Archives for 2013

8/25/13

Today has been a truly exhausting day. The lack of sleep is finally catching up to me. It is about 8 pm and all the kids are watching a popular polish comedy movie downstairs but I am laying in my bed already. After polish lessons I went to take a nap for a total of 1 hour. I keep getting upset and being unable to think properly because I lack a good amount of sleep. I also dramatically get irritated by little things that I would normally never get mad about. A little bit of music while I write and a good night rest is definitely going to do my body justice. 

These days are starting to feel like years as they pass. Ashley (ME) is my roommate, super beyond sweet, and she is helping me get through these rough days of homesickness. She said for the first few weeks that the days feel like years but when April finally rolls around, the months will feel like days. I know this is sad to say but sometimes I can’t wait for my exchange to zip by. It would be nice to hug my mom and dad right now. My exchange should be better once I make friends in Lublin and become closer to my host family. I already texted my host dad calling him Dad! My host sister doesn’t seem too bad over an email, I hope we hit it off once we meet in person. 

I should try to go to sleep before all the exchanges students come up and make a bunch of noise. Kind of sad but sleep is going to make me feel a lot better about this exchange. Plus sleep makes the days go by faster!

Stephanie Raquel 

8/24/13

Today was a very eventful day. I went to Biskupin and Torun. Biskupin was extremely interesting because it was Poland’s first settlement. The settlement was different compared to settlements in USA because of their available resources. The wood floors bent my ankle in half! Ouch! The sticks on the roof were thick layers of straw. There was a replica of the settlement next to where it originally stood. We played games like tug of war. USA lost against Brazil and Mexico. It was pretty pathetic for us. I bought 2 postcards at the gift shop and a nice leather key chain to go on my blazer.

Next city we visited was Torun. The city is gorgeous now! In 1938 it held soldiers during World War II. I took tons of pictures of the colorful buildings. There is one building that is leaning and is said to test your morality. I placed my heals against the wall of the building, held my hands out in front of me, and tried to keep my balance…….I fell forward, easily. I felt like I was going to fall forward if I didn’t catch myself. This shows I don’t have good morals. (Sorry Mom and Dad!)

We visited many beautiful streets that were lined with gorgeous buildings. Throughout the tour I took pictures with Sam (AZ) who is so cool and Levi (WA) who is super sweet. I also took pictures with other people throughout the day. I am happy to say I am making lots of friends with the other exchange students.

For dinner we ate at McDonald’s. It cost me 9.90 zl and in US dollars that is $3.30. Everything seems super cheap to me. Divide the amount by 3 and that is the cost in US dollars.

For supper we had a barbecue that was nice. All the exchange students bonded by the camp fire. It was extremely cold tonight that I kept wishing I had my UGGS, sweatpants, and jacket. It felt like October weather here and this is their summer! I don’t think I could survive their summer here!

I finished writing this entry at 2:30 am..not sure I will make it up for stretching in the morning at 7:50 am. I hope I don’t run my body down to the point where I become sick. We will see what happens tomorrow.

Stephanie Raquel

8/23/13

Today was officially my first day in Bydgoszcz, Poland. I woke up at 7:30 am but barely slept all night. I was checking my phone every time to see if my parents called or texted even though I told them to leave me alone. I didn’t cry today though. I am feeling really good today.

At breakfast I asked the other American girls for advice regarding being homesick. A girl named Alyssa from Colorado said,  “Keep your mind busy, stay outside, and surround yourself with people. When you are alone, you tend to over think things which will drive you insane!” —This advice seriously helped me!!

At 10 am we went as a group to the town hall of Bydgoszcz to meet with the mayor. He was nice but didn’t know any English so the Rotaract members had to translate. After the speech we had a tour of the building then went outside for pictures. Thank goodness I brought an American Flag!!!! The other Americans didn’t think to bring one. So out of 20 Americans we had 2 flags.

In gym class we played Polish games but they are similar to American games. Playing hand ball was definitely my favorite game out of them all. There is Polish baseball but without bases, Polish dodge ball but with a queen, and Polish football but called soccer in America. My team, The Green Team, is super awesome! GO GREEN TEAM!

I know this is going to be super gross to read but….after gym I took a well needed shower but there was little to no shampoo. In hotels there is no soap and instead shower gel so showering gel and little shampoo definitely doesn’t get the job done. Throughout my stay in Bydgoszcz I can already tell I won’t smell the best compared to the kids who brought shampoo and soap with them. NOTE: Ask mom to ship me soap and shampoo from home.

I had my first Polish lesson today! I learned how to say, “Mam na imie Stephanie. Jestem z USA!” Meaning “My name is Stephanie. I live in USA.” 

Later, we went to a play at the theater…it was all in Polish so I didn’t understand anything! 5 minutes into the show I got extremely tired. I couldn’t keep my eyes open at all. So I ended up collapsed on my lap for a short nap. It felt really good to sleep. The jet lag really hit me hard like a brick wall to my face! After the show I took pictures with my new friend Ashley! She is from New York and is staying about 10 hours away from me in Gdansk. We are planning on visiting other places in Europe together. She is also on the Green Team which makes it really fun to hang out together. 

After autographs and pictures with the pianist and the other exchange students, we went to the supermarket!! At the store I bought shampoo (thank goodness!!), soap, razors, and chocolate bars. Thank goodness we went to the store! I would have smelled like poop the rest of the time at the camp. Cleaning routines and products are different in Poland. 

At dinner it was really nice talking to the other American girls. They are becoming my home away from home.- My American Sisters! 

Dobranoc! = Good night! 

Stephanie Raquel 

(Stephanie NJ, Ashley NY, Megan TX)

8/22/13

It is my first night in Poland. I had my fair share of tears already. I didn’t sleep at all on the plane rides. I am exhausted but my body doesn’t even know it. 

I’ve been dreaming about this day for 4 years! I hear other exchange students’ stories about the time they stepped off the plane to finally meet their host families. I was hoping it wouldn’t be a horrible first meeting and this is how it went:  After I got my luggage in Warsaw, it took me about 15 minutes to finally build up the courage to walk out of the exit towards town. My biggest fear was for me to go outside and end up standing there for hours with my luggage just waiting. I was freaking out that maybe they forgot about me. But when I finally walked through the doors, I was overwhelmed by a huge crowd of people. Everyone was waiting for someone who also just got off a plane. I walked down the roped off aisle and saw my host dad walk up to me with a sign that read “STEPHANIE”. I said, “Yea! That’s me!” We both had huge smiles that went from ear to ear. My host dad stuttered and eventually said, “Hi, I’m Darek.” We shook hands then walked over to my host mom. She gave me a huge hug and a kiss on each cheek. She said, “Hello! Do you have to use the bathroom? Are you thirsty or hungry?” I was fine. All my nerves went away in that very instant. 

At lunch I tried multiple traditional Polish dishes. There was a spicy soup that was extremely delicious! There was an egg/sausage soup in a bread bowl that wasn’t so good. There were potato/cheese perogies that were also delicious! Then there were meat/cabbage perogies that weren’t so good. NOTE: Tap water is gross!!!

On the 2 hour car ride to the language camp, I mainly slept the whole way. I was plenty exhausted. My host dad now calls me “Stephula” just like my mother back at home. I have to get used to calling him “Dad/Tata” also. We have one thing in common, we both listen to Michael Buble! 

So tonight I made the decision not to talk to my parents for a few weeks unless I really need to talk to them. (I’m tearing up right now just thinking about it.) It upsets me too much to hear their voices because I keep reminding myself I won’t be with them for a year. 

Anyways, my roommate Ashley is super sweet! She is a junior in high school from Maine, USA. We will be living in the same town, Lublin, together. We will be each others’ support system for the next 10 months. Thank goodness!! She is going through a rough stage of homesickness as well. 

REMEMBER STEPHANIE: I know you would love to go home now but you will regret it later in life. It will be the biggest regret of your life. Seeing the world through this opportunity is something not many people ever do. You might be freaking out about the 10 months ahead but it will fly! You can do this!!

Stephanie Raquel 

8/21/13

I am sitting on the plane right now heading to Poland. Last night I had a very emotional time saying “See you soon” to Rachel, Adrian, Yasmeen, and Sarah La. I cried like a baby in their arms. It used to be so easy thinking about leaving my home for a year and living in a new country but when it comes down to it…I hate the idea! I don’t want to leave my friends and family. Everyone asked me for the past week if I am excited but how can I be excited?! I am terrified to go to a new place, alone. I don’t know the language, I don’t know anyone, and I have to be independent for the year. There is nothing to be excited about! No one will ever know how I feel..except for other exchange students. 

While I was waiting in the airport for my flight, I met a girl that was tall with red hair. She was an exchange student in the USA from Germany about 4 years ago. She was extremely comforting because we went through the gates together and talked about how Europe isn’t actually that scary. She said the kids know at least a little English and the airports also have English signs. I have a layover in Germany for 2 hours. As soon as I get to Poland on Thursday, I have to go straight to a language camp. I don’t think I am nervous about meeting the other exchange students. I am nervous about how tired I will be and about finding my host family in the airport. Everyone keeps saying everything will be fine so I really hope they are right!

I cried a lot when I first got on the plane but I reassured myself: “This year will fly by faster then you want it to go. You will be able to see the entire world before any of your friends or family. No one is as lucky as you! You’ve wanted this since freshman year of high school. Your dreams are finally a reality. For the most part, Stephanie, stay strong but sometimes it is okay to cry.”

We arrive in Frankfort, Germany in 5 hours. I should sleep but I’m not even tired. I just want to be at home right now. I am going to try my best to sleep though. 

Stephanie Raquel (International Traveler) 

Stories will be on the way of my amazing adventure in Poland. 22 days have gone by and I’m growing to love my new life here. Can’t wait to share my stories with you; good and bad.

Thank you to my creative brother for setting this up for me.

Stephanie

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