Finally in Pietrzykowice

My Entrance

My School

So I got to my host city only a few days ago, and it feels like I've been here for weeks. The area I live in is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The ride in, which is only about 2 hours or so by bus, was so beautiful. I'm very lucky to have been placed in this region, because it is surrounded by the Beskidy Mountains (part of the Carpathians) and in the center is a large lake where you can canoe, sail and rent paddle boats. Pietrzykowice is my village and Zywiec is a neighboring town with the most famous Polish brewery. I will take pictures of the land soon.

My host family is very sweet and hospitable. There are two daughters, Ania ,15, and Ewa, 12, and Ania is the only person in the family who speaks English. The parents speak less English than I do Polish, so she is our translator. We often employ English/Polska dictionaries, which helps immensely. They let me borrow one which I use in class and with school staff. I'm basically a charades professional now.

My family is trying to make me as comfortable as possible, even though I live at the school. I was sad to be living alone at first, but I enjoy the independence and alone time when I can get it. I have my own personal side entrance and my own classroom. I am fed three meals a day by the kitchen staff, who must think I'm a 300-pound man because they feed me so much, which is clearly a Polish tradition.
My Room:

For this reason, I'll be returning to America looking something like a barrel. Poles eat fattening foods and lots of it. Obiad, or lunch for us, is their biggest meal of the day and usually has two courses. The soup is delicious here. Bread with every meal. The kitchen staff asked if I was a vegetarian because I don't eat the meat they give me at breakfast, which was funny. I can usually barely eat breakfast because I'm so nervous before teaching. Hopefully, that passes.

I was lucky enough to be connected with some university students who are home for the summer. They picked me up on my second day and took me to play basketball (i was in a skirt, like an idiot). I kinda just stayed in one place and shot the ball here and there. They were nice enough to pass it. I felt silly but they're all really nice and are eager to show me around and spend time with me. The first night, we went to dinner where I ate a crepe-like thing that was supposed to be "mexican." Strange mix but good. Yesterday, the girls picked me up and we drank wine that Ania's grandfather made two years ago. It was a light orange color, very sweet and very strong =) The students speak English quite well, which is a relief because no one at the school can speak with the exception of a few words. They have promised to take me to the Zywiec brewery, which I'm very excited for.

My classroom:

I guess I should talk about my classes as well. I teach for about 4 hours each day, and I have three groups. Group 1 is about 15 7-10 year olds, Group 2 is about eight 12-year olds, and Group 3 is about seven 14-year-old girls. The little ones won't stop hugging me, which is adorable, but they're the hardest group. There's a lot of them and it's hard to keep them all interested and quiet. They speak very little English, so I can't give them commands at all really. They know numbers, the ABCs, and some body parts. They know dog and cat. That's about it. So I just try to get them moving as much as possible. They love to draw, so we do that everyday.

The older kids really like games and speak much better English. I can explain games with them and they understand me pretty well. The oldest group speaks very well and can understand everything with little dictionary use. The oldest group never wants to leave, which is sweet. They took my picture and are adding me on Facebook, haha. That could be bad.

Polish children are really beautiful and I like them a lot. They're funny and really smart and I think they like me. It seems like it anyway. I'm like a celebrity here, which is really strange for me. Apparently Polish people love Americans, which is nice, but I don't like too much attention so it's different.

This post is too long,
Leah