...and boy, are my arms tired.
Ba dum, ching.
Well are safe and reasonably sound back in the great state of Oklahoma. In the coming days there will be many more pictures of our adventures and I'm sure a few thousand words on the trip itself.
I requested that no one meet me at the airport last night as I didn't want my husband and two young children (ages 6 and 3) to be out that late meandering around a terminal. It was the perfect decision as I was met with a lovely surprise when I got home. They had made a welcome home sign for the front door and then had hung streamers from the ceiling with messages attached that were related to the trip. One of my favorites said, "Czech us out!" Then there was a big bouquet of roses and a shiny bundle of mylar balloons floating in the living room. A sweet, sweet homecoming.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Goodbye Ukraine. Oklahoma, Here We Come!
We will be home in 31 hours and I finally have time and the internet access to catch you up on our Rotary meetings and events. I know some of these events have been touched on but I would like to review with the photos I have. Megan's camera was used for many of the meetings and I will upload in the next few hours.
We visited the Heart Sanatorium in Naleczow with our Rotarian hosts last week and are posed in front of a tree that they planted on the grounds after 9/11. The Poles plant trees in honor of major events, births of children and grandchildren, and in this case, their unity with America following those heart-wrenching events.
Our District Conference held in L'viv, Ukraine this weekend went exceedingly well, I think. The auditorium was unbelievably gorgeous and the perfect stage for our rendition of "Oklahoma" -which we sang following our presentation in Polish (with Ukrainian and English translations!). The District Governor, Andriy Bahanych, even wore our gift of the Indian headress while we sang!
We fell off the end of Poland...
...and landed in Ukraine. We're back in Poland for the last 21 hours of our trip and then we get to go home. Speaking for myself... I'm ready.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Paul Harris Music School for disabled children
After the recital and interview, we paused for a photo at the piano. The only thing wrong with this picture is that I dared look at the camera while everyone else looked serenely away! Regardless of that, we still make a beautiful team.
Kazimierz Dolny
Relaxation, Pivo, Lody & a 70's jump! Check out the lody (icecream) in the air! NICE JUMP, Megan!
What you can't see.
Completely independantly, Sheri and I seem to be sharing thoughts on Poland these days.
I have looked back over my journal entries and each time I have written something about the beautiful Polish spirit. The best word I can come up with is... Joy. And frankly, its a joy to see it!
Today, we visited 2 universities in Lublin.. Catholic University of Lublin and the University of Marie Curie, then we walked to Old Town and we were blessed with a musical concert from the Paul Harris Musical School for disabled children. They had true excitement and joy to be playing music, and to be sharing it with us, and we were so very happy to be apart of that experience.
Following the concert, we had an interview with a journalist from a local publication, and we heard the same question we've heard everywhere, "What do you love most about Poland?"
As Sheri noted, it was difficult to answer in the beginning as we had no experience to pull from. Now, however, my answer remains constant. The thing I love MOST about Poland are her people. I can read about history in books and libraries. I can even find books with amazing photos of her castles, museums, palaces, cathedrals, monuments, memorials, artworks, and landscape. What I cannot read in a book is the spirit of her people. I cannot sit down and have a cup of coffee, tea or beer, vodka or wine and talk to people in a book. I could know Poland, but I would never know her people if I did not come here.
Being a woman who loves history, I learned something of the spirit of Poland based on history, but I knew nothing of her people. And be real for a moment, a country is not a country without people; its just a piece of land... In my opinion, Poland's people give Poland it's greatest asset.
I have looked back over my journal entries and each time I have written something about the beautiful Polish spirit. The best word I can come up with is... Joy. And frankly, its a joy to see it!
Today, we visited 2 universities in Lublin.. Catholic University of Lublin and the University of Marie Curie, then we walked to Old Town and we were blessed with a musical concert from the Paul Harris Musical School for disabled children. They had true excitement and joy to be playing music, and to be sharing it with us, and we were so very happy to be apart of that experience.
Following the concert, we had an interview with a journalist from a local publication, and we heard the same question we've heard everywhere, "What do you love most about Poland?"
As Sheri noted, it was difficult to answer in the beginning as we had no experience to pull from. Now, however, my answer remains constant. The thing I love MOST about Poland are her people. I can read about history in books and libraries. I can even find books with amazing photos of her castles, museums, palaces, cathedrals, monuments, memorials, artworks, and landscape. What I cannot read in a book is the spirit of her people. I cannot sit down and have a cup of coffee, tea or beer, vodka or wine and talk to people in a book. I could know Poland, but I would never know her people if I did not come here.
Being a woman who loves history, I learned something of the spirit of Poland based on history, but I knew nothing of her people. And be real for a moment, a country is not a country without people; its just a piece of land... In my opinion, Poland's people give Poland it's greatest asset.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Thoughts on Poland
Well, I have about 10 mintues before for I leave for a super-long day in Lubin and surrounding areas. We are to visit a university and a beautiful city called Kazimierz Dolny. I'm warming up my shutter finger as we speak.
There are only a few more days for us in Poland. Less than a week. Last night my hosts and their twentysomething son sat down with me in their living room and asked me the million dollar question. All the Poles want to know what YOU think of Poland and, though this question was hard to answer in the beginning, it is getting much easier at the end of the journey. Not only do I have the experience of the month with which to form my opinion, I also have the experience of answering this question for the 30 billionth time.
But I enjoy answering it. And I am sincere in my opinion of Poland.
It is a beautiful country, rich in spirit. The theme for this land is perserverance. You may not be up to speed with the long and sometimes tragic history of Poland. The only other country who has an older constitution than the US is Poland and despite their intense love of freedom and democracy, they have be ravaged in the game of world politics. From the time that Germans were invading, to when the country was completely divided among three nations and there was NO Polan, to the times when Nazis were invading and mass-killing 6 million of its citizens, the spirit of Poland remained strong. And even after WW 2, when Russia "liberated" Poland and gifted them with 50 years of communisim, they stayed strong.
When communism fell, the Poles flourished and I am so thankful to be here not only in the spring of 2008, but the "Spring" of Poland. They are blooming and I can't see how much more growing they will do.
There are only a few more days for us in Poland. Less than a week. Last night my hosts and their twentysomething son sat down with me in their living room and asked me the million dollar question. All the Poles want to know what YOU think of Poland and, though this question was hard to answer in the beginning, it is getting much easier at the end of the journey. Not only do I have the experience of the month with which to form my opinion, I also have the experience of answering this question for the 30 billionth time.
But I enjoy answering it. And I am sincere in my opinion of Poland.
It is a beautiful country, rich in spirit. The theme for this land is perserverance. You may not be up to speed with the long and sometimes tragic history of Poland. The only other country who has an older constitution than the US is Poland and despite their intense love of freedom and democracy, they have be ravaged in the game of world politics. From the time that Germans were invading, to when the country was completely divided among three nations and there was NO Polan, to the times when Nazis were invading and mass-killing 6 million of its citizens, the spirit of Poland remained strong. And even after WW 2, when Russia "liberated" Poland and gifted them with 50 years of communisim, they stayed strong.
When communism fell, the Poles flourished and I am so thankful to be here not only in the spring of 2008, but the "Spring" of Poland. They are blooming and I can't see how much more growing they will do.
Straight to the top!
We've been to the top of Lublin... and back!Lublin is wonderful, warm and welcoming. We come home in only 6 days. Can you believe we've been here for 24 days already???
We will try to post more later, like about our meetings with the Lublin Rotary clubs last night and such... but for now, we're off to Chelm!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Hello world!
My brain is about to explode with all the things I want to share about Poland. A few random bits right now and probably more detail later as I can unwind into my new accomodations. First:
Not all the bed are hard as nails. Who knew! For the last week or so I have spent the slumbering hours in two different palaces complete with soft beds and daily maid service.
Second, not all Polish drivers brake like the fate of the world depends on the brake pedal hitting the floor board at Mach 2.
Thirdly, I thought there would be more to discuss, but turns out I am a bit overwhelmed. I think all of us team members are getting a little frayed on the edges. We're beginning to get homesick not only for our "people" but for our food, too. On the way to Lublin this afternoon, Megan and I had a 20 minute conversation about breakfast cereal. Just cereal. With ice-cold milk.
Earlier this afternoon we had dinner (lunch) at an artist colony that was established 10 or so years ago out in the middle of nowhere. These glorious, artsy people saw an impoverished part of Poland that had little economy and even less cultural arts, so they set up shop and began building this teensy village for artists. They did it for the love of paintings, theater, music, etc..., but also to give the poorest people of Poland exposure to exceptional art that they might not otherwise be privy to, due to their economic status.
They also made us an incredible meal, from scratch (as if there's any other kind of meal in Poland) and a home-made wine from wild plums. It tasted like liquid candy and carried just enough kick to allow for a short nap in the car to the next city. Perfecto!
My new host family is busy preparing to go to Mass. They asked if I'd like to join them, but I (hopefully) politely refused. The laptop with high-speed wireless Internet was too much temptation on this sabbath.
Well, I'm off to unpack and perhaps try to take some quiet time and process the last few days. It has been a whirlwind, complete with a helicopter ride one evening and fireworks the night before that. Pretty awesome!
Not all the bed are hard as nails. Who knew! For the last week or so I have spent the slumbering hours in two different palaces complete with soft beds and daily maid service.
Second, not all Polish drivers brake like the fate of the world depends on the brake pedal hitting the floor board at Mach 2.
Thirdly, I thought there would be more to discuss, but turns out I am a bit overwhelmed. I think all of us team members are getting a little frayed on the edges. We're beginning to get homesick not only for our "people" but for our food, too. On the way to Lublin this afternoon, Megan and I had a 20 minute conversation about breakfast cereal. Just cereal. With ice-cold milk.
Earlier this afternoon we had dinner (lunch) at an artist colony that was established 10 or so years ago out in the middle of nowhere. These glorious, artsy people saw an impoverished part of Poland that had little economy and even less cultural arts, so they set up shop and began building this teensy village for artists. They did it for the love of paintings, theater, music, etc..., but also to give the poorest people of Poland exposure to exceptional art that they might not otherwise be privy to, due to their economic status.
They also made us an incredible meal, from scratch (as if there's any other kind of meal in Poland) and a home-made wine from wild plums. It tasted like liquid candy and carried just enough kick to allow for a short nap in the car to the next city. Perfecto!
My new host family is busy preparing to go to Mass. They asked if I'd like to join them, but I (hopefully) politely refused. The laptop with high-speed wireless Internet was too much temptation on this sabbath.
Well, I'm off to unpack and perhaps try to take some quiet time and process the last few days. It has been a whirlwind, complete with a helicopter ride one evening and fireworks the night before that. Pretty awesome!
Friday, May 9, 2008
We've stormed the castle!
That's right folks, we stormed the Lancut Palace. OK... maybe we actually stayed in the portion of the palace that has been renovated into a hotel but either way, very cool! The area of the palace we stayed in used to be the servants quarters. We did get to tour the castle with another group of tourists and what we saw was quite beautiful. However, because our host Rotarian knew the Director of the palace museum, we got a rare private tour and saw rooms that were either under restoration or had been closed to the public to preserve its history. I don't get choked up often but the library made me misty-eyed. As Sheri put it, this palace and its contents were straight out of a Jane Austen novel. I am not able to post pictures right now but we'll have plenty to share with you when we get back.
Besides our exciting palace adventures, we traveled to Rzeszow and met with their equivalent of our state governor. If anyone is interested, you can see our pictures on their government website at the Rzeszow Government page. Later that day, we went to visit the Lancut vodka factory were they produce a variety of vodkas from Sobieski to toffee flavored vodkas. We not only learned the history of vodka distilling but also had a tasting party. FUN!!!
We unfortunately were not there for the Lancut Rotary meeting but were fortunate enough to meet some of their members at the vodka museum. Like all other Poland clubs, they were very warm and welcoming.
We are now in Jaroslaw with our new hosts. Laura and I are staying with a family in a village just outside of Jaroslaw and Danna and Sheri are being housed in yet another palace hotel. We are off to eat dinner (again!) so goodbye for now.
Besides our exciting palace adventures, we traveled to Rzeszow and met with their equivalent of our state governor. If anyone is interested, you can see our pictures on their government website at the Rzeszow Government page. Later that day, we went to visit the Lancut vodka factory were they produce a variety of vodkas from Sobieski to toffee flavored vodkas. We not only learned the history of vodka distilling but also had a tasting party. FUN!!!
We unfortunately were not there for the Lancut Rotary meeting but were fortunate enough to meet some of their members at the vodka museum. Like all other Poland clubs, they were very warm and welcoming.
We are now in Jaroslaw with our new hosts. Laura and I are staying with a family in a village just outside of Jaroslaw and Danna and Sheri are being housed in yet another palace hotel. We are off to eat dinner (again!) so goodbye for now.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Flexibility is the name of the game.
I am yet again the slow poke in keeping up with my blogging and for that I apologize. In my defense, I'm in Poland and having too much fun to slow down!
So - as my title says, flexibility is the key word for today. We were surprised to find out a change in our luggage requirements for a future flight we have within the European Union; we must each lose one suitcase. With four women, this is a challenge! As I sit here and type, my fellow teammates are upstairs organizing and repacking. Our first hosts in Warsaw are coming to our rescue though. We will be shipping a few boxes of personal items to them to hold until we arrive back there in 2 weeks. As we've been learning over the last few weeks, our host Rotarians are amazing and they continue to be by helping us.
We had another presentation tonight with one of the Krakow clubs and as all other clubs have been, they were a fun and energetic group of people. (I unfortunately do not have the pictures from the meeting so we will pass along at a later date.) Tonight's presentation was quite funny for a few of us because their club meets in a very popular tourist restaurant... complete with traditional era costumes, singing and dancing. We learned this in the middle of Laura's speech as song broke out in the restaurant and drowned her out. She was a champ though and kept on going even though Sheri and I (yet again) broke out in a fit of giggles.
Because I haven't been diligent in my posting, the below pictures are out of sequence but these are some of my favorites. Do wizdenia for now!
So - as my title says, flexibility is the key word for today. We were surprised to find out a change in our luggage requirements for a future flight we have within the European Union; we must each lose one suitcase. With four women, this is a challenge! As I sit here and type, my fellow teammates are upstairs organizing and repacking. Our first hosts in Warsaw are coming to our rescue though. We will be shipping a few boxes of personal items to them to hold until we arrive back there in 2 weeks. As we've been learning over the last few weeks, our host Rotarians are amazing and they continue to be by helping us.
We had another presentation tonight with one of the Krakow clubs and as all other clubs have been, they were a fun and energetic group of people. (I unfortunately do not have the pictures from the meeting so we will pass along at a later date.) Tonight's presentation was quite funny for a few of us because their club meets in a very popular tourist restaurant... complete with traditional era costumes, singing and dancing. We learned this in the middle of Laura's speech as song broke out in the restaurant and drowned her out. She was a champ though and kept on going even though Sheri and I (yet again) broke out in a fit of giggles.
Because I haven't been diligent in my posting, the below pictures are out of sequence but these are some of my favorites. Do wizdenia for now!
More pleasurable impressions
I feel so behind in keeping you up-to-date. So I'll just go forward. The girls have done a fabulous job letting you know everything. Since it has been a long 4-day weekend here in Poland, surrounding May 3rd's Constitution Day (their Independence Day equivalent) we have had the chance to explore a little on our own for each of the four days. Megan is well on her way to recovery after her bout with a vicious cold - and I am halfway there. Here are a few pics from the last few days. One of the girls at Wawel Castle and one us with Cracow in the background. We also had a surprise flag presentation at the RC Krakow President's manor in the country after a kielbasa cookout. Stay tuned for more ...
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Polish Consistencies
Sheri and I are keeping a rough list of things that are (or have been) consistent for us throughout this trip. Here are a few of my notes:
- Tasty treats! Mmm. Kielbasa, peirogis, lody, bread, bigos, amazing soups and on and on and on.
- Riding (or driving) in cars here is like playing "chicken" constantly with every other driver on the road.
- Crossing the street is like playing frogger.
- Friendly, welcoming hosts with a sense of humor, warm heart and undefeatable spirit.
- Tasty beer and vodka!
- Roads that rattle your teeth loose... even the "super-highway"! (that's a joke you'll have to come to Poland [soon] to get! :)
- Toilets that flush like a hurricane. Our new saying is "nothing flushes like a Polish toilet flushes!"
- Extremely firm beds. Sheri has termed them "Springform Masonry"... the brand may catch on some day!
We're still talking about the "food" post... hopefully, we'll get pictures and descriptions up someday soon-ish.
Stay tuned to our adventures!
Headed to the mines
It is Sunday morning and I'm taking a quick break from the morning ritual of getting pretty to post a few words here. See? That's how much I love you. I am sacrificing eyeliner and lip gloss so you can hear more about our days. Its all about you, dear reader. But it is endearing. ;-)
Today we are headed out to a salt mine and museum. We've been warned that the descent is something like 372 steps down into the cold, Polish bedrock. It should be quite fantastic and at least at the end of the experience there is an elevator. We weren't quite as fortunate at the silver mine last week. Maybe 25 meters down and 18 or so meters back up a narrow winding stairway.
Descending into the ground has actually been something that occurs with frequency on our trip. We've been in tombs, mines, dungeons, jails, and even an underground lair. Yes, I said, "Welcome to my underground lair..." as we walked in. Easy punchlines are hard to resist.
Well, my time with you is up, dear reader. To make up for the meandering topic this morning, I will leave you with a few of my favorite photos from the trip thus far. These are all ones from my camera and available for viewing at Flickr. And yes, I know they are teensy resolution. I'm shooting huge and the originals take too long to upload.
OH! And before I forget I'm so excited about tomorrow. It is my vocational day and I get to visit two Chambers of Commerce. Which is where I work in Oklahoma City. Can't wait!
Photos:
Today we are headed out to a salt mine and museum. We've been warned that the descent is something like 372 steps down into the cold, Polish bedrock. It should be quite fantastic and at least at the end of the experience there is an elevator. We weren't quite as fortunate at the silver mine last week. Maybe 25 meters down and 18 or so meters back up a narrow winding stairway.
Descending into the ground has actually been something that occurs with frequency on our trip. We've been in tombs, mines, dungeons, jails, and even an underground lair. Yes, I said, "Welcome to my underground lair..." as we walked in. Easy punchlines are hard to resist.
Well, my time with you is up, dear reader. To make up for the meandering topic this morning, I will leave you with a few of my favorite photos from the trip thus far. These are all ones from my camera and available for viewing at Flickr. And yes, I know they are teensy resolution. I'm shooting huge and the originals take too long to upload.
OH! And before I forget I'm so excited about tomorrow. It is my vocational day and I get to visit two Chambers of Commerce. Which is where I work in Oklahoma City. Can't wait!
Photos:
Friday, May 2, 2008
Wawel Hill - Krakow. May 2nd
Wawel (Vavel) Cathedral on Wawel Hill in Krakow, Poland. May 2, 2008.
Yesterday, we had a charming outing to the Krakow-suburbs\countryside viewing centuries old churches, walking through a charming cemetary and singing with our RC Krakow hosts. RC Krakow is an all-male club, but they brought their wives along, and we had a wonderful time together. They sang happy birthday to me in both English and Polish versions and toasted me. It was lovely!
We sang Oklahoma to them.. Yes, I feel sorry for them too! :)
Our host also had a cat, and I petted him all afternoon. I hadn't realized that I missed Makenzie so much until I could hold and pet another cat. Then we took a stroll through the woods and found a sweet little puppy. Oh my. I'm so animal crazy! At least Megan got goo-goo about the puppy too. Too bad there were boys in the park that she belonged to; I think we may have tried to bring her back with us!
We're 13 days into the trip. We have 17 days left. It feels like we've only just arrived, and that we've already been here a month. Homesickness is finally starting to kick in for me...I knew it would right around 14 days, so no surprises there! I may have forgotten just how long a month can be though! haha.
Anyway, thank you to everyone that remembered my birthday. It was lovely to log into my email and see that I'm not forgotten, even so far away.
Please keep checking flickr for fun new pictures, we promise to update as often as possible!
Stay tuned!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
That 70's Team jump in the Polish countryside outside Krakow
Check out flickr for more fun and favorites!
And now we Krakow
Yesterday we arrived in Krakow and checked into a hotel, courtesy of a local rotarian. The day was spent unpacking, napping, and in the evening we took a little (5 mile) stroll through various parts of the city, including Old Town.
Last night was also Laura's birthday and we treated her to an evening ofZubrowka iced apple juice and McDonald's. Actually, I think she bought her own fries because Danna and I were trying to figure out why our Happy Meal had Arby's fries in it.
Today we spent the day touring the real countryside. It was all farmland and tiny villages with ancient churches. We ended the day at the home of a rotarian that he purchased back from the Polish government 5 years ago. During ww2 it was taken from his family, who was a duke and duchess. The house was about 400 years old. Incredible!
Tonight we are back at the hotel and trying to use the free internet connection in the business center to get caught up on all our correspondence, photos, etc... Tomorrow we should actually have a whole new batch of photos from the trip AND a hidden video of my favorite catch phrase. Please stay tuned!
Last night was also Laura's birthday and we treated her to an evening of
Today we spent the day touring the real countryside. It was all farmland and tiny villages with ancient churches. We ended the day at the home of a rotarian that he purchased back from the Polish government 5 years ago. During ww2 it was taken from his family, who was a duke and duchess. The house was about 400 years old. Incredible!
Tonight we are back at the hotel and trying to use the free internet connection in the business center to get caught up on all our correspondence, photos, etc... Tomorrow we should actually have a whole new batch of photos from the trip AND a hidden video of my favorite catch phrase. Please stay tuned!
Monday, April 28, 2008
We are finally at our first outdoor Polish party. Food, potatoes with seasoning that is just for potatoes, onion, sausage, and ham in cast iron cooked in the ground. Unbelievable. We are having fun with our hosts and our driver’s wife, aunt and three daughters. They are practicing their English so I don’t have to try my polish - yay!
Our dinner host/driver is so proud he is getting an "American sprinkler system" - so cute. His youngest daughter, before he would serve her dinner, had to say three English sentences. So we said she should say "no, thank you" "I love you" and "can I have some more money". To graduate from high school she has to pass 6 tests, 3 on polish language, and 3 on English, oral and written - next week. Tomorrow night is our Rotary Meeting in Katowice. More to follow after that.
Our dinner host/driver is so proud he is getting an "American sprinkler system" - so cute. His youngest daughter, before he would serve her dinner, had to say three English sentences. So we said she should say "no, thank you" "I love you" and "can I have some more money". To graduate from high school she has to pass 6 tests, 3 on polish language, and 3 on English, oral and written - next week. Tomorrow night is our Rotary Meeting in Katowice. More to follow after that.
That 70's jump!
Megan has started a new trend with our group...That 70's jump!
We laugh hysterically... I'm sure you can see why from this photo. She started this trend with us yesterday, and we continued it today with our hosts.
We had a lovely backyard barbeque... you'll have to get the delicious details from Danna. (She has taken excellent notes, and everyone is taking lovely pictures of our amazing dishes) This was our very first Vodka night in Poland. And no, we didn't try to out drink our Polish hosts...here is a sampling of our amazingly fun and wonderful night.
Postscript: I apologize for the formatting of this post... I have tried 3 times, and its just coming out a disaster... so enjoy the pictures, don't critize the format. =)
10 reasons to visit Poland
1. Scads of public parks.
2. Pedestrian friendly.
3. Flowers for sale that are beautiful and SO inexpensive.
4. Pierogies.
5. Tyska.
6. Hospitality. Seriously. If there's a man at the table, no matter the size of table, all the women are served first. Doors are opened. Glasses are refilled. It is FANTASTIC.
7. Hand kissing. American sooo needs to bring back hand kissing.
8. Everyone speaks two, three, or even five languages. It makes you want to be a smarter person.
9. Yikes.... I'm out of time.
10. The tenth reason to visit Poland: because I said so. ;-)
2. Pedestrian friendly.
3. Flowers for sale that are beautiful and SO inexpensive.
4. Pierogies.
5. Tyska.
6. Hospitality. Seriously. If there's a man at the table, no matter the size of table, all the women are served first. Doors are opened. Glasses are refilled. It is FANTASTIC.
7. Hand kissing. American sooo needs to bring back hand kissing.
8. Everyone speaks two, three, or even five languages. It makes you want to be a smarter person.
9. Yikes.... I'm out of time.
10. The tenth reason to visit Poland: because I said so. ;-)
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Ahhh. Internet!
Hip hip hooray for internet on my laptop! My young hosts set me up with wireless... so now I get to use a computer that is NOT in Polish. What a novel concept!
I'll be able to upload alot of photos now.... starting with a selection of over 100 pictures from Megan's experience in Warsaw (uploaded overnight).
Its strangely difficult to select photos from someone else's camera to post... I hope Megan would approve.
I didn't upload any food pictures, since Sheri promised them and I haven't spoken to her, I'll wait to find out her idea. Meanwhile, I'll upload Sheri or Danna pictures tonight, so prepare yourselves! I'll do my best not to upload many of the same shots... but with over 1000 pictures so far, you may get them anyway! :)
Auschwitz aside, this is such an incredible experience. It really feels like we've been here forever, and that we've only just arrived.
I'll be able to upload alot of photos now.... starting with a selection of over 100 pictures from Megan's experience in Warsaw (uploaded overnight).
Its strangely difficult to select photos from someone else's camera to post... I hope Megan would approve.
I didn't upload any food pictures, since Sheri promised them and I haven't spoken to her, I'll wait to find out her idea. Meanwhile, I'll upload Sheri or Danna pictures tonight, so prepare yourselves! I'll do my best not to upload many of the same shots... but with over 1000 pictures so far, you may get them anyway! :)
Auschwitz aside, this is such an incredible experience. It really feels like we've been here forever, and that we've only just arrived.
Auschwitz
Today we visited both Nazi camps in Auschwitz.
It almost seems like that sentence is enough to convey the weight of our day. But I will try to spend significant time conveying what it was like to be on that sacred ground.
It is overwhelming to tour such places and try ti absorb and process one of the crecendos of human suffering and social injustices of modern times. To see how the victims lived and died was sad and touching. But for me, to fully understand the magnitude of the German effeciency in inacting a death factory is simply beyond comprehension. It realy, really was a factory for obliterating a generation of Europeans. Jewish, yes, but over a dozen other religious and ethnic groups were practically wiped from the world.
The hardest part was at the first camp we toured a building that held exhibitions of "stuff." There was a pile of broken, discarded eye glasses gathered from the gas chamber. A long, long room lined down both sides with glass panels and behind the panels were tens of thousands of shoes. In one special exhibit were only children's shoes. Another ehxhibit contained tons and tons (literally tons. I wish I could remember exactly) of human hair that the Nazis gathered to manufacture products to supply their war effort. We even saw a bolt of fabric manufactured from human hair. It was so angering and sad and the helplessness of it all from a victim's standpoint... sigh...
At the second camp we saw the true factory of death. Forgive my spelling, but it was Auschitz-Berkanou... This is the large camp where they shipped humans in on trains and told them to "shower" before their transfer. We all know what the showers were.
We stood on the site of where ashes and remains were buried and our personal guide pointed out bone fragments embedded in the soil. Sobering.
I am going to attempt to directly load some of today's photos into this post, so I sincerely apologize if they are HUGE. I just discovered a CF card reader on his desk and want to sieze the day.
Also, I am going to post a few lighter notes/photos from today and tomorrow (if time allows) we will upload a whole gaggle of fun stuff from our trip including a LOT of food pictures and photos from our visits with our hosts, clubs, etc... I am homesick for Warsaw already. The people there were amazing and I have a feeling that I will feel the same way about Katowice.
----------------
I only did one. :-( It took almost 10 minutes. It is getting late and I'm sure my hosts want to go to bed. All the computers are in Polish, so it is hard to batch edit and make them small enough to upload. I'm shooting VERY high-resolution.
In any case, I'd like to point out that there is now a link to Laura's Flickr page were you can check for more photos from the trip that won't make it on the blog. Very soon we are going to figure out how to use/find reliable fast internet in poland and you'll be doing nothing but downloading and viewing our travels.
Another side note... I want to sincerely thank Rotary International for this opportunity. When I left the train station yesterday evening in Katowice I began to cry. Not from homesickness, but because of the overwhelming emotions of being able to have a experience like this. I am honored to be in Poland and can't wait to share more thoughts along this line...
:-)
It almost seems like that sentence is enough to convey the weight of our day. But I will try to spend significant time conveying what it was like to be on that sacred ground.
It is overwhelming to tour such places and try ti absorb and process one of the crecendos of human suffering and social injustices of modern times. To see how the victims lived and died was sad and touching. But for me, to fully understand the magnitude of the German effeciency in inacting a death factory is simply beyond comprehension. It realy, really was a factory for obliterating a generation of Europeans. Jewish, yes, but over a dozen other religious and ethnic groups were practically wiped from the world.
The hardest part was at the first camp we toured a building that held exhibitions of "stuff." There was a pile of broken, discarded eye glasses gathered from the gas chamber. A long, long room lined down both sides with glass panels and behind the panels were tens of thousands of shoes. In one special exhibit were only children's shoes. Another ehxhibit contained tons and tons (literally tons. I wish I could remember exactly) of human hair that the Nazis gathered to manufacture products to supply their war effort. We even saw a bolt of fabric manufactured from human hair. It was so angering and sad and the helplessness of it all from a victim's standpoint... sigh...
At the second camp we saw the true factory of death. Forgive my spelling, but it was Auschitz-Berkanou... This is the large camp where they shipped humans in on trains and told them to "shower" before their transfer. We all know what the showers were.
We stood on the site of where ashes and remains were buried and our personal guide pointed out bone fragments embedded in the soil. Sobering.
I am going to attempt to directly load some of today's photos into this post, so I sincerely apologize if they are HUGE. I just discovered a CF card reader on his desk and want to sieze the day.
Also, I am going to post a few lighter notes/photos from today and tomorrow (if time allows) we will upload a whole gaggle of fun stuff from our trip including a LOT of food pictures and photos from our visits with our hosts, clubs, etc... I am homesick for Warsaw already. The people there were amazing and I have a feeling that I will feel the same way about Katowice.
----------------
I only did one. :-( It took almost 10 minutes. It is getting late and I'm sure my hosts want to go to bed. All the computers are in Polish, so it is hard to batch edit and make them small enough to upload. I'm shooting VERY high-resolution.
In any case, I'd like to point out that there is now a link to Laura's Flickr page were you can check for more photos from the trip that won't make it on the blog. Very soon we are going to figure out how to use/find reliable fast internet in poland and you'll be doing nothing but downloading and viewing our travels.
Another side note... I want to sincerely thank Rotary International for this opportunity. When I left the train station yesterday evening in Katowice I began to cry. Not from homesickness, but because of the overwhelming emotions of being able to have a experience like this. I am honored to be in Poland and can't wait to share more thoughts along this line...
:-)
Friday, April 25, 2008
Hello, Katowice!
So we arrived by train in Katowice (Kat-o-vi-tsa). Our journey on the train was fairly short at just under 3 hours. We had a great time on the train, and I'd love to tell you more, but that is priviledged information! :)
Being 4 women, we had a TON of baggage. Think 2 suitcases, 1 "bag" and 1 "purse" per female... Yes, I think you have the picture of it now!
The Rotarians met us at the train and helped us unload our baggage. OUCH!
Once we exited the train station (which was rather dingy, and slightly scary), we were told that 3 of us would go with one Rotarian, and 1 of us with the other. By default, Danna went with the club president and Megan and Sheri wanted to stay together, so I've come home with Kate and her husband.
Ironically enough, we asked how many stairs we would have to climb with my bags before I agreed to the arrangement, and Kate said "Oh, only 2nd floor" Whew! One flight of stairs I can handle. But SURPRISE! 2nd floor, is really floor 3 apparently, because I hauled my butt up 2 flights of stairs, no doubt about it. Thankfully Kate's husband carried up the heaviest one!
We have internet, obviously, but my mail will not load. Oh sad day. I'll check my email again when I can. So please write me... I miss everyone at home! Hopefully I can upload more pictures shortly. Meanwhile, my lovely hosts have prepared a dinner, so I'm going to go dine with them, and perhaps enjoy some Polish beer.
Enjoy!
Being 4 women, we had a TON of baggage. Think 2 suitcases, 1 "bag" and 1 "purse" per female... Yes, I think you have the picture of it now!
The Rotarians met us at the train and helped us unload our baggage. OUCH!
Once we exited the train station (which was rather dingy, and slightly scary), we were told that 3 of us would go with one Rotarian, and 1 of us with the other. By default, Danna went with the club president and Megan and Sheri wanted to stay together, so I've come home with Kate and her husband.
Ironically enough, we asked how many stairs we would have to climb with my bags before I agreed to the arrangement, and Kate said "Oh, only 2nd floor" Whew! One flight of stairs I can handle. But SURPRISE! 2nd floor, is really floor 3 apparently, because I hauled my butt up 2 flights of stairs, no doubt about it. Thankfully Kate's husband carried up the heaviest one!
We have internet, obviously, but my mail will not load. Oh sad day. I'll check my email again when I can. So please write me... I miss everyone at home! Hopefully I can upload more pictures shortly. Meanwhile, my lovely hosts have prepared a dinner, so I'm going to go dine with them, and perhaps enjoy some Polish beer.
Enjoy!
Good-bye Warsaw... we'll miss you!
Here I am on my last day Warsaw sitting with Sheri and my host, Krzystof, in his office. I think I may be the least to have blogged so forgive me!
So far our trip has been absolutely wonderful and VERY full. As the other girls have said we have visited a variety of palaces, the parliament, a vodka factory yesterday (yeah!), and many other places. All I can say is that at moments, this city truly takes your breath away. It is amazing to me that many of these people have no concept of how they live in such an amazing and historical city. They are proud of their heritage and history to be sure but I don't know that they grasp how their everyday life is a wonder to us.
I must run now as our train will be leaving shortly. Do Widzenia!
So far our trip has been absolutely wonderful and VERY full. As the other girls have said we have visited a variety of palaces, the parliament, a vodka factory yesterday (yeah!), and many other places. All I can say is that at moments, this city truly takes your breath away. It is amazing to me that many of these people have no concept of how they live in such an amazing and historical city. They are proud of their heritage and history to be sure but I don't know that they grasp how their everyday life is a wonder to us.
I must run now as our train will be leaving shortly. Do Widzenia!
"...gib a smile to my camera, please"
I have uploaded a few more pictures to flickr. Still only pictures from my camera, as I have not collected any from the other girls. But you can still see us all over Warsaw... and all of the pics currently up were just from one day. So you can imagine how many we've collected!
I'm off to spend quality time with my hostess before we take off on a train, I just wanted to remind you all to check out the pictures I've managed to upload so far!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/llballard
I'm off to spend quality time with my hostess before we take off on a train, I just wanted to remind you all to check out the pictures I've managed to upload so far!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/llballard
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Warsaw
Tonight was my last night with my host. As a last activity we went to a concert and came home and washed a little bit of laundry in her super-secret washing machine. Apparently she's had a washer this whole time and I didn't know because it is hidden behind her cabinet doors in the kitchen.
There will be a photo. Don't know when. Sorry. :-)
You will have to trust that we are averaging 200 pictures a day per team member, but have not yet worked out a system for uploading and sharing the photos. We'll work it out soon, I am sure.
Tomorrow we move to Katowice. :-(
I mean, I will love to see it, but I will miss: Warsaw, Angelica, the Mullet lottery, Brian Dennehy, and so many, many other things.
M'kay. Must prepare for my day tomorrow. Goodnight! :-)
There will be a photo. Don't know when. Sorry. :-)
You will have to trust that we are averaging 200 pictures a day per team member, but have not yet worked out a system for uploading and sharing the photos. We'll work it out soon, I am sure.
Tomorrow we move to Katowice. :-(
I mean, I will love to see it, but I will miss: Warsaw, Angelica, the Mullet lottery, Brian Dennehy, and so many, many other things.
M'kay. Must prepare for my day tomorrow. Goodnight! :-)
Overheard phrases...
"Do you think black mold is covered by my AFLAC?"
"These boots weren't made for walkin'."
"You are berry lubbly."
"Its like walking into a Stephen King movie."
"These boots weren't made for walkin'."
"You are berry lubbly."
"Its like walking into a Stephen King movie."
*yawwwwwn*
I'm so tired I'm drawing a blank on a good blog title. Maybe Sheri will be so stoked when she gets back from her concert in Warsaw with her hostess, she'll post something good!
Otherwise, I emailed my people, and then I looked at flickr and realized the pics weren't really of us, so I've tried to upload just a few more, so you can see our team in Warsaw.
And now, I go to sleep!
Otherwise, I emailed my people, and then I looked at flickr and realized the pics weren't really of us, so I've tried to upload just a few more, so you can see our team in Warsaw.
And now, I go to sleep!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Pics?
My host does not have unlimited broadband access... so I randomly (without even looking at the pictures) uploaded a few of my pictures from the last 2 days to my flickr account.
I honestly don't know what pictures uploaded... but we really will upload more pictures when we have the chance. I also apologize for the lack of organization or labeling to the pictures. So you'll just have to imagine where we were or what we were doing. Stay tuned.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/llballard/
I honestly don't know what pictures uploaded... but we really will upload more pictures when we have the chance. I also apologize for the lack of organization or labeling to the pictures. So you'll just have to imagine where we were or what we were doing. Stay tuned.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/llballard/
Tomorrow becomes today
Ahhh. Hello sweet internet... blogosphere o' my heart.
Here we are in Warsaw. So far a wonderful, beautiful experience. Naturally there are things that don't accomodate us, but overall, we're learning so much! And our Polish is getting stronger each day!
We are more and more realizing how bad our Oklahoma accents are... who else says "fer" or "fixin" and "ya'll" so naturally? I'm never so conscious of it as when I am in a foreign country. And it just sort of rolls off my tongue, to my ever lasting horror!
Danna, Megan, Sherri and I have not killed each other yet. In fact, at this point, we still like each other. Megan and I are realistic enough to bet that we'll be the first two to blow up though. No worries, yet though, my friends... We still like each other!
We're a pretty dynamic team, and I am really enjoying the girls. Its nice to have a link to home in this foreign city.
My hosts are incredible, warm and welcoming. They have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. In fact, Gabriella now insists that she is my "Warsaw Mother" (they are my parents age), and you know what? I'll keep her!
Last night we went to a charity benefit/concert where the most popular pop singer in Poland opened... I think her name was Justine... but the real entertainment was the Polish traditional folk dancing from the university acadamy! They were incredible! How I enjoyed watching them...
As Sheri mentioned, we've managed to squeeze in some shopping. How fun it is to make our way in a strange city w/ no guide. But we've done it, and I feel stronger for having survived it! I'm ready for the next challenge!
Danna and I have even managed to be the ultimate tourists at the Hard Rock Cafe, Warsaw!
Okay, my time is limited on the computer, and I'm so sorry we still haven't posted pictures. I promise to get some up as soon as I can! We've taken hundreds and hundreds!
One of us will post soon... Until then... stay alert!
Here we are in Warsaw. So far a wonderful, beautiful experience. Naturally there are things that don't accomodate us, but overall, we're learning so much! And our Polish is getting stronger each day!
We are more and more realizing how bad our Oklahoma accents are... who else says "fer" or "fixin" and "ya'll" so naturally? I'm never so conscious of it as when I am in a foreign country. And it just sort of rolls off my tongue, to my ever lasting horror!
Danna, Megan, Sherri and I have not killed each other yet. In fact, at this point, we still like each other. Megan and I are realistic enough to bet that we'll be the first two to blow up though. No worries, yet though, my friends... We still like each other!
We're a pretty dynamic team, and I am really enjoying the girls. Its nice to have a link to home in this foreign city.
My hosts are incredible, warm and welcoming. They have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. In fact, Gabriella now insists that she is my "Warsaw Mother" (they are my parents age), and you know what? I'll keep her!
Last night we went to a charity benefit/concert where the most popular pop singer in Poland opened... I think her name was Justine... but the real entertainment was the Polish traditional folk dancing from the university acadamy! They were incredible! How I enjoyed watching them...
As Sheri mentioned, we've managed to squeeze in some shopping. How fun it is to make our way in a strange city w/ no guide. But we've done it, and I feel stronger for having survived it! I'm ready for the next challenge!
Danna and I have even managed to be the ultimate tourists at the Hard Rock Cafe, Warsaw!
Okay, my time is limited on the computer, and I'm so sorry we still haven't posted pictures. I promise to get some up as soon as I can! We've taken hundreds and hundreds!
One of us will post soon... Until then... stay alert!
Monday, April 21, 2008
The ham is in the sandwich
We had another glorious day in Warsaw. :-)
After touring Old Town, hunting down the rare nie gazavano bottled water, and New Town, we heavily stimulated the Polish economy with much jewelry and accessory purchasing.
It was nice to see each other again this morning after the evening with our hosts. I've never stayed with a stranger, so it was weird. But after getting to see each other all day and exchange stories about our home stays, it is less weird. And I appreciate my home stay very much. Angelica is a perfect host. As we speak she is sharing many things with me, including crackers, wine, and benefits from her work -- concert tickets! Thursday night we are to see Jose Gonzalez -- who I have not only heard of but like very much. I was fantasizing about being able to see a concert in Poland and now I am! What an unexpected surprise.
What else can I tell you our first full day? Poland is such an amazing testament to the human spirit. Triumph over tragedy. Learning about the Polish uprising, seeing historical sites. Hmm... Poland will be a great nation forever because they cannot be defeated in any way. They exist and always will.
Tomorrow we visit Parliment, a park, and perhaps a little shoppy. Laura chastises me for butchering the English language by saying shoppy.
Shopping.
There, Laura. Are you happy??? ;-)
It is a great time. This GSE experience is astounding. More tomorrow!
After touring Old Town, hunting down the rare nie gazavano bottled water, and New Town, we heavily stimulated the Polish economy with much jewelry and accessory purchasing.
It was nice to see each other again this morning after the evening with our hosts. I've never stayed with a stranger, so it was weird. But after getting to see each other all day and exchange stories about our home stays, it is less weird. And I appreciate my home stay very much. Angelica is a perfect host. As we speak she is sharing many things with me, including crackers, wine, and benefits from her work -- concert tickets! Thursday night we are to see Jose Gonzalez -- who I have not only heard of but like very much. I was fantasizing about being able to see a concert in Poland and now I am! What an unexpected surprise.
What else can I tell you our first full day? Poland is such an amazing testament to the human spirit. Triumph over tragedy. Learning about the Polish uprising, seeing historical sites. Hmm... Poland will be a great nation forever because they cannot be defeated in any way. They exist and always will.
Tomorrow we visit Parliment, a park, and perhaps a little shoppy. Laura chastises me for butchering the English language by saying shoppy.
Shopping.
There, Laura. Are you happy??? ;-)
It is a great time. This GSE experience is astounding. More tomorrow!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The chicken is in the pot
I totally stole that line from Danna.
We are in Poland! We arrived at the airport all safe and sound, greeted warmly, and were whisked straight to a gathering at a local Rotary home where we enjoyed a tasty meal and several Polish beverages.
The home belongs to the GSE coordinator here, Elzbieta (forgive any spelling atrocities), and her home/estate is just beautiful. Her house is charming beyond reason and the grounds on which they sit are astounding. She lives adjacent to a river as we strolled through the wooded paths we found snails crawling all over. Several people assured me that these were food-grade snails. And me without my butter and garlic!
We also got to meet the Austrailian GSE team, who arrived yesterday after flying for 36 hours. And boy were their arms tired. Ba-dum-ching!
Anyhow, there are scads of photos of all of this. Just not right now. :-)
We are in Poland! We arrived at the airport all safe and sound, greeted warmly, and were whisked straight to a gathering at a local Rotary home where we enjoyed a tasty meal and several Polish beverages.
The home belongs to the GSE coordinator here, Elzbieta (forgive any spelling atrocities), and her home/estate is just beautiful. Her house is charming beyond reason and the grounds on which they sit are astounding. She lives adjacent to a river as we strolled through the wooded paths we found snails crawling all over. Several people assured me that these were food-grade snails. And me without my butter and garlic!
We also got to meet the Austrailian GSE team, who arrived yesterday after flying for 36 hours. And boy were their arms tired. Ba-dum-ching!
Anyhow, there are scads of photos of all of this. Just not right now. :-)
Friday, April 18, 2008
Out for a drink
Instead of packing last night, Sheri, Megan and I took out Ola and Caroline from the Polish GSE team! The girls wanted to see an Oklahoma City bar, and Megan chose Cock o' the walk. We had a great time together.
After spending the evening with these girls, I am more excited than ever to go to Poland. They are so warm and wonderful.
And I'm more convinced than ever that my team is crazy, and we're going to have a great time. After all, not everyone gets to travel with Sheri-the-rockstar!
It's my last day at work, and while it's stressful because I still have so much to do, both at work and to get ready for the trip, it is also a bit nostalgic. I really will miss this place and these people.
After spending the evening with these girls, I am more excited than ever to go to Poland. They are so warm and wonderful.
And I'm more convinced than ever that my team is crazy, and we're going to have a great time. After all, not everyone gets to travel with Sheri-the-rockstar!
It's my last day at work, and while it's stressful because I still have so much to do, both at work and to get ready for the trip, it is also a bit nostalgic. I really will miss this place and these people.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
"Always in the big woods when you leave familiar ground and step off alone into a new place there will be, along with feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the Unknown, and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into." -Wendell Barry, naturalist
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A stress-free breathe!
What a good little team we are, updating so much recently. I'm proud of Danna for finally posting.
We all seem to be a little bit in overdrive trying to figure out all the deets before we're officially sitting on a plane and all control is out of our hands. That is actually the moment that I'm looking forward to most.
When I sit down, fasten my seatbelt and can finally breath a free breathe! At that point, anything left undone will remain undone until May 20th. And anything left behind will remain left behind.
Makenzie, my kitty, knows something is going on. She's suddenly become very co-dependant. I can't leave the room without her following me. She's constantly underfoot. She knows I'm leaving her and its her beautiful way of making me feel guilty. How better for a very independant cat to show her love than to become clingy just before I abandon her? I expect to find her sleeping in my suit case any minute, refusing to move lest she be left behind. We've been through this before!
At least when I return home, I won't be traveling as much, so she won't be left on her own. And we'll get to bring Hershey home, our new chocolate standard poodle baby. She's going to hate that too. Bless her sweet-cat-heart.
So much change for both of us... and all of it begins this Friday. Wish us luck! =)
We all seem to be a little bit in overdrive trying to figure out all the deets before we're officially sitting on a plane and all control is out of our hands. That is actually the moment that I'm looking forward to most.
When I sit down, fasten my seatbelt and can finally breath a free breathe! At that point, anything left undone will remain undone until May 20th. And anything left behind will remain left behind.
Makenzie, my kitty, knows something is going on. She's suddenly become very co-dependant. I can't leave the room without her following me. She's constantly underfoot. She knows I'm leaving her and its her beautiful way of making me feel guilty. How better for a very independant cat to show her love than to become clingy just before I abandon her? I expect to find her sleeping in my suit case any minute, refusing to move lest she be left behind. We've been through this before!
At least when I return home, I won't be traveling as much, so she won't be left on her own. And we'll get to bring Hershey home, our new chocolate standard poodle baby. She's going to hate that too. Bless her sweet-cat-heart.
So much change for both of us... and all of it begins this Friday. Wish us luck! =)
Monday, April 14, 2008
Ack!
Only 5 days left... ACK!! I'm no where near accomplishing everything I had hoped to but am going to accept realty and do what I can. Everyone cross your fingers for me that I don't have a stroke trying to accomplish everything! Next time you hear from me, I'll be across the big pond~
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Embracing Possibilities
My daughter just informed me I am the only one of the group that has not posted to our blog. (Unbelievable, my daughter is much more up on things and tech savvy than I am - I can't even remember the password I set for my blog.) So here I am posting my first blog EVER, with Kaylin by my side coaching me. I was thinking how many things I have learned just preparing for our trip to Rotary District 2230. And this blogging experience is one of them. Just then I hear Kaylin say, "What kind of possibilities, Mom?"
So I will admit now, first, having an editor look over your shoulder while you are writing is not a good thing to embrace, unless, of course, the editor is a sweet, 11-year-old that can help and won't criticize. Second, we will discuss the GOOD that comes out of our experiences.
Also, I will be so busy trying to get everything done, I cannot promise to blog until we are on our trip. Right now, we are putting the finishing touches to our PowerPoint presentation and I have so much else to do. So wish us luck. Blog soon.
So I will admit now, first, having an editor look over your shoulder while you are writing is not a good thing to embrace, unless, of course, the editor is a sweet, 11-year-old that can help and won't criticize. Second, we will discuss the GOOD that comes out of our experiences.
Also, I will be so busy trying to get everything done, I cannot promise to blog until we are on our trip. Right now, we are putting the finishing touches to our PowerPoint presentation and I have so much else to do. So wish us luck. Blog soon.
Danna's Family Pic
Here is a photo of my last big trip. Two years ago, my family, husband, Paul, sons Troy and Taylor, and daughter, Kaylin, and I traveled to Yellowstone. Here we are in front of Old Faithful and the Old Faithful Inn. Now, I know how to upload photos on a blog. It is pretty easy. Don't know how I avoided it for so long. Thank you, Sheri, for starting our blog and being so diligent.
Excuse me while I hyperventilate
Don't mind me. I'm over here...quietly...breathing...into...a...bag.
There's a theory (or something) that the Internet can be your worst best friend. Or, more specifically, Google can be your worst best friend. Got a strange looking mole? Just Google "strange looking mole" to thoroughly convince yourself that not only do you have stage 8 melanoma, but that you also have scabies and are probably 20% overweight, too.
Last night I was Googling Rotary District 2230, just to see what I could see. I actually found the team who went to Poland last year, who were from Virginia. They went (about) a month after we are going (May/June).
....and they had matching rain jackets. With the Rotary logo on them.
....and it looked warm in some of the photos. Flip flop warm.
....and very cold and rainy in some of the photos.
....and they taught the Rotary clubs a dance when they visited. The hula.
Can there be anything more charming than a cute little GSE team in matching rain jackets and grass skirts teaching the hula, in Polish, to clubs in the 2230 district????
Not that that is a tough act to follow or anything. At all.
I'm disabling my Google now.
There's a theory (or something) that the Internet can be your worst best friend. Or, more specifically, Google can be your worst best friend. Got a strange looking mole? Just Google "strange looking mole" to thoroughly convince yourself that not only do you have stage 8 melanoma, but that you also have scabies and are probably 20% overweight, too.
Last night I was Googling Rotary District 2230, just to see what I could see. I actually found the team who went to Poland last year, who were from Virginia. They went (about) a month after we are going (May/June).
....and they had matching rain jackets. With the Rotary logo on them.
....and it looked warm in some of the photos. Flip flop warm.
....and very cold and rainy in some of the photos.
....and they taught the Rotary clubs a dance when they visited. The hula.
Can there be anything more charming than a cute little GSE team in matching rain jackets and grass skirts teaching the hula, in Polish, to clubs in the 2230 district????
Not that that is a tough act to follow or anything. At all.
I'm disabling my Google now.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
1 week or 7 days or 168 hours
This time, next Saturday, I'll be on my way to Will Rogers World Airport to meet my team and fly to Poland. 7 short days.
There is no doubt now that I will not get everything done that is on my list, so I'm just accepting it and moving on. Prioritizing what must be done and what can wait. I'm taking Danna's advice and trying to embrace the possibilities. Such an exciting time!
Well, time to prioritize and take action. Wish me luck!
There is no doubt now that I will not get everything done that is on my list, so I'm just accepting it and moving on. Prioritizing what must be done and what can wait. I'm taking Danna's advice and trying to embrace the possibilities. Such an exciting time!
Well, time to prioritize and take action. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Polish Invasion
Poland has invaded Oklahoma. The District 2230 GSE Team has arrived! This picture proves it... our team and their team (and our District Govenor, Marty Postic, at far right).
Sunday was our farewell brunch. We brought our families and got to meet more Rotarians, and most excitingly, we got to meet the Polish in-bound team. And they are GREAT!
We gave our very first presentation on Oklahoma. The Polish team did not so much as snicker at our Polish introductions, and in fact, complimented us on our effort. I really wouldn't mind keeping them around, they are really neat people!
Having met their team, I am even more excited about our experiences in Poland. And even better, the more I get to know my team, the more excited I am to spend more time with them. This bodes well for a truly rich trip!
I'm so ready to be on the plane, at this point. At least then I can stop worrying about what I didn't get done, what I forgot, etc... it's all out of my hands once that jet bridge pulls back and away we go! I'm ready for that peace already!
Sunday was our farewell brunch. We brought our families and got to meet more Rotarians, and most excitingly, we got to meet the Polish in-bound team. And they are GREAT!
We gave our very first presentation on Oklahoma. The Polish team did not so much as snicker at our Polish introductions, and in fact, complimented us on our effort. I really wouldn't mind keeping them around, they are really neat people!
Having met their team, I am even more excited about our experiences in Poland. And even better, the more I get to know my team, the more excited I am to spend more time with them. This bodes well for a truly rich trip!
I'm so ready to be on the plane, at this point. At least then I can stop worrying about what I didn't get done, what I forgot, etc... it's all out of my hands once that jet bridge pulls back and away we go! I'm ready for that peace already!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Langauge abilities... or a lack thereof.
Our departure is getting closer and closer and my Polish abilities... pretty much the same. I'm positive I won't starve since most of my knowledge of the Polish language centers around ordering food but I really need to learn how to find the restroom; "thank you" and "I want a ham sandwich" can only take you so far.
There are only four days left until we have our first presentation in front of our local Rotarians and family. I've been practicing fairly diligently at learning my speech in Polish and it's not as hard as I thought it would be. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Here are some random tidbits for giggles: Laura has discovered that I turn red in the face quite easily and is very excited about the prospect of turning it more red than usual. Related to that, Danna was concerned my red face was a sign of anger and offered to "take care of" whoever made it red... always good to have some muscle around. Additionally, Sheri and I have worked out a choreographed routine for our Bed Jumping debut. I know, I know - the anticipation is overwhelming.
There are only four days left until we have our first presentation in front of our local Rotarians and family. I've been practicing fairly diligently at learning my speech in Polish and it's not as hard as I thought it would be. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Here are some random tidbits for giggles: Laura has discovered that I turn red in the face quite easily and is very excited about the prospect of turning it more red than usual. Related to that, Danna was concerned my red face was a sign of anger and offered to "take care of" whoever made it red... always good to have some muscle around. Additionally, Sheri and I have worked out a choreographed routine for our Bed Jumping debut. I know, I know - the anticipation is overwhelming.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Oh the fun we'll have
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Originally uploaded by crymsenllb
This is my first post on this blog... so my pre-apologies if the formatting is all off.
That ticker over there, yeah on the right? That is freaking me out. I hardly need a count down reminder of all I still haven't done. Feels like there is no time left, but I still have a list 2 miles long to complete. I'm pretty sure it is time to prioritize those tasks!
Coming into this team, I was a little unsure what it would be like to be stuck on another continent with 3 other women (my experience with women in groups has been less than positive over all). Over the last couple of weeks, I have started to really get to know these women, and let me tell you, they are so much fun. Or a HOOT! to use a southern euphemism.
I am now convinced that I will spend a great deal of time laughing on this trip, and quite frankly, that’s fine with me.
Here’s a little taste of the fun you will miss. Special thanks to Sheri for photos and composition!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Translations
I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow night when we meet our local Polish translator, a senior at the University of Central Oklahoma and a Pole. He's been here going to school and was terribly excited (I hear) to be offering his knowledge to us. We'll be handing over words for him to convert to Polish, but we'll also be handing over our open hands, hoping he'll pass to us helpful culture hints about our visit.
We've written our presentations, but are eager to hear feedback on what he thinks. As a guy who was raised in Poland and has spent 4 or so years in Oklahoma, he's sure to have an interesting perspective.
In other news, my daughter (age 6) is starting to get a little doe-eyed and weepy when we talk about Mommy's trip to Poland. (She says it POLE-land.) I tell her that I'll love and miss her very much, but only when I reassure her that I'll return with presents does she perk back up and Tigger-bounce into the rest of her afternoon. Priorities.
We've written our presentations, but are eager to hear feedback on what he thinks. As a guy who was raised in Poland and has spent 4 or so years in Oklahoma, he's sure to have an interesting perspective.
In other news, my daughter (age 6) is starting to get a little doe-eyed and weepy when we talk about Mommy's trip to Poland. (She says it POLE-land.) I tell her that I'll love and miss her very much, but only when I reassure her that I'll return with presents does she perk back up and Tigger-bounce into the rest of her afternoon. Priorities.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Photo shoot
Would you like to see the team? We had ourselves a little photo shoot at our weekly meeting and here's the fruit of our photographic labor:
Ok, so maybe I went a little Photoshop crazy on it, but I'm excited! And I'm going to be in complete tech withdraw by the time May 20 rolls around.
Ok, so maybe I went a little Photoshop crazy on it, but I'm excited! And I'm going to be in complete tech withdraw by the time May 20 rolls around.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Excitement building...
Is this really happening!? I'm going to be in Poland for a month! Oooohh excitement.
I was able to attend Club 29's Rotary meeting a few weeks ago and what a pleasure it was to meet everyone. So many Rotarians approached me eager to hear more about our trip. I'm sure I'll have more than enough to share with them upon our return!
I've been doing a lot of reading on Poland and after every reading session I'm starving. Pierogis, keilbasa, packzi... food coma heaven. After reading Eat Smart in Poland, I'm definitely buying pants with elastic waistbands.
Excitement building...
I was able to attend Club 29's Rotary meeting a few weeks ago and what a pleasure it was to meet everyone. So many Rotarians approached me eager to hear more about our trip. I'm sure I'll have more than enough to share with them upon our return!
I've been doing a lot of reading on Poland and after every reading session I'm starving. Pierogis, keilbasa, packzi... food coma heaven. After reading Eat Smart in Poland, I'm definitely buying pants with elastic waistbands.
Excitement building...
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Baby Steps
As I sit here, my iTunes is importing Teach Yourself Polish Conversation and I'm thinking a lot about my coming adventure. The word is out about Poland and people in the Rotarian community are approaching me at work functions about the GSE trip. "You'll speak to my club when you get back???" they ask with an eager tone.
Its encouraging to see other people excited for me as I try to convert this trip from a possibility to a certainty in my head. I'm fearful that if I get too excited about it, it will :::poof::: away. So, for now, I'm just learning Polish for fun. No reason really. Always wanted to know Polish.
Don't make eye contact with the 1-month life experience to Poland, lest I scare it away. Whistling with my hands in my pockets...
Its encouraging to see other people excited for me as I try to convert this trip from a possibility to a certainty in my head. I'm fearful that if I get too excited about it, it will :::poof::: away. So, for now, I'm just learning Polish for fun. No reason really. Always wanted to know Polish.
Don't make eye contact with the 1-month life experience to Poland, lest I scare it away. Whistling with my hands in my pockets...
Saturday, January 19, 2008
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