This blog is intended to be a series of random anecdotes, videos, and other media about my daily life as a curious foreigner in in foreign countries. From my misadventures, endearing cultural experiences, friendships, and strange encounters, to the coffee shops and language pitfalls, I promise to share it all!
After a spell of an unusually cold and snowy introduction to the winter, there was a brief pause in the frigid temperatures this weekend. As a matter of fact, It was just brief enough to pop out for a stroll down Novy Swiat and on through the old town in Warsaw to see Christmas lights and other ornate decorations in all of its phosphorescence.
Most of the Downtown of Warsaw is strung up with Christmas lights, and it's hard not to notice the large array of shiny decorated lights everywhere you walk. If you're feeling cooped up from the recent cold temperatures, a good way to confront the loneliness is to bundle up and step out for some fresh air in the old town, and to have a look at the well decorated streets in all its Christmas glory. The best way is to start from the Three Crosses Church, and continue on Nowy Swiat and down through Krakowskie Przedmiescie past the Presidential Palace. From here just follow the crowd to the Castle. Check out the gargantuan tree flashing as you approach. From there it's just a few steps to the home stretch on the square, where you can warm yourself with some hot wine from one of the kiosks at the Christmas Market. Have a look at my video from the journey!
There is one word I often associate with myself, and those who know me probably associate me with the word too. That word is naive. Case in point, despite graduating from a relatively esteemed University in Northern California, I have to admit, going back to school after a ten year proverbial lost weekend has been a lot more challenging than I could have ever predicted. Despite reading enough books over the past ten years to fill a small apartment, and having more than enough motivation to pursue a graduate degree, I’ve encountered a few problems coping with the first year back in school. Getting back into the groove of school wasn’t easy. It would be naive to think it would be.
Why was I naive? I can give you two reasons. The first was that I thought my life experience would overcompensate for the fact that I wasn’t the best student during my bachelor’s studies. The second reason is that I didn’t have any clue on how to study effectively when I started last year. I was too ambitious and I tried to read everything required for the course, but I wasn’t able to focus on the most relevant themes or ideas. Additionally, since I didn’t consider changes in technology over the past ten years, I wasn’t able to save that precious time that could have been saved by consulting the internet.
This is not to say I have been completely unsuccessful. I am still managing high marks, and maintaining a pleasant and quite informal rapport with my classmates and professors. As a bonus I seem to get along with everyone. In one sense, having old school manners helps in some respects, it’s one of my advantages. It is true, my likeableness has always been a plus, and that is one of my good qualities. Even better, on another positive note; currently looking back at the first year, I have evolved into a more realistic and effective student. After a daunting first year, the second academic year feels more breathable, and I should manage to finish with decent enough marks
Nevertheless, in the beginning, the first year of coming back to school for me was a wake- up call in several aspects. So if you’re mulling over your inner voice calling you to pursue a two –year master’s degree after a decade or more long break from school, then don’t fret! For now simply pay heed to some simple advice to make the beginning less problematic for you, so you won’t find yourself as lost as I was. Of course, the most important change over the last ten years has been the speed and availability of the internet, and everything that goes with it. Ten years ago, I had (barely) an internet connection, but I wasn’t connected in today’s sense. The Wiki-world ten years ago it wasn’t. Doing research ten years ago back in the late 90’s required a little more leg-work. Therefore, searching for knowledge took a bit more effort. For technophobes like me, it sometimes seems counter-intuitive to just search whatever is being researched on the net. To make a long story short, I have learnt to embrace the internet instead of shy away from it. Everybody else is doing it, you should too!
However, be forewarned. With the internet comes all the information you would ever need-and don’t! Joseph Nye has a famous quip called ‘the paradox of plenty,’ meaning that there is a swarm of information infesting us these days that you need to pay heed to legitimacy and academic appropriateness of it to do proper research. With an overabundance of information, your source can be more important than the material itself. For this, simply googling something might not be enough for gathering materials for thesis writing. The main search engines such as Google and yahoo are more often used for commerce, but building scholarship can be difficult through these engines. I have discovered places like J-Store and Pro-Quest search engines, which are solely academic sites, and are more trusted with doing research. The University Libraries should have these installed in their computers. Regardless, the best advice is to always consider how reliable your source is. These days with the internet everyone can pass as an expert!
Yet, as you know not everything you learn will exist over the internet. One will eventually have to read a book or two. Recalling my first world politics class, I can attest that I had to read a plethora of them. The reading comprehension wasn’t the difficult part. What really tortured me were my weak time management skills. For me, everything is interesting, yet when learning academically, one really needs to know what is relevant and what isn’t. As was the problem when I had to read a lengthy article and give a short presentation on one main idea. My fault was that I read the article and summarized every single idea the author had written. My task was to give a short analysis on Kissinger’s reasons for the end of the Cold War.
What my result was to say the least-different. The professor wanted a short and sweet, albeit direct summary of the fore mentioned topic, alas I presented my fifteen page summary of the entire article which consisted of me giving a boring lecture of every treaty and meeting between the 1970’s and 1980’s between the USA and the Soviet Union. The problem was that in reading everything, I wasted a lot of time, and wasn’t able to pin-point the main idea clearly, which is kind of the point in academic life-getting the main idea. We all have ideas, but to study someone else’s ideas you need to understand them.
I had a bumper sticker on my car once that said; ‘the truly educated never graduate.’ I consider myself educated, I can’t tell you how truly although I’m still learning. What’s truly interesting though about learning, is peeling away some of the layers, and understanding that the learning process is educational itself. Regardless, I tell everyone that if I won the lottery, I’d always study. Learning is important. For what end, it’s hard to say. We’re all different. Maybe I’m naïve, but learning isn’t really a bad thing.
Below is a short interview with a couple of my younger but more successful classmates!
Author and New York Times Foreign Corespondent Thomas Friedman in a recent article called our current epoch of radically changing weather conditions 'global weirding.' For me it's an honest expression, without any political connotations. It doesn't imply much, other than the fact that hey, weird things have been happening with the weather.
Take Warsaw for instance. Maybe it isn't exactly weird for you, but for a Californian boy, it's odd to see so much snow before December. In my own bemusement, I spent a cold afternoon documenting some of this weirdness in Warsaw. Winter has come early here.
Warsaw is a city that has no shortage of symbols. Chopin, Copernicus, and the historically appreciated statue of General Pilsudski stoically standing guard near Plac Bankowy are just to name a few. They are all appreciated and iconic in their own right. Yet, none seems to grace Warsaw with their presence in such a refined and graceful way as Syrena the Mermaid.
The legend of the mermaid is normally attributed to the sea, however in Warsaw it is another matter entirely. Syrena the fair lady of the capital resides permanently in numerous locations. For example she can easily be recognized on the square and on Swietokrzyski Bridge near the University library. Her permanent stature there wielding sword and shield is a symbol of beauty and guidance. Moreover, in a more transitory context you can see the permeating beauty of Warsaw on busses and trams as you guide your way around the center. She will also be the symbol for the 2012 Euro Football Championship, which will be co-hosted by Poland and the Ukraine.
The legend is that she helped Prince Kazimierz find his way during a hunting expedition by firing burning arrows into the sky. After finding his way, I hope he thanked her. Regardless, the original statue is in a museum, where the model for the statue was actress Krystyna Krahelska.
A couple of weeks ago a giant sized egg appeared in front of my work. How did it get there? Who hatched this odd monstrosity? Anyway, after taking a few minutes peeking inside, I noticed that it was an ingenious display of a modern ecological community in action. In side of the tiny peepholes, one can gander at a mix of a variety of activities occurring in an environmentally safe world. Also, what's even more interesting is that it becomes interactive. With a touch of a button, you can make a windmill turn, or make a bird cross over a modern lake house. Pushing the magic buttons can even control the direction of movement of a little farmer checking out the affairs of his property. Indeed, it's little things like this that keep me entertained, and since it's next to my employer(see shameless plug in video), things like this will also make me late for work. For that I sincerly apologize for my tardiness. I'll be there soon.
This year, 2010 is the 200th birthday of Chopin. Obviously he isn’t kicking around in physical form, but in Warsaw his music is alive and well. Actually, I need to back up a tad. Come to think of it, technically part of him does physically exist in Warsaw-his heart, which is buried in a church across from the University. Nevertheless, Chopin is as much as a symbol of the Polish nation as any national hero can be anywhere on the planet. They named the airport after him! We’re talking John Wayne status.
Kidding aside, what’s even better is that his music is just as beloved everywhere else in the world as it is here in Poland. Therefore, it’s your loss if you have never taken the time to enjoy his music. Also, if you are not a classical music fan, then listening to Chopin might actually make you one. Moreover, if you are a music lover, but haven’t had the pleasure to listen to his amazing piano creations, then you should at least pick up a CD.
What would be even better though, if you find yourself here during the summer you could treat yourself to one of the free Chopin concerts in Lazienki Park? If you haven’t had the chance, there is still time until the 25th of September. The performances are at 12:00, and 4pm. If the weather disappoints, the music won’t. Even gazing at the imposing statue of Chopin next to the stage is an experience. If you can’t make it in time, there is a plethora of Chopin exhibits and concerts all over Warsaw this year to commemorate his 200th birthday.
Regardless, as free summer concerts go, this one was a pleasant surprise. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon in a European capital than listening to Chopin concertos and lazing in the sun. It was definitely a few notches up the proverbial musical staff than the disappointing Orange Festival in Warsaw last week. In grading, Chopin received an A sharp, but alas many would give the Orange Festival an F minor. Anyway,that is neither here nor there. As an extra FYI, please enjoy the video posted below of the free concert we went to last month.
And, if you want, you can check out the concerts here online: www.koncertychopinowskie.pl
Imagine going on a fly-along in 1945 over the Vistula River after Warsaw was obliterated b y the Germans. Picture to yourself the sight before you of an entire horizon of decimated and ruined buildings. The wreckage itself is a potent reminder of the harsh realities of war. Worse, is the reality that the city which was home to 1.3 million residents just before the war, was left with approximately 1000 survivors after the war.
Today, I saw for myself how the end of World War II unfolded in Poland. A current exhibit at the Warsaw Uprising Museum is showcasing a 3D film of aerial footage of Warsaw after it was annihilated by the Germans in 1945. For 7 zlotys you can see it too. The film’s footage is essentially a recreation of Warsaw in 3D. The city which was meticulously recreated, gives on the feeling of being on a sweeping flyover in the past. For five minutes you see nothing but a crumbled mass of a once thriving capital. The film, despite being short, is effective at proving as a grim reminder of the destruction caused in Warsaw.
The result of the destruction is rooted in the Warsaw uprising, and the Russia’s failure to help the Polish Army in attacking the occupying Nazi’s. On August 1st 1944, the Polish Home Army launched a strategic attack on the occupying Nazi army, while hoping the approaching Soviet Army would relieve some of the burden on the Poles to the strong opposition of the Nazi’s. However, despite waiting on the opposite bank of the Vistula River for some time, the Soviet Army refused to intervene until the Germans completely destroyed Warsaw.
After the war, Warsaw was in ruins. The Soviet Army occupied Warsaw, and Poland, and thus, the beginning of Poland’s division from the West. It’s hard to imagine now sitting in a Starbucks just a few meters from the museum, how much has actually changed in such a short time. Speaking of modernity, here's the link to the trailer posted on Youtube. Also, take a peek at some of the photos I took during my brief visit to the museum.
