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
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