. Our professor made every one of us look like idiots, no matter how smart the student. And it's not even that he was trying to, he was quite nice about the whole humiliation.
I've been trying to think some more about the culture here in Estonia and how to evaluate it. I have a friend who is currently in New Zealand, and when I asked him about the people there, he said that they were both similar to and different from Americans, but he couldn't pin point the "why" of either. I think this describes exactly my experience. Every where I have gone this semester, it seems that there are obvious differences and similarities to America, but then this whole underlying layer of subtleties that I can't put my finger on. I think similarities between places I have visited and home might have a lot to do with globalization mixing up all kinds of cultures. There are distinct foods and styles that belong to countries, but they have all been traded and spread around. It becomes hard to weed out what belongs to a country and what doesn't.
Spring has finally truly come to us. I think my concentration and focus on school work faded along with the cold. All I want to do now is be outside, and doing really anything other than sitting at my desk working. I have only 2 more papers of my Tartu University career, but it is just not getting done. I still find it strange that I never had a true test/exam this whole semester. The only things I have been graded on are papers, papers, papers, one essay exam, and one oral exam. This oral exam was for Archeology of the Ancient Near East, and my first one ever. The whole process was quite intimidating, and hopeless if you hadn't studied. This is how it went: the four of us that showed up for the exam sat in front of the professor as he wrote 5 subjects on the board. We volunteered for what order we would go in, and then picked a subject. With this subject, you were to say everything you could on the matter, and then wait for you slow and painful interrogation. I happily made it out with a B, but not with my pride. If this class was truly critical for my major I think I would have been mortified, but since it wasn't, the whole process was actually amusing. Our professor made every one of us look like idiots, no matter how smart the student. And it's not even that he was trying to, he was quite nice about the whole humiliation.
I've been trying to think some more about the culture here in Estonia and how to evaluate it. I have a friend who is currently in New Zealand, and when I asked him about the people there, he said that they were both similar to and different from Americans, but he couldn't pin point the "why" of either. I think this describes exactly my experience. Every where I have gone this semester, it seems that there are obvious differences and similarities to America, but then this whole underlying layer of subtleties that I can't put my finger on. I think similarities between places I have visited and home might have a lot to do with globalization mixing up all kinds of cultures. There are distinct foods and styles that belong to countries, but they have all been traded and spread around. It becomes hard to weed out what belongs to a country and what doesn't.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
View From the Outside
Sorry to bombard the blog but I got so behind with entries!
Ok so on to more Polish observations: I haven't spent too much time in Wroclaw for the past few weeks but I have still managed to gather blog entry material. :)
Polish immigrants are surging into wealthier European countries right now searching for jobs. Thus they are becoming the poor minority of several countries. Just from talking to international students here in the dorm I have gathered that most held a low view of Polish people before coming here based from the ones entering into their towns and cities as immigrants. I haven't really asked if anyone has changed their mind after living here but that would be interesting to find out.
It is easy to spot a Polish person outside of Poland, they will be the dudes that look like they're on steroids with shaved heads and workout gear on. They usually have smallish eyes and undefined or really rounded jaw lines. The females are harder of course but they're usually pretty slender with sharp features and really straight blonde hair. Of course not all Polish people look like this, it's just if you see someone that does fit these descriptions, they're probably Polish. Guys have gotten the worst reputation for being ill tempered and "always starting fights." This is commentary from the people I've stayed with in other countries. It sucks but I think it is the fate of most minorities in a population who have to deal with poverty.
I have to say it is fun when to pick out Polish people when I see them. Of course the confirmation comes when you pass by and you understand what they're saying, usually, "Tak, tak. Dobry." Fellow Olowekers do the same thing, it's like a neat little inside game. :) At first I was picking out English speakers, Americans mostly, where ever I went; now it is Polish speakers, there are far fewer of them so the challenge makes it more fun.
Ok so on to more Polish observations: I haven't spent too much time in Wroclaw for the past few weeks but I have still managed to gather blog entry material. :)
Polish immigrants are surging into wealthier European countries right now searching for jobs. Thus they are becoming the poor minority of several countries. Just from talking to international students here in the dorm I have gathered that most held a low view of Polish people before coming here based from the ones entering into their towns and cities as immigrants. I haven't really asked if anyone has changed their mind after living here but that would be interesting to find out.
It is easy to spot a Polish person outside of Poland, they will be the dudes that look like they're on steroids with shaved heads and workout gear on. They usually have smallish eyes and undefined or really rounded jaw lines. The females are harder of course but they're usually pretty slender with sharp features and really straight blonde hair. Of course not all Polish people look like this, it's just if you see someone that does fit these descriptions, they're probably Polish. Guys have gotten the worst reputation for being ill tempered and "always starting fights." This is commentary from the people I've stayed with in other countries. It sucks but I think it is the fate of most minorities in a population who have to deal with poverty.
I have to say it is fun when to pick out Polish people when I see them. Of course the confirmation comes when you pass by and you understand what they're saying, usually, "Tak, tak. Dobry." Fellow Olowekers do the same thing, it's like a neat little inside game. :) At first I was picking out English speakers, Americans mostly, where ever I went; now it is Polish speakers, there are far fewer of them so the challenge makes it more fun.
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