Well, hello guys! There's a reason that not much went up this weekend. I didn't do much. Both Saturday and Sunday I sat at home, sitting around to ensure optimal rest for my legs. I mean, it was an incredibly productive weekend, though! I read course readings, I did translations and business work, corrections on my Polish notes. Really, I felt very proud of myself! Saturday night, we ended up going to a club/hangout place/bar called Alchemia; very well-known by the locals. The atmosphere was wonderful! Very dark, candle-lit, darker interior with older style decorations, lots of pictures of historical people on the walls. The zapiekanki outside of that area were delicious and cheap as well! Oh, and before then, Nate made a wonderful dinner with chicken and some sour cream sauce. So good. And I baked scones! :D Goodness gracious, I was SO happy to bake! Banana cinnamon scones, and they were gone within the hour. Then came Sunday. I made naleśniki for breakfast, and we went to do some groceries, and we had dinner, and that's... about it! Eventful, right? Haha, but really, it was an enjoyable weekend. With lots of Skype sessions, too! Super happy about those.
Then came today! I had class: Psychology of Culture Shock, essentially. Very interesting class, and in fact, the teacher segregated our group by students from each separate country, so that we could discuss a symbol of our country. Very odd considering that most teachers prefer a mixing of students. Ah well! Unfortunately, the class now meets every Monday instead of every other Monday, cause of us three (now two) American students, so that it finishes in time for us, and it takes four hours every Monday... ... So needless to say, I'm not taking the class. If I did, I'd have 18 credit hours on my plate, a handful of stress, and I'd honestly prefer to spend that time working on my Polish course, which I know I'm going to have to put my heart and soul into. Afterwards, though, Monika and I walked around, getting errands done, stopping by the library, eating zapiekanki, and learning we have no clue what actual school we're in within Jagiellonski, and that does make a difference in checking out books... We also ended up going to Carrefour for some quick school supplies, and for me to get a recorder! You know, so I can record my Polish lessons and listen to them again later. I really think that it'll be a lifesaver, to be honest. At times, I managed to write in Polish while paying attention, but then there are other times I just get straight up lost. Which is ok! This isn't my first language, after all!
Went home, and eventually, I baked chocolate chip cookies!!! Oh yes, they were delicious. Monika cut up some chocolate pieces for me since we couldn't find chocolate chips in the store, and the vanilla here is different, but the cookies were delicious nonetheless!
Unfortunately, because of this, we (Nate, Monika, and I) were a bit late for our evening meeting this week... In fact, we ran TOWARD the tram, in hopes of getting on it... ... Nope, the tram driver went on. Argh! Mean tram driver. Often times they wait! And the next tram was twenty minutes later. But we improvised, met up with Piotrek, and he guided us to this language exchange club thing in what I called the "side rynek." It's a smaller square by the big square, behind the church. Very cozy, actually. But the setting was really cool. The steps to get down were ridiculous, so I came to the conclusion it was some hidden hangout in the era of the Soviets, I'm sure. I ordered a Virgin Mojito, and when I asked for the drink without alcohol, the waiter looked at me and asked: "No rum? What would you like instead?" Me: o_o No... alcohol. Waiter: Oh... sparkling water... Ok... It was a little amusing, actually. xD
We ended up meeting a few Polish guys and talking to them. The guy I talked to, Rafał, was quite interesting, and we had some really interesting conversations about police, laws, wildlife, language differences, and that sort of stuff! After he left, we sort of joined in with the rest of the group, where I learned emoticons are very popular in Poland! They feel the same way I do: if I talk to someone and they do not use emoticons, I used to feel like I had offended them, or something was wrong, but most people in America do not find that to be the case. However, here, it's a bit more popular. So popular that even in the business world, they make use of emoticons to keep on an even page with their customers! Woah! After a while, though, we were like, uh, most of us have class in the morning, so unfortunately, we have to leave... And yes, in typical Polish fashion, we said we had to leave, and stood around and talked for a good amount of time before properly saying our good byes.
I definitely would like to go back next week, since it's every week they have this sort of "language exchange" meeting. Though, hopefully, next week, I try to touch up my Polish a bit instead of speaking primarily in English. Very enjoyable night, though. Oh, and I learned some lovely religious jokes at dinner (at 11... oh how it reminds me of home!) tonight with Monika and Nate; ya know, since we decided to have cookies before leaving instead of an actual dinner. Hahaha. Go figure! I have class in the morning, though, so good night!
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