...just for a couple of weeks, but I'm already very sad to be leaving. Christmas has come around so quickly, and while I'm happy to be spending Christmas with my family and friends, I'm gutted that I'm going to miss out on a traditional Polish Christmas and New Year. There will be other years.
Wistfully thinking, it strikes me how quickly the next 6 months will come and go too, my contract runs till June and it's going to be very hard to walk away. I can already feel it. I imagine I'll always be in and out of Poland, who knows what the future will hold for me.
I'm off to Berlin for a few days holiday and Christmas market shopping before going home, so my blog entries will be on hold till the new year. Hope you all have a good one! Happy holidays, merry Christmas and all the best for the new year!
Wesołych świąt i szczęśliwego nowego roku, do zobaczenia.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Wigilia dinner
In Poland, the traditional Christmas meal is served on Wigilia - Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day. Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend a traditional Wigilia dinner at the bosses house for the schools annual Christmas party.
First the host made a short speech and then opłatki; large, white, thin wafers, were given out to everybody. In the Polish tradition, everybody goes around giving good wishes to each other for Christmas and the new year and breaking off a little piece of each others wafer and eating it. I think this is a really nice tradition, very personal.
Next... food! No meat is eaten on Christmas eve, lots and lots of fish instead. There are traditionally 12 dishes which represent the 12 apostles, although I've heard that it's months of the year too. Carp is the main dish, there's also a greek fish which is white fish covered in peppers and spices, different fish in jelly which I believe were spinach and salmon, smoked salmon and another variety (I never made it past the jelly) and a cold fish salad. Mushroom and cabbage pierogi and mushroom with noodle soup was served too, as well as a few other types of salad. I enjoyed the meal but it is mostly served cold which doesn't really suit my taste, thankfully the soup was hot and it was delicious. We had cheesecake and poppy seed cake for desert, and plenty of helpings of mulled wine (unfortunately I'm on antibiotics for my extremely resilient cough so I had to stick to juice).
After the meal there was lots of singing, the Poles and us Engles took it in turns to sing a traditional Christmas Carol, I think the Poles really put us to shame, the songs were lovely, and they knew the words...
Finally, Swięta Mikołai made an appearance and dished out all of the presents under the tree.
Really lovely night, I'm glad I was a part of it.
Next... food! No meat is eaten on Christmas eve, lots and lots of fish instead. There are traditionally 12 dishes which represent the 12 apostles, although I've heard that it's months of the year too. Carp is the main dish, there's also a greek fish which is white fish covered in peppers and spices, different fish in jelly which I believe were spinach and salmon, smoked salmon and another variety (I never made it past the jelly) and a cold fish salad. Mushroom and cabbage pierogi and mushroom with noodle soup was served too, as well as a few other types of salad. I enjoyed the meal but it is mostly served cold which doesn't really suit my taste, thankfully the soup was hot and it was delicious. We had cheesecake and poppy seed cake for desert, and plenty of helpings of mulled wine (unfortunately I'm on antibiotics for my extremely resilient cough so I had to stick to juice).After the meal there was lots of singing, the Poles and us Engles took it in turns to sing a traditional Christmas Carol, I think the Poles really put us to shame, the songs were lovely, and they knew the words...
Finally, Swięta Mikołai made an appearance and dished out all of the presents under the tree.
Really lovely night, I'm glad I was a part of it.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Price moan
I've blogged about prices before, but after spending the weekend in England visiting Sean I really can't believe how expensive some things are in the UK. For example...
I took a train from Torun to Poznan on Friday morning, it's 141km distance (maybe 90 miles), and it cost 23zl, it converts to about £4.85. I arrived in Bristol and took a train from there to Yeovil, this is a distance of about 40 miles, and how much? £26.80!!!! It's about 10 times more expensive per mile!
I took a train from Torun to Poznan on Friday morning, it's 141km distance (maybe 90 miles), and it cost 23zl, it converts to about £4.85. I arrived in Bristol and took a train from there to Yeovil, this is a distance of about 40 miles, and how much? £26.80!!!! It's about 10 times more expensive per mile!
Swięta czas
I was told that the shops don't over advertise at Christmas, the people don't appreciate it and it would more likely turn them away than encourage them to spend. The only big difference I have noticed is in the amount of chocolate on display in all the supermarkets, there are millions of chocolate santas!
I'll be back in the UK for Christmas, I can't wait because I really don't fancy the Polish traditional Christmas meal of cold fish. I'm looking forward to the turkey dinner, being flooded with Christmas songs and of course the tacky decorations! Merry Christmas all... Wesołych Świąt.
Learning Polish
Lubię uczyć się polskiego, myślę, że jestem coraz lepiej. Mam polska lekcja w tygodniu, i my rozmawiamy, ale nie lubię gramatyka.
Here are a few of my most used phrases...
Nie pamiętam - I don’t remember
Nie zapamiętam - I won’t remember
Nie mam zielonego pojęcie - I have no idea
Jestem zmęczona - I’m tired
Jest mi zimno - I’m cold
Jest mi bardzo zimno - I’m very cold - often followed by
Masz grzejnik? - Do you have a heater? (To Lucyna on a Monday and Wednesday in Ino) and most recently,
Nie przeszkadzać - I can’t be bothered.
Seems I am a glass half empty kind of person, oh well at least my Polish is improving.
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