Mormons, singing, theatre, animals, and family! What a weekend!

Warning: Prepare yourself for a novel, as this is about my entire weekend. Enjoy!

            So today was interesting. I mean, work was slow as heck, I was incredibly disappointed when Sam (FL) didn’t get on, and I found out I wasn’t spending the weekend with Michał and his family… Which… actually crushed me. You see, I’ve determined I go through the week, enjoy things on my own, sort of laugh along with my coworkers, where I really don’t fully belong, and then spend my weekend in utmost bliss with family. But when I found out that wasn’t happening this weekend, I felt very… alone. That meant a lonely weekend. Because when my uncle and aunt called, I found out they’re actually visiting my aunt’s friend this weekend. If anything I might get to spend some time with my cousins this weekend, but… really that’s up in the air.

            At least I got free tickets to go see the opening of the 46^th Annual International Wratislavia Cantans festival. Philharmonic orchestra and they’re performing something involving Beowulf, I think. And I also got free tickets to go to a play called “Trans Atlantyk,” so I’m excited about that. (Yay connections!) But honestly, today was an incredibly crummy day. I felt very alone after finding out I’m spending the weekend in my apartment, and that just ruined most of my spirits. Although, I found out my parents might try to save the Nissan somehow, and that’d bring me utmost joy if something worked out. I felt special picking up my tickets for the philharmonic orchestra; there were signs showing tickets in Rynek, but I had to go pick mine up in some government building instead. (: 

Although, when I read the invite… I realized it was black tie formal… My immediate thought? Shit. Because, thank goodness, I have a dress for such an event. However. In my madness to pack for Poland, I forgot the shoes… So I’ll be going in my brown burkenstocks, which will look ridiculous. I mean, I tried to reassure myself that I wouldn’t need the dress until New Year’s. Wrong. Ah well… I was also worried about time, but then I realized how late it was, so I’m fine in getting stuff together.

Then I went to go pick up my tickets for the play. On my way to the trying to find the venue, two young men stopped me and started speaking to me in Polish about whether I had time to talk to them about their church. Honestly, I tried to blow them off. I really didn’t feel like talking to anyone. That’s likely why they stopped me: girl, alone, looking likely quite miserable, possibly needing the light of God. I don’t blame them. The one young man asked if I had time to talk, and I said no, I needed to go somewhere (I mean, I didn’t have an appointment, I just wanted to sulk in misery). He asked if I would be interested in talking to them later, and I said no, not really, I mean, it’s not like my Polish is the best to understand most of the topic (now I realize that really was a lie, but heeeey, I didn’t want to talk!). So, that’s when he asked if I was from America. And the three of us struck up conversation in English, which later the other man informed me he was grateful to have an English conversation. They were Mormons. I mean, we first talked about America and why I was in Poland, and then I asked again to clarify their church, so when he did, I was really excited. Mormons! Now, looking back on it, the translation is easy, again, just… I really didn’t care. We ended up having a really nice conversation.

They were Elder Tribe (tehehe, going to be immature, like Elder of a Tribe, bahaha) and Elder Roberts. Starszy in Polish. Honestly, their Polish, from the few words I got, was good enough so I really didn’t think they weren’t Polish. But it makes sense. They were two missionaries; I immediately shared that my fantabulous roommate is Mormon! So Elder Tribe, he was the more talkative one, asked me if I had any questions and if I knew about Joseph Smith and the Restoration, to which I actually knew well enough about Joseph Smith to give a satisfactory answer! And the Restoration, he lost me. But he explained! Then we talked about the prophets. Elder Roberts mentioned one verse about how the prophets wrote the words of God and were not misguided in their writing; he mentioned that after I told them my belief that since the Bible was written by men, it might have some flukes. And he just read that verse in the morning. So it worked out really well. Then we talked about how the Bible has been changed and altered many times, so it’s hard to really know what was truly there in the first place.

Elder Tribe asked me a lot of questions, actually. I also gave a lot of topics, like how I believe in a higher being, but not necessarily going to settle on one religion, and he asked why, so I explained. Then we also talked about how I’m fiddling with Buddhism because of my belief in Reincarnation. How I find it difficult to be Christian because while all of the moral senses are wonderful, and a lot of their main points truly are assuring, the thing that bothers me is accepting Jesus Christ as your savior. I don’t like the idea that there are so many fantastic people who might go to hell, even though they might’ve saved the world over twice, just because they don’t believe in Jesus Christ. And how it’s even a problem for Christians who have non-Christian friends, because it kills them not knowing how it’ll work since how can they be happy in Heaven if they know their friends aren’t there (you know who you are <3). Then he told me, how in Mormonism, in the next life, they have a chance to reconsider their thoughts on it. So it’s quite reassuring, and it shows how much more… open it is. Oh, when we talked about Joseph Smith, in my interpretation, I said that he had a vision from God and wrote the book of Mormon and learned about how they needed continuous prophets to make it more… contemporary. At first he was thrown off by my wording, but he ended up taking a liking to the word contemporary. I was proud of myself for that. xD

I’m trying to remember what else we talked about, because we actually ended up staying on the sidewalk and talking for a good amount of time. They gave me a Polish pamphlet on Mormonism, cause I can read Polish, yay! That conversation, though, made my day. They invited me to some teachings on the Book of Mormon and to the Family Home Evening (gaah, I think that’s the right wording; I’m so sorry if I butchered that, Sam (PA, and any reference to Sam = Mormon Sam from here on, obviously)!) this coming Monday, which I am most definitely taking up on their offer. It’s a good opportunity for me to meet other Polish people with whom I might be able to spend time with, and honestly, Mormons are so freakin’ friendly. All of our conversation, which some people would be put off by immediately, they were fascinated and continued the conversation. Argh, there was another interesting point I can’t remember. I know I talked about Sam, a lot, and how she’s taught me a lot about Mormonism and Christianity in general this past year. How I was very comforted in talking to her because she wasn’t pushy about it. How I asked her any questions that popped up in my mind, and she answered without a problem. When I recognized the entire family evening concept, he immediately knew that I learned that from Sam. He ended up determining that we’re still good friends. :P I would hope so, going to be living in the same house and what not. Going to be biased here: I’ve determined Mormonism is my favorite Christian denomination. No offense meant to anyone else, of course!

Although, I really find this all ironic. Of all the days I walked down unfamiliar territory to pick up some tickets, some Mormon missionaries were walking there and decided to spot me out to talk to me. The odds, the odds, my friends! After that, I had to laugh and give recognition to whatever being above us, because it really does pull our lives together. I mean, I knew how they were assigned to Poland for two years; they were learning Polish, and actually Elder Tribe had a good accent. I told them how Sam hosted some missionaries back at Vandy. Oh, life, how you pull together! But yes, very enjoyable stop in my errands. (: Then I went on my merry way to the theatre to pick up my ticket…s…. Oi, when I saw two tickets, I was again disappointed. I have no one to invite to go with me… And I highly doubt I’ll meet anyone before tomorrow at 7 pm. I’m considering asking my cousin to go with me, maybe as a break for her, but… that’s really a huge if, to be honest.

Then I hopped on the tram and left. Fortunately, I got up to the tram stop as 17 was there. Unfortunately, I got off tram 17 as my bus was again… stopped at the stop light… >( So I ended up going to the bakery by the bus stop, buying a blueberry doughnut (Cody, I hope you will try some Polish baked good recipes, because… they are delicious, and since you’re all experiment-y in the baking section of life right now… :D) and some water… Then took the bus home, and here I am. Waiting and relaxing for the time to leave for the Opening Ceremony.

Ah yes! Tomorrow, I plan on going to the Zoo Convention, where there should be lots of animals that I can awe over. <3 And informative things too. Perhaps people to meet. (Note to self: Don’t. Be. Shy. Reptile lovers can unite over the love of scalies.) Also, I’m hoping to go to the CouchSurfing meeting I saw online tomorrow… Buuuut, that’s sort of in the middle of the play… So um. We’ll see how long the play goes. I’m going to try to go to the meeting beforehand just to say hi and that I’ll be back later, if anything. Because… people! (If you haven’t noticed… this alone thing is starting to really get to me… So I’m really going to try and reach out some more.) And yeah, just found out my cousin can’t really come with me tomorrow. Not that I’m all that surprised. My uncle just informed me I should read up a bit on the play, though, just in case to get a better understanding. But it should be interesting. (:

Well, I guess that’s all for now. I’ll certainly add my thoughts on the Opening Ceremony when I return!

WAIT! I remembered the other thing about the Mormon conversation! At one point, I think it was after talking about fear of going to hell and such, Elder Tribe mentioned something along the lines of, “That’s what Jesus is about/wants for us: happiness in this life and in our next lives.” That really touched me. Because a lot of religions use fear-mongering tactics in hopes of gaining followers, but to me, this just showed how loving and important this life is supposed to be in Mormonism. Fear-mongering just pisses me off, to be honest. That’s how one of my friend’s tried to get me to start going to church in 8^th grade… Telling me about the rapture and how people would disappear before our eyes. Great idea. :P But yes. It made me think about Mormons in general. Really a great religion. Very supportive churches and families within churches really help each other out and also other areas. They don’t just say do good. They actually go through the action and send people to help out in other countries. And they are ok with having families and encourage it and help you out. If that’s what’s important, happiness, then I’d say the religion is definitely on the right track. (:

Well, last night was… unfortunately, a bit miserable. I got to the place about 45 minutes early. Why, do you ask? Because I wasn’t certain how often the buses and trams were running, so I didn’t want to be late, but since there wasn’t as much traffic, ya know, got there early. So I waited about 30 minutes outside, and as people began arriving I felt more and more awkward. Why? Because everyone was wearing heels, was very very very black tie formal, and just… I felt like I stuck out, a lot. Oh, and because I was alone. Finally, they let us in 15 minutes early. Shook hands with the director of the festival (which is actually pretty neat), and went upstairs, and the first thing I was handed was a glass of champaign; I figured out I don’t like champaign all too much. Yay for still disliking alcohol! But that’s when I realized I really wasn’t supposed to be there. I mean, I had the invite, but it was a very formal, everyone standing and talking around, upper, formal Wrocław class sort of event. And there I am, girl from America, no one knows her, and I know no one, and I didn’t really reach out and talk to anyone, because I knew no one and just felt… very awkward with the realization of who the people were. Oh yes, as in, when you walked in, you shook hands and took a picture with the director. There was nowhere to sit, so after an hour of standing, my legs began to hurt. (Imagine if I had worn heels after all…). Oh, I had to walk to the venue from my tram stop, as well.

Anyways, finally the director, some important musician from Britain, and some bank representative gave speeches. Which were interesting, although the British guy just kept talking and talking and talking, and by the bank guy, everyone was restless. All of the ladies with their super high heels were getting uncomfortable from standing as well. I honestly wish I had just known about the fact that the inauguration, which was the actual performance, was at midnight. I thought I was going to be home at midnight, not starting to watch the performance then. The performance was a man performing a telling of Beowulf in what I’m assuming was old English or German. He had a great voice, and actually put in a lot of emotion at certain parts, which was fun. The harp sounded beautiful and relaxing. And it was nice remembering the story and reading it in English and sometimes Polish if I had the time before the slide switched. But after an hour, I was exhausted. Because from 21:45 to 23:45, I essentially stood the entire time. So I left early, which… I wasn’t the only one… I mean, I’d rather leave than fall asleep on the poor guy like some people did… Walked back to the bus stop, waited there for a bus, and then it took me to my tram stop in my area… so I had to walk the kilometer and a half or two back to my apartment, because no buses, as far as I knew, were running to those bus stops… Not any time soon, at least. So I was back in the apartment a little after 2, and realized all of that wasn’t worth it. Now, while it was a really cool opportunity, I just didn’t know how to make use of it. I didn’t feel comfortable in joining in some conversation of some upper Wrocław class people that I didn’t really know, and likely shouldn’t be there in the first place. But yeah, today, my entire body is actually sore from standing too long, and I doubt there are going to be chairs at the convention. Damnit.

Music, however, is medicine for the soul. It’s a healthy reminder of joy. Besides that, whenever I look around while in the city, or from my apartment, or even on that walk home last night, I smile and remember how happy and grateful I am to be in Poland in the first place. I really do love it here. I feel at home. I just am longing for some company, so sorry about all the angst. Although, thinking back about last night, I probably could’ve, and should’ve approached some people and just talked to them. It’s hard to change your personality, though. I’m not outgoing like some of my friends claim I am. :P Well, until I know you. But before then, again, painfully shy. Hopefully, today, I’ll feel more in place since I’ll be an area of animal lovers; maybe then I’ll finally say something. So, in honor of this hope, enjoy a lizard in a mug of milk:

Btw, this is my art. (: Just a cute sketch inspired by the conversation I had with Sam a few days ago. (And Poland really is doing wonders for my inspiration; started drawing something else today, too!)

Well, the best way to make yourself feel better is definitely by going to an animal convention. I was so happy when I got there! I even managed to get a discounted ticket. And they didn’t check for any student ID or anything. Which means I look it. Awesome. :D Some places are stingier about it. Which is so unfair. Of course, I’ve only tried using my student ID once, for the UrbanCard… so I’ll keep trying to get away with being a student (Which… I really am…) from now on. Cheaper = awesome. But yes, I walked inside and it was beautiful. The first floor was dedicated to aquarium stuff. Meh. But the second floor…! There were dogs and cats, and all sorts of reptiles, too! It was wonderful being able to go and pet some puppies. There were some collie pups there. Precious. So quiet and well-behaved too! And they had American Staffordshire Terriers, at the same place! I was impressed. All of them were gorgeous. And again. Quiet.

There was a rescue sort of area, as well, with dogs that have gone through rehabilitation after abuse and what not. So I stopped there and talked to them if there is that same fear of bully breeds in Poland as in America. There is. But they are trying to show people there is no reason to scare them, and they save any dogs they can. Of course, only if there is a true chance. The lady told me how the dog she had by her wouldn’t even go near people, but now, it would crawl all over your lap and wouldn’t imagine without being by people. Another one of the dogs they had. Oh goodness. She was soooo pretty. And such a great personality. Sure, she had a muzzle, but she loved the attention, and she was so sweet and docile. I think the muzzle was just for precaution, if she got nervous or something. But she was just so sweet. <3 I definitely want to adopt a bully breed when I get the chance. They deserve the love!

Ah yes, one booth stopped me to sign up for some competition. Guess how much money, US Dollars and PL Złoty, was in the jar. I took a guess; doubt I won. But that’s ok. I would’ve won a glass cage. Which. Honestly, that’d be super helpful for my future reptile collection. It was awesome seeing all of the reptiles, tarantulas and (oh god) scorpions. Just showed how much even in Poland people have such hobbies! I learned the Polish version of leopard gecko. Which will be super helpful. I saw some beautiful snakes. Especially the piebald ball python (I think it was a ball python). Gorgeous. Yes, yes, I was in bliss. One booth even had a baby caiman!!! So, of course, I asked what to expect in owning one. Bahahaha. Those of you who hate reptiles are going to hate my future house. Seriously. I would love to own a dwarf caiman one day. The lady told me need lots of space, a pool, lots of food, and they grow to half a meter long. And they’re really meant to be exhibit pets. Can’t really… tame them. All obvious information, but still good to hear. (:

Oh, what else, what else… Yeah, I kept going by the booths that had leopard geckos and other gorgeous lizards, and the snakes… Ah yes! It was really crowded. It was difficult to get around, at times, to be honest. Also, hot. Unfortunately. It was really a family event; I saw a ton of families there. Lots of kids. It was great. (: I ended up having some pierogi with cheese (it’s a sweet kind) there. Which were yummy. Albeit, on the expensive side. Ah well, I needed food. Ah! And the third area was dedicated to little furry pets and cats. The rats, mice, guinea pigs, and all were precious. (: I was so glad to see one booth labeling everything about the rats they were selling, from the kind of ears (standard vs. DUMBO OMG), the color of the fur, the kind of fur, and there was one more thing, but I can’t remember it. Just a great time, really. I didn’t stay too long, because, again, legs were getting sore, but I was very happy that I went. So worth the price. (: (Although, I heard other people complaining. Not that I blame them. Everything’s cheaper for me, ahaha. Win. And I’m talking about the exchange rate.) I tried to talk to some of the booths about the leopard geckos, but… both of the booths main people in charge of the geckos, well, they had just left. Which was unfortunate.

Then I went home. And took a nap. I dunno why, but I was exhausted. And my parents called, so It was wonderful talking to them! Although, after my nap, I was very upset to see that the bread I bought this week had gotten a bit of mold on it already. A little pissed off, actually. So from now on, I’m storing bread using the one true method I know. Freezer. Then I headed out again for the theatre!

This experience was far better from last night. I got there, I walked in, I sat down and waited in the café until they let us in, we walked up about four floors to get to the theatre. It was a small theatre, set up something like McNeely, yet smaller. I didn’t feel like I stuck out like a sore thumb, and I was far more relaxed by my surroundings. The theatre was full of smoke from a smoke machine and full of fake herons (which are common in Poland, and sort of a representation of Poland, I guess). It just felt far better. (Although, the Filharmonic Venue I went to yesterday was very beautiful in its set up. The chairs were weird. You pushed down the seat and the back moved up as well.) The actors in the play were phenomenal. I really enjoy it. Even though I couldn’t understand all of it; but I followed the story line, mostly… I was surprised to see homosexuality was a major theme. Incredibly surprised. The gay man only wore tights at one point. It was very modern in its set up. I definitely plan on reading up on what exactly it was all about as well as the author, Witold Gombrowicz, who is apparently a well-known Polish author. Ah yes, and it was very patriotic. Which made me happy. (: At one point, they brought out a flag that covered the entire theatre floor. And danced a traditional Polish dance on it. And then the lights turned red and faded, and that was the end of that. Oh gosh, but I remembered… at one point toward the beginning of the play, they were being interactive with the audience, asking quick, to-the-point questions about Gombrowicz. I was really nervous they might come to me as I was sitting on the edge, and honestly, I don’t like being on the spot. But they stopped the row before mine. Phew.

On my way home, I got to speak with my cousin, Agata. She told me that was an ambitious play for me to see, because even a lot of native Poles would’ve had difficulty understanding it, including herself. Haha! Victory. I dunno. I felt better about myself, then. We also determined I am going over to her apartment tomorrow and spending the day with them! Which I am super excited for! I’m likely going to spend the night as well and go to Wrocław with her on her way to work in the morning. So this is wonderful.

But yes, that was my day. Far better! The convention, which I’ve been excited about since I got to Wrocław, was worth it, and I went to an interesting play. Didn’t manage to go to the CS meeting, but well, I figured I should rather get some sleep and be in good humor than to go there exhausted.

Ah yes! I remembered, on my way to the convention on Saturday, two young boys came on to the tram, and one of them reminded me soooo much of Brad Price, I was in shock. (They ran onto the tram hoping it was a tram they needed; ended up taking them further back to some place they had just walked from, hahahah.) It was funny.

And animals are wonderful. They really are. They don't judge you. They have no bias unless you smell like food, but besides that, they love you for who you are... It's so reassuring...

Anyways! Sunday, yesterday. (: I woke up and got ready to go to Agata's. (I keep on wanting to start writing in Polish; this is good... and amusing, cause most of you would be a bit confused.) When I got there, Agata and Tymon met up with me on my way to their apartment, and we walked back. On the walk back, Tymek ended up giving me his bread he had been eating. When we got back, we mainly relaxed in their apartment, Adam came back from a motorcycle ride, and Tymon was put down for a nap (ended up sleeping for three and a half hours; that must've been an awesome nap). So Agata and Adam and I just relaxed and chatted. It was very nice. I got to talk to my parents for a bit as well, who... we accidentally woke up; whooops. But it was awesome talking to them. While talking to them and getting ready to head out for some lunch, Tymon ended up sitting on my lap while talking to them. Super sweet. (: But then we went to eat at some small restaurant, and while the food was really good, it was unfortunate that they only had one waitress, and a lot of people were there. The poor girl was a bit overrun, and a bit airheaded as well... since my cousin ordered some crepes, specifically saying to remove the cranberry sauce cause she was giving it to a kid... Yet they came out with chocolate sauce and whipped cream instead, which, weren't mentioned on the menu. Ah well, what can ya do?

My other cousin joined us as well with his family. (: Martyna and Tymon had a blast playing together and running around, but Agata, Adam and I had to keep chasing after them. But it was a lot of fun. Martyna ended up greatly enjoying a little ramp to the shop next door, and just running back and forth on it. Krysziek was mostly quiet and sleeping through most of the afternoon, but at one point he was a bit whiny, so Agata ended up calming him down. Gresziek and Dorota mostly sat back and relaxed as well. So after we all finally got our food and finished eating (which... the proportions were enormous; they were the biggest proportions I've seen in Poland, and I honestly called them American-sized proportions, not... Polish, so I was shocked), we said our good byes. Martyna was sad that we were leaving, but ah well. Then we visited Agata's dear friend, another Dorota! She has a 3-year old, Bruno, the same age as Hania. Oh gosh, the only thing I could think of when I heard that name was Bianca's dad... And that odd sensation that he was once a kid like that too. It was a bit weird, to be honest. But it was a very pleasant evening. We had some ice cream and tea while the kids played together. We talked a lot about, again, comparisons between Poland and America, why I like it here more, and things like that. Also, how America is bigger than all of Europe, and how for us it took a week to drive to Vancouver, while for them it would take 3 days to drive to Portugal. Just think about that. You go through about three different countries, at least, to get to Portugal, not including Portugal and Poland themselves.

Another example, they're going to Italy. 12 hours. That's a little over the amount of time it takes to drive to Orlando from my house. ... Two countries in between. Really, it's so bizarre to think about how much of a difference that is. Of course, in the States there is a huge difference in culture between each state and region, so it's not that different, yet... we're all in one country. It's just a nifty comparison, I thought. (: But yes, back to the evening. Tymon ended up through the evening constantly coming over to me, handing me toy cars or his sweets that he was eating, and sitting on my lap and everything. Agata kept worrying if he was bothering me, but naaah, he's precious, and I was honored. ^_^ Towards the end of our visit, I just stood by him by the fridge, and he kept handing me the magnets off the fridge. So of course, I'd talk to him and say oh, look, isn't that a nice tomato or carrot or bird, or whatever was on the magnet. xD We then left, a bit later then I think they intended, because he normally goes to bed around 8, and we left at 8. But when I got back to their apartment, my parents called and we talked. Tymon clambered onto my lap to see what was going on. Ah yes, and I saw Max, a family friend, for the first time in a long time. Oh gosh. He is tall. Taller than his dad, and 12. It's so weird to think he's 12. I was 13 when I flew to Poland alone. Which means he's actually a young boy now who is capable of figuring things out. Not the little boy I remember him as. So. Weird. 

Anyways, Tymon took a liking to my dad, who looks and sounds a lot like my uncle, his grandfather. So he kept saying, "Dada," which is his simplification of dziadek, grandpa. When his parents were getting him ready for bed, my dad had left the Skype screen, and he kept saying "Dada" as if he wanted to say bye. So my dad came back to say bye. (: Agata told my parents that she was a bit surprised to see how much Tymon had come to like me. Instead of giving her things all day, he kept handing them to me and wanting to hold my hand and stuff. She said I must have some sort of good energy going about me. Seriously, so honored. <3 And with Tymon sitting on my lap while talking with my parents, oh gosh. I want kids (only when I am settled down, for those of you who might worry; I have the common sense, no worries). 

While talking with my parents, my mom noted that I'm talking to them more often now than I did at Vandy. Bahahaha, which I actually had noted earlier in the day. And it's so true, and so funny, really. But I guess that's what being across the world does. My mom also noted how often I talk about being alone and everything, and she pointed out that if I move to another country, that's how it'll be like... Of course, in my defense, I mentioned by then I'd be settling down into a more stable job, so I'd have my coworkers to make friends with, and I'd find the Polish community and other things like that, so it'd be different, but yeah. It just made me realize how much more likely it'll be that I end up back here in Poland than in Australia. But again, that's way in the future, and I haven't lived in the other country yet to really fairly judge. 

Ah, during our evening at Dorota's, I also noted finally that in reality, things in Poland are really expensive. Especially when compared to actual złoty and the amount people normally make. People make less money in złoty than people in America make in dollars (no exchange, just straight numbers), and the złoty is worth less than the dollar. Besides that, everything is more expensive in złoty than in the States it is in dollars. For example, gas. 5 złoty for a liter. What's it in the States right now? About $3.50 for a gallon? Do you know how many liters there are per gallon? Nearly four liters for every gallon. So that's a little under 15 złoty for a gallon, and the amount of pay is less in Poland, in złoty, than people in America make on dollars. Just something to consider next time anyone (including myself) wants to complain about gas prices. Of course, Adam told me in considering if I want to live in another country, I really need to look at pay wages and everything and the price of living. Obviously, I know that, but... definitely a good reminder. But as I've said so often... I understand no place is perfect. I know that very well, but... what you have to find is that place you want to fight for to make better. That place that you're willing to deal with those issues because you're happy there. You feel at home.That's what is important to me. That's how I knew I needed to go to Vanderbilt, because I felt at home and at peace while walking on campus.

So eventually, Tymon went to bed and I spent the evening talking to some of my Muffins! I managed to Skype with Linda, Bobby, Frances, John, Sam, Bryce, and Luke managed to say hi as he was rushing away somewhere. They even included me in their mischief and gave me a tour of the Mayfield! :D It was awesome feeling like I was sort of there and being as involved as I possibly can. Typical nonsense, but I love it. Ah, of course, they were all very upset when they realized I was not starting school until October... ... >) Bwahahaha. When I say upset, I mean, the entire, let's glare at her and loom over her over the Skype video, with minimal light in the house so that only black blobs appear on the screen. Amusing, to say the least. And the computers kept dying... Ah well! It was just wonderful talking to them again. (: I also chatted with Ani, which was wonderful. <3 I definitely have missed talking to her, cause... I was expecting to be able to talk to her a lot more often than we are. xD I stayed up way late (... nearly 1) whenever I had to get up at 6ish the next morning... But it was worth it, talking to friends! Always worth it! Besides, I'm actually not too tired right now (oh, just wait... this afternoon I'll likely be miserable and ready to crawl and sleep under my desk). 

Woke up this morning at 6, Tymek slept in later than usual, apparently, but, he did go to bed quite late yesterday. We said our good byes when Adam took Tymon to school, and Agata and I headed to Wrocław. We made good time, actually. I'm really glad I decided to spend the night, cause it was just far more enjoyable as opposed to rushing back to Wrocław last night and spending it alone. It makes a world of difference, I'd say. I even got to work early, which means I can get off early, and head to the comic and manga store I saw. Bahahaha! And then go to the Mormon family thing. All with good time. Oh, and eat. Eating is important.

So. That was my weekend! Very full of things to do, I'd say, and I have no clue what to expect this weekend. I'll likely call Michał to see if I can come visit them, and if not, then to Strzelin! I do know that Wednesday I'm meeting up with Agata and Adam, which will be awesome. Perhaps sometime I'll meet up with some other family, Kama and Hania, let's see... I think Hania is my second cousin... Anyways, I haven't seen them in a long time, and I was in shock when I realized Hania's starting her first year of college this year! The heck. I remember when we were younger, going around Florida, being all cool with our shirts tied up to fight the heat. So hopefully the next few weeks should be fun.

Ah, yes, wonderful! I just found out I should have no problem visiting Lviv as well. Agata brought up the point that I might need a Visa or something since the Ukraine is not in the EU. But since I'm a US citizen, I don't need one. (Of course, they want my moneys... >>) Huzzah! We talked briefly about how she'd like to visit because, well, that's where our family originated from, which is precisely why I'd like to visit. My grandpa and grandma from my dad's side were born there, so it's just this automatic desire to see what it looks like. I dunno, I hope that makes sense. 

I'll end my ramblings now. For those of you who read through all of this, kudos to you! You deserve a cookie and a hug! I hope you all have wonderful days! <3