A few more weeks gone...

Poland these last couple of weeks has been pretty good. I am fitting in with my new host family well, being able to make conversation much more better than when I came. They are really nice people, but I am still not keen on the fact of living in the middle of nowhere. Regan came up this past weekend, and it was so fun! She got in on Friday, and left on Monday, during that time we went to the Monastery, horse riding, and even walked twelve kilometers. School is going good, I still don't understand, but I think that in the future my understanding of the language will improve, and hopefully by the end of the year I will know Polish. Last night I went with Jędrek, and his friends to a film festival sort of thing, and it was really good! I really like the silent films more because there was no language barrier. There were some that were like what on earth is going on. Like this one where they kept drinking Vodka and getting high.. I managed to succesfully take the bus last night too, and now next time I go on the bus, I will feel much more confident and sure of myself. The buses really aren't that bad, and I think I will be using them alot, because I am hoping to spend most of my Friday and Saturday nights in Częstochowa. I went to the Monastery yesterday because, I had four hours until I met up with my brother and his friends. This time I actually took an in depth look at it, instead of just walking buy everything. It was Friday afternoon, so the monastery wasnt too crowded, and I was actually able to fit into the Chapel of the Virgin Mary. Today I might be visting with my old host mom, and brother, and I am excited. I don't know what I am going to do this weekend, although tomorrow I am going to an organ concert at the Jasna Góra, so that should be interesting. I really do love Poland, despite my low time when I say I want to go home, I really love it. Sometimes I think to myself, why am I here, out of all countries in the world! But than I think of what I told Rotary, and everything I told them is true. I think Poland definitley has more culture than France, or England, and I love it! Also I think that Canada should not be voted the most friendliest country. People in Europe are so kind, even if they don't say hello to you in the streets. Almost every person I have met in Poland was kind, and helpful beyond belief! I cannot believe that I am blessed to have another nine months here, it is incredible! I hope to see the many parts of Poland, from the sea, to the plains, to the mountains. Thats all for now, ale może na Wtorek/Sroda, ja jestem isc do gdańsku!

Nie Wiem

I hate it when blogger asks for you to put a title, what the heck am I suppose to put, my blogs are filled with so many different things that I cant give it all a title. The last week have been filled with both highs and lows. It was a definite low when I had to leave my awesome first family! I wish I could have stayed longer, but I know that I will be for sure keeping in contact with them! My new family is nice, I am still trying to get used to living in a new place, even though its been almost a week. I think its a huge change from not living in the city, I really liked living in the city, and now I am actually happy to go to school because it is in the city! I do not know what to do with myself now, no host siblings and living in the middle of nowhere... hmm I wonder what I should do. I really enjoyed school this week, but yesterday after school I got to see a side of Częstochowa that I have never seen before. I got out of school early, and had an hour and a half until my host mother was to get me. I was like screw it, I am not waiting in the freaking school for an hour and a half, so I started to walk towards the river, having no clue where I was going. It started going under a bridge, and than add in a few more twist and turns and I am completely surrounded by old houses. They are not all redone like those on the main avenua, but in their natural state. I really loved this, I though this is what true Europe should look like. There were typical town houses, not colourful, but grey. As I countinued walking, I came to realize that I was in a labrynth of streets on the south side of Częstochowa only minutes away from my school. I continued making my way through the streets, pass courtyard entrances and passed a beautiful two spire cathedral, towering above me. I knew where I was then, but still, I wanted to explore. I went into another series of streets, and eventually ended out at Church of St. Zygmund, on one end of the avenue. The misty, drizzly day really gave the city a mysterious feel. Here I go describing the city as a living thing, but its true, every corner I turned I never knew what to expect. I was walking down one street, and I turned onto a street that wasnt even paved, not even cobbled. It was a whole bunch of rocks just put into the ground. I managed to get a large portion of the south eastern part of Częstochowa explored. I wouldnt even call it south eastern, I wouldnt know what to call it, the area around centrum, może, nie wiem. I really want to share this experience with my other exchange friends. I dont know if some people would just think of it as ugly, or actually think of it as interesting, or beautiful, in its own kind of way. I will surely be exploring this city thouroghly, and hopefully by the time I leave, I will know my way through the winding maze of streets. When I pictured Europe, this is the exact picture I imagined. I am excited for tomorrow because Regan is coming, and I am really excited to show her Częstochowa. I want to show her different perspectives of the city, like the religous part, and than the parts the tourists dont really see. I will be in Częstochowa every day this weekend, and that just makes me really happy, because I love this city. I know its not Kraków or Torun, but I think that Częstochowa in its own way can be seen as one of the most beautiful cities in Poland.

Since Toruń

After Toruń I had a great week! I really enjoyed this week, and even passed my one month anniversary of being in Poland. I cannot believe I have made it this far! I think of it as an achievement but at the same time I feel slightly sad that my exchange is progressing on with one month gone. School is still rather boring for me, since I am the only exchange student in Częstochowa I am at a school all by myself without other exchangers. The students at my school are very nice, they are friendly and they even translate to me sometimes. I enjoy english class and I enjoy helping people in English class. I was going to go to Bydgoszcz this weekend but unfortunatley plans didnt turn out so on Friday I was very pleased to see that school only went to twelve thirty. I was dying to go back to Jasna Góra that afternoon so I was so grateful that Maciek, one of my host brothers took me. It was great, we were only there for about forty five minutes, but unlike last time we got into the chapel of the black madonna! We also walked the battlements and went into the main basilica which unfortunatley was under construction, so scaffolding and such was all over the place. The next day I went with Maciek to the Olsztyn Castle ruins, and it was an absoluetly great day! I loved the fact that no part of the castle was off limits to anyone and you could go where you pleased. I also thought it was really cool that there were small caves on the hill which the castle was on. Most of the castle was rubble, but there were a couple towers still in tact, as well as frames of previous rooms. We went up one of the towers and got a really good view of the surrounding scenery. We were in a village but even on top of this tower you could see Częstochowa, which I though was really cool. After we went walking on the rocks which was awesome! I love hiking and I loved climbing and hiking the rocks. At one point we came across a couple candles and we thought it was a place where someone had fallen of the rocks. We ended the day returning to Jasna Góra and going to the military museum which I thought was awesome! I loved seeing the suits of armor which were on display and I loved seeing the model of how the battle between the swedes and poles was fought to protect the monastery. After the museum we hiked the tower which was a lot of stairs, but the view was worth it. That day was awesome and to make things better I was going to Warsaw the next day! I finally got to watch Mam talent on tv, and just relaxed that night which I really enjoyed. I went to warsaw a little after noon, and got there about 3ish. I met with Nayra and Millie, and we went to old town. The old town was really nice, but we had to walk through a riot of people who were protesting the removing of the cross from the front of the presidential palace. It was entertaining to see all the protestors mad about the movement of a cross, and since it was sunday, the crowd was huge. The old town was really nice, but the idea that it was all fake stayed at the back of my head. Warsaw was completely bombed during the war, but it is very impressive that they have rebuilt in only a number of decades. People call it ugly and I somewhat agree with them, its not the prettiest place in Poland, but it has its spots. I dont really blame the city for being so ugly because they had to rebuild so fast. I met Millie's host parents who are really nice people, and than Millie, Nayra and I just hung out before going to bed. Today we went to Lazienkie Park, and to the mall. The park was so beautiful, with a beautiful lake in the middle of it, and a palace right on the lake. It also had a solarium in Baroque style, and a huge monument to Chopin. This is definitley one of the prettier spots in Warsaw, and its so quiet and peacful. After we went to the Lacoste,and the mall in central Warsaw which was awesome. I managed to get alot of clothes for winter but tomorrow I also need to get a bit more. I was so happy to meet up with Lorena, Mackenzie, and Kevin today, it just made my trip to Warsaw so much better. I am so happy to be meeting up with them again tomorrow too! I really wanted to leave tomorrow but we are going to see Warsaw at night instead, and than I will leave on Wednesday. Tomorrow we are going to the Warsaw Uprising museum and it should be pretty cool, also I am gonna get some more winter clothes and than go to see warsaw at night from the top of palace of Culture and Art. I only have just over a week left with my host family and I feel really sad to be leaving them because they are such great people! But I know that this is one of the parts of exchange which I may have to face a number of times, so I beliebve that this will a learning experience! Well thats all for now, I will be sure to keep people posted on my latest activities!

Poland After Language Camp

I have been away from language camp for two weeks now, and I do miss hanging out with all the exchange students. I took an awesome train ride from Krakow with Christi, Patrick and Danielle, it was a great three hours. We were able to get our own compartment and I was sad to get off the train while they continued onto Bydgoszcz. I was so happy to see my host family once again and it was a nice week and a bit before school started. My host family was so kind that they took me to the city of Wrocław. It was such a great trip, we went to the panorama which is a large canvas of one continuous scene of a battle. After the panorama we went to the museum, which was a beautiful building with ivy growing up the sides, and a beautiful main staircase. One of the interesting exhibits was a floodwall, which was a collection of drawers from the debris of Hurricane Katrina, made into a wall. It was also very interesting to see some of the old crown jewels. After the museum we went to an island and I enjoyed going to the top of one of the cathedrals with one of my host brothers! The view was great, and the I was afraid that I would keep falling down the steep set of spiral stairs. We went to the Rynek as well, the main square was just as I saw in the pictures. I particularly fancied the beautiful town houses which lined the square. We went back to the Rynek in the evening and it looked so beautiful all lit up. the next day we went to Książ and I thought it was a stunning example of Baroque architecture. The palace had a pink front and it looked small at the front, but it was very long behind. There was a beautiful staircase in the entrance, and an absoleutly stunning parlor with two floors, and balconies going off of both sides. I loved the parlors and the different themes which they had. The tower in the castle was a large climb, but at the top it was worth it. We had a view of over the valley and of the nearby city, which is suppose to be really ugly. We also went to some tunnels under the castle which the Nazis had dug. The gardens which the castle had were beautiful, and it looked like a mini garden from the Palace of Versailles. After the castle we went to a protestant cathedral which was made out of wood, no nails were used or bricks. For such limited types of materials it was stunning, there were two organs, and the main altar was beautiful. The next day I was back in Częstochowa and had to begin school. At first I was really shy, really really shy, and I did not know where to start on meeting people. My school is really small, with just over one hundred students. My host mother and I went to school at about eleven o clock. We were only there for twenty minutes while they were having an assembly. I did not understand anything at all, and was really freaked out at what I would do for an entire school day. The next day I went on an overnight trip with my class, and I was so shy, I did not know what I was thinking! In the end this camp sort of thing was actually not that bad, it was so-so. I met many new people, and they were all so nice, but at the same time I did not understand anything. When I went to school the next day, it was much easier to interact with others, than if I didnt go to this camp. I continued going to school until thursday. Thursday night was a fun time with my host brothers, we played a really fun board game which I really enjoyed! Today I went to Toruń and I took a train. I really enjoyed the train ride, it was quietter than my last one, Krakow to Częstochowa. My train was twenty minutes late in Kutno and I had a twenty five minute layover in Kutno. But since the train was twenty minutes late I only had five minutes to find my train, so I got off and followed the running people, and sure enough I arrive in Toruń an hour and a bit later. I got off at Toruń at about 1:30 PM. I arrived at the youth hostel second, Reagan from Gdansk was first, and we had to wait for hours until the next students came. I absoleutly loved reuniting with everyone, it may have been two weeks that we did not see each other, but I was so happy to see them all, I couldnt have been happier at that time. Tonight we went to supper and saw traditional polish dancers. The guys got to learn a dance, and it was very easy for me to learn, as Polish and Ukrainian dance are very similar. We got back to the youth hostel at about 9:30ish and now I sit here writing this post. I will be sure to write again soon!

Language Camp

Poland is absoleutly incredible. For the past ten days or so I have been at a boarding school in Piekary, which is just outside of krakow. Here I met all the other exchange students who will be sharing a similar experience to mine. Many of the students are so kind, and I am excited to get to know them better. I have had ups and downs of the camp. Ups have been getting to know new people, and see some beautiful places in poland. Some of the downs of the camp are long long polish classes, and of course the infamous homesickness. I really love the attractions i saw in Poland, especially the Wielicza salt mine, in Wielicza. To get to the mine we went down 52 flights of steps, but the descent was well worth it. There were whole structures carved from salt, and even a cathedral. The walls were so pure you can lick them and taste salt (which i did)! Also we did a trip to the wawel castle, the royal castle in Krakow, there I saw many crypts of deceased leaders, including the latest Lech Kaczynski. Krakow is an absoleutly stunning city, so old and so charming. I am hoping that I return but have more free time to explore the old town. The Hejnal Mariacki Bugle Call can be heard from the top of St Mary's Cathedral, in my opinion the most beautiful cathedral I have ever seen. our group also went to the Tyniec Cloister, I didnt find it as interesting as our other trips. It was a short tour, but the church in this monastery was so draw dropping. The pulpit was coverd in gold, and the crucifix was also covered in gold. We also went to the Tatry Mountains, specifically the city of Zakopane. It was so beautiful, like the banff of Poland, but instead the main street was cobbled, and the stores offered shirts and sweaters Homesickness has really gotten to me the last couple of days. One day it was just absoleutly terrible, but from than on it wasnt as bad. The polish classes that the camp had were three or four hours of boredom. Today I had a polish exam and I am hoping that I did at least decent. These ten days are now drawing to a close and I think that this has laid the foundation for a fantastic year. I think that this is a positive start for the year to come. On monday I begin mainstream school in Czestochowa, so lets hope that its not overly difficult. I will write again in a week or so, but until then who knows what my exchange has to offer.

Too good to be true!

I cannot believe that I am in Poland! I woke up on the 14th of August at 5:30 AM because I was not able to sleep very well due to excitement. I than flew to Calgary and than to Frankfurt. Both airports were rather difficult to navigate through, but Calgary more than Frankfurt. My nine hour flight to Frankfurt was good but long, very long. I was fortunate to have one other person in my row of seats, so therefore I got two seats intstead of one! I landed at Frankfurt at about 6:45 and it really is a big airport. I followed the signs which ended up taking me to some sort of border crossing? I dont know what to call it but some person stamped my passport so I think I was entering the European Union. I had pins in my carry on, and every airport asked to open my bags! I really did hate security at all airports. I landed in Warsaw at about 9:30 AM and met with my host family. They are so kind and friendly! It was a three hour drive to Czestochowa, but it was so beautiful. Poland looks alot like Canada, but in Poland beautiful cathedrals and palaces are in the country side. when driving from Fort McMurray to Edmonton, its all mostly trees, but in Poland it is farm houses, restaurants, and cathedrals! On the way from Warsaw, I saw this beautiful domed cathedral the dome jutting just above the trees, it was so beautiful. After three hours I arrved in Czestochowa, and met a second host brother, and was suppose to go to the Jasna Gora Monastary, but I fell asleep! I woke up and it was dark, I thought it must have been three in the morning, and thank god I turned on my computer to check the time because it was only 10:20 PM. I went downstairs and everyone was still up! I went to bed, and surprisingly fell asleep but woke up at 5:45 AM, and my laptop did not have internet! But now it does, so if it ever happens again, I can just go on my computer! I went for a walk with my host mother this morning, and Czestochowa itself is such a beautiful city! Beautiful flats line the streets of where I am living, and the streets are so narrow that in Canada they would just be a back alley to someones home. I have such a beautiful view from the room that I am staying in, and there is a small little magazine store and pharmacy at the corner of my street! Tomorrow I am going to Krakow, the old capital of Poland, it was never bombed in World War II because it was protected. I am very excited to meet all the exchange students who are in Poland from many different places. It is 10 days with visits to Zakopane, and the Wielicza Salt Mine, which is a sort of city carved out of salt. I am also keen to learn Polish as well. As I finish writing this post I hear the beautiful chime of bells from a church nearby, I cannot believe that this is happening!

Only 12 more days!

I remember the time that I applied for my exchange, and it seemed just like yesterday. I cannot believe that now I am so close to leaving! I am sooo excited, and I may not feel it now, but I am going to be nervous the day that I leave, bording the plane to some country that I have never been to before. I have made most of my preparations, visas I had to go to Vancouver for, but it was such a nice trip and I really did enjoy it. I have my awesome new netbook for this trip as well, and all my necessary documents, with the exception of an ISIC. I sent for it about a week ago and I have confirmed it made it to its destination, which made me feel much better. I have made a packing list as well, but I think that I might improve it, as it seems very basic, and I believe there should be more items. I have finished summer school succesfully, but my mark is unknown, hopefully I can find out my mark before I go. Everyday that comes to me, is everday closer to my departure, today may be twelve days, but before I know it will be five days, and than I will find myself at the airport! I cannot believe that this is happening, it is too good to be true, but I think this feeling will escalade onto a whole new level when I wake up on the 14th of August, and think that today is the day.