'I Have Arrived' - London through Krakow

Written July 5, 2005

Did you know that the meaning of 'I have arrived' is completely different from 'I arrived'? I never thought about it either, but now I am learning the ins and outs of this language we are quite lucky to know so well. It does not surprise me one bit that there is such a need for English teachers in the world, it is such a difficult language to master.

I'm sitting here in Krakow, Poland on a lovely Tuesday night. What a trip it has been. I arrived in London in one piece and met up with the gang at a pub outside Victoria Station. We all piled onto the Tube to meet up with Rufus (group tour leader, and quite a unique individual, I might add) and the bus. The bus? The bus. Well, you know how I told you all that I envisioned something like one of those plush rock star coaches? HA. We all instantly bonded when we saw this thing that we paid to travel across Europe in. All we could do was laugh, and still, all we do is laugh. It's not the nicest bus ever, and don't even dream of air conditioning....the ceiling leaks when it rains (and it did!), and now it is full of backpacks, books, snacks, drinks, and the oh-so-pleasant smell of nomadic travelers. It is great. It is hilarious. There are fifteen of us on there, and it gets a little cozy quickly. It took us 10 hours to get from the German border to Krakow the other day.

After the requisite get-to-know-you dinner in London, we all got into the bus and drove to the ferry docks. We took the ferry to France, and instead of heading toward Heidelberg, Germany, it was unanimous to go to Amsterdam instead! So off we went!!!!! Seven hours later we arrived at the Amsterdam campsite. After a much-needed shower (I think it had been nearly 50 hours!), we ate breakfast and hit the town. Amsterdam was great--extremely hot--but great. I was still recovering from jetlag so I didn't make it as crazy as I could have. We went on a cana ltour, walked around, ate dinner in the redlight district, visited the Anne Frank house, got lost, went dancing, ate late-night kabobs (ahh, I'm really in Europe!) etc.

From Amsterdam we went to Berlin. That was one long ride (or so I thought). We stayed in a hostel in the middle of one of Berlin's largest parks--complete with wild boar. I'm not kidding, we actually saw some. Sunday was the first day to explore before we had to hunker down in classes for the week. I went with a few of the girls to a flea market and then a bike tour all over the city. It was great. We saw the Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust Memorial, and countless great sites. Berlin is very much unlike traditional European cities. It doesn't have the charm that I love, but there was so much to learn and see that I enjoyed myself.

Class was Mon-Fri from about 9:30 until 5:30 each day, with a lunch break. I think I am really going to enjoy teaching, and learning all about the language facsinates me. I know, I'm a nerd. We taught our first lesson last week, which was incredibly nerve-wracking, but a lot of fun once we got into it. The planning took forever, and we realized that we flew through most of the stuff 30 minutes into the 90 minute lesson. Live and learn. It was a lot of fun, though. As an English teacher, you have to act things out and be very animated and goofy. Clearly, this may be a solid career choice for me :-)

From Berlin, we left for Poland. Unfortunately, we didn't get very far because there was a little issue with the passports. We didn't stop at a border going from the Netherlands to Germany, so I figured I didn't need my passport going from Germany to Poland, right? Wrong. Myself and the Irish guy packed away our passports in our luggage on top of the bus. Guess who had to climb up there and fish it out. Although I felt like a tard, one of the guys found that his backpack was not on the bus. It had been left in Berlin on accident. Tha tcreated a bit of a turmoil, but we eventually got it, and headed on our way.

That night we stayed in what I called the 'refugee camp'. This campground was in Germany near the eastern border. There were no set campsites, but there were tents everywhere among the trees. As we got off the bus (and laughed at everyone gawking at us as we rolled in), I heard bass. What is that? Is that someone's stereo? Oh no. We walked toward the lake and there stood beer stands, food booths, and an outdoor stage/dance floor. Seriously!!! That was one of the most fun nights thus far. We ate cheap asian food, drank cheap beer, and myself with a couple of the other American girls tore up the dance floor. We didn't really have a choice; what were we supposed to do when they played "Like a Prayer" and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"?

Now we're here in Krakow. I think this town is beautiful. It reminds me a lot of Prague. However, I had a little challenge while here. We were only staying for a few days, so I pulled out all the important things I'd need from my suitcase. Someone broke in to the bus and stole my suitcase. It is a total drag and really ticks me off. A couple of other things were stolen, but I was the only one with half of my belongings jacked. Lucky, lucky me. Everyone has been really nice and supportive, which I appreciate. I'm really irritated, bu tluckily I had all my important valuables and everything I absolutely needed with me. Yesterday I got to file a Polish police report. Quite a nice souvenir, huh? Today I walked around trying to find some items to replace what was taken. Not a whole lot of luck, but I really do have everything I need. I was lucky, really.

Tomorrow we are going to Auschwitz. It will be the most moving thing I have ever done. I am sort of looking forward to it, and I really hope that I can make it through the whole thing. I think the whole group is going, so I'll be with my friends. Afterward, we are driving to Slovakia where we'll stay in a hotel for a couple days. I'm just hoping for a hot shower. They're quite the novelty these days. I like traveling. I like traveling a lot. I like hot showers and hygiene a bit more. This trip has been great, and I expect it to only get better. That being said, (like anything) it's not without its challenges and tests.

At the end of it I'm sure I will love this lifestyle, or will never travel like this again!!! Who knows. That's part of the reason I'm here: To figure it out.

I hope all is well with everyone at home and that you all had a nice 4th. I will be in Budapest next week, and thereafter we head into Romania and Bulgaria. I would like to have included more detail, but I'm a tard and left my laptop cord at home, so my computer is dead. No hours of writing in the evenings for me :-) Hand writing in a journal just isn't the same.

More later. Take care!!!
Hillary