16 | Two Month Long Cravings
Hello, all! As of today, I have officially been in Poland for two months! And ya, still having a pretty rad time.
For those of you that don't know, there are five identified stages of studying abroad (kind of like grief, just sayin'): excitement, disorientation, loneliness, homesickness, and acceptance. I kind of experienced excitement and disorientation at the same time, so that was pretty efficient of me. I also generally like being alone, and being somewhere where you only have like three friends makes that pretty easy, so it hasn't been a huge problem. As for homesickness, technology is so advanced that it hasn't really been a problem. So I guess I'm at the super exciting acceptance stage. This isn't to say that there haven't been hard moments or waves of loneliness or a general haze of disorientation, but all in all I would say I'm doing pretty ok.
However, I do greatly miss some things. A sort of homesickness if you will.
Brownies
I literally don't even like brownies that much. But that's not the point. Poland has some great pastries and chocolate, but they never really seem to be combined for some reason. I just want something to be deliciously moist and chocolate-y. Something that a regular pastry or a chocolate bar just can't achieve.
Mac and Cheese
Ok, I do love mac and cheese. And gosh darn it, I miss it. Among other reasons, I am really excited for Eli to come, because he promised to make me mac and cheese. I have yet to tell him there are not a lot of types of cheeses here. Which brings us to the next item.
Generally anything involving a lot of cheese
Polish people just don't seem to care about cheese. Why? Why do they not want to be happy?? You can get hearty dishes that somehow are completely absent of cheese. Also ya, going back to my previous point there isn't a wide variety of cheeses at the store. I mean there's a lot of cream cheese, but I don't want to just eat cream cheese. I don't even really like cream cheese. So, I supposed I am a spoiled American, because my Russian friend (the sanctions include cheese for some reason) is very excited by the amount of cheese available.
Moe's
I couldn't make a list of things I miss and not include Moe's. I went to the Polish Moe's a few days ago, and it's just really not the same. Also, their chips are bad. For everyone reading this that plans on picking me up from the airport bring Moe's. And maybe brownies, idk.
Listening in on people's conversations
You forget how enjoyable it is to listen to other people speaking until you can't do it anymore. I want to know what the child in front of me on the bus is chanting (true story, and I was trying to sleep so it was extra annoying) and what the old woman is yelling about in the metro. However, as a white person, people always assume I speak Polish. So, it's pretty easy to tell when people are talking about you, because they start whispering. When we were in Wrocław, there were a lot of German people, so I was able to eavesdrop, and it made me realize how much I love it.
Proper English
Ok, so no offense to all non-native English speakers, because they all speak English better than I can speak German, so kudos. BUT you don't MAKE a photo or MAKE a presentation. Making a presentation is very different than giving or presenting a presentation. Also, it's confusing when my professors confuse question words. One time one asked WHY a theoretical graph showed something, like I don't know bud, because it was designed like that? Just random things that grind my gears.
And, of course, I miss all of you! I truly appreciate all of the kindness and sweet texts every now and then that I receive. It's a good reminder that everyone hasn't forgotten about the weird girl in Poland.
For those of you that don't know, there are five identified stages of studying abroad (kind of like grief, just sayin'): excitement, disorientation, loneliness, homesickness, and acceptance. I kind of experienced excitement and disorientation at the same time, so that was pretty efficient of me. I also generally like being alone, and being somewhere where you only have like three friends makes that pretty easy, so it hasn't been a huge problem. As for homesickness, technology is so advanced that it hasn't really been a problem. So I guess I'm at the super exciting acceptance stage. This isn't to say that there haven't been hard moments or waves of loneliness or a general haze of disorientation, but all in all I would say I'm doing pretty ok.
However, I do greatly miss some things. A sort of homesickness if you will.
Brownies
I literally don't even like brownies that much. But that's not the point. Poland has some great pastries and chocolate, but they never really seem to be combined for some reason. I just want something to be deliciously moist and chocolate-y. Something that a regular pastry or a chocolate bar just can't achieve.
Mac and Cheese
Ok, I do love mac and cheese. And gosh darn it, I miss it. Among other reasons, I am really excited for Eli to come, because he promised to make me mac and cheese. I have yet to tell him there are not a lot of types of cheeses here. Which brings us to the next item.
Generally anything involving a lot of cheese
Polish people just don't seem to care about cheese. Why? Why do they not want to be happy?? You can get hearty dishes that somehow are completely absent of cheese. Also ya, going back to my previous point there isn't a wide variety of cheeses at the store. I mean there's a lot of cream cheese, but I don't want to just eat cream cheese. I don't even really like cream cheese. So, I supposed I am a spoiled American, because my Russian friend (the sanctions include cheese for some reason) is very excited by the amount of cheese available.
Moe's
I couldn't make a list of things I miss and not include Moe's. I went to the Polish Moe's a few days ago, and it's just really not the same. Also, their chips are bad. For everyone reading this that plans on picking me up from the airport bring Moe's. And maybe brownies, idk.
Listening in on people's conversations
You forget how enjoyable it is to listen to other people speaking until you can't do it anymore. I want to know what the child in front of me on the bus is chanting (true story, and I was trying to sleep so it was extra annoying) and what the old woman is yelling about in the metro. However, as a white person, people always assume I speak Polish. So, it's pretty easy to tell when people are talking about you, because they start whispering. When we were in Wrocław, there were a lot of German people, so I was able to eavesdrop, and it made me realize how much I love it.
Proper English
Ok, so no offense to all non-native English speakers, because they all speak English better than I can speak German, so kudos. BUT you don't MAKE a photo or MAKE a presentation. Making a presentation is very different than giving or presenting a presentation. Also, it's confusing when my professors confuse question words. One time one asked WHY a theoretical graph showed something, like I don't know bud, because it was designed like that? Just random things that grind my gears.
And, of course, I miss all of you! I truly appreciate all of the kindness and sweet texts every now and then that I receive. It's a good reminder that everyone hasn't forgotten about the weird girl in Poland.
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