One month (+) in

You know, I had originally planned to publish this post a month to the day I arrived in Poland. That obviously did not happen.

Either way, I’d like to share my schedule and thoughts, after 1 month & 1 week in . . .

I've never seen a foggy sunset before--as far as I can remember.

Work/Teaching:

As of the moment that I am typing this, I now have 18 classes—every single one meets once a week, so far. This number seems to change daily. I’ve got 3 group classes; 2 are with high intermediate/advanced teens, and the other 1 is with beginner(-ish) kids. About 2 or 3 classes are with either 2 or 3 students, and then all the rest are 1-to-1. All the classes are 45 minutes each, except for the group lessons, which are 90 minutes each. I need to prepare something for all of them; although some are already prepared for me. For the 1-to-1 classes, I have a few kids, but mostly teenagers or adults. Generally, we just talk together. This way, the student is able to practice his/her English with me. Most of my classes are between 13:00 - 18:00, so the teaching hours are much better. All these classes keep me quite busy (hence my lack of timely posts).

Other Teachers/Administration:

I really like the people with whom I work. We are 4 Native English Teachers--and all 4 are American! My roommate (1 of the 4 Americans) is from Kentucky and has lived and worked here in Poland since March this year. Another American is originally from Ethiopia but was adopted. She is studying Communications in a university in California. Her roommate is a friend from the same university. She is Chinese-American. She knows a little Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. We have a lot of fun speaking in the little Korean we both know!

My roommate and I have received another roommate. She is Polish, but has lived her entire life in Germany. She speaks Polish, but her German is much better.

She has come to study English here for a year. I understand she's taking a year off of high school, so she can improve on her English and be able to have it well enough for a profession she wants to enter. Her English is pretty good, but she wants to improve it. I've already had her in 2 of my English group classes, plus a 1-to-1 lesson. At first, I felt a little awkward about this situation. Here I am, my roommate's teacher . . . Sure, she has classes with each 4 of us and the situation is a little odd, but it’s been going great so far!

The director made the arrangements for her to stay with us (my 1^st roommate & I) for the entire year. We have a little more room in our apartment than the other 2 girls. She's been with us for almost 2 weeks now. So far, it's been really good. We all get along very well and enjoy each other's company. Also, this way, we all can practice English, Polish, and German together; all under 1 roof!

My director is really nice and helpful. His English is excellent. He tells us about everything that's going on (either himself, the secretary, or he tells my roommate for her to tell us--almost like my roommate is our "coordinator", but not really). Of course, we do get last-minute information every now and then. The school year at our language school has just started, so it’s normal for things to start settling down a bit later. Come to think of it, I think it's strange that the “last-minuteness” doesn't bother me. In Korea, that would drive me crazy; but here in Poland, I feel as though it's not so bad. I see everyone in the office cares about each and every one of us. When we have problems, they actually listen, pay attention, and genuinely try to help us. They really do try to find solutions for us and our problems. I’m still in awe sometime at how they truly and genuinely care. I'm sorry to say that I didn't feel that in Korea (from the administration/supervisors). I think this is the main difference.

Church/Church members:

The people at the church are very friendly. Most do not speak English, but that doesn't stop them from greeting us as they would their family. Those who do speak English help us understand what is going on. Since the entire service is in Polish, any and all interpretation aid is extremely appreciated. Usually, our Sabbaths/Saturdays look like this:

1. Go to church in the morning.

2. Have lunch at home, then go to the country with the director and other church members. We have a bonfire, toast bread (or whatever else), eat snacks, talk, and enjoy each other's company. Good fellowship around a bonfire in nature? Consider me relaxed. Then we go home.

OR

Our own "all girls potluck".

The "tea kettle." Hey, you work with what you've got.

Have lunch at home, then go and meet the other girls. From their apartment, we could walk to the beach (about 15 minutes away on foot), or stay and talk all afternoon. Then go home.

3. After the sun sets, we meet at the town gym and play volleyball for about 2 hours. I'm not very good at volleyball, but it's really fun to play with the church members! They are competitive, but nothing like in Korea. With the church members, everyone has a ton of fun with the sport. They are very encouraging—and even silly. Even if you are the worst possible player, you will have so much fun in their company and enjoy your time there. It's exactly how it should be.

Isn't this just a great day?!

Poland in General:

I really love it here in Poland. Yes, I'm earning MUCH LESS now than in Korea, but I'm much more at peace here. I'm not so stressed all the time.

When I walk down the street, the people still look at me, but they don't stare at me like in Korea. I can't exactly "blend in and disappear" like in the States, but it's not so far from that level. In Korea, that was impossible, period. However, it is actually quite possible in Poland.

Front side

Purposefully unclear backside

I haven't eaten out in a restaurant yet. It's much more expensive to eat in a restaurant here than in Korea. It's not VERY expensive, but more than in Korea. But this is good—it's making me want to try cooking now! I'm actually inspired to try cooking here. Also, my American roommate likes to "experiment" with her cooking—and I love being her guinea pig. If I’m not careful, I might actually gain weight, instead of lose some . . .

I haven't gone shopping that much either, but I am so happy that I can find my size and bigger! Also, I like the clothes here a little more, because they fit my figure (curvy) better than Korean styles (thin). I still can’t believe the amount of 2nd hand stores in my city. I think there are about 10—in a city of about 47,000 inhabitants! They have special deals, like buy 1 kg of stuff for as low as 8 Zloty (click here for the conversion rate). The price depends on the day you go and the shop. My American roommate just bought a winter coat that looks brand new for 2 Zloty at a 2nd-Hand store! And there's absolutely nothing wrong with the coat! It's even new! That was a very rare treasure find indeed.

I haven't really tried yet, because I know I will need a lot of energy and time. One day, I'll go "hunting" and see what I can find.

So this is basically my life in Poland, in a nutshell. I hope this gives you a better picture about my life, this city, and this country.

I’ll leave this article for more general information about Kołobrzeg, specifically. If you have any questions about anything else in Kołobrzeg/Poland, feel free to ask! I probably don't know the answers, but I can ask my students . . .

Goodbye for now.