Realization of the week:
All female Polish names end in “a”. I don’t know why, but this is fascinating to me! I have 87 female students, and all of their names end in “a”. Kamila, Kasia, Basia, Barbara, Ada, Aga, Madga, Ania, Anna, Justyna, Renata, Ala, Danuta, Karolina...Perhaps students prefer calling me “Miss Sarah” because (well, if you spell it “Sara”) it fits into their understanding of female names!
Gesture language:
My dad and sister Claire are visiting this week before we travel to London for Christmas with my mom and youngest sister Kate! I’m delighted to have them visit and have the opportunity to show them around my home for the year. Next weekend, we’re traveling to Krakow and staying at a fantastic hostel I discovered this fall. The hostel website’s FAQ section includes the question “what languages do the staff speak?” The answer: “Polish, English, and Gesture Language.” I too am a fluent speaker of “Gesture Language.” This week, I bought two pairs of pants. Gesture language was very helpful because I needed assistance from salespeople in both stores. However, I have to tell a great story about buying my dress pants. Colleen (my fellow American teacher in Cieszyn and next door neighbor) kindly accompanied me on my mission (I hate buying pants in America too). At one store, I found a pair that fit perfectly, and Colleen offered to hold them because I wanted to look at a couple skirts. A salesperson approached Colleen and asked her a couple questions she didn't understand (she was probably asking if we wanted the pants held at the register or if she could return them to the rack if we didn’t want them). Not wanting to part with the pants, Colleen picked a verb we knew and in a moment of panic and brilliance said “kocham to” (translation: I love it [i.e., the pants]). The salesperson laughed and laughed but let Colleen keep the pants! I like to think that my inability to communicate and the very simplistic language I use when I do (miraculously!) know context-appropriate Polish words bring great joy to other people’s lives. I have wonderful stories to tell about my students and their exploration of the English language, and people in the community and at my school have great stories to tell about me and my attempts to master Polish!
Clogged drains:
I had a dinner celebration on Wednesday with two Polish friends – Bozena and Rafał - who moved into a new apartment this week. We were talking about “home improvement,” and Bozena told us a story about the shower in their old apartment. She opened the story by saying that the drain was very clogged – but she quickly clarified by saying that it was clogged “not with her hair” but “someone else’s hair.” It’s reassuring to know that women around the world blame clogged drains on other people’s hair.
Christmas decorations:
Colleen and I decorated our Christmas tree this week. Living in an apartment inhabited by American teachers for the past 10 years is a blessing when you discover that someone years ago bought a 3-foot fake Christmas tree and left it for future Americans to enjoy! We created a garland of mini snowflakes to hang on the tree and also made an angel for the top out of a paper plate (a Czech paper plate, I should say, because they do not sell paper plates in Poland; see picture above)! We wrote 15 greetings for the angel to hold – one for every day before Christmas. Every day she holds a different Christmas greeting in a different language. The Christmas greetings are written in 15 of the languages we read on food labels every day – including Bulgarian, Hungarian, Russian, Czech, and Latvian. Here’s a picture of the angel with the Polish greeting for Christmas – “Wesołych Świąt!” Interestingly, “Wesołych Świąt!” is also the greeting you say to wish someone a happy Easter! ("Isn't this confusing?" I asked one of my students. "No," he said. "If it's December, the person is saying 'Merry Christmas' and if it's spring the person is saying 'Happy Easter.'")
A haircut:
I went to get my hair cut last week (and dragged Colleen along too)! My first haircut in Poland. Cost: $5 (14 PLN or złotych). Looking in the Lonely Planet Polish phrase book and discovering that one of the five essential “hairdressing phrases” they list is “I should never have come here!” (“Załuję ze tu przyszłam!”): Priceless. Here’s a picture of Colleen and me after our haircuts. Luckily we didn't need to say "Załuję ze tu przyszłam!”
Cookie party:
Colleen and I are hosting a Christmas party after school on Monday. This weekend we baked 15 dozen sugar cookies for the students to decorate and we’re also planning to sing carols. When I announced the party in my classes last week, the students had a couple reactions. My youngest students were a little confused. Extracurricular activities don’t exist in Polish schools. There are no sport teams, musical groups, or clubs that meet before or after school. Students arrive for their first lesson and leave immediately after their last. A couple students asked me if they would receive a grade at the party (ummm...no). Others thought all my classes were canceled for next week and that’s why we were meeting after school for a make-up class (ummm...no). Luckily, after a little clarification, the students understood. I asked them to put their names on a sign up sheet so we would know how many cookies to bake. Two 8th grade girls ran up to me on Thursday and told me excitedly “Miss Sarah, we signed up for the party, and we put exclamation!” A couple students had written question marks next to their names on the sign up sheet because they didn’t know yet if they could stay after school on Monday. My two girls, Agata and Marta, put “exclamation” (exclamation points) after their names.
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