So (mother), here's a very brief update:

Spent the afternoon exploring Kazimierz (the old Jewish district of Krakow) with Ricky, Rebecca and Dejana. Went with the hope of browsing the antique market, but there were only a handful of stalls - we think maybe because of the inclement weather. However, I had a zapiekanka (think I've mentioned them before - but the Polish version of pizza, but on bread) and Dejana showed us some nice bars and coffee shops, and a great bookstore. It contained mostly books about the Holocaust in English - there were so many, which surprised me, but then there were so many people affected by the atrocity - and also Polish literature, recipe books, calendars and so forth. It was clearly aimed at tourists, although there were a few books in Polish.

For tea we (I say we - me and some of the Americans -, but it was mostly Rochelle, and anything that wasn't was under her direction) cooked up a delicious meal of fajitas, complete with a Mexican desert (I can't remember the name). All-in-all, a good way to spend a Friday afternoon.

Now have to prepare for the bad weather that seems to be coming, and staying, in Krakow - back down to 3 degrees on Sunday with a chance of snow! Tomorrow might be spent exploring museums to keep out of the weather (rainy and windy).

Cześć, Fiona

The sunny view from the front entrance of the architecture campus

So turns out that people in Poland don't actually use the word cześć all that often. 


At least not that I've heard yet. Certainly not nearly as often as the Italians use ciao. But then again maybe the younger generation do between friends and I just haven't heard it because they all speak English to me. And Polish people also aren't that friendly. They're nice enough, but they don't smile, especially the older generations. Just a couple of things I've noticed since living in Krakow.


This morning started out so bright and sunny, such a change form the constantly grey skies we've had every day since coming back from Italy, but now the sun has disappeared again and we're stuck with grey. But at least it's not raining (has been spitting on and off the last few days), and it's nowhere cold enough for snow - around 8 degrees most days. Our professor on Monday told us that next week it would be summer! Looking at the weather forecast it's meant to be around 16-18 degrees for the weekend, which should be good, but by Monday it cools down again, so not sure that she's quite right.


Heading to Prague tomorrow with some of the American students just for the weekend, where's it's going to be slightly warmer than Krakow will be! I think we're going to try to find an Irish pub to celebrate St Patrick's Day in.


Also just went to the supermarket to find there was no pumpkin or sweet potato!

The stairs leading to my class rooms

View out the stairwell window of the building

Cześć, Fiona 

So, very long time without a post! And I have already been in Krakow for 10 days! From Florence we had quite a few overnight trains, so no internet, and then had time in Serbia with my grandfathers family, so not much time. And then I really have no excuse for not posting since being in Krakow, apart from that I have been getting used to my new surroundings and the place that I will call 'home' for the next three-and-a-half months.

This will be a quick post - I am heading to Austria tonight as part of a European Study Tour (it's really only Italy and Austria that we are visiting). I am going with 16 American students who are from Tennessee, and it is really only organised for them, but they're letting me join in. It is going to be a whirlwind trip - I think someone said that we are visiting 14 places in 9 days! So we are leaving tonight at 10pm on an overnight bus to Graz in Austria and will end tomorrow in Vicenza, stopping in Palmanova on the way - you get the idea of how packed the trip is.

I am getting used to Krakow - it was quite a shock the first night that Shayne left, realising that I was meant to stay in this foreign country on the other side of the world for over 3 months, and I knew hardly anyone! And I didn't speak the language. But I am getting used to it. It will still be hard not being able to get in the car and drive for an hour-and-a-half and be home though. My room-mate, Jin, from Korea, is lovely, and has introduced me to students from Germany, Italy and Spain. At first I thought it would be very strange sharing a room, but it is actually quite nice, and fortunately we have a similar standard of tidiness!! There is a little entrance space before the room proper, separated by a door, that has a cupboard and fridge, and gives us an area to get dressed. There is a bathroom that we share with the people in the room next to us and this separates the two entrance areas. Next door there is Dejana, who is Serbian but lives in Vienna, and  Luzma (I'm not sure of the spelling), who is from Spain. Dejana is very lovely, and Luzma has only moved in in the past two days so we haven't seen much of her yet, but she seems nice.

Our corridor and the one above has only exchange students (no Polish), and they are from Spain, Mexico, Turkey, Portugal, Korea, Taiwan, Italy, Serbian, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Germany, Egypt, America, and me! (I think that is all the nationalities!) Am having a hard time remember all their names - especially when they are ones I am not familiar with. But everyone is very friendly. In the whole of the accommodation dormitories for the Politecknika there are 4 blocks, each with 10 floors, 28 rooms on each floor, with two people in each - you do the maths - lots of people! It is a fair way to travel to the university campus that I have most of my classes in: a bus to the city takes around 20 mins, then you get a tram to the campus which, depending on the bus you take and where you get off, can take from 10 to 15 minutes. Jin showed me the buses and stops to use to get the trip to half an hour - not including the walk to the bus (5 mins) and the walk to the uni from the tram stop (also around 5 mins), which is quite handy.

Anyway, that's a bit about my life in Krakow so far - I think I better finish packing. I will try to post some pictures of my room and the accommodation and university when I get back and will also attempt to fill you in on the rest of the time before I arrived in Krakow.

Cześć, Fiona