I am loving Poland. I've gone to the Titanic exibit, the Warsaw Uprising Museum, church last Sunday, and I'm simply just trying to teach myself how to travel around the country. I've traveled to the mall and back with the help of Google maps. I'm looking forward to meet more of the children at school this upcoming week. 

-Tiana

I did origami with the older students this week, and Canada with the younger students!  Some students dreaded an attempt at a paper crane, but others were so excited it made every class a success.  It was so much fun; I felt like an actual instructor! It was a great exercise in listening and understanding.  

On Friday I went out to dinner with some other volunteers.  We all had pierogi, and none could possibly complain.  It was delicious.  

On Saturday, I went to Krakow with my host family.  We visited St Mary's Basilica: it was one of the most spectacular and intricate places I've ever been.  In Canada, we don't have any architecture like that, so it was shockingly beautiful to me.  We also went to Wawel castle, and walked around the cathedral.  But the cathedral was stunning, and also massive.  We then went to the Market in the main square, and I picked up some more gifts for family and friends back in Canada: one of my favourite things to do.

Natalie:)

This week was Thanksgiving back in Canada, so that was my theme this week!  We talked some about the holiday, and did classic Thanksgiving crafts.  It was great to see what "variations" a few students came up with!

On the holiday Wednesday, some friends and I went to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews.  It was incredibly informative, and I ran out time to see it all.  There was a very fancy famous woman visiting that day, so I was stuck in one room for quite some time. 

Thursday was a very exciting day, because another volunteer--Charmain--and I traveled to Gdansk for the weekend!  We met after our classes for the day, and went by PolskiBus.  We arrived to seaside city at ten o'clock, so we had to navigate a new city in the dark!  We felt very pro asking a women for directions to the main road, in Polish.  She then responded entirely in Polish and we were very thankful for her hand gestures!  We stayed in a hostel just off Długi Targ, and were pleasantly surprised in the morning by its beauty!  It was quiet and misty; we couldn't stop oohing and awing over the atmosphere.  

After a bit of spotty exploration we visited St Mary's Basilica.  There was a service in process, which was interesting in itself.  We went to the top of the tower, and maybe I didn't look very closely when we were at ground level, because I kept thinking, "Surely, this must be the end!" There were a lot of stairs.  But the view was a worthy reward, and, personally, I thought the fog added a nice touch to the cityscape. 

Ventured out to Sopot in the afternoon and greeted the Baltic Sea!  It felt very at home to be next to​​​​​​​​​​​​ the ocean once again.  We spent as much time on the pier as we could muster.  We walked down the beach in our city shoes - not advisable.  But it was worthwhile, as we can now say we have "been in" the Baltic Sea.  Our fingertips have been in the Baltic Sea.

Had the most delicious soup and juice for dinner.  Seriously, the best soup.  And juice. Ever.  Maybe I was just hungry.

Saturday was very chill.  We took the train to Gdynia and visited the aquarium!  It was my first time using an audio tour, and it's fair to say I got lost more than once.  The tiny sharks were my favourite of all.  We waddled for a while in Gdynia, but the weather was very poorly, and bringing down our spirits.  We backed to Gdansk and explored some little alleys.  We also walked down the river, and to our delight saw a pirate ship tour!  It was too late for us to join, but it did look fantastic.

The only time I managed to truly be lost in the entire weekend was when we arrived back in Warsaw.  I got off the metro and found myself completely disoriented.  Got to finish strong!

Natalie:)

This week at the school I did a presentation about Canada.  It was really fun, and the students enjoyed it as well.  They all like how Canadian money is made of plastic, and unable to rip.  I also did origami with the younger students, which was a blast!  It was a great challenge of dexterity and comprehension, all wrapped up in English.  

In my free time I met up with one of the other volunteers at Zlote Tarasy for a bit of mosying about.  We ended up having an hour-long conversation with a very nice man from Australia.  We are learning how differently "meeting people" works when you live somewhere that operates in a language foreign to your own.  We able to catch up with some of the other volunteers, and that was definitely well-needed.  We sat at a table for a few hours just sharing stories of the past couple weeks we haven't seen one another!  A few of us wandered to a Costa Coffee and continued our catch-up over some delicious hot chocolates and cheesecake. Mmmm!

On Sunday I went for a walk with my host mother and her little baby to a forest by our house.  I was expecting trails, but we went through a side-entrance and ended up on some dirt bike trails--with a stroller!  But it turned out that a fun roller coaster ride was just what the baby needed to cheer up.

Natalie:)

It was a good, energetic week with my lessons. I made cookies with my host family and had a lovely evening in spent with them. Sunday led us to Łazienki Park: it is such a huge park! And very beautiful! We collected so many chestnuts for the baby, but he just wanted to throw them back on the ground. It was a good way to tire us all out. 

My first task was "Star of the Week," in which I presented a few things about myself to the students who then made their own project based on what they learned about me.  

On Saturday my family took me to a little village where The Grandparents live.  

My host mother's family was there, meaning nine people (well, eight fully-functionable people and one baby) all stayedin a tiny house for the night!  Though there was very little privacy, and no one else spoke English outside my host family, I had a lot of fun.  We played Macau with The Uncle, confused The Dog with a coat, and built houses of cards whilst a Polish game show played bizarrely in the background.  Snuggled under a blanket, reading, while everyone around me spoke a language I never understood was a lovely time spent well.

The next day we visited the ruins at Czersk, which were, I believe, the first ruins I have ever seen. They did not disappoint. I even climbed terrified to the top of a tower just to say I did it.  Roller coasters, no problem. Medieval tower? No thank you. 

Natalie:)

My first week in Warsaw was spent partially trying to take in as much knowledge as I could possibly absorb and entirely creating incredibly close friendships.  

As us seven Canadians--the only new volunteers this term--partook in the TEFL course at the British Council, we eagerly bonded through being completely foreign in Poland.  From learning how to manage a classroom to Mexican-English pub outings, it was hard to part on Saturday from Nathan's lovely little Villa.  But I met my host mother and was whisked out of the comfort zone we created together in our messy room.  

But I was more than excited to meet my new family for the next five months, despite sickness brewing in my sinuses.  For my first meal in my new home we ate traditional homemade tomato soup--it is so delicious!

On Sunday I explored Old Town with my host mother and her children; the little baby slept happily as his stroller bumped and rattled over cobblestones.  We had Italian ice cream whilst out on our adventure, and it is fair to say it was the best "swirly ice cream" I have ever tasted.  For dinner we went to a traditional Polish restaurant where we devoured pierogi and tea.  I am happy that I fit in with my host family so perfectly, so easily.

Natalie:)