Sounds, Tastes, and Weather of Poland

This post is going to be about sensory differences between Poland and the US. I am sure there are more than this, but these are the first ones that have leaping out at me during my first month here.

Sounds:
The Bells - The bells on our church ring everyday, without fail for several different reasons. And when I say they ring, this means they ring for AT LEAST 5 minutes, if not more. No joke. First, on Sunday the ring to mark the beginning and end of each worship service starting at eight am. Every evening they ring at 7 pm. Every week day they ring at noon. Then during the week they ring every time some one dies. I don't know who dies, where they die, or how they died, but the bells ring for each of them, for at least five minutes.

The Crosswalk - People do not have control over crosswalks here the same way we do in America. People DO NOT cross the street if there is a crosswalk light and has the little red man telling you to stop. However, it takes at least 3 minutes for the little man to turn green. Then the whole time it ticks, slowly when the man is read, and quickly when the man is green. This is very convenient. . .except for when I open my kitchen window and hear the three different crosswalks that are close to our apartment all ticking out of sync.

Birds - There are a variety of birds here. The ones that I have had the most contact with are the ones in the city center (pigeons) and the few birds that call our courtyard home. They are fun to watch and listen to, especially when they run into the ivy-covered kitchen window. Whoops. Don't worry, the bird flew away just fine.

Gas appliances - Growing up, I never came in contact with gas appliances in my home. I guess our heater and maybe hot water heater were gas, but I never messed with them. Now gas is a part of my everyday life, and the whisper of a sound it makes when it is flowing into the air is both exhilarating and terrifying. I want to be able to cook my food, but I also don't want to blow up my apartment. Also, the hot water heater is about 6 inches from the shower. You can hear it kick on any time you use the water.

Tastes:
Polish Mexican Food - We figured by going to a Mexican place we would be able to read the menu. We could; it was great. However, I was served the strangest fajita of my life. It came all rolled up and ready to go with no vegetables or rice. It tasted just fine, but it made me miss the hot sizzle of El Canelo's.

Pierogis - So so so so so in love. Thus far I have had five different types of them. Spinach (at a pub in Bratislava), meat, mushroom and barley (never ever again), ruske (potato and cheese), and sweet. Ruske and meat ones are heaven. So in love. The sweet ones had raisins and like some sweet cheese. They were good, but I would not eat them every week.

Sweet meals - Every once is a while they serve sweet meals. We had our first taste of this yesterday at lunch. We had a regular meat and potato soup (soup is served everyday) but then the main course was rice with a strawberry jam sauce. It was pink, like really pink, but tasted just like strawberries. You put powdered sugar on top. It was good, but odd to eat for the main meal. It reminded me of sticky rice and ice cream that you would get a Thai place.

Weather:
It rains every Saturday in Poland. I have seen nothing to the contrary, so I must believe this. I hope I am wrong. (It just starting pouring as I typed that-God is laughing at me right now.)

Sarah and I survived our first full week of teaching. It was like a roller coaster, but I think it is going to be okay. We think we finally have the last schedule; well, at least we are crossing our fingers for no more changes. This coming week will hopefully be more normal, and next weekend we hope to get to Krakow!

Blessings,
Colleen