It's hard to believe that I've been in Poland for more than a month now, but having just wrapped up Week 5, that is in fact the case...

We had another fun week at school with the kids - spending time revising my presentation on America from last week, learning about the US flag, and ending the week with an introduction to Columbus Day.  I think - or at least hope! - that the students are enjoying our interactive lessons and the break from normally-structured English classes.  I'm certainly having fun with all of them!

 

Rather than jet-setting off for another weekend traveling adventure, this past weekend I chose to stay in Warsaw for some rest, relaxation...and further exploration of the city!  I started with a historical walking tour of Old Town and the former Jewish Ghetto on Friday. 

The walking tour group outside the Warsaw Royal Palace

Although I have seen many of the buildings and monuments we passed before, Michal - our fabulous tour guide - told us the COMPLETE history of each sight, beyond anything I have learned thus far in Poland.  It was an extremely informative day, setting my perspective on how MUCH history Warsaw really has...

Saturday and Sunday were very relaxed.  I spent some time with my host family - playing an unimaginable number of games of "memory" with Kasia and Maciek - and enjoying some much needed time at the gym.  These past few weeks have not been kind to my waistline :)

 

Until next time,

Allyson

Well, week three is in the books and what a fun week it was!  From teaching about my home country – The USA – to touring Auschwitz and the beautiful city of Krakow, this week was action-packed and extremely exhausting…

Although I had Monday off from school because the 2^nd grade had an excursion, this week was by far my fullest week of teaching yet.  I had the opportunity to really take the reins of my classes – along with the fabulous teachers, of course – and share a fun and interactive presentation on the USA.  My presentation covered everything from the size and number of states in the US, to our unfortunate reputation for eating fast food.  The kids really enjoyed the “What is America Known For” portion of the presentation during which they could yell out people or things they thought were “American”.

 

I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing that ALL the kids – regardless of age – were able to name each American fast food restaurant that existed in Warsaw…  But, I guess our reputation could be worse, right?!

 

After a fun-filled week at school, I headed to Krakow on Thursday night for a weekend trip with the other Lattitude Volunteers.  There were 8 of us in total and while the 7 others decided to take the train down to Krakow, I gave Polski Bus a try after booking the ticket deal of the century – 1 zloty for the trip from Warsaw-Krakow!

The bus trip ended up taking nearly 6 hours – we hit a small snag when we found ourselves behind a 5-car accident just outside of Krakow – but I arrived safe and sound late Thursday night, ready for a wild weekend of fun!

 

On Friday, all 8 of us decided to tour the former concentration camp:  Auschwitz-Birkenau.  I can’t put into words how impactful that tour was…6 hours of horror is what comes to mind at first, but I think it was important for us to see this history and how it impacted Poland and Europe.

On the way to tour Auschwitz-Birkenau with my fellow volunteer, Bri.

 After a heavy day on Friday, we headed to the Krakow salt mines early Saturday morning.  Although it was an amazing feeling to be 135 meters under the earth, the tour left me wanting more…  Apparently our guide decided not to take our group to the underground lake area, so we missed out on one of the mines BIGGEST attractions.

The Lattitude Volunteers outside the Salt Mines with our tour guide, Sebastian.

 

After wrapping up at the mines, we went back to Old Town to be one with the locals – shopping in the market square, taking a golf cart tour around the city, and exploring the famous Wawel Castle! 

Now onto Week 4!!

 

 

Is Week 2 of teaching really already complete?  Time is flying here in Bemowo!

 

This week I got a MUCH bigger taste of my teaching duties at Warsaw 306 and was able to escape for an amazing weekend getaway to Torun.  The week started out with a healthy dose of the younger children at school…and it still amazes me how nice everyone is!  Hugs and hallway “hellos” are more commonplace here than anywhere I’ve been in the US. 

 

During our classes we did the now-standard “Intro to Allyson” lessons where the kids got to ask me questions (in English!) about where I’m from, what I like to do, what my favorite food is, etc.  The kids were shy at first – with the exception of the Grade 1 youngsters – but after a few minutes everyone got involved.

 

Once Thursday came, it was time to depart on my first weekend trip during my time here in Poland.  This weekend’s destination was…Torun!  Beata, the fantastic volunteer mentor at school, is from Torun and I jumped at the chance to visit her hometown after her selfless promotion of the city during our downtime at school.

 

…and Torun didn’t disappoint!

Hello, Torun!

I was supposed to travel with a couple other Lattitude Volunteers, but after last minute conflicts came up with them, I was left to go solo up to Torun.  Not to worry, though – I had my tripod in tow and a strong desire to see the whole of Poland – I was excited for the weekend either way.

 

I arrived mid-afternoon on Friday and returned to Warsaw on Sunday morning.  My absolute favorite part of Torun was the Leaning Tower!  Not only is the obvious slant of the building something to behold, but I met an American couple while in line to take a picture!  Jan and Carol were there names; and they hail from Portland, Oregon.  We chatted for nearly an hour outside of the Leaning Tower before parting ways so I could explore the city.

My new American friends!

On Day 2 I knocked off the usual tourist destinations in Torun’s Old Town.  The Town Hall Clock Tower (scary to climb!), Copernicus House (neat to step foot in his home!), exploring the Teutonic Castle ruins, and the Church of The Virgin Mary were only a few of the highlights!

Prowling around the Teutonic Ruins…

After a fantastic weekend up North, I returned to Warsaw mid-morning on Sunday to the big celebration of my host-Dad’s Names Day!  The entire family – Michal’s parents, aunt, brother and sister-in-law – joined us for a feast of chocolate cake, fruit and…Torun gingerbread!

 

It was a fantastic week and weekend.  Here’s to more fun to come in Week 3!

 

Cheers,

Allyson