Crazy flyers and Kielbasa

Last night Josephine and I caught the train to the airport and arrived around 10:30. our flight was at 6:10 in the morning and Stansted is a small airport, not so easy to get to early. We grabbed a snack and found some seats to settle down. We did some napping and around midnight were both awake. We looked around and the airport looked like a storm shelter. There were people lying all over the floor, on all of the seats, even in front of check in counters. I would say that this is a sign that this airport is much too difficult to get to via transit!
Around 2 am our fellow travellers, Christine and Eric, finally showed up. They had taken a late coach and had to share their ride with some rowdies, apparently not too fun.
We all tried to get some shut eye, though were not too successful. Especially when a large group of people began cheering for some sort of sporting event that was being played somewhere.. Not fun.
Around 4 am we finally realized we were not going to get any more sleep and checked in. Our flight left on time. We chose the emergency exit row for the extra leg room. An interesting looking man decided to join Jo and I in our row. Smelled like he was part of the cheering squad from the airport. He tried to make some conversation, which we tried to avoid as politely as possible. Then he passed out cold. I was awoken by his buddy, who was sitting 4 rows ahead, trying to lean over me and Jo to wake up his friend. He got him to react, laughed and went back to his seat. About a half hour I awoke to the same thing, but this time Mr. Drunky-drunk in our row was not waking up. His friend kept trying, tugging on his arm, flicking his ear, etc. Finally I motioned to the flight attendant to get him outta here! He told me to ring the call button if there was any trouble at all. About a half hour later (all this in a 2 hour flight!), Mr. Drunk pants wakes up and orders a beer. One for him, one for his friend (we declined his offer for a drink). But he ended up having to take both since his friend had now passed out cold and could not be roused to accept his drink. Jo and I took this opportunity to stretch our legs and found an empty row of seats at the back where we spent the rest of the flight!

Kielbasa = Delicious!

We arrived in Krakow, caught a cab to the train station and walked to our hostel. We checked in, walked into town, and went for lunch! Traditional Polish Kielbasa, delicious!!


Then we wandered around a bit before going on a walking tour of the Jewish quarter, including several synagogues and Schindler's factory.
Very long and busy day, tomorrow we are heading to Auschwitz - Birkenau.

Old City Square Krakow

Old Jewish Synagogue

Jewish Cemetary

Jewish Ghetto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunshine!

Mojitos!! Worth the 20 minute wait!

Airport sit in

I survived the week! The last week before a break always seems to find a way to be difficult. Wednesday and Thursday went fine. I was at a school I go to often and it is quite near my place, which makes it even more appealing when there isn`t a long commute involved.  Friday I was at my regular school, and since we have another week off for half term, they were doing quizzes to finish up the units we have covered in French. Basically this meant that I gave them a quiz and then a puzzle and wordsearch to do when they had finished and then the hour was up and I was off to me next class. Gotta love it.

Now we have a week off! Tonight Christine, Josephine and I are heading to Stansted airport to spend the night, we fly out to Krakow Poland at 6 am tomorrow. I am excited to explore this old city. Also, Christine and I plan on doing a tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau. This is not going to be the most uplifting of trips, but I am very much looking forward to seeing and hearing about the recent history. I must say, it is always strange doing tours over here of different cities and actually seeing buildings that were damaged during the wars. Makes you really start to realize and be grateful for how lucky we are to live in a country so untouched by bombings and war. It is hard to wrap your head around the idea that the war was right here and the people here lived through it. Having read so many books over the years, and just finishing Schindler`s List recently (recommend to everyone!), it will be very interesting to see where these events actually took place.
The house that I live in was here during the war, such a strange thought. And it has a little shed out back where they used to keep the ice chest before there were refrigerators, and the grey water runs right outside through a little drain, there is even an outside bathroom. Canada is so cute and young compared to over here!
Not to mention talking to the kids here and they have no idea what a backyard is. Some of them have family in the States and all they talk about is how big their houses are and how much space everyone takes up. Here it is hard to find a house that is not attached to the one next to it. And if your `garden` is big enough to deserve a little patch of grass, you are basically upper class! A very different world view than we are used to, we are very spoilt!
Off to pack. Happy weekend everyone!

Our garden. Not beautiful, but big by London standards

Therapy

I am seeing amazing places, I am doing amazing things. I am seeing amazing places, I am doing amazing things. I am seeing amazing places, I am doing amazing things.
This is what I was repeating to myself all day as an answer to the question: WHAT AM I DOING HERE??!!

When I called in for work this morning and they said that they had a half day afternoon for me if nothing else came in, I was quite happy to start planing how I would spend my morning. But then came the ominous ring and the offer of a full day's work at the 'tough' school I have been to before. I would be in a year 4 class, an age group that can go either way. Well, I am sure you can guess which way this day went.
It took me about 10 minutes to do the register as I tried to shout their names over all of the talking and them yelling at each other to shush up. Then I lay into them about yelling at each other and how we are not going to spend the day doing that, so they all need to listen up, quieten down and line up for assembly. By the time we are halfway to the hall (which you can basically see from the classroom) they are shouting and wild again, and some girl at the back is in tears. Wonderful. The head teacher stops us, lays into them herself and sends them back to class so she can talk to them. She sends in a TA instead who shouts at them and calls them disgraceful and leads them into the hall in silence.
The assembly is all about how the previous day the school got a complaint from a neighbour who called in to say that two students from the school, in uniform, had thrown stones at her window. When she went out to confront them, the boys swore at her, shrugged their shoulders and walked away. So these boys were being encouraged to fess up, and any tipsters were being welcomed too. Sounds like a lovely bunch.
We get back to class and I tell them I don't want to shout at them today and probably they didn't enjoy getting yelled at this morning already. They all look at me confused and say that they didn't get shouted at. Great, they are so immune to being yelled at that they consider it normal speech. Needless to say I could not teach this lot a single thing as they never stopped talking or fighting long enough for me to get a word in. I had to send for the TA in the next class several times just so I would not lose my mind. The only thing that did get their attention was when I finally got close to my breaking point, and my throat was getting sore from trying to talk over them, and I said I was waiting for them to shut their mouths. Apparently this was shocking to them? Otherwise they ran around wild most of the day. On top of this there were very little plans or work left out for me, so since I could not actually explain anything or do any sort of discussion, I was left to invent work from files I searched out on the computer in an attempt to keep them busy enough that they wouldn't be running completely wild all day long.
I was almost to the point of tears from frustration on several occasions. A kid who decided he would run around 'cleaning' rather than sitting on the carpet with the majority of the class ran in front of me and basically punched me in the face on the way by. I beat the damn 'quiet tambourine' until I thought I would be better off to run away and join a band. Nothing. I could have been in another room watching them on a CCTV camera for all they paid attention to me. And after all of this, a girl who had not listened to a single thing I'd said all day comes up to me and asks: Are you going to be here tomorrow? I like you.
Whaaa?? I do not understand kids in this country.
Hightlight of the day: a girl comes up to me and asks if stupid is spelled S-T or S-P and I get to think in my head a lot of funny comebacks that I wish I could say.
The dim light at the end of this dark tunnel of a day was that I have work for the next two days at a school I like, which means another 5 day pay check.
Three more work days until a week off and a trip to Poland, if I can make it.