Archives for 2013

10/5/13

Another busy day in Warsaw with my family.

For breakfast we ate at Charlotte’s, it is located in the main city by the giant Rolex building. I ate orange and honey French toast. The bread is all made fresh in the restaurant. Ania ate an egg sunny side up with one tomato and a basket of fresh bread. You can eat the bread with a choice of jam or Charlotte’s chocolates. We ate it with Charlotte’s milk chocolate, white chocolate, and strawberry jam with cinnamon. My host mom had an omelet and my host dad had the same as Ania.

We went to the Palace of Wilanowie, home of King Jan III and his wife. They only had 3 children that reached maturity. The outside is a beautiful yellow color with beautiful crown molding on the borders. Surrounding the building is green grass hills and yellow, green, orange trees. Everyone is right when they say the gold autumn in Poland is gorgeous. The palace has little to no original furniture left over from the family. The paintings along the walls and on the ceilings are breathe taking. The palace and the ground is quite large. We walked in a circle around the palace grounds. Along the grounds were 4 bride and grooms taking their wedding pictures. All the couples looked spectacular intertwined with the beautiful scenery.

My family and I made our way to the Old Town where I saw a man covered in artificial flowers standing in a flower pot. It was so amusing seeing people try and grab tourists’ attention. There were horse drawn carriages standing in the streets waiting for customers. The castle sitting in the square looks grand but it was closed by the time we got there. Next time I visit Warsaw my host parents promised to take me.

On the long ride home from Warsaw, Ania and I ended up sleeping the whole way home. My host dad always says, “Too much air helps you sleep easy at night.” He is completely right.

Stephanie Raquel

10/4/13

This morning I felt horrible. I stood up and felt extremely dizzy. My stomach is also turning inside out. All I want to do is throw up. I couldn’t possibly go to school feeling this way. My host dad made me mint tea and let me sleep instead of going to school. I then had a fever so I turned on the heater next to my bed and bundled up with blankets. At 8 am (my time) I called my mom which was 2 am her time. All I did was cry to my mom because being sick in a foreign country without my mom is very upsetting. She told me to take the medicine I brought from home, drink lots of fluids, and sleep. Around 11 am I was feeling a little better so I took a cool shower and made myself toast. It seemed safe to say that I was healthy enough to still go to Warsaw with my family.

My host dad and I left to pick up Ania at her house around 1 pm. (Ania is my host cousin on my dad’s side). My head started to act up in the car so I slept most of the way to Warsaw. Ania only slept a little bit which made me feel a little better for letting my host dad be the only one awake in the car.

Warsaw is such a nice city! It is a European style of New York and Philadelphia, but has no skyscrapers. We went to the Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki) which was a gift from the Russians to Poland after World War II. We went to the top terrace where you can see all of Warsaw. The building is gorgeous on the outside.

Back at the Golden Terrace Mall (Złote Tarasy), we met up with my host mom after her conference. The mall is quite large and has a wide variety of stores. Warsaw is known to have any store you desire including Louis Vuitton and Victoria Secret. I ended up buying 2 sweaters in white and navy blue to hold me over in the winter weather. The only stores Warsaw does not have are Macy’s and DSW Shoes, but their stores make up for the loss. At TK Maxx (not TJ Maxx) I bought two winter jackets. My host mom bought a pair of boots.

When I was trying on coats, I started to feel bad again. My temperature was rising and I wanted to throw up. At supper I ate chicken noodle soup and drank a cold Coca-Cola. My host mom gave me Advil and we went back to the hotel.

Ania and I roomed together in the hotel room and for hours we just talked in bed. She told me all about her friends, family, and adorable dog. It was so nice getting to know her. Talking to Ania about my life, felt like I was talking to an old friend. She and I get along so well. It is so nice to have Ania visiting Warsaw with me. I also hope we become lifelong friends.

Stephanie Raquel

9/29/13

My host dad woke up at 6 am…I heard everything. My host mom woke up at 8 am…I heard everything. I finally woke up at 9:30 am when my host mom woke me up for breakfast.

I ate perogies for brunch. There were other things on the table like mushrooms but I only wanted to eat perogies for brunch. I wasn’t full after the 3 perogies but I didn’t want anything else.

We left at 11:30 am for Busko’s main city square. I saw the beautiful sanatorium building that smells like sulfur. This city is dedicated to retirement people and people with sicknesses focusing on recovering. The old people are sitting within the large park playing instruments like the accordion. The park in the middle of town is huge because it helped the town maintain a clean atmosphere. My host parents said we will be back in the city in the winter and spring to see the park in the different seasons. Chestnuts grow on the trees here for the fall and in the spring large white flowers grow on the trees.

Next we visited my host Aunt Ellen’s father. He is 90 years old and lives alone in a town house. His faithful dog had recently passed away and his grandson bought him a brown lab to replace the dog. The puppy keeps him company when he gardens and makes him stay active by having to walk him daily. Today we took the dog for a walk in the backyard and I got to play with her. Her name is Baya and she has beautiful blue eyes. In the garden she bit the fur on the Uggs because she thought it was an animal. My Uggs also probably smell like other animals. When I go back to New Jersey I definitely want a dog like Baya.

Once we left the puppy, my host parents took me to the Krzyztopor Castle that was built in 1631. I couldn’t imagining living in the castle. The architecture matches the design of a calendar. There are 365 windows for 365 days, 4 main quarters for the 4 seasons, and 12 hallways for the 12 months. Most of the floor and décor is missing but the structure is still standing. The family only lived in this house for 11 years after it was designed because all the family had passed away. There are texts still written on some walls and passage way accessible to the public.

While we were there, there were brides taking their wedding pictures throughout the castle. I saw about 3 couples laying on the grass, leaning against the walls, or standing in passageways. October is a popular month to get married in Poland. Any month that contains the letter “R” in the month is good luck to get married. If you get married during the other months…well it’s just unheard of to be married then.

It was nice spending the weekend with my host parents with their relatives. I am lucky to have a family that is very welcoming and opens their house to me.

Stephanie Raquel

9/28/13

It’s is 8am and I am waiting on my bed to go to my Aunt and Uncle’s house. My parents are taking me there to visit the beautiful nature surrounding their house. They live in a lake with trees, flowers, and many antique farming tools placed in the yard. It is very peaceful and quiet.

The ride is about 3 hours to get there. After everyone is introduced and greetings are exchanged, my parents and I are served dinner. Dinner is tartar but with fish and sliced bread. I do my best to eat the tartar but the fish taste is making it impossible for me to find it appetizing. I covered up the taste by jamming as much bread in my mouth as possible. They also served me gas water which is bubbly and unappealing. This made it hard to wash everything down my throat. This was an unfortunate situation.

My uncle loves to exercise so we hiked for 3 hours up and down steep hills and across farms. I started the hike with clean Uggs, a long sleeves shirt, a thick sweatshirt, North Face jacket, and a warm scarf. By the end of the hike I had dirty Uggs and only wore the long sleeve shirt.

Back at the house I had collapsed on the couch outside and refused to get up. All I wanted to do was sleep for the next 2 days. Then I had a major craving for chocolate. This craving did not go away no matter how hard I tried to push it in the back of my head. My host mom was staring at me too so it would make it impossible to sneak the chocolate in my mouth without her seeing. As soon as she got up to use the bathroom I had maneuvered the chocolate out of my backpack and broken a small piece into my hand. When she got back, I was now holding the chocolate. My host dad called her over to the outdoor kitchen which gave me enough time to put the chocolate in my mouth and have the wrapper shoved into my backpack pocket. My host mom is very observant so when she came back, I tried to camouflage my chews by scratching my cheek with my hand.

For supper, we all ate on the dining room table siting on the dock above the lake. The table accompanied the 8 of us. I ate cabbage filled blintzes which wasn’t the best but the ketchup made it delicious. As soon as I was full, I got super tired and couldn’t keep my head up. My host dad gave me his puffy vest to keep warm and my host mom took me inside to watch TV. I couldn’t figure out how to work the clicker so by accident I recorded 2 shows. Eventually I got it to play a British show and converted it into English.

After a few hours of sitting on the warm couch, my host dad and uncle got a fire started outside. I went with my host dad to sit with everyone. My host uncle told me I looked like the angels and saints that are painted on the murals in church. When the fire reflects off my face and my features, it makes me angelic. This is an absolutely huge compliment that I have never heard before. I feel so honored and warm inside.

In Poland sometimes the houses and bathrooms are designed for different sized people. In my family’s house, their downstairs is an open room with a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, and dining room. Upstairs is an open room as well with 4 big beds laying on the ground with 1 bathroom in the corner. I took a “shower” in the tiny bathtub that had no shower curtain. The ceiling was also on a slant so I had to sit on my knees and kept my head in my lap when I had to rinse the shampoo out of it. It was hard not to get water all over the floor no matter how hard I tried.

After the hot shower in the tiny tub, I shimmied into my sleeping bag on the flat mattress. I was sleeping in the same room as my host parents which was a little odd to me. I could hear everything they did when they came upstairs to go to sleep. Privacy is not an option in this house.

Stephanie Raquel

9/22/13

Every Sunday I attend church with my host family to honor their lord and be respectful to their religion. At the church…this is where I become very homesick. My eyes always look at the families sitting around me. The mothers are hugging their daughters and the sons are imitating their fathers. All the little girls are dressed up in dressed while carrying purses just like their mothers. It makes me miss my family very much. I wish I could hug my mom and hear her say, “Hi babe.” I think about the day that I will come home from exchange and finally get to hug my parents. I tell myself it’s going to be a long year if I keep thinking about this, but I can’t help myself from imagining. I imagine walking through the baggage claim with all of my suitcases and seeing my family. Tears of sorrow and happiness will be running down my cheeks because I just left my life in Poland to come back to this life in USA. Church is the only time I let myself think about being home with my family because I see all the families embracing around me.

It’s okay to be sad every Sunday but anymore will just be unnecessary sorrow.

Stephanie Raquel

9/21/13

Even though the weather is wet and a little chilly, I had a fun time in Zamosc with my Lublin Ladies. Ashley’s (ME) host father took Sunny, Lana (Brazil), and I to Zamosc to visit the city. We walked around the beautiful Old Town. The buildings are painted vibrant blue, green, yellow, and purple. If the sun was shining today it would display the colors more beautifully.

We ate dinner at a restaurant undergrown in the Old Town. It looked to be a wine cellar but it was made for a restaurant. Lana and Sunny had trouble ordering with the menu being in English so I ordered for the girls also. We had hot chocolate and spaghetti Bolognese. It was warm for the weather but delicious as well.

Then we went to a small shop where I bought a pin saying Zamosc for my Rotary Blazer. There was also a plate with Zamosc painted on the front and gold spots decorating the tops of the buildings. I want to put it on the book case next to the fire place back at home in New Jersey. When I go shopping in beautiful Old Towns, I try to find objects that are uniquely beautiful for my book case.

Sunny and I decided to take our flags out and take pictures with the beautiful buildings. When I was walking back to Ashley and Lana I heard, “USA!” I got extremely excited and screamed “Yea USA!” I never realized how patriotic I am for America until I got to Europe and wanted everyone to know I am American. I now draw big USA letters in my notebook and on bathroom walls.

Ashley’s host dad took us to a gorgeous old church where the man who founded Zamosc is buried. We went to the town next to the church and at the top you can see over all over Zamosc. After taking hundreds of pictures, we head over to the old synagogue in the Old Town. I am shocked this building had survived all of WWII. The building is now turned into a museum to education others about the history for the Jew in Zamosc before and after WWII.

We had plans to visit the Zamosc zoo because it is a historical zoo but the rain made it impossible for us to visit. We instead visited the gate that allowed the only access to the city centuries ago. It was a nice adventure.

Stephanie Raquel

9/20/13

Happy 1 Month Anniversary to Me and Poland!

Every counselor, inbound student, or past exchange student has told me that the first month of exchange is the absolute hardest. It is the month of adjusting, learning, adapting, and emotions. This is the time where you test yourself for the strength deep down in your body to pursue the next 9 months of the exchange. The hard times are not over and won’t stop until years after your exchange. I have pushed through the heartache when my boyfriend broke up with me, the homesickness when I severely missed my family, and emotions when the kids from school were too scared to talk to me but gladly talked to the other exchange student sitting right next to me. In this past month I have eradicated some stereotypes about America including always eating at fast food places; introduced American culture to other exchange students like Miss America; and grown closer connections to the other American exchange students instead of focusing on the friendships back in New Jersey. There have been many things out of my control such as being available at certain time for the people in New Jersey, but I am in control of my happiness in Poland.

From this month forward I declare a promise to myself:

            I will hereby not think about activities occurring in New Jersey and say, “I wish

            I was here.” I will try everything new here, eat new things, and travel to new places.

            I will also focus on the people around me and make great connections with them. I, Stephanie Raquel Kneble, will be super happy during my exchange and be grateful               towards everyone and everything even after I return.

Being a student ambassador for the USA is a huge responsibility and I will represent my country with great pride. This is only the beginning of the thousands of things I will accomplish over the next 9 months.

Stephanie Raquel

9/17/13

Riding 6 hours back to Lublin didn’t seem so terrible, but that ride turned into 7 long hours. This ride was extended because a high speed train was behind us and our train needed to get out of the way. At the Warsaw station we were delayed for 15 minutes because the train’s engine needed to be checked. This delay caused our train to get in the way of other scheduled trains. For 30 minutes we sat on side tracks while 2 high speed trains passed us. It was a long 7 hours that was complete torture. I listened to my playlist on my iPod 10-15 times because I had it on repeat, now I know all the songs by heart.

My morning started off well with Nutella filled crepes and apple juice. Without this delicious food, I would have been beyond cranky on the train. I also packed some cookies and chocolate bars in my bag for the ride. Sadly, I did not pack 7 hours’ worth of food to keep me happy.

Around 7 pm, we all started becoming restless and hungry. Agata, Szymon, and I walked to the restaurant car of the train and ordered ourselves food. It was very interesting to see all the different seating arrangements in the train cars along with all the strange people sitting in the seats. It was a nice break from the boredom I was experiencing in my own train car. In America it is very rare someone needs to take a train from place to place but in Poland and anywhere else in Europe it is very common. I enjoy taking train rides here, but next time I will pack more food and download more songs.

Our food finally arrived in our train car as soon as we started moving towards Lublin. Another 2 hours to go, I enjoyed my Russian styled perogies which were filled with cheese. They were topped with caramelized onions and accompanied with salad. Agata ate Parmesan chicken and Szymon ate a Greek Salad.

When we finally arrived at the train station, my host mom picked Agata and me up. At home we ate beat soup and mushroom blintzes that Babcia Maria had cooked. The combination of being stuffed with warm food and being showered made it easy to fall asleep quickly.

Stephanie Raquel

9/16/13

The Lech’s Brewery looks different on the outside compared to the inside. Today I saw how Lech Beer brands are made and packaged. After the tour around the factory, we got to drink a glass of the Lech Beer. Honestly, it was pretty good. They have a Lech had their own bar and there were men sitting on stools watching the soccer game on TV. It partially looked like an American bar scene just missing the American football game on TV and English language.

For lunch/dinner, we went to the Plaza in Poznań. The mall used to be a brewery and the owner of the mall is super rich. The stores in the mall are elite brands like Calvin Klein or Michael Kors. On the first floor of the mall is a Starbuck, so I bought my first European Frappuccino. It didn’t taste like the Frappuccino that I get in New Jersey but it was like slurping on a little piece of home. The pizza parlor we ate at was cute, but the pizza in America cannot be matched in Poland. I ate a red pizza topped with mushrooms and ham, a red pizza topped with cheese and sliced tomatoes, and a white pizza topped with curry chicken and arugula. My favorite pizza was the chicken curry and arugula pizza because it was similar to the pizza back at home. The tomato sauce served here has an odd taste and they lightly cover the pizza dough in sauce. Instead the sauce is placed in cups on the side to be added by the consumer. I prefer the sauce smothering the dough and having the cheese merge with the tasty sauce. Polish people prefer smothering their pizza with garlic sauce, tomato sauce, or bottles of ketchup.

 Lego Store at the Poznan mall! 

Once we finished eating we head over to the train station to buy our train tickets back to Lublin. I then had the opportunity to talk to my host sister, Agata, more on the tram and bus. We talked about clothes, shopping, and our sisters. Gina and Ula are very similar in the aspect that they have an eye for fashion. Agata and I are similar in the aspect where we have an eye for accessorizing and glamorizing. Agata said shopping in Krakow is amazing which makes me very excited to go shopping there.

Back at Aga’s flat we played more games. We played charades and I had to act out Justin Bieber…that was incredibly hard. I ended up sticking my hard in my pants to indicate a penis which of course made every laugh. Then I lip sang “Baby” to Vicky and she ended up guessing who I was pretending to be. Everyone joked about my poor acting skills but pretending to be Justin Bieber was very tough to make up on the spot.

The next game is where you have a sticky note placed on your forehead and by asking the group questions, you have to guess who you are. I was Eminem, the rapper, which was extremely hard for me because I don’t know anything about Eminem besides the fact he is a white rapper. The group had to practically give me the answer.

For supper we ate spaghetti carbonara which is noodles, eggs, basil, and bacon. It was extremely delicious but I couldn’t keep my head up long enough to finish it because I was absolutely exhausted. Michał and I ended up going to be first while everyone else went into the kitchen to talk. At first I felt bad for not staying awake to get to know my host sister’s friends but my exhaustion is much more powerful than my guilt. I have many more days to get to know everyone.

Stephanie Raquel

9/15/13

Today I left for Poznań with Agata, Vicky, and Andzrej. We took a 6 hour train ride from Lublin to Poznań where we are staying in Aga’s flat. Aga attends the university in the city and lives with two roommates. This is kind of a house warming party to break in her new flat.

When we arrived after the 6 hours, Aga was waiting on the platform for us. She walked us back to her flat. We ended up taking a tram and a bus back to the building. She doesn’t live close to the train station, unfortunately.

On the train I also met a guy named Michał who was very nice. He lived in London for 2 months while he worked at McDonalds. His English isn’t the best but good enough to communicate with each other. He asked me what Americans think about Poland. I said people think they are stupid and cold. Of course not all people in Poland actually are cold or stupid but someone people I have met so far, are stupid and cold. This is the same in any country though.

Back at the flat we ate chicken curry with rice that Renata cooked. The chicken had way too much curry on it that the meal was difficult to eat. Michał was dying that he drank so much Coca-Cola to cook his mouth. I also drank a lot of Coke. My mouth at one point was begging me not to eat any more. I looked around at everyone else and saw them also having a hard time finishing their meals.

For supper we went out to The Mexican Restaurant that is known for their large margaritas. I had a strawberry margarita but the small version. I thought the waitress was bringing out vases as a center piece but that turned out to be our drinks. I didn’t know if I could finish it all, but by the end I had drank it all. At the end of the meal, the Zorro brought me out a cheesecake with a giant sparkler on top. Michał and I were in the middle of dancing to a Spanish song in front of the table when the lights just turned off. I heard gun shots and strong music when the Zorro came out with the sparkling cake. Everyone had a bite of my cake but it tasted nothing like the cheesecakes from America. This cake was like a sponge and stuck to my teeth. The texture was gritty so I felt the sugar. But dancing to the Spanish music wish Michał was a lot of fun. Aga was taking a video of us, but I didn’t care. I am on exchange! I have fun and don’t care who sees.

At home we played games like hum a tune and everyone had to guess the song. I sang “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus. It was a lot of fun but I couldn’t wait to go to bed. Luckily everyone else was tired too so the night didn’t last much longer.

Stephanie Raquel