23/03/2010 - Where is all my money gone?

Traaari, traara... mail for you!
Wow. Mail. Something special... What can this be? I was really exited! And when I hopen it, I almost get a heard attac! This time, the mail is from American Express and states me how much money I spent in the last 3 weeks. Together with the cash, this was 5x more than I spent in a normal month in Germany. How this comes? I was in Poland... an emergin country, I should save money!
So, I start thinking, where I "invest" my money, which expanses I have had... There were no big ones. But all the money for food? I am eating sooo little! How can this be? Therefore I start to list all my expanses and yes: ALL FOR FOOD. I am going crazy! This coke her, the coffee there, some fruits, and a bottle water.... zack! 20 EUR per day gone. Per day! For cheap student food! Cannot be! I was very suprised and talked with my room mate about her average expenses. It seems, she only needs 300 zloty (=80EUR). The gap is really huge, so I start to do some research in different supermarkets. And the result is: Poland is really expansive in food. Almost all the packages are in german language, they import everything from germany! Of course than, the things here are more expansive. Also package size are smaller, therefore the price per kilogram is much higher: the additional package has to be paid, transportation costs, german subventions, and than they also need a margin... Uff... What to do now? Smuggel some salami :D

22/03/2010 The plan and what happen....

Last week, I was amazing busy. A lot of things happened, a lot work was done and there were continous parties, too.
FUnny thing is: whatever you plan... it will be different. Therfore, you could say, societies with a high uncertainity avoidance spent a lot of time and effort for... nothing. It will be different.
Germans belong to that group. And I love my plans. But sometimes I am happy if they do not come true...
More next

15/03/2010 Being single again

This morning has had 3 suprises for me:

1. A picture of my boyfriend with some lipstick. (I guess it is the same lipstick as the skinny girl with the faked boobs next to him is wearing)
2. A post on Facebook that my boyfriend is single now
3. Tons of snow

I mean, I am not stupid. I could imagine that he is not always busy by his studies. And I was from moment -2 (not from moment 0) doubting if our relationship will be successful (As we remember, I refused his first 3 proposals, because I did not believe in it). And I was thinking about splitting up since almost one month. But I was really suprised, that a man, giving a formal proposal use the facebook status to terminate a "serious, sustainable realtionship".

I mean, even I was not that mean... But maybe this are this intercultural differences... I do not know what I have to think about all the actions in the last 2 months. We have had very big problems by daily toipics (who cares how much, what are expectations from us, what is the goal from the other...) There were some arguments, which suprised me, because I did not seen my fault. On the otherhand, he also often did not understand why I was reacting in a special way. Sad, that we will never find out.

So, but talking about my feelings: Do I feel hurt? - Not really. I mean, we have had a nice time, nothing is lost. Do I feel confused? - Defently! I mean, I did not asked him for a relationship... Why are you demanding something, which you just dump some weeks later? Do I feel sad? - Yes. But not about loosing him, not about beeing dropped this "innovative way", not about having lost my love. It is more, I am sad that it was not working out. - Tick Tack - Sad, that this dream to join his family dispers. - Tick Tack - Sad, like with a not successfull project. - Tick Tack-. Does this feelings confuse me? Maybe. No. For sure a bit. And than this "Tick Tack" - Tick Tack - ... Will I ever have a nice "serious, sustainable" relationship? - Tick Tack -

But after all, I am not sad, I am not angry, I feel like I ever feel. I enjoyed the half meter of new snow, I enjoyed my walk in the sun, I enjoyed the group work, I enjoyed my swimming training. (In special, I enjoyed being upgrade in a better league... here are some delicacy)

Regarding to my task to write a diary ... I know what to write today. This topic is since long time in my head. Everywhere in Warsaw is a poster. I do not understand it in detail, but so much: Bartek is 20 years old and missed. I look on this poster, showing a smiling young man, who reminds me to an very good friend of mine. And I get immedetely sad. I feel with his family, I feel their worries, their sadness, their hope, their fear. And suddently, every thing is simple. Forget about intercultural values and communication and ethnocentric blablabla. All people around the world are simple and the same: They just want to be loved and wants their loved ones to be happy and well. This is all. So simple.

14/03/2010 Trashy weekend is over

It is Sunday noon. A trashy weekend face its end.
Normaly this weekend should be awesome. My friends from Latvia were comming and we decided to party as hard as possible. Well. I guess I am getting too old for that.
First their train was much too late, so they arrived somewhen rfiday night at 3 o'clock. And we were too tired to go out. Than on Saturday I was on a birthday from an other friend, before I wanted to meet with them at midnight. Unfortunatly, my taxidriver was not as nice as I wished and we discussed a very long time, and finaly, he droped me out somewhere in the streets, not willing to drive me longer. There a person come to me and had had an accident with his alcohol on my coat. The next taxidriver refused to open the windows. My coat was smelling from that alcohol, the whole taxy was smelling, I felt more and more sick, he was driving very curvy (? is there such a word?) and ... it happend.... I was too sick to meet up with my friends. (and they would not let me in a club in this condition). So, I went home, going to sleep, without having seen my nice friends :-( At all :-(((((((.
Next morning (=today) I wake up and puhhhhh! the whole room is smelling. bääääääää. I ask the girls for a laudry service... but as usual, they have no idea. I ask for a nice breakfast place and as usual.... no idea. Sometimes it is really hard for me not to think they are stupid.
I am sure they are smart, but they have often a completely different view on their city. Completely different interests. Therefore, there are a lot of questions they cannot answer (nice bars, cool clubs, gym, laundry, restaurants, jewelery shops, tailors, hairdressers, waxing service, grosseries, ...) Which frustrates me. This morning, I was very frustrated. I started to have some "fcking Poland" thoughts in my head. Very bad words and thoughts connected with Poland, and people living in this country. (And Poland is normaly one country I like very much. I spent here all my holidays for years. I always applied for projects in Poland and I have had always a great time. Especially in Warsaw.) So my anger shifted from Poland to bad thoughts about my room mate. Knowing Warsaw beeing a cool city, I blamed her (in my thoughts) to be stupid. Too stupid to know her own city, too yokel to have the nice live.
Of course I know it is not true. And as you can see it above, I have an approach to explain it. But in this morning, I felt like that.

So what to do? Of course, I am not rational, I am getting more and more exiting about it. So I searched my favorite song: "Heimweh" from Plüsch (Home sick) and played it and played it and sang my favorite line with it and played it again.

i ha ke luscht me ds bliibe i ghöre eifach nid da hi ha zwar alls probiert doch
das isch eifach nüt für mi u i ha heimweh nach de bärge nach em schoggi und em
wy nach de wälder nach de seeä

Meaning: I do not want to stay here anymore, I just do not fit here. I tryed everything, but it doesnt fit me. I am homesick for the mountans, for the chocolate and the wine. Missing the forrests and the lakes.

Than while hearing I start writing my blog from friday and watched the nice pictures from the olympia swimmers and springboards.... Feeling good now.

12/03/2010 French Swimming P.E.

Friday morning, no appointments, no work to do... But not for me. Sleeping in that suboptimal beds cause me some problems with my back. Thus, I decided to do more sport, especially swimming to strength my muscles. So, up from today, I will have every friday morning my swimming P.E. . P.E. stands for physical education, a class from Warsaw University. (Which is super cheap, so I joined). A P.E. is very different to the Uni-Sport I know from German universities. Every student in Poland has to join a (and only one) sportsclass per semester. The teachers are there and checking the attendency, and if you are missing more than twice, you are out and failed in sport, with all the consequences. Which consequences this are, - I have no idea... But I will ask. Therefore, the students are "very motivated". I recognized very fast their major goal is to pass the time with the least possible effort. In fact, we swam not far, not fast and without any advanced technic.

Well, this was not exactly what I wanted. my motivation to go for the swimming, was

1. to swimm fast (my friends know, I am used to swimm 1h ( = 2.5km) a day),
2. improve my technic
3. form my body and
4. check out the nice shaped profi-swimmers. =) Check this page out: http://breathingtubes.livejournal.com/135938.html?thread=421890

So, 1.) nono. ... we swam in 1 hour just 1 km. 2.) the teacher was nice, but what technic you want improve, if the other ladies amlost sinc by normal breast stroke? Without hard trainig, I also do not think i will reach my 3.) goal andthe 4.).... forget about it. My friends told me, there would be the university profi swimming team training... Well, maybe an other day.. but for sure not on friday morning. No tall strang men. Not at all.
But a big suprise: After we found out that my old polish swimming teacher do not speak any word english, he started to speak with me in perfect french! Wohow! Great hearing this nice language!

06/03/2010 - New task: Write a diary

Well, this is not my first time in Poland. I like the country a lot and I have several very good memories connected with the people. So, I am familar with a lot of things. Now, it get complicated, because I received a task to write a diary, in which I describe my cultural shocks and anaylise why I was suprised, what is the differences to my home country and how I could use my international experience to adapt. Hmmmm. Woould this be my first time in Poland, it would be easier. Of course I have had some strange experiences in the last days. Like this really wierd aerobic class, where the teacher was doing 30 minutes just one excercise. And it was not balanced between right and left side, for left side, I guess she was tired. She was not using the international standard movements, but inventing funny new ones- But that doesn't matter for the girls... never seen such uncoordinated girls. They were always crashing in each others... Wierd. But I have had also very professional aerobic classes in Poland, thus, I know, it is not "polish" , maybe it is just this group, maybe just the teacher.
Also, I do not think that all taxi drivers are mad, only because one has had a bad day.
Furthurmore, the infrastructure (Shops, domitories, flats, ..) is different to germany, but not diferent to me.
Thus, to write this diary (minimum 2 posts a day, including pictures) is for me a real challange. But I will try. I thought a long time, to find something which is generic for all the polish. And yesterday night, I recognize: Polish girls are sery beautiful. As a rule. The most of them have beautiful blue eyes, nice faces, and awesome shapes. BUT (also as rule): They spoil all the benefits with the lack of style and class. :-( Maybe this sounds unfair, but they have perfect assets, but than they have yellow died hair, strange haircuts, olod fashion knitted dresses, flat boots, cheap "jewels", plastic purses and so. This matches with the fact, that there is no single cartier or chopard shop in Poland. Also Warsaw, as capital, has no representative high fashion shop. Why is this like that? (Do not come with the argument of Communism... just have a look on the Russian ladies) No idea. Maybe this is the first topic for my research. :-)

05/03/2010 Whenever you feel the most lonely, your friends will appear

Sometimes, everything seems to go wrong. People in your surroundment are treating you bad, your family is far away and you are getting to loose the closest person you have had in live. everything seems to go wrong and you are absolut down and depressed.... And than the news: A friend of your living next door and your girls are on the way to town! The clouds break and the sunshine comes back to your face!

Что мне снег что мне зной -Что мне дождик проливной - Когда мои друзья со мной
What makes me snow, what makes me heat, what makes me strong rain - as long as my friends are with me!

And than, I met today a new friend. She is wounderful, very kind and motivated. We have had immedantly a strong connection and shared private feelings and thoughts. Unplanned we spent the whole afternoon together and also tonight, we will meet again for clubbing.

Just trust. If you need someone, someone will come to you!

02/03/2010 Learning about Cultural Differences

Staying with 2 polish girls in a room is harder as thought. Those girls are completely different to what I have in experience with russian, ukrain or german girls. This is best shown by the care they give to others and how they respect privacy or keep their own privacy.
In some things, there are very generous and open, in other things most close. Funnily, they behaver is complete different to what I would do or expect.
All the things of the others can easily be uses: The PC, the hairthings, plates, kittchenstuff and so on. Very nice. Normal things like changing clothes is a big issue. I have never seen one of the girls half naked, or in underwear. If they change the slip, they put first the other clothers on, than they change the underwear. On the other hand, they have no problems to have some sexy time with their boyfriend, which is kind of disturbing me, if I also want to be in my room to do some work. They also see no problem with drying the hair at 1 o'clock in the night, when others want to sleep, or to ignore the alarmclock at 5:00 in the morning as long as all others are awake. And than to ensure, no one is sleeping anymore: she puts all the lights on and is noisy! I have no clue how long I can rest with 4 hours sleep per night.
Those girls are also very communicative. There are always some friends, so that in average there are 5 people in our 12 sqm room. They are loud discussing, ordering pizza, or and watching movies. That others (I) ight have a need to sleep or the wish to change the clothers, cream myself after a shower, study, watch a movie or something else... I guess there is no awareness.
Also in general life issues, you can see a very different perspective on things:
They are very catholic and we have had long discussions about marriage, loyality and cheating partners. Completely different view! The polish girls think, that a girl can the same work aas a man, and that the couple stay together until the end of their life. Men do not cheat if the wife gets old and fat or uggly, because those men also get old. And if men cheat their women, if they are pregnant, this would be unfair. (jaja, life is always fair - hahahaha)
I really hope the polish life will stay like that... but it is hard to me to believe, this is true :D