Zakopane

Over the weekend we traveled to Zakopane, a popular Polish resort town, situated two hours from Krakow, in the shadow of the Tatra mountain range. As we drove deeper into the Polish countryside, I was exposed to a slower pace of life. It was a change from the hectic city life that I had been a part of and was refreshing to take in the simplicity of country life. The town itself was very quaint and reminded me of a small New England town. The leaves were in the middle of their fiery transformation and littered the cobblestone streets with color. After getting some nourishment we climbed to the top of one of the lower peaks of the Tatras.

Beginning our ascend...

Taking a much needed break.

At the top!

There were small patches of snow on the slope and I won the award hands down for taking the most spills.

Polska 101

I'm glad that I had the freedom to choose classes in Poland based on elective credits, and not be restricted to my major requirements. The final courses I chose were:

The Holocaust: Research and Memory

Polish Contemporary Film

Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism

Polish Language: COMPLETE BEGINNER

Social Life Under Communism: The Polish Case

Ever since I saw the Holocaust course in the catalog back at home, I have been anxiously awaiting it. This atrocity plays such a large part in Polish history and I knew that if I took this course I would have a much better understanding of Poland as a whole.

Exploring the Dragon's Den

Today I decided to take advantage of having a day off from classes and channeling my inner kid, decided to explore the legendary Dragon's Cave at Wawel Castle.

According to legend, there once was a terrible, fire-breathing dragon who inhabited a cave underneath the Wawel Castle. This monster beast would reek havoc on the townspeople and their livestock, seeing them only as tasty morsels. Prince Krakus (who the city is named after) wisely decided to throw a sheep's hide with sulfur into the cave. Long story short, the dragon exploded and the town was saved.

It's funny because they have a saying in Krakow. If you don't know the origin of something, make up a story for it.

The dragon is Krakow's "mascot," and is seen replicated endlessly in every tourist trinket imaginable. To access the cave is quite a workout, where you have to descend a narrow, winding staircase of approximately 135 steps. Afterwards you enter into a cluster of spacious caves. It was mostly frequented by tourists and large groups of school children, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Uniwersytet Jagielloński

Today marks the beginning of my courses at Uniwersytet Jagiellonski. It was a bit intimidating stepping into the school building, with so many different languages colliding in the air. I kind of felt like the new kid in high school, who transfered junior year. Completely disoriented.

I got a bit lost on my way to class, but made it to Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism just in time. The classroom itself was very similar to the American ones I had been frequenting for the past three years. My professor was much more relaxed than I had anticipated, since I expected a more traditional teaching approach with a lecture hall and hundreds of students inhaling the professor's every word. Instead there was only around fifty students and our teacher treated us as equals, allowing discussion and questions.

Going Back in Time: Dining in 19th Century Poland

If I were going to visit my grandmother's house in the 19th century-U Babci Mailny is exactly how it would look. An elderly woman, who was supposed to be "Babcia," greeted us at the door with a kind smile. I think her job was solely to sit in front of the restaurant and greet customers.

The food was ordered from the counter and there was a lengthy menu-except it was all in Polish. I ordered a plate of pierogies that were the easiest to pronounce and I'm still not sure what was in them.

Education Polski Style

Today I met with my group to discuss academic procedures. Piotrek brought us to his office to explain formalities and then gave us a tour of all the locations our classes would be at. Classes had already started for Polish students, so we got to see a bit of university life play out before us. It was a strange dose of reality as I walked through those halls, knowing I would be attending classes here in less than a week...

Making Krakow Our Own

We had a late start to our day because of some fridge problems, and I realized that our apartment's visual appearance was deceiving to its actual function.

We decided to venture over to Galeria Krakowska, another mecca for materialism. It was sad to see such commercialism imposing on the Old Town.

That evening, I had my first jazz club experience, since it is surprisingly popular here in Poland. The club was located in an underground cellar, which made the performance much more intimate and memorable. The music was very soothing and someone mentioned that it was "free jazz." The bass player was especially talented, and I enjoyed his solo improvisation.