I JUST WANT EGGPLANT

Went to the shop to find some food for the rest of the week and saw some eggplant. Now, I've made the mistake before of not weighing and stickering my food and then getting up to the register and having to just leave it because I can't communicate anything. So this time, I was prepared. Only they had nothing to reference for a plu number, a picture, or even a price that I could attempt to tell the cashier. It's so odd not feeling comfortable enough to purchase a vegetable.

(Attempting to) work on my homework for master's while I dreamily look at master's programs in the states to get me certified to work in the school system when I get home. Thinking Chicago to stay with the whole Polish theme that is currently my life. I know they have some great kielbasa shops and that's key. (It means they probably have some good pierogie shops close by.)

Had some friends from the program come by yesterday. It's always nice to have some other English speakers visit. And to be encouraged that "the first year of teaching sucks" - it gives me hope.

WIGILIA

My first time in a hostel and I must admit - it feels awkwardly animalistic when you wake up in a room with 11 other people stirring in their sleep. Had an okay sleep though.

Yesterday went well. Got to walk the city for the entire day. I went to the Christmas market in the city center first. They had great performances. So cultural. There was a chorus of elderly Polish people singing carols, then a shopki reinactment of the birth of Jesus, and then children dressed as the three wisemen and an angel singing (well, it's more like yelling) Christmas carols. Everyone drinks the traditional warm mulled wine and watches while adults in costumes (one as a devil!) walk around and mingle with the crowd. Fabulous. After taking my time going to the shops in the market I headed to Kazimeriez, the Jewish area of Krakow. Took some pictures and went to the small market there (which mainly consisted of flower markets, a few men selling fresh carp and some vegetable stands), I headed to Wawel Castle. The "dragon's den" and the church were closed but I got to see some spectacular views of Krakow from the top of the hill (pictures to come soon, I promise).

The staff is currently getting ready to serve us Wigilia (Christmas Eve dinner) and I can't wait. Pierogies, pierogies, pierogies. Mmmmm... Then, on the 27th, it's back to Opole to start homework for Nowy Sacz. I could find a million things better to do though. (Well...maybe not in Opole but definitely in Krakow). But for now, can't wait to eat, be fat and lazy, and then play me some Scrabble.

Wesolych Swiat.

CRACOW CHRISTMAS

Left Opole this morning (thank God) and am now sitting in a hostel in Krakow. Spent a few hours trying to find the place but the beautiful shops helped me forget how much I packed in my "rucksack". The restaurants are lit up and there's the smell of warm bread in the streets. I'm in love.

Don't want to waste any more time at this computer. Will be heading out to go exploring and to breathe in that beautiful Cracow Christmas air.

ROUND-A-BOUT CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST

Getting ready for Christmas break and so excited for it. I do have a bunch of work to do for my master's program but besides that, just looking forward to doing nothing for a few weeks.

My Wednesday morning class took me to breakfast this morning. It was so awesome. One of my students was there to pick me up. Said he was tired cause his cousin came back from England last night so he was up drinking vodka last night. Said his breath wasn't "too fresh" this morning. Haha. Gotta love it. They split half a bottle and it was just a Tuesday night.

So they took me to this great little restaurant. It was totally next to this roundabout and attached to a gas station but it was so nice. Cloth napkins and leather menus, great coffee and an awesome Polish breakfast (2 kielbasa, onions, bread and butter, ham, a fried egg, slices of cheese and orange juice). So just some great conversation, tons of laughing (I love this class) and excellent food. At that moment, I was loving my "job".

Heading to Krakow on Friday to spend my Christmas break in the big city. Think we'll go to the Christmas market on Friday, possibly Aushwitz on Saturday and then Wigilia (Christmas Eve supper) at the hostel with mass at the main church in the square. Hoping to see the inside of Wawel Castle and hit some pubs/restaurants that my students suggested. Guess there's some traditional Polish alcohol that I have to have.

I MISSED YOU POLAND

Did a little border hopping this weekend. So nice. Sachin and I went to the Czech so he could get a quick stamp in his passport. We had dinner at this cute little Italian (Czech-Italian?) restaurant. Then we headed back to Poland to find that we missed any trains and buses that left the small city we were stuck in. So we got a hotel room and headed out to the bar. Had a completely relaxing weekend (despite my questionable ability to "go with the flow") and got to visit with someone that I definitely don't see enough of.

Thinking of checking out Warsaw for my next teaching "gig". I can't take this small city thing much longer.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING, THIS GOOSE AIN'T GETTIN' FAT

So Christmas is coming and I'm hinging on the decision of whether to play Christmas music and watch my Christmas dvd's for fear that I'll become more homesick than I need to be during this holiday season.

Shops in Poland don't seem to be as decorated as they are at home. In fact, they only just decorated the city center last week. A lot different than what I'm used to.

There's not much in the way of Santa's here either. Poles believe in a star or an angel bringing presents on Christmas Eve (Wigilia). Santa came on the 6th (St. Nicholas Day). The grocery stores are beginning to smell of a strong, fishy odor; the traditional Wigilia dinner consists of carp and herring, which they sell fresh in the shops. I've been told they take them home and cut off their heads after having them swim about in the bathtub.

Heading to Krakow for Christmas. Excited but nervous. I think that the lack of American Christmas carols has hindered my Christmas spirit and I'm hoping to just drift past the holiday and celebrate it in a more traditionally Polish way, thus dampening my strong wishes to be with my family for the holidays.

WEEKEND

This weekend was nice. Got together with the girls for brunch at Carrie and Annwen's flat. Had a ton of food. Then we got together later that night and had dinner at my flat. It was so nice to sit around, casually stuff our faces and talk about things other than work.

Still don't have internet and it's starting to give me migraines. I need to work on pre-course assignments for my master's program in February and I'm at a loss. Oh, and I found out that we could've done a 9 month contract but for some reason, the school signed us for 12 months. Not sure what that's all about. Oh, and Carrie found out that if we decide to be a commuter in our program, the only difference is that we won't have housing, transportation and books paid for like we do now. Which is funny...cause it's not currently paid for...

LESSON CURRENTLY BEING LEARNED

I hate being vulnerable.

And not speaking the language of the country you inhabit definitely qualifies for being vulnerable.

We have been trying to get internet for almost three months now. We have to pay for a year contract regardless of the fact that we will only be here for seven months. So basically, we've been paying for something that we don't have. So we were finally told that we would get wireless internet last Friday. (I even went so far as to write it on our makeshift contract with the school; there's more miscommunication than you'd think.) So last Friday, the guy comes in and installs a cable modem. *insert gameshow buzzer that shows you've given the incorrect answer* Not what we asked for. So they apologize and say they're coming Monday. Nobody shows. So we call them and they don't speak much English and they tell us someone will come Tuesday. *gameshow buzzer again* Nobody comes. So they claim that they said Thursday and not Tuesday. Supposedly it's a language problem and not an incompetence one on their part. So today is Thursday, my housemate is sitting at home and nobody shows.

BREATHING A LITTLE EASIER

Breathing a little easier, despite my run-in with some Polish hoodlums last week. (I was walking down the street and these boys pretended to kick me. They were yelling what I know to be not very nice Polish words at me as well. Not a good day.)

So currently relaxing on the living room couch with my Brit homey, Rog. No, don't have wireless on my computer yet but I do have a cable running along the living room floor and into my other housemate's computer. So, hopefully by tomorrow for all you fellow Skypers, I'll have something to chat on.

This week is going fairly well. Not sure if it's the package of meat that my grandpa sent me last week (thank you dziadziu!) or the fact that we're giving tests out (less teaching!) this week that's making it that way. Hoping to go to Katowice to visit with my friend Jakob and see his band play. Just wish I made more money so I could buy a drink or two. I'll figure it out. I'm just trying to save money for presents for the family and food during my master's program in February. Oh, and for Christmas. My friend Carrie, a fellow teacher, and her friends will be traveling and have invited me along. Might have to dip into the American savings fund but think it'll be worth it. I'm hoping we'll be in Krakow and can find a nice church to celebrate in.

GIVING THANKS

Although Thanksgiving was over a week ago, I have only now uploaded my pictures to give you a taste, no pun intended, of what my Thanksgiving was like in Opole. I made homemade mashed potatoes (as pictured above) and waited to share in the festivities until my other American flatmate came home from teaching around 9:15pm. We had some of the fixin's but lacked the staple turkey. It's okay. We were happy to have some candles and actual portions of food on a plate.