John (Poland) Taking a Dip in a Little Water

Well folks, it looks like it's been a while for me and everyone else on the blog. Hope all the Beloit folks had a good end to the semester and that everyone else's programs are wrapping up well.

Here in Poland, I've had a good but busy last month or so. The weather continues to be beautiful and I've taken to reading on the shady park that surrounds the Old Town. There are flowers everywhere and lots of people with enough time to just sit and appreciate the weather for hours and hours, it's a nice feeling. It's also wonderful how the whole city comes out for nice weather on weekends. The parks are literally packed and there's a communal vibe where people's kids will wander over to play with each other while the grownups talk and the teens make out energetically and unabashedly on benches and in the grass.

My program's work has been heavy, but now, nearly almost finished so that I've been able to have a nice couple of weeks to end the semester. It started last weekend when Kate came to visit. It was a huge holiday weekend in Poland, starting on May Day, which was Thursday, and also including Constitution Day on May 3rd, which celebrates Poland 1795 democratic constitution, which was the second in the world after America's (doesn't Robert have the lucky birthday).

After having a difficult time finding the train from the airport, I finally met up with Kate late Thursday night and the next morning we hit the town. It was great seeing a Beloit peep and to be able to actually show off the city. I think she really liked Cracow, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of that was just because the weather was so nice. At one point we stumbled on a carnival when we were walking by the Wisla, which was way more intense than any I'd seen in the US. The images painted on the rides were generally either inappropriately sexual or just odd non-sequitors and each ride was blasting terrible music at far to high a volume. We ended up going on a ride that invovled being strapped into the bottom of a large pendulum which rotated laterally while simultaneously swinging you well over 50 degrees in each direction. I think it's safe to say it was one of the best 12 zl I've spent in Poland.

Later on Friday night, we decided to hit up a Woody Allen film festival, but to pregame before we did so. To honor Kate's program we started with carbombs at one of the Irish pubs. We were a little surprised when we had to describe to the bar woman how to make a carbomb, but we figured it'd be fine. When she asked us what kind of whiskey we wanted we saw a bottle of Jameson's and decided to also pay tribute to J-Man by choosing that. We were startled, however, when she informed us that our two drinks would be 63 zl (about $30). Apparently, the Jameson's was 12 year old aged whiskey, which, though smooth, was a little much for the drink. After talking her down on the price a little, we downed our drinks (which were delicious), we drowned our sorrows in a quick round of Zubrowka (delicious bison grass Vodka) before hitting up the movie. Unfortunately, it was at this point that Kate found out that despite a semester of Irish beer, she still wasn't quite ready for Zubrowka's kick and we had to head home early. It was worth it however, as she kept freaking out that cars would hit us (apparently the Irish aren't the safest drivers) and telling me stories that she didn't remember.

Overall, it was a great trip, which we ended on a real high note when we found a place that had American breakfast on her last morning in. We enjoyed our pancakes and bagel with lox, respectively, which we had been without for far too long while watching the Cracow marathon go by our window in the cold and rain. It was a good feeling.

After Kate left, my fun just kept rolling along as last week was Juvenalia, a weeklong student festival where Polish students get off of classes, and spend the week grilling, going to concerts and clubs, and, of course, getting very, very drunk. The high point was the parade, which was on Friday morning. For the parade, most people dress up in ridiculous costumes such as Magic Mushrooms, a giant rabbit, sexy killer bees and pretty much anything else they can think of (for illustration see my facebook pictures, I got some pretty good ones). Then they get very drunk by 10 when they go to the parade area and divide up by schools and start yelling chants for their institutions while disparaging others. I ended up by the Jageillonian crowd, which was both enthusiastic and VERY loud. The parade ends with a concert in the old town square, which was quite fun, however I had to duck out early and sober up, since my program had cruelly scheduled classes for that afternoon.

Friday evening was also the height of the student partying and I ended up in my friend Mike's room where there was quite a party going on. When I got there I was far behind everyone else who had been partying all day, so I immediately grabbed a beer and some "little water" (the literal meaning of wodka in Polish) and began trying to catch up in earnest. Several hours later, I had just completed this task, when one of Mike's suitemates, walks in with an unopened bottle of vodka. In the tradition of Polish students he starts pouring rounds for everyone in the room (about five or six people). After the first two I respectfully asked for a brief reprieve, however he would have none of it. His arguments included "What? You won't drink with me? Please, don't insult me that way!", "You're fine, you are big and that isn't even a big glass." (For the record, I was using a shot and a half glass). And finally, after hearing my last name, "You must have it, you are Polish, it is the drink of your people!" Of course, after such an onslaught, I could do nothing but offer him my glass. Finally, four rounds later, he left to get another bottle. Hoping for respite, I started talking to a cool Australian girl named Kaja, who invited me to chill with some friends in her room. Eager to sit down, I agreed, to which she replied, "Great! Let's just finish this absinthe I brought and we can go!." I'll spare you further details, but let's just say that the night was one to remember.

And that's mostly it for the last few weeks. Saturday night, the last real night of Juvenalia was also the night when Wisla, one of the local soccer teams won their league, so plans of drinking were stymied somewhat by hordes of soccer rowdies, riot police everywhere, oceans of broken glass and bars that closed down in self-defense, ah, Europe. Now I'm trying to figure out how to send all my winter clothes home as well as my souvenirs without bankrupting myself as well as looking forward to two incredible weeks in Europe with KO starting on Thursday.

Inspired by Robert, I've been making two lists, one of things I'm looking forward to in America and one of things I'll miss, I'll end with a summary of these lists.

Things I'm looking forward to in the US
- drinks with ice, free refills and sizes that actually quench your thirst
- strangers and making idle small talk with you
- black people (both specific ones and in general)
- not hearing shitty Eurodance songs in bars
- baseball
- IPAs and other snooty micro-brews
- Chicago-style pizza, Greek diners, Harold's Chicken and gyros (not kebabs!)
- salads that aren't just sauerkraut and/or red cabbage
- drying my clothes
- driving with the windows down and the music up
- you all (awww...)

Things I'll miss
- the Poles' relentless devotion to feeding pigeons
- the Planty (the park that surrounds Cracow)
- living in a medieval city where everything is within walking distance
- having a bar in my dorm
- 5 zl meals that leave your stomach distended
- having a bar in my dorm
- Europeans' far healthier and more relaxed attitudes towards sex, drinking and life in general
- not being harassed and hurried by waiters
- the cheap deliciousness that is Jawo brand frozen meat pierogie
- being able to say "zloty" (pronounced z-wat-ay) on a daily basis
- Zubrowka, Zapikanki and Obwarzanki