A Quick Hello

Hello from Poland!

I am sorry my posting has been sparse lately. I meant to post again from Paris before I left for Poland but didn't get around to it. So today I will post some quick love from Opole, Poland where I am visiting my friend Nell.

I love Poland! Many good things have converged to make this an amazing trip for me. My experience in Poland has included a meter of beer at a pub in Krakow, delicious potato dumplings filled with cheese called pierogy, beautiful fall weather and plenty of time with Nell. Poland has a feel much different from that of Paris, of course - a more familiar feeling. Before I left I was in a bit of a funk; the French and I were not getting along very well and I was feeling very homesick. Maybe I will go into specifics later, but suffice it to say that I was not in a very good place. Time with a friend from home and a break from the city life have been just what I needed and I already feel refreshed. I have gotten to talk American politics and walk down a street where I have a full 2 feet of space in either direction, as opposed to the 4 inches I have in Paris. I saw some real countryside! I walked through a natural park and smelled fall. I sat around and watched American TV shows with a friend. As I said, it has been refreshing!

In my next post I want to tell you all about my pre-Poland realization that I was experiencing a little something called culture shock and that it was affecting me more than I thought. The most interesting aspect of it involved the least intriguing of things: my wardrobe. More to come!