Well we made it.
I think this entry will have to be short and sweet as I am currently sitting at my imminent (maybe?) place of work, borrowing the wifi -- with permission of course.
It seemed like the ride to Radom was decidedly shorter than our wait at Chopin Airport to pick up our unfortunate coworker whose luggage seems to have found its way to Norway instead of Poland. She seems quite lovely, and definitely has more experience than I do. The problem with actually having a moment to think is that I also have time to be nervous about the fact that young minds will soon be depending on me for knowledge! I really hope I don't screw this up.
While the internet is still yet to come, I finally have a Polish phone number. Once I top up my account I will have to see about contacting my family. I hate the fact that I had to leave them at the beginning of a crisis...and I was abruptly ambushed by finding Grandma's phone number in my contacts this morning.
Being happy for her doesn't make it hurt less. I wish I could be around the people who are also in my position, but alas...
At least I have Sarah.
Monday, 16 September 2013
Friday, 13 September 2013
Time Spent in Warsaw
I wish I could say that the last few days have been insanely busy, but the truth of the matter is I'm fairly certain jet lag has stolen mine and Sarah's stamina.
After my post on Wednesday, Sarah and I roamed a few of the streets around the hostel before our plans were slightly dampened by the pressing need to fend off a nasty migraine that threatened to ruin the day. I discovered two things that day: firstly, the migraine fighting team I carry in my purse REALLY puts you to sleep when you're already exhausted. Secondly, Polish Powerade is insanely sweet. I had to force myself to drink enough of the bottle that I could dilute it, and still had to do so twice before it was palatable. I fell asleep around 2 in the afternoon and didn't wake up until about 7 the next morning.
Thursday was fun.
We got up, had breakfast at the Hostel and then made our way to the bus stop at the roundabout with the fake palm tree. From there we were attempting to get to the Warsaw Uprising Museum, but wound up missing the stop entirely. Not only were we lost, we couldn't even ask for directions by the time we got to the suburbs because nobody on the tram spoke English. In the end, we got off just before the end of the line and took another tram that appeared to be heading back to the centre of town and eventually found the right stop because the route map indicated that there would be a station named after our intended destination. We were also assisted by a lovely Polish girl who was trying to find her way to the same place.
For most of my experiences with Canadian museums, they are small buildings that you can easily navigate in an hour or two. That was definitely not true here...
We spent about 5 hours in the Warsaw uprising museum and didn't manage to take a good look at everything. In fact, Sarah was so exhausted by the end of the upper floors that she missed the exhibits in the basement entirely and I only had time for a quick look because I had arranged to meet her by the "water closets." All in all it was still a very informative experience and I am very glad to have gotten a look into a small part of the history of the city we have been visiting for the past few days and the country we will be calling home for the next few months. By small I mean that it was a brief period of time in relation to the span of history, not that it was insignificant. It definitely wasn't. I wish I could say more, but the words fail me.
Today we met a couple of young ladies over breakfast at the hostel and struck up a discussion about plans for the day. Emily, who had only arrived that morning, mentioned that she was going on the "Orange Umbrella" walking tour of Old Town Warsaw that morning. Thinking it sounded like a fun idea, we went with her to Sigismund's Column, where the tour started and ran into the other girl who was staying at the hostel. From there we followed Beata --our native Varsovian guide-- through the reconstructed Old Warsaw. Unfortunately most of the city was destroyed in the Uprising, so almost nothing we saw was original construction. The Soviets were very thorough in their re-creation of the Old Town, so you could almost be fooled into thinking you entered a time capsule from the Renaissance.
Sarah and I are relaxing at the hostel for now, but we are both thinking we might check out some of the nightlife on our last evening here. At night we keep hearing a great deal of singing and live music from the local pubs, but we are generally undressed for the night and too tired to want to satisfy our curiosity. Coming from me, that means a lot.
Warsaw is very beautiful. I wish we could stay longer, but I am also very much looking forward to Radom, and our apartment so that we are no longer living out of four fifty-pound suitcases. I'm sure we will be making the occasional weekend visit to this lovely city over the next ten months.
After my post on Wednesday, Sarah and I roamed a few of the streets around the hostel before our plans were slightly dampened by the pressing need to fend off a nasty migraine that threatened to ruin the day. I discovered two things that day: firstly, the migraine fighting team I carry in my purse REALLY puts you to sleep when you're already exhausted. Secondly, Polish Powerade is insanely sweet. I had to force myself to drink enough of the bottle that I could dilute it, and still had to do so twice before it was palatable. I fell asleep around 2 in the afternoon and didn't wake up until about 7 the next morning.
Thursday was fun.
We got up, had breakfast at the Hostel and then made our way to the bus stop at the roundabout with the fake palm tree. From there we were attempting to get to the Warsaw Uprising Museum, but wound up missing the stop entirely. Not only were we lost, we couldn't even ask for directions by the time we got to the suburbs because nobody on the tram spoke English. In the end, we got off just before the end of the line and took another tram that appeared to be heading back to the centre of town and eventually found the right stop because the route map indicated that there would be a station named after our intended destination. We were also assisted by a lovely Polish girl who was trying to find her way to the same place.
For most of my experiences with Canadian museums, they are small buildings that you can easily navigate in an hour or two. That was definitely not true here...
We spent about 5 hours in the Warsaw uprising museum and didn't manage to take a good look at everything. In fact, Sarah was so exhausted by the end of the upper floors that she missed the exhibits in the basement entirely and I only had time for a quick look because I had arranged to meet her by the "water closets." All in all it was still a very informative experience and I am very glad to have gotten a look into a small part of the history of the city we have been visiting for the past few days and the country we will be calling home for the next few months. By small I mean that it was a brief period of time in relation to the span of history, not that it was insignificant. It definitely wasn't. I wish I could say more, but the words fail me.
Today we met a couple of young ladies over breakfast at the hostel and struck up a discussion about plans for the day. Emily, who had only arrived that morning, mentioned that she was going on the "Orange Umbrella" walking tour of Old Town Warsaw that morning. Thinking it sounded like a fun idea, we went with her to Sigismund's Column, where the tour started and ran into the other girl who was staying at the hostel. From there we followed Beata --our native Varsovian guide-- through the reconstructed Old Warsaw. Unfortunately most of the city was destroyed in the Uprising, so almost nothing we saw was original construction. The Soviets were very thorough in their re-creation of the Old Town, so you could almost be fooled into thinking you entered a time capsule from the Renaissance.
Sarah and I are relaxing at the hostel for now, but we are both thinking we might check out some of the nightlife on our last evening here. At night we keep hearing a great deal of singing and live music from the local pubs, but we are generally undressed for the night and too tired to want to satisfy our curiosity. Coming from me, that means a lot.
Warsaw is very beautiful. I wish we could stay longer, but I am also very much looking forward to Radom, and our apartment so that we are no longer living out of four fifty-pound suitcases. I'm sure we will be making the occasional weekend visit to this lovely city over the next ten months.
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
We're Here!
It's quarter to ten in the morning here in Warsaw...meaning it's almost 1 AM at home.
We arrived at about 6:30 in the evening, got to our hostel by 7:30, and were asleep by 8. Yes, you're reading that correctly--the first thing we did on arrival in Warsaw was sleep.
When we first got into the cab at Chopin and actually started heading into the city, I thought it looked a lot like Vancouver: sky scrapers, new construction galore, and rush hour congestion. But then as I was watching people weaving in and out of traffic and forcing their way into lanes where it did not seem like they could possibly fit I realized drivers in Vancouver looked sane and cautious by comparison. It made the roads and drivers in Kamloops look absolutely pastoral by contrast. Their cars also really resembled a convergence of canines at the local dog park: everyone seems to drive with their nose up the tailpipe of the person in front of them.
Also, the area surrounding Warsaw is flat...and I mean prairie flat. The only difference is the fact that there are trees everywhere. I looked out the window as we were making our descent and thought for a moment that we had passed through an inter-dimensional wormhole that came out in Alberta. For a girl who grew up west of the Canadian Rockies, that can be a bit alarming and a little disorienting for the first few days. At least it looks like the mountains are only a short train ride away from Radom if we start getting homesick and want to seek higher ground.
Today we will start branching out from our temporary digs at the New World St Hostel. The rooms are comfortable, the staff is fantastic, and it seems to be fairly close to almost everything one could possibly want to see. I will keep you all posted on our adventures over the next few days. One of the first things on our agenda will be trying to get Polish cell phones.
This promises to be interesting.
We arrived at about 6:30 in the evening, got to our hostel by 7:30, and were asleep by 8. Yes, you're reading that correctly--the first thing we did on arrival in Warsaw was sleep.
When we first got into the cab at Chopin and actually started heading into the city, I thought it looked a lot like Vancouver: sky scrapers, new construction galore, and rush hour congestion. But then as I was watching people weaving in and out of traffic and forcing their way into lanes where it did not seem like they could possibly fit I realized drivers in Vancouver looked sane and cautious by comparison. It made the roads and drivers in Kamloops look absolutely pastoral by contrast. Their cars also really resembled a convergence of canines at the local dog park: everyone seems to drive with their nose up the tailpipe of the person in front of them.
Also, the area surrounding Warsaw is flat...and I mean prairie flat. The only difference is the fact that there are trees everywhere. I looked out the window as we were making our descent and thought for a moment that we had passed through an inter-dimensional wormhole that came out in Alberta. For a girl who grew up west of the Canadian Rockies, that can be a bit alarming and a little disorienting for the first few days. At least it looks like the mountains are only a short train ride away from Radom if we start getting homesick and want to seek higher ground.
Today we will start branching out from our temporary digs at the New World St Hostel. The rooms are comfortable, the staff is fantastic, and it seems to be fairly close to almost everything one could possibly want to see. I will keep you all posted on our adventures over the next few days. One of the first things on our agenda will be trying to get Polish cell phones.
This promises to be interesting.
Monday, 9 September 2013
Big Day
At the moment I'm sitting at the airport in Vancouver, waiting for the plane that will carry me the greatest distance from home that I have ever traveled. If I were a little more awake, I'm sure my excitement would be as visible as my curiosity-however I've been drained by a series of long days.
And I have to admit that the excitement of the day is marked by sadness too. I learned that my grandmother passed away at 3:30 this morning, and it bothers me a little that I have to leave right in the middle of a family crisis. What else can I do? She would want me to go.The plane just arrived. Next time I blog, I'll be in Europe.
And I have to admit that the excitement of the day is marked by sadness too. I learned that my grandmother passed away at 3:30 this morning, and it bothers me a little that I have to leave right in the middle of a family crisis. What else can I do? She would want me to go.The plane just arrived. Next time I blog, I'll be in Europe.
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
The Final Countdown
Okay, so here's the lowdown:
Work permits finally came in a couple days after a going away party that literally lasted all day. The Polish consulate is about a week into processing our paperwork, and should have our documents ready to pick up by September 6th. Our flight takes off on the 9th at 7PM.
Sarah and I are coming home from Kaslo tomorrow, and packing from the 30th to the 3rd. Our whole lives have to be packed and ready to go in the event that the house sells while we're gone. On the 4th we go down to Vancouver with Jeanett, and will be saying our final goodbyes to those friends and family members living on the coast before we go flying off into the sunrise somewhere else.
I won't lie...I'M TERRIFIED NOW!!!!
And to add to it, my boss has sent me an e-mail asking for new teachers to submit 30s videos for the school's website. This promises to be interesting.
Work permits finally came in a couple days after a going away party that literally lasted all day. The Polish consulate is about a week into processing our paperwork, and should have our documents ready to pick up by September 6th. Our flight takes off on the 9th at 7PM.
Sarah and I are coming home from Kaslo tomorrow, and packing from the 30th to the 3rd. Our whole lives have to be packed and ready to go in the event that the house sells while we're gone. On the 4th we go down to Vancouver with Jeanett, and will be saying our final goodbyes to those friends and family members living on the coast before we go flying off into the sunrise somewhere else.
I won't lie...I'M TERRIFIED NOW!!!!
And to add to it, my boss has sent me an e-mail asking for new teachers to submit 30s videos for the school's website. This promises to be interesting.
Sunday, 18 August 2013
Time Flies When You're Having Fun
Wow what a week!
So now that work is done and over I am getting slapped in the brain with the task list
still waiting for completion.
The craziness of the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever seen is almost behind me and the amazing team I've had to work with, but I've definitely enjoyed the week I've spent promoting abnosomity. Even if it hasn't been entirely productive practically speaking. I've done and said so many things I never thought I would live to see occur, parallel parked in downtown Vancouver unscathed, visited a consulate--which was sadly and unpredictably closed.
Still waiting on our work permits, and the secretary at the consulate refused to answer questions when we phoned to ask. "No documents, no questions."
Leaving Superstore was more bitter sweet than anticipated. I hadn't actually thought that people would miss me when I left, but so many of my colleagues have mentioned how weird it will be to not have me around. I have to admit it's strange to sit here blogging when I would normally be heading to work right about now.
I'm sure the full shock of everything will hit me in a couple of days.
So now that work is done and over I am getting slapped in the brain with the task list
still waiting for completion.
The craziness of the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever seen is almost behind me and the amazing team I've had to work with, but I've definitely enjoyed the week I've spent promoting abnosomity. Even if it hasn't been entirely productive practically speaking. I've done and said so many things I never thought I would live to see occur, parallel parked in downtown Vancouver unscathed, visited a consulate--which was sadly and unpredictably closed.
Still waiting on our work permits, and the secretary at the consulate refused to answer questions when we phoned to ask. "No documents, no questions."
Leaving Superstore was more bitter sweet than anticipated. I hadn't actually thought that people would miss me when I left, but so many of my colleagues have mentioned how weird it will be to not have me around. I have to admit it's strange to sit here blogging when I would normally be heading to work right about now.
I'm sure the full shock of everything will hit me in a couple of days.
Friday, 16 August 2013
Things Are Moving Fast and Standing Still...
So things are coming to a head fairly rapidly now.
My last day at work is on Saturday and I am vibrating with both fear and anticipation. My eight year tenure at Superstore is done and over in 13.5 working hours and I stand in awe of the growth that occurred within those walls.
Today I also learned the address where I will be staying while I work:
UL.NIEDZIALKOWSKIEGO 8/10 M35; 26-600 RADOM
It's on the corner of that name up above and a street named after Marie Curie. My inner nerd is immensely pleased at this. It's only half a kilometer away from the main school and it looks like there are plenty of shops within easy walking distance. The fact that everything is so flat will definitely take this mountain-and-valley girl some getting used to. I remember how disorienting the gently rolling hills surrounding Camrose, AB were, and that wasn't even as flat as this.
At least the mountains won't be far away.
On the slow-moving aspect, however:
Work permits were sent out last week, but have not yet arrived in Kamloops. This is something of a nuisance, since those are greatly needed to get work visas.
There are a myriad of other questions that we need answered regarding the visa application progress, but our efforts to contact the Polish consulate have not been very successful, and I have a feeling we may need someone to help us walk through the process...international travel certainly seems like a big headache so far.
Surely the experiences that ensue will be worth the nightmare bureaucracy.
My last day at work is on Saturday and I am vibrating with both fear and anticipation. My eight year tenure at Superstore is done and over in 13.5 working hours and I stand in awe of the growth that occurred within those walls.
Today I also learned the address where I will be staying while I work:
UL.NIEDZIALKOWSKIEGO 8/10 M35; 26-600 RADOM
It's on the corner of that name up above and a street named after Marie Curie. My inner nerd is immensely pleased at this. It's only half a kilometer away from the main school and it looks like there are plenty of shops within easy walking distance. The fact that everything is so flat will definitely take this mountain-and-valley girl some getting used to. I remember how disorienting the gently rolling hills surrounding Camrose, AB were, and that wasn't even as flat as this.
At least the mountains won't be far away.
On the slow-moving aspect, however:
Work permits were sent out last week, but have not yet arrived in Kamloops. This is something of a nuisance, since those are greatly needed to get work visas.
There are a myriad of other questions that we need answered regarding the visa application progress, but our efforts to contact the Polish consulate have not been very successful, and I have a feeling we may need someone to help us walk through the process...international travel certainly seems like a big headache so far.
Surely the experiences that ensue will be worth the nightmare bureaucracy.
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