Okay, so I sit here and I wonder how I am not super sick. Tonight is another night of debauchery and I can’t lie and say that I haven’t been encouraged by my trip-mates to write more while intoxicated, but that is usually when I have a lot to say so here I am, post-shower, laying in bed and thinking about my trip for the past two weeks. Sorry, Mom and Dad, for this exhibition of my writing/character. It’s just the circumstance and I promise it isn’t common. Since I’m already intoxicated, here goes nothing.
I haven’t written anything about Ukraine thus far and I must say that after spending a week in Belarus, I miss it. Lviv is wonderful in the sense that the US Dollar goes far and that the people are kind. Corruption on the political level is a bit of a problem and I can’t say much about my involvement other than the US and Ukrainian public relations should go towards the better due to the amount of money we put into their economy last week. The buildings were gorgeous and old, and I can say that _
*at this point, I stopped writing so I am continuing the blog at a later date and a bit less enthused.
_ I don’t remember what I was going to write, but I am going to continue that thought with a new one. We met with a lot of people in Lviv: the “governor” of the Lviv region, the head of an independent media company (Zaxidnet), the company that made the Google weather app, and more. What was most interesting what the amount of development they have been able to do, yet still their economy is pretty weak. We lived like kings and queens while we were there. One night we went to the Philharmonic. We watched a choir sing traditional Christmas songs and send New Years greetings to everyone. Let me back up a little bit. The night that we got into Ukraine, they had celebrated Christmas two days prior because they are on the Julian calendar. Christmas in Ukraine is on January 7th, so we arrived in downtown Lviv in the middle of the Christmas festival. We walked down the middle of the cobblestone roads amongst artisan shops, kids riding around on Big Wheels controlled by their parents, plays, and singing. A giant Christmas tree sat in the middle of the square and lights were strung up and down the streets. The scent of popcorn floated around from the stands and everyone seemed very happy.
Back to the Philharmonic performance: first some woman wearing traditional embroidered dress came out and spoke really dramatically at the audience. I have no idea what she was saying so I admired her white boots. The choristers were wearing dresses and traditional-looking outfits as well. They two songs that I recognized – “Silent Night” and “Carol of the Bells.” There was one woman singer that was sensational but she knew that she was good, so it was hard to get really into her songs. There was a little bit of dancing and randomly, a play where bizarre things, that seemed completely weird to me, happened, and apparently is very normal to Ukrainian culture. That is one difference between American and Ukrainian culture. It was a lot of fun though and we finished our night by going to the Rumba Bar in the old town. We entered the bar, which was hidden behind the Catholic Church down a dark alley. The bar played Latin music and served delicious hot wine.
We left the following day. I will update about Belarus soon but SPOILER ALERT: there won’t be a whole lot to say. I have about six days left in the city and tomorrow and Thursday are completely free for me. I am so excited to tell you about Lithuania. Take care.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Finishing Poland, Entering Ukraine
With such a short amount of time in Lublin, I feel a bit overwhelmed with the amount of information I must take in each day. Due to this urgency, I apologize but my descriptions are going to have to remain short and I am going to try to cover a lot, so try to keep up, okay?
Lublin is a city, like most historical cities, that is divided into two distinct parts: old town and new town. Every major European city I've been in has one. Paris actually has three: la vielle ville, current Paris and La Defense but that is besides the point. The old town is very charming. Thin cobblestone roads climb up the road between two historic gates on one of the four large hills that give the city of Lublin distinction from other Polish cities. These gates were once used as the city's defense against foreign invaders. Down the hill is a great opening, an expansive cobblestoned space once used for rallies, markets and other large gatherings. Overlooking this space is the castle. Within old town, the buildings are starting to crumble. My original imaginings were not completely incorrect, yet most of the buildings are still very functional. The crumbling is expected with the age. Old Town is popular for its restaurants and shops, and many of the local youth go to the pubs found there too. I had the pleasure of eating at a few restaurants in Old Town and my favorite is Madragora, a Jewish restaurant close to the old Dominican Cathedral.
Unlike American buildings, arches and vaults are very popular in European architecture and the interiors of Madragora is a good example of such use. The inside of the restaurant looks a tunnel, essentially, of which the walls have been painted and decorated with various Jewish images such as the dancing man a la 'Fiddler on the Roof.' Beautifully crocheted tableclothes cloak dark tables and the waitstaff lights a candle at your table when they seat you.
The food was wonderful. Elise and I shared a plate of duck, apples, beets, and fried potatoes. The cost was 40 zloty, the equivalent of 13 USD, and our entire group of seven enjoyed our trip there. Everyone was pleased.
New town is very different than old town. There is not that history and as earlier mentioned, Soviet communist oppression led to very different types of architecture. The Bloc housing. The emphasis during this phase of architectural history is the belief in function over aesthetic. These are seven, eight, or ten story buildings that look like Lego towers, blocky and plain with windows. There are many different colored complexes, some are pink, yellow, orange. Because there are no other aesthetics, the colors look tacky but its better than cold grey.
Graffiti is a big deal in Lublin, which I found welcoming rather than as destructive as I normally find it to be, despite its beauty. A lot of the new buildings- as in Soviet - are tagged. It is everywhere. Some buildings are tagged multiple times. What makes me the most okay with this is that none of the buildings in Old Town have been vandalised, and I almost sense the vindication of the Polish people through the tagging. It just seems appropriate.
To give you an idea of where Poland is economically, in comparison with the United States, I will give you an few examples of how transportation has been like.
The buses in Lublin run on gas, as in America, but the biggest difference is that the buses are old and they are not "electronic." They are pretty rundown. They run twice an hour in busy areas, in comparison with every 10 minutes in busy areas of Minneapolis. The use of the electric trolley is also popular here. To change direction, the driver exits the bus and pulls the connectors from the electric lines above the road and reorients them to the new lines. This is not a very poor area anymore either, although it is still a part of the poorer east Poland. This is quite common and is actually the best of what we will be encountering on this trip.
A short mention of the use of sand instead of salt on ice and the easy ability for one to fall on said ice - Ouch. -
The sky starts darkening around 3:30 PM so by 5 it is verifiably evening. That has been among one of the most difficult changes to accustom to. We are in class and lectures or tours until 5 or 6 PM and we rarely see the city during daylight on our own. Truly, we've all had our eyes open and alert at all times in daylight to take it all in.
We arrived in Ukraine the night before last and I will update this again soon. I have to go and do some homework. Miss you!
Lublin is a city, like most historical cities, that is divided into two distinct parts: old town and new town. Every major European city I've been in has one. Paris actually has three: la vielle ville, current Paris and La Defense but that is besides the point. The old town is very charming. Thin cobblestone roads climb up the road between two historic gates on one of the four large hills that give the city of Lublin distinction from other Polish cities. These gates were once used as the city's defense against foreign invaders. Down the hill is a great opening, an expansive cobblestoned space once used for rallies, markets and other large gatherings. Overlooking this space is the castle. Within old town, the buildings are starting to crumble. My original imaginings were not completely incorrect, yet most of the buildings are still very functional. The crumbling is expected with the age. Old Town is popular for its restaurants and shops, and many of the local youth go to the pubs found there too. I had the pleasure of eating at a few restaurants in Old Town and my favorite is Madragora, a Jewish restaurant close to the old Dominican Cathedral.
Unlike American buildings, arches and vaults are very popular in European architecture and the interiors of Madragora is a good example of such use. The inside of the restaurant looks a tunnel, essentially, of which the walls have been painted and decorated with various Jewish images such as the dancing man a la 'Fiddler on the Roof.' Beautifully crocheted tableclothes cloak dark tables and the waitstaff lights a candle at your table when they seat you.
The food was wonderful. Elise and I shared a plate of duck, apples, beets, and fried potatoes. The cost was 40 zloty, the equivalent of 13 USD, and our entire group of seven enjoyed our trip there. Everyone was pleased.
New town is very different than old town. There is not that history and as earlier mentioned, Soviet communist oppression led to very different types of architecture. The Bloc housing. The emphasis during this phase of architectural history is the belief in function over aesthetic. These are seven, eight, or ten story buildings that look like Lego towers, blocky and plain with windows. There are many different colored complexes, some are pink, yellow, orange. Because there are no other aesthetics, the colors look tacky but its better than cold grey.
Graffiti is a big deal in Lublin, which I found welcoming rather than as destructive as I normally find it to be, despite its beauty. A lot of the new buildings- as in Soviet - are tagged. It is everywhere. Some buildings are tagged multiple times. What makes me the most okay with this is that none of the buildings in Old Town have been vandalised, and I almost sense the vindication of the Polish people through the tagging. It just seems appropriate.
To give you an idea of where Poland is economically, in comparison with the United States, I will give you an few examples of how transportation has been like.
The buses in Lublin run on gas, as in America, but the biggest difference is that the buses are old and they are not "electronic." They are pretty rundown. They run twice an hour in busy areas, in comparison with every 10 minutes in busy areas of Minneapolis. The use of the electric trolley is also popular here. To change direction, the driver exits the bus and pulls the connectors from the electric lines above the road and reorients them to the new lines. This is not a very poor area anymore either, although it is still a part of the poorer east Poland. This is quite common and is actually the best of what we will be encountering on this trip.
A short mention of the use of sand instead of salt on ice and the easy ability for one to fall on said ice - Ouch. -
The sky starts darkening around 3:30 PM so by 5 it is verifiably evening. That has been among one of the most difficult changes to accustom to. We are in class and lectures or tours until 5 or 6 PM and we rarely see the city during daylight on our own. Truly, we've all had our eyes open and alert at all times in daylight to take it all in.
We arrived in Ukraine the night before last and I will update this again soon. I have to go and do some homework. Miss you!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Poland Post Two: let me tell you what I really think
So apparently Lublin has a nightlife, which I heartily took part of tonight. I apologize if I spell words in correctly or don't make sense, as I spoke French most of the way home and have limited coordination with my extremities at the moment. Tonight our event coordinator, who has been wonderful, set up a meet and greet with some local Polish students. We met up at Astoria, which is the restaruant we usually frquent and hung out with students. Some of them stuck around all night, which is awesome, as we had them take us to a cool underground pub. A very smoky pub. After that, we went to a club called Fashion, were we danced all nights. There, there is 3 zloty (pronounced zwah-tee) equivalent of 1 dollar shots. Let's just say that we all had a little fun with the Polish wodka.
European men are a lot different than American men. I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to shave the sides of one's head down to nothing while maintaining what I can only imagine is called the "Euro-hawk." Something to be seen. Also, we observed a scene at the restaurant Oberza last night. A guy and girl made eye contact last night so he went up to her to get her number. After she gave him her number, he grabbed her hand and massaged it and kissed it. They had never met before. I understand that I appreciate getting to know someone before being so forward but wow. She gave him her number and he tried to call her but instead of reaching her she had given him the wrong number.
Okay, I hope that no one reads this because this post is embarrassing. I hope to update at better quality soon.
Things done:
Concentration camp
dancing in Polish Club
Eating a restaurant where no Polish is spoken
Been to authentic pub
Met the archbishop of Lublin
Met students of KUL
Been to a castle
Seen Social-Realist art in an exhibition
European men are a lot different than American men. I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to shave the sides of one's head down to nothing while maintaining what I can only imagine is called the "Euro-hawk." Something to be seen. Also, we observed a scene at the restaurant Oberza last night. A guy and girl made eye contact last night so he went up to her to get her number. After she gave him her number, he grabbed her hand and massaged it and kissed it. They had never met before. I understand that I appreciate getting to know someone before being so forward but wow. She gave him her number and he tried to call her but instead of reaching her she had given him the wrong number.
Okay, I hope that no one reads this because this post is embarrassing. I hope to update at better quality soon.
Things done:
Concentration camp
dancing in Polish Club
Eating a restaurant where no Polish is spoken
Been to authentic pub
Met the archbishop of Lublin
Met students of KUL
Been to a castle
Seen Social-Realist art in an exhibition
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tired and cold in Poland
I don't mean to start off my blog with complaining, but holy is it cold here in beautiful Lublin, Poland. The trip didn't start off so well. We were afraid that one of our co-travelers wasn't going to arrive to the airport before we left for Chicago. Then our flight to Warsaw was delayed three hours, meaning that we didn't fly out until 1:30 in the morning. I took my traditional two Dramamines and was out for most of the flight so I managed to get some sleep but it wasn't enough.
We arrived in Warsaw and immediately got onto a bus that dropped us off in front of our hotel a short three hours later. Despite all of the traveling, we all passed out rather quickly after a short meeting, dinner, and our first brisk walk in the Polish freeze. The temperature is comparable to that of Minnesota but it seems a bit harsher. The sign above our door today said -8.5 degrees Celsius and I haven't the mental capacity at this time to figure it out. The formula is something like 9/5 x (degrees C) + 32. So somewhere around 13 degrees. Look at that, I surprised myself.
We are in classes most of the day. It is especially amazing, the school that we are studying at. We are at Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski (KUL) which is where John Paul II taught before he became the pope. We are actually studying in the room where he taught. Let me tell you that just because a classroom is inside does not mean that it will be heated. The Poles are like steel to the cold. The room itself is painted a light yellow color, the main color of the buildings interior. Windows line one wall, overlooking the downtown to Old Towne area. That means that when you look out the window, you see all of the Soviet-style block houses that were built after the city was bombed in World War II during Soviet occupation. Wooden floors extend from wall to wall and wobbly tables literally are our desks. Rows of these tables sit in front of the teacher's wooden desk. Chairs line the tables and we sit there each day. We sit at them in the hopes that they do not fall over. Pictures of John Paul II wearing Ray Bans, sitting in church, walking in the courtyard, and more, circle around the room. A Christmas tree is in the front lefthand corner of the room with yarn and yellow paper cutouts stringing around it as garland. A few ornaments rest on its branches.
The roads are thin and brick and are covered in snow for the time being. Instead of salt they use sand to make the snow easier to travel on. This means that our shoes and boots are dirty by the end of each day. I can't say too much about enjoying my time on the streets, as it has always been cold and dark when we are out so I keep my head down so I don't trip over uneven brick or slip on the ice. It's usually a bit crowded on the streets at certain times of the day.
The hosting university has been very gracious and welcoming to us students. The regular residents are pretty much uninterested. When walking around Old Towne yesterday, some comments were made about Americans. The fact that we are tourists makes us stick out a bit - today at the grocery store, an old couple was pushed up to the front of our grocery line and we just stood in front of them instead of letting them pass us. The Polish have a deep respect for their elders. If you get on the bus and an older woman climbs on after you, you are supposed to give up your seat to them. When on the bus, my classmate offered her seat to a woman and she didn't want it. I guess that some don't want to be treated any differently but for the most part, the principle remains.
Food, food, food. One of my favorite things in the world. I've had pierogi quite a bit actually. It is a staple food here. Also, a lot of meat with brown sauces. And coleslaw. For breakfast, they offer fish and pasta salads. I ate a spinach and feta cheese crepe last night. Other than that, I haven't tried much else. I'm looking to get outside of the big group going out and go have a decent meal with another person or two.
What I've done:
- rode public transportation
- bought food from local grocery store
- been to Lublin's mall
- been inside of a castle and the Holy Trinity Church
- eaten and drank at a local pub not far from our hotel
- met a US diplomat
- met the Governor and Marshall of the voivodship (province)
- learned a few phrases in Polish Co to jest? Jak sie masc? Jak sie nazyvasc? Dziekuje. Do widzenia. Bardzo Dobzre. Zle. Dobranoc.
- met every person on this trip already
So I'm tired. Tomorrow I am going to the concentration camp Majdanek. It's going to be a rough day. Goodnight everyone!
We arrived in Warsaw and immediately got onto a bus that dropped us off in front of our hotel a short three hours later. Despite all of the traveling, we all passed out rather quickly after a short meeting, dinner, and our first brisk walk in the Polish freeze. The temperature is comparable to that of Minnesota but it seems a bit harsher. The sign above our door today said -8.5 degrees Celsius and I haven't the mental capacity at this time to figure it out. The formula is something like 9/5 x (degrees C) + 32. So somewhere around 13 degrees. Look at that, I surprised myself.
We are in classes most of the day. It is especially amazing, the school that we are studying at. We are at Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski (KUL) which is where John Paul II taught before he became the pope. We are actually studying in the room where he taught. Let me tell you that just because a classroom is inside does not mean that it will be heated. The Poles are like steel to the cold. The room itself is painted a light yellow color, the main color of the buildings interior. Windows line one wall, overlooking the downtown to Old Towne area. That means that when you look out the window, you see all of the Soviet-style block houses that were built after the city was bombed in World War II during Soviet occupation. Wooden floors extend from wall to wall and wobbly tables literally are our desks. Rows of these tables sit in front of the teacher's wooden desk. Chairs line the tables and we sit there each day. We sit at them in the hopes that they do not fall over. Pictures of John Paul II wearing Ray Bans, sitting in church, walking in the courtyard, and more, circle around the room. A Christmas tree is in the front lefthand corner of the room with yarn and yellow paper cutouts stringing around it as garland. A few ornaments rest on its branches.
The roads are thin and brick and are covered in snow for the time being. Instead of salt they use sand to make the snow easier to travel on. This means that our shoes and boots are dirty by the end of each day. I can't say too much about enjoying my time on the streets, as it has always been cold and dark when we are out so I keep my head down so I don't trip over uneven brick or slip on the ice. It's usually a bit crowded on the streets at certain times of the day.
The hosting university has been very gracious and welcoming to us students. The regular residents are pretty much uninterested. When walking around Old Towne yesterday, some comments were made about Americans. The fact that we are tourists makes us stick out a bit - today at the grocery store, an old couple was pushed up to the front of our grocery line and we just stood in front of them instead of letting them pass us. The Polish have a deep respect for their elders. If you get on the bus and an older woman climbs on after you, you are supposed to give up your seat to them. When on the bus, my classmate offered her seat to a woman and she didn't want it. I guess that some don't want to be treated any differently but for the most part, the principle remains.
Food, food, food. One of my favorite things in the world. I've had pierogi quite a bit actually. It is a staple food here. Also, a lot of meat with brown sauces. And coleslaw. For breakfast, they offer fish and pasta salads. I ate a spinach and feta cheese crepe last night. Other than that, I haven't tried much else. I'm looking to get outside of the big group going out and go have a decent meal with another person or two.
What I've done:
- rode public transportation
- bought food from local grocery store
- been to Lublin's mall
- been inside of a castle and the Holy Trinity Church
- eaten and drank at a local pub not far from our hotel
- met a US diplomat
- met the Governor and Marshall of the voivodship (province)
- learned a few phrases in Polish Co to jest? Jak sie masc? Jak sie nazyvasc? Dziekuje. Do widzenia. Bardzo Dobzre. Zle. Dobranoc.
- met every person on this trip already
So I'm tired. Tomorrow I am going to the concentration camp Majdanek. It's going to be a rough day. Goodnight everyone!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Pre-Europe packing: Part two, Post one.
I’m leaving again in two days. Once again, I find myself underprepared – meaning I’m not packed and I’m not super excited yet. Both of these will be taken care of within the following 24 hours. A lot of people have been asking me if I am ready to be over in Europe again. Yes, yes I am but you know, I don’t know if anyone can actually be ready for such a drastic change. Paris was different than here – the cultural difference of quiet versus loud; the ornate architecture; differences of politeness. Greece was different from here – the pushiness and desperation for money; the ubiquitous tourism attitude. But this is going to be even more different than either of those. These countries, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, are broken. My imagination provides a backdrop of what I am to encounter, but I can’t tell how contrived it is: I see a lot of grey, buildings of crumbling brick, nothing is conventionally pretty, harsh lighting, pothole-riddled streets, mean looking police officers, inadequate classrooms, and with little or no material conveniences.
The good news is that I have begun making a list of things to do. I’ve been in contact with someone from Lublin, as well as friends that have been there, all whom have given great suggestions. I’ve made a few “friends” in Ukraine who have offered to take me around and teach me a little about Lviv. One of my wishes is to go to see the Belarusian ballet while in Minsk. I have no idea about Lithuania yet but I will find things to do.
I leave in a day and a half. I’m watching “community” rather than doing anything really important and I am loving not moving around or doing anything besides watching TV or eating. I’ll update again soon!
The good news is that I have begun making a list of things to do. I’ve been in contact with someone from Lublin, as well as friends that have been there, all whom have given great suggestions. I’ve made a few “friends” in Ukraine who have offered to take me around and teach me a little about Lviv. One of my wishes is to go to see the Belarusian ballet while in Minsk. I have no idea about Lithuania yet but I will find things to do.
I leave in a day and a half. I’m watching “community” rather than doing anything really important and I am loving not moving around or doing anything besides watching TV or eating. I’ll update again soon!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Oh my, oh my.
I've attended my orientation meeting for my studies abroad. I have been invigorated by the learning that I received about the countries. Lithuania is a mixture of Scandinavian culture, Eastern European Orthodox tradition and architecture, all alongside the influences of the West. I have friends who have studied at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland and they are starting to give me suggestions of places to visit. I do not know much about Ukraine, despite the meeting, but I will learn more as the time comes closer.
Belarus is the country that I am the most intrigued in visiting. They tell me that I must believe that my room will be bugged, the phones will be tapped, and that any outgoing e-mail or written mail I send out of the country will be read by the Belorussian government. The country does not yet have a liberal democracy so we, students who are going to study the government systems, will not be allowed to comment on the type of government that they have. I am a little scared and excited about this development, as this will be the most stealth type of vacation I have had, "Vacation" used liberally.
I am rooming with a friend of mine; Elise and I met in the UST choir a few years ago. She reminded me of my cousin, Michelle, who is adorable and since, through choir and taking a few classes together, we have become good friends. She is a few years younger than I am and she is so vibrant. I look forward to spending such an experience with her!
Belarus is the country that I am the most intrigued in visiting. They tell me that I must believe that my room will be bugged, the phones will be tapped, and that any outgoing e-mail or written mail I send out of the country will be read by the Belorussian government. The country does not yet have a liberal democracy so we, students who are going to study the government systems, will not be allowed to comment on the type of government that they have. I am a little scared and excited about this development, as this will be the most stealth type of vacation I have had, "Vacation" used liberally.
I am rooming with a friend of mine; Elise and I met in the UST choir a few years ago. She reminded me of my cousin, Michelle, who is adorable and since, through choir and taking a few classes together, we have become good friends. She is a few years younger than I am and she is so vibrant. I look forward to spending such an experience with her!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
New Europe
It is less than two months until I leave the country (again) for my LAST college class. I am going to New Europe to study the different political structures currently in place in countries with post-Communist/Satellite State status. I hope to learn a lot but also get some great humanitarian stories.
Things to do before I leave:
Find interesting things to see in each city.
Learn some Polish and Russian.
Things to do before I leave:
Find interesting things to see in each city.
Learn some Polish and Russian.
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