Update of my first week in Krakow

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I just finished my first week of language classes. It's really intense, though, 4.5 hours per day of instruction and by the end I'm totally beat. Most of the students in the school are from Germany, a tiny sprinkle from the UK/Ireland/Scotland/Wales and 3 from the US. The first day when I was here, I was told there were two other Americans and then when I met one of them, it was like,"oh, so you're the 'other American'". And then when I met the 'other' other American, it was like, ah, that's all there is!

I have no big complaints about the school (suprise!) other than I wish the teachers would write neater on the board. They write the a like q, y like j, e like o, and d like ol, totally drives me crazy.


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The school has done a pretty good job at organizing extra curricular activities for us outside of the class room. Monday evening was a party, Wednesday evening was a trip to a jazz club, Thursday a guided tour, Friday to the salt mines, and today (Saturday) a trip to Zakopane. I chose to goto the Party and the jazz club, but ixnay'ed on the other stuff because I was/am just too tired.

Here are some pix from the jazz club night. It was at the "Klub Jazzowy Kornet". For some reason I expected a bunch of black^ dudes to be the band... Sorry, that's my stereotype. Jazz is from the south, isn't it? Well, the band was actually made up of a bunch of geriatric Poles^^. We, the students from the class, jam packed the cellar area where they were performing. It got pretty rowdy... Then they had a younger dude come and sing a song that had to do with jambalaya. Iasked my classmates sitting around me if they knew what jambalaya was. No one did. :-p


^ I opted against using "African American" since we're so far removed from the US that imo it sounds just really stupid and overly pc.

^^ This isn't meant to be an insult, it's just the way it was!

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I was rather happy yesterday when I managed to purchase this round bread thing all by myself. Near and inside the town square, quite a few old ladies and gents sit behind blue carts and sell these things. I think they've got the market cornered; each one is only 1 zloty. Look at how much dough you can get for 25 cents! Anyhow, I went up to one yesterday, pointed at the bread and said "jeden", and then "dzienkuje" when she handed me the bag. I walked with it home and I took a picture of it so y'all can see. Sadly, I think the bread is more suitable for the pigeons that live near/in the town square than for humans. It tastes a bit bland...

Like this posting.

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Photos

The Jazz Band
Playing at the Kornet

The Jazz Band II
Playing at the Kornet

Bread Ring
Not exactly a bagel... A mega bagel?!

Comments

[Wendy]

Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a Lousiana food, made with sausage, chicken, shrimp and rice, like a rice 'stew'.

[judylay]

*I* know what Jambalaya is!
I'm just sayin' that no one else did. Btw, Steelhead in SF makes a mean jambalaya -- too bad i can't eat it anymore