Christmas Sights Around Olsztyn

Well, before I land in America and see all of the decorations there, I wanted to get out and take some pictures of the Christmas decorations here in Olsztyn. As to be expected, they celebrate Christmas a little different here. Here are some of the differences I've noticed so far:

*The decorations come out a little later here. Many of the stores and streets have been decorated for a couple of weeks now, but most people are just now putting up their decorations at home. They just really started selling the Christmas trees this past Saturday.

* They celebrate the bulk of their festivities on Christmas Eve

*There are vendors selling misteltoe EVERYWHERE! The funny thing is, I just learned that misteltoe is actually a parasite! It just sucks life off of the trees where it grows and it grows everywhere here. I'm still unclear if they have the same tradition with mistletoe here as we do in America. I'll work on figuring that one out (not by experience, mind you!)

*On December 6th, the kids set out their shoes (after they thoroughly clean them, of course) and this is the day they believe Micholaj (again, wrong characters for the letters, but close enough!) comes and leaves little sweets or goodies for the good kids. If you're not good you get a twig off of a tree. I think it's just a ploy to get kids to clean their shoes...let's just say there are a LOT of dogs here in Poland and I don't think Pooper-Scoopers have made their debut here.

*The Poles do not randomly throw around salutations of "Merry Christmas!". They only say it once, so they have to wait and strategically plan when to say their Christmas greetings on what they figure to be the last time they'll see you. The other day, we were all meeting over at the Stevenson's house and one of our Polish friends came over. He said good-bye and walked out of the door, only to return and give his "Merry Christmas", knowing that he wouldn't see us again before the holiday! So, when a Pole says "Merry Christmas", you know he means it!

*As I said before, Christmas Eve is the big celebration here and families have a traditional 12 course meal throughout the night (eating lots of food to celebrate is definitely a common factor across all cultures!) mainly consisting of different dishes made with carp. Starting about 2 weeks ago, there were large pools set up in many of the grocery stores selling live carp. That's right. You pick out a live one. Hmmmmm....I'd better stop here on this one.

So, those are some of the different Christmas traditions that I've learned about so far here in Poland. And here are some pictures that I took tonight. Amber and I both liked to drive around in America with a cup of hot coffee (or hot chocolate for Amber) and look at Christmas lights. Since we can't do that here, we put on the long johns, grabbed a travel mug, and hit the pavement to see some of the lights in beautiful Olsztyn. Enjoy!

This is the view on one of the main streets here in Olsztyn. This is the street we walk down to get to the mall (it's on the left hand side of the street here) and to Old Town. The tall building at the end of the street is Ratusz, or city hall.
This is a closer picture of ratusz and one of the many city busses passing by.
This is the view looking up the street in Old Town. These lighted swags are hung across the street almost all the way down the street throughout Old Town. It's so pretty, no picture does it justice, of course.
This is actually the sign outside of our neighborhood grocery store. It says "Wesolych Swiat", which is Merry Christmas in Polish! (and actually, these aren't all the correct characters for the letters, but I can't get them to work right on here!)
This is another view down one of the streets in Old Town.

God Bless Ohio

So, as most of you know, I'm getting ready to make the big trek back to that grand state of Ohio in just over two weeks. In order to help me prepare for the trip, my mom sent me this email and it's hysterical. Just read this and, honestly, how many of these things are the absolute truth!

According to Jeff Foxworthy, "You Might Be From Ohio If..."

You think all Pro football teams are supposed to wear orange.
You know all the 4 seasons: winter, still winter, almost winter and construction.
You live less than 30 miles from some college or university.
You know what a "buckeye" really is, and have a recipe for candy ones.
"Toward the lake" means "North" and "toward the river" means "South."
You know if other Ohioans are from southern or northern Ohio as soon as they open their mouths.
"Vacation" means spending a day at Cedar Point in the summer and deer hunting in the fall.
You measure distance in minutes.
Your school classes were canceled because of cold.
Your school classes were canceled because of heat.
You've had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example: "Where's my coat at?"
You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
You think of the major four food groups as beef, pork, beer, and Jell-O salad with marshmallows.
You carry jumper cables in your car.
You know what "pop" is.
You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires six pages for sports.
If someone says something you don't understand or hear, you say "Please?"
You call it Kroger's even though it is Kroger. (Is this true?!?! I have ALWAYS called it Kroger's!)
Your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May.
Someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there.
You've worn shorts and a parka at the same time.
You've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number.
You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.
You can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching.
The speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you.
You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
You find 10 degrees "a little chilly".


How funny is that?!?! And yet, how true! Enjoy these and have a great weekend!

Thanksgiving Part III

Two new posts in one night! Oh my!
I call this: Thanksgiving Part Three.

Yes, it's true. Tonight we celebrated Thanksgiving again. Amber and I whipped up a mini-Thanksgiving meal consisting of roasted turkey breast, candied yams, green bean casserole (just a tip: crushed up onion flavored potato chips work just as well for the topping...we couldn't find fried onions), jellied cranberry sauce (thank you Aunt Barb and Grandma!), stuffing (again, thanks to Ciocia Basia and Babcia), and pumpkin pie. We invited Asia and Iza over to experience an "American" Thanksgiving and we all had a great time. I'm seriously so thankful for these girls. They're such a blessing.

Iza lived in America, up near Boston, for a year working as an au pair, so she has experienced a Thanksgiving. She was so funny...she kept going around smelling the foods- especially the stuffing-and just revelling in the delight of the memories of her time in America that the smells brought back. Here she is investigating the candied yams and trying to figure out what in the world they are. They don't have such things here, so we tried to explain what yams are, yet at the same time stressing that this form of yams--with brown sugar and marshmallows on top--are pretty much as far from resembling a vegetable as you can get.
Here's the spread. In my book, the best news is that we now have leftovers to enjoy!
Me and Asia and Iza enjoying some whipped cream. And somehow we all ended up wearing matching shirts. We could have been back-up singers (which, if you didn't know, would pretty much be my dream...or maybe to be June Carter or to sing in a bluegrass band. Hmmm...too bad I can't sing. Well, there's always the tamborine and an unplugged mic--that's for you Teresa)
Ok, other than the fact that this is the back of my head, this picture really is, well, just bad. BUT, it represents something I MUST share with both of you who may be reading this. Are you sitting down? This is big. Did you know Billy Ray Cyrus has a new song? It's definitely called "I Want my Mullet Back". Um...I want this song!!! This picture is of Amber playing a bit of the song for Iza and Asia...directly followed by, yes you guessed it, Achy Breaky Heart. I'm packing my bags tonight, because I'm pretty sure we'll get kicked out of Poland for that one. There's got to be some sort of law against that one. I mean, you can't bring fruits and vegetables into a foreign country...pretty sure you can't bring Achy Breaky Heart either. But, it's worth it. It's all for you Billy Ray...all for you.

Thanksgiving Part II

This past Tuesday we were invited to Thanksgiving Day at our friend Magda's school. Magda teaches English at a sports school here in Olsztyn (it's a school where training is tied into their daily schedule of learning...some of these kids are serious athletes. We saw two girls do a gymnastics floor routine and it was amazing...I'm talking Mary Lou style. One of them was the Polish champion or something like that!). Magda is an amazing woman that we were put into contact with through another friend that we practice Polish with. And, through being at the school on Tuesday, we met another woman who invited us to her school to talk with high school students. One of the coolest things about this job is seeing how God opens doors with people and makes connections with people. Anyhoo...Magda is super-sweet and speaks AMAZING English. She planned a program for the school to learn different things about America and wrapped it all up with this program. These kids were awesome. They performed a little skit of "Little Red Riding Hood" and it was so sweet! Magda put a lot of work into this day, and it was great. Here are a few pictures from the day to enjoy.

Obviously, the little girl on the left is Little Red...but you may be wondering who the little guy with the shotgun on the right is. Good question. I guess he's the hunter. It just looks so funny to see...I can't imagine seeing a kid from Sandusky City Schools walking onto stage with a pretend gun. I'm thinkin' it's not gonna' happen.

After the performance of Little Red Riding Hood, the younger kids performed a couple of dances. They were really good and check out the little stud in the front row with his tie! How cute!

More mad dance moves. Seriously, this little dude is the stuff.

And, to cap it all off...a quiz. Woo-hoo! But really, they took this thing seriously and Amber and I panicked when Magda asked us to grade the quizes. They were quizzed over different facts about America and, thankfully, we did know all of the answers. (you may also notice that they're working in teams of three...ummm, why didn't I go to Polish schools? I am all for teamwork on quizzes and tests. In the wise words of my dad: When in doubt, look about!) =)

An Ode to Dealiest Catch...

Ok, so this is a post about nothing, really, just sharing my love/obsession with the show Deadliest Catch. In case you're not aware (which, to my utter shock and awe, many people are NOT!), Dealiest Catch is a "reality" show about the men who fish on the Bering Sea through the Alaskan King Crab and Opelio Crab fishing seasons. It is a show pretty much totally filmed on boats and has a Bon Jovi song for it's theme song...can it get any better than that? This post declaring my love is spurred on by the fact that my Aunt Barb and Uncle Tom recently sent me the second installment of this season's shows that they've been recording for me. Woo-hoo! You have NO idea how excited I was to receive them!
My love with this show started about 6 years ago when I was a junior in college (I think that was the last time I lived in a house that actually had cable!). The Discovery Channel aired a show about the Dealiest Job in the World and it was all about crab fishing. It featured boats on big waves. I was hooked. However, at this point, it wasn't a series. So, imagine my bliss when I came to learn, three years ago, that they were going to air a series all about crab fishing. Wonderful.

Of course, as I mentioned before, I didn't have cable in my little house in Huron, so getting my weekly fix of Deadliest Catch required trekking all the way down the street to my parents' house to watch it (I conveniently found a way to be fed while I was there too!). Getting my fix nowadays proves to be a little more troublesome than a walk down the street, but many, many profuse thanks to Aunt Barb and Uncle Tom for keeping me hooked!

Happy Turkle Day!

Happy Thanksgiving! (Or, Happy Turkle Day if you're Amber...she struggled getting "Happy Turkey Day" out today and said Turkle several times. It has a nice ring...)

As I sit here writing this, Thanksgiving Day is coming to a close, but most of you reading this are just sitting down to "watch some football" (a.k.a.--take a nap). The day was great. It all kicked off yesterday evening when most of our team house-swapped. The Intemann's went and stayed with the Stevenson's, so Amber, Patsy, and I (Alethea wasn't feeling well) invaded the Intemann's house. You're probably wondering why 7/13 of our team packed up to go 10 minutes across town to stay for the night. Good question. And honestly one I didn't even think twice about, until Bryan pointed out that it's really just not "normal" in the States for people to go stay at a colleague's house, only 10 minutes away, on the night before Thanksgiving. But, when you live in a foreign country and are celebrating a holiday that the rest of the country doesn't acknowledge, you're driven to do some abnormal things. And it was fun. =)

Amber and I are proudly showing off our first-ever Pecan Pie. And, for the record, this was no regular pie plate...this thing was a beast. It practically took 2 of us to lift it! One of the benefits of staying at the Intemann's house was using their kitchen...slightly larger than our apartment-sized kitchen! We also were responsible for the mashed potatoes (I learned from the master...my dad!) and the green bean casserole. Yum.
Do you know what we call this? The Polish Winter Refrigerator. That's right. The drinks are actually cooler when left outside than when stored in the refrigerator. And think how much space is saved! (Notice the cans of Jellied Cranberry Sauce...the Winter Refrigerator works for food, too! We stored cheesecake and plates of leftovers out there as well.)
Here it is! The celebratory spread. Do you think the Pilgrims used Polish Pottery? There was so much delicious food, there wasn't enough room for everything on the table, so Stacey had to hold up the mashed potatoes for the photo op. Everything was wonderful. The food was just like Thanksgiving in the States. We had lots of people send us different ingredients we needed to make it official. Pleast take note of the ginormous plate of cranberry sauce. Yum!
And, the coup de gras...the desert table! There was pumpkin pie, pecan pie, spiced pecans, fudge, cherry cheesecake, buckeyes, pumpkin roll, and a large bowl of whipped cream. Need I say anything else? Behold, it is a thing of beauty.
And, finally, this photo just makes me smile. This is Becca, Ethan and Mikaila at the kiddie table. They were having a good old time and it totally reminded me of many Thanksgivings at Grandma Davis's house with the cousins...laughing hysterically and being utterly obnoxious (not that these kids were obnoxious at all...but I think it's fair to say that, at times, we probably fit the bill). And, please notice the bottle of ketchup on the table. As the kids were sitting down with their food, I distinctly heard one of them ask for ketchup. It was like music to my ears...a child after my own heart. Everything's better with ketchup. Even Thanksgiving.

So, in a nutshell, that was our Thanksgiving. After enjoying all of the yummy food, we drank coffee, visited with a Polish friend who stopped by to wish us all a Happy Thanksgiving, then started the mini-euchre tournament. Amber and I were on a team and were 1 and 1. It was a great time and, while I definitely missed enjoying the day with my family back in the states (but did enjoy talking with some of them via Skype--thanks for saying "hi" everyone!), it still felt like family being with our team here.

So now, I guess this means the Holiday Season has officially kicked off. Amber has been chomping at the bit to break out our few Christmas decorations and let the music rip, but I've been holding her back. It just doesn't seem right before Thanksgiving...and besides, you end up burned out by the week before Christmas. At least that's my experience. But, in an effort to spread Christmas cheer, I'll share this link with you. Just check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Ice Skating and English

Last week, we headed out to Jemiolowo-a little village nearby-to teach English to some of the kids. We plan to be there every Wednesday. I haven't gotten to see much of the village, other than this little community building, but so far it seems really neat. The kids are a lot of fun and have come both weeks with their notebooks and pencils, ready to learn some English! The leader of the village is a really neat lady who is an amateur astronomer and has a telescope in her backyard. (I'm hoping we'll get invited out to do some star-gazing sometime soon. One of the things I miss--because we live in a city-- is seeing the stars on a clear night!) She's also apparently an amateur archaeologist, as she's discovered the remains of an ancient tower in her backyard! (Like the ones they light in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers). The picture below is of Marcin explaining something to the kids before we got started with the english lesson.I'm sure it initially took you by surprise, but-believe it or not-this picture below is not of me. I know, I know...it's hard to believe. I didn't have a camera with me, so I found a photo that is similar to what I looked like out on the ice the other night. JUST KIDDING! Tuesday night after meeting with Ala and Nina, they invited us to head over to the ice skating rink and give it a whirl. We checked our schedule, reckoned that we'd have enough time to squeeze in a trip to the ER, and hit the ice! It was so much fun, and it even began to snow while we were skating. Perfect.
This is Nina gearing up to do some serious ice skating. These girls are absolutely great. I love hanging out with them and am so thankful for their friendship! They have definitely given us some serious laughs and some serious fun times!
Ok, remember that problem I used to have with figuring out how to order pictures on here??? Well, I still have that problem. This picture (below) was supposed to go with the picture of Jemiolowo, but ended up down here for some reason. Anyhoo...these are some of the kids we're teaching english to out in Platyny. The past couple of weeks it has been really encouraging to see their english skills improve! They're starting to get it. I'm sure they'll far surpass my Polish skills before long. Tonight we had to choose 4 of the best behaved, hardest working students to go to a camp in January down in the south of Poland. Two of the girls in this photo (in the pink flowered shirt and the white shirt beside her) were chosen. Please pray for these 4 kids, that they'll be open to the Good News about Christ and they'll see the hope He has for them.

No Lame Apology This Time...

I am going to spare you another apology for my weak blogging efforts as of late. To be honest, I just plain haven't felt like doing it. I haven't felt like doing a lot of things lately. I have just felt kind of "blah". I can try to attribute it to lots of different things (and they may all factor in slightly): the decreasing daylight; the cold and damp weather; getting into the rut of the routine...all valid points. However, the truth of the matter is that I've taken my eyes off of the Lord and wallowed in the darkness of discouragement and just the general "funk". However, our gracious and faithful Father has shown His mercy once again and opened my eyes and shined His light on my heart. He just continues to speak to me that what He's looking for is ME. Simply ME. All of ME, but just ME. He is calling me to walk with Him, love Him, and know Him. And I so often want to run ahead or off in another direction and miss Him completely. I am so grateful for His mercy and the amazing ways He pursued me to bring the state of my heart to my attention.
In light of this, I came across this poem (actually it's a monologue) on YouTube the other day. We were going to be reading about the Samaritan Woman (in John 4) with Nina and Ala this past Tuesday, so I thought I'd check out YouTube to see if there was anything that went along with it. This monologue came up (which you can check out here) and it's amazing. I love the story of the Samaritan Woman because it paints such a beautiful picture of what I love about Jesus. This poem says it way better than I could, so I'll just leave you with it. It's a little long, but well worth the read, especially after you check out the real story in the fourth chapter of the book of John.

Woman at the Well
I am a woman of no distinction, of little importance.
I am a woman of no reputation save that which is bad.
You whisper as I pass by and cast judgmental glances, though you don’t really take the time to look at me.
Or even get to know me.
For to be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known.
And otherwise what’s the point of doing either one of them in the first place.
I want to be known, I want someone to look at my face and not just see two eyes, a nose, a mouth and two ears, but to see all that I am and could be; all my hopes, loves, and fears. That’s too much to hope for, to wish for, or pray for so I don’t, not anymore.
Now I keep to myself and by that I mean the pain that keeps me in my own private jail, the pain that has brought me here at midday, to this well.
To ask for a drink is no big request, but to ask it of me, a woman unclean, ashamed, used and abused, an outcast a failure, a disappointment, a sinner.
No drink passing from these hands to your lips could ever be refreshing, only condemning, as I’m sure you condemn me now, but you don’t.
You’re a man of no distinction, though of the utmost importance, a man with little reputation, at least so far.
You whisper and tell me to my face what all those glances have been about and you take the time to really look at me.
But don’t need to get to know me.
For to be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known
And you know me, you actually know me.
All of me and everything about me.
Every thought inside and hair on top of my head.
Every hurt stored up, every hope, every dread.
My past and my future, all I am and could be, you tell me everything.
You tell me about me.
And that which is spoken by another would bring hate and condemnation, coming from you brings love, grace, mercy, hope and salvation.
I’ve heard of one to come who would save a wretch like me, and here in my presence, you say I am he.
To be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known.
And I just met you but I love you.
I don’t know you, but I want to get to.
Let me run back to town, this is way too much for just me.
There are others; brothers, sister, lovers, haters, the good and the bad, sinner and saints who should hear what you’ve told me who should see what you’ve shown me, who should taste what you gave me who should feel how you forgave me.
For to be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known.
And they all need this too, we all do, need it for our own.

Hi, My Name is Jessica and I'm a Bad Little Blogger...

So...um...ahem...sorry for being AWOL from Bloggerville for so long. I have a big cheesy grin on my face right now, if that helps. I just was bloggin' uninspired...but no worries! I'm re-inspired with all new pointless nonsense to share! =) Here's a little insight into what's been going on around here lately:

This may seem to be a rather ordinary picture, which is what I once thought as well...until I noticed the mound of chocolate in the middle of the table (some great guys we were with at the retreat last weekend--see below--discovered Paty's passion for chocolate and shared some of their favorites with her!). Friday night we went over to Patsy's for homemade veggie soup, followed by a second course of chocolate and coffee. We pretty much solved all of the world's problems over coffee and chocolate. I wonder if this is what they do in the oval office....

Ok, it is totally fair to be wondering at this point...why did Jessica include a picture of her hand and Amber drinking soda (did you hear that..."soda"...do you see the influence these midwestern/southerners are having on this Ohio girl?!?!). Valid question. This is to commemorate the only local eating establishment in Olsztyn that offers fountain sodas...with free, self-serve refills (granted, it is a KFC/Pizza Hut...but the vegetarian pizza is really good!). Betchya didn't know that there's no such thing as free refills or fountain soda here in Poland...it's true! I know, we're really suffering here.

These are two of the sweet girls we've gotten to become friends with here, Ala and Nina. They have been coming over on Tuesdays to meet with us to practice English and study the book of John. This past Tuesday, they came over with a beautiful flower, a pin (that says: Girls Need Polish Boys!!!!), and a beautiful silver bracelet...and sang Sto Lat--the Polish version of Happy Birthday to Amber (her birthday was the 11th)! How sweet are these girls?!?!?!

This past weekend, we went to Vilnius, Lithuania for a retreat. We met up with co-workers from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland. It was an amazing time of fellowship, encouragement, worship, and lots and lots and lots of fun catching up with new/old friends. We went to a huge indoor waterpark on Saturday with a bunch of the kids (and some adults) and had a great time. It reminded me of having kids up to the beach...how much fun it is because the kids are having fun. My dad would have loved it =) We did have to say good-bye to two of our friends that are finishing their two years and heading back to the states. It's not like we even see them often at all, but I guess it's just a reality of the temporary-ness (did I just make up a word?) of this program. Kind of a bummer. It was also rough seeing the kids say good-bye to all of their friends that they rarely get to see. Sigh.

Now, you would think that I would have some pictures to share, right??? Well, sadly, this pathetic picture is honestly the ONLY picture I have from the whole weekend. I was just way too busy having fun to stop and take pictures!

And finally, another cultural food story. So, shortly after I posted the last post about the potatoes, Amber and I made the trek over to our local grocery store to stock up on water. (by the way, you may or may not know that the water here isn't drinkable. Actually, that's not true...the water is drinkable, but the pipes aren't safe.) We usually buy 4 of the big jugs at a time and that lasts us about a week. They only had 1 jug left, so we picked up that jug and went for three packages of 1 liter bottles instead. As we walked up to the register, the lady looked at us as though we had just landed from another planet. Apparently people don't stock up on water in these amounts, because she didn't even know how to ring all of this water up. She honestly sat there for a minute and did the classic Polish stare down (which I'm getting pretty good at if I do say so myself!), waiting for us to give up and walk away. From what we can gather, people typically buy one or two of the 1 liter bottles...not the whole package, and she really didn't know what to do with us. Moral of the story: we are clearly still Americans stuck in our Sam's Club mentality...buy in bulk!!!

So, there it is. Olsztyn in a nutshell. We are also really busy trying to pull together all of the details for starting some groups to meet with students. My Father has been doing some amazing things here lately: 3 people from a nearby town trusted Christ, there have been several new groups of people studying the Bible, we're looking at starting 2 new groups to study the Bible, Bryan has become our new University Team Leader, we are hoping to be working with two friends here, Iza and Asia, to meet students, we are meeting with Ala and Nina, we are spending time back out in Platyny, and are possibly going to be invited into several classrooms to invite students to meet with us. Praise God for His faithfulness!! He truly is gracious and kind and I know He has a plan and power to draw many Poles to know Him deeply and freely. Thank you for praying!!

Cultural Smack Down

Ok, so it's been about a week since I last posted...and I really do intend on writing a real post eventually. But, until then, I thought I'd share this little story with you all for a little laugh and insight into Polish culture.
Some of you have asked, or maybe haven't asked but lie awake at night wondering, what we eat here. Well, for the most part, we eat the same kinds of things that we'd eat in the States. Actually, I think I eat better here because we actually cook. Cereal and peanut butter sandwiches (or a trip down the street to my parent's house or to Brandi's house!) were o so convenient back in America. Also, there was always the luxury of jumping in my car and driving down to Subway or picking up some quick and easy pre-prepared meal at Wal-Mart. No such luck here. So, needless to say, we've been learning to cook, which has been great. We've got some great chicken recipes, some good soups, always enjoy Mexican (we can buy tortillas here and there is a World Kitchen store that sells refried beans...unless your other teammates beat you to the store and buy them ALL!), a veggie sandwich that's delish, a pear and feta sandwich, apple pie, homemade pretzels, peanut butter cookies, pastas...the list goes on. I've really enjoyed learning to cook and Amber and I will have quite a collection of recipes when we're through here. HOWEVER, while we eat foods similar to those in the States, the Poles typically eat just what you'd think they eat...meat, cabbage, and lots and lots of potatoes. Keep this fact in mind.
So, the other day we decided to finally make the trek across town to check out the market that's held bi-weekly in Olsztyn. It's a cross between a flea market (you know what they say: one man's trash is another man's treasure!) and a farmer's market. There were people selling antiques, old clothes, shoes, cosmetics, meat, and fruits and vegetables. It was a beautiful day and turned out to be a great opportunity for Amber and I to practice our Polish skills. We bought some fruit, made some new friends, and just enjoyed shopping around. Everything was going wonderfully. We were understanding some of the language and successfully managed to buy some peaches, apples, the head of a sunflower, and some pears. The only thing we were missing was potatoes. So, feeling fairly confident and impressed (if I do say so myself) with ourselves, we sauntered over to a man and a woman at a table selling potatoes. There were several tables selling potatoes, but we chose this particular table because there were no other customers (so maybe we weren't that confident in our language skills!). So, I give her my classic cheezy "I'm an American and I can hardly speak your language...please be merciful" smile and ask for 2 potatoes. Easy enough, right? WRONG! This is exactly where the cultural difference between two American girls and the Poles comes into play. I see the lady pick up a huge white bucket and the 2 kilo weight to put on the scale. At this point the alarm sounded in my head...she intended to give us 2 kilograms of potatoes!!! For all of you non-metric people, that's 4.5 pounds of potatoes for two girls...who are taking public transportation! Now, for the Poles, this is nothing...this is probably one meal. We just wanted two baked potatoes. I quickly spoke up and said "no, not 2 kilos, only 2". She stopped what she was doing, looked at me as though I had lobsters crawling out of my ears, and laughed quite possibly the loudest and hardest I've ever heard a Pole laugh...until her boisterous laughter was drowned out by the man with her.
This would be what Amber has coined a "cultural smack down...WWF Monday Night Raw style".

I'm glad we could provide a good story for the potato sellers to share around their dinner table that night...as they passed the potatoes.

Ciao Bella

I had my fill of pasta, pizza, art, history, air/bus/train travel, walking, and hostel stays and am now back in good old Olsztyn. It was tough, but I picked 5 pictures from my trip to Italy (which included time in Rome, Venice, Pisa, and Florence) to post here. (however, if you'd like to see more, you can check out Amber's blog for a slide show...I figured that, since she already did all that work, why re-invent the wheel, eh?) Anyhoo, while these are not necessarily the best pictures taken that week, they are of the things I found most interesting. So, here goes...

Kristin, me, and Amber in front of the Coloseum. It was amazing to see. It's so ancient, it's honestly kind of hard to wrap your brain around how old it really is.

This thing that looks like a sewer hole is actually the hole that Peter and Paul (you know, the guys from the Bible) were lowered into to be held in a Roman Prison. There originally was no other entrance/exit, but they've since added a staircase and built a church above the cell. Again, hard to really wrap your brain around...

This picture shows how there are layers and layers to Rome. This was taken from current street level, but you can see that the original city was about two stories down. They are building another subway line, but progress is very slow since they keep running into ancient ruins that must be first excavated.

This fountain was one of my favorite things of all that we saw on our trip. It's called the Trevi Fountain and it's beautiful. It was sculpted in the 18th century and "marks the end of the 19 BC Aqua Virga aquaduct, built by Agrippa...". The statues are of Neptune and two triton.
Finally, my favorite part of the whole trip was our two days in Venice. Amazing. There are no motorized vehicles...no scooters (which everyone drives in Italy), no cars, no trucks...nothing. Everything and everyone is shuttled in by boat. I fell in love. However, I'd better not get too attached, since the city is sinking at an average rate of 1 cm a year. That's significant. Of course, it was built on top of a marsh! Anyhoo...I loved riding on ferries instead of busses, walking along canals, seeing some beautiful wooden boats, and taking a gondola ride! Our driver didn't sing, but he whistled a little and did wear a blue and white striped shirt. It was just a quiet, peaceful place and I'm so thankful I got the opportunity to experience it. Ahhh...

Now, it's back to the routine, which is good. The students start back in less than a week and we're still putting together some details as far as meeting with students and praying for more opportunities. Please pray that God would open doors and stir a hunger in the students He's calling to Himself.

Tour De Pologne 2007

The girly-girls having a little pre-race fun.

These pictures show you how close the racers came to us. It was awesome to see. You could literally feel the wind from the pack as they went by.

Having said that, I know these guys are some serious athletes. And I respect them for that. But really...as if wearing spandex isn't bad enough...which sponsor chose pink spandex for these poor guys? Really. It's hard to look manly in pink spandex.

This top picture doesn't do this race justice at all. To see all of the racers together was really amazing.

And, last but not least, this is what happens when you are a foreigner and accidentally make eye contact with a clown on stilts. He comes over, grabs a chunk of your hair and ties a balloon in it. Let this be a lesson for anyone else planning to travel abroad...never make eye contact with a clown on stilts. Remember that.

Queen Song Title Goes Here...Can Anyone Guess Which One???

In my previous post I mentioned that I would hopefully have something more interesting to write...and, good news, I do!
A few weeks ago, Sean and Lydia mentioned that there was a bike race coming through Olsztyn. They said it was a race consisting of several stages throughout Poland and was kind of like the farm leagues of professional bike racing and a mini Tour De France. Not being an avid bike racing fan, I said "oh, that's neat" and, although I was interested in seeing it, didn't really think too much about it.
A couple of days ago, Amber and I saw a poster advertising the race and remembered Sean and Lydia mentioning it. And then this morning, as we were out and about running some errands (including a trip to the World Kitchen store to buy refried beans...we had to go back today since we were there last week but someone--who shall remain nameless, but who's name starts with S and ends with ean--had bought them ALL), we saw that they had the streets blocked off and were busy setting up. It was at this point that we began to realize that this whole event is a lot bigger than we had thought. A lot bigger.
It was amazing. I wish I had pictures that could really capture how neat this event was. My guess is that there were about 200 racers and they were f-l-y-i-n-g on these bikes. My little legs would have fallen off I think. Lydia led us to a great spot to stand to watch, right on one of the curves of the route. As the racers came around the curve, you had to pull any and all body parts back away from them road, as I think they could do some serious damage! There were pace cars that had replacement bikes on top of them, a helicopter hovering and filming, tons of film and camera crews, clowns who took joy in harassing Americans and tying balloons in their hair (see pictures above!), and lots and lots of bikes. You could hear that wheels whizzing and their gears clicking as they flew by. It was really amazing. I have no idea who won, or really any of the details of the race. But, it was sure neat to see! Definitely not something I would have thought "Gee, I'd like to go watch that", but I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance!

Hello Bloggerville!

My, how times does fly these days! Actually, for a while there, time felt like it crept by. Our internet was out of commission for almost two weeks, so that put a damper on keeping up with the blog. And, in all honesty, I haven't been very blog inspired lately! Even now, I keep switching over to another tab to Google random things. 'Tis so sweet to have Google back. I mean, how else would I find random information like where to store Tahini...in the 'fridge or in a cupboard?!?! (and, in case you're interested, proper Tahini storage is in the 'fridge). Nonetheless, I'll do my best to give you a brief rundown of what's been going on here the past three weeks...

-I spent the week after the three week tour basically recuperating and trying to get things back in order. That Wednesday, team Northeast Poland ventured out to Skansen, an enthniographic park near here (if you're not sure what an ethniographic park is...Google it!). It was very interesting. We saw lots of old artifacts from this area that actually looked pretty similar to old artifacts from Lyme Village in Bellevue, Ohio!
-We've gotten to meet with three of the girls from the youth camp. We're hoping to connect with some more this week
-It's officially turned fall in Poland. The week my parents were here and the following week were H-O-T! It's a good thing I enjoyed it while it lasted, because it's gone now. It's been in the low 60's and kind of cloudy for the past few weeks. It's also getting dark earlier and earlier. I've already found myself wanting to go into hibernation mode and it's only September and Amber has already pulled out her sweaters and used a Hot Hands packet! It's not good, folks! However, on the flip side, I did buy a new pair of black boots for the winter weather and that's always fun...=) (and, by the way...to my Texas cousins--are you familiar with Fat Baby boots??? They are darling and I'm already planning to buy myself a pair as a "welcome back to America" gift when I return!)
-We made an apple pie...well, actually we made two. The first one didn't turn out great, and since we had 7 pounds of apples instead of 7 cups (ummmm...my bad. Guess I should have looked closer at that recipe, eh?) we gave it another shot. This one turned out great. The only downfall is having to use shortening--which Amber's mom brought over since we can't get it here--and I loathe shortening. I hate the smell, look, feel...ugh, it makes me noxious just thinking about it! Even when I was little and would make cookies with my mom, I hated getting the shortening out. Yuck. Ok, moving on.....
-We had a volunteer team here to prayerwalk and it was great. They are wonderful ladies and I had a great time getting to know them a bit as well as praying together. It was a great week. AND, they brought me a 12 pack of Diet Coke w/Lime, because it's of course way easier to have a 12 pack brought several thousands of miles than to actually slice up a lime and put it in a glass of Cola Light!
-ummm...I am taking Flamenco dancing lessons. I cut my lip real bad on the rose I was holding in my teeth. Just kidding. That's not until week 4, of course.
-I am drying out. I miss the water. I miss the Lake. I miss boats. I've been reading a book called Stormy Seas: Triumphs and Tragedies of Great Lakes Ships and it's kind of hitting the spot. But, this is one of my favorite times at the Lake. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE summer at the Lake. But, having lived there for four years, it's always nice when things slow down, the tourists leave, the weekend people close up their houses for the winter, and the weather changes. I love waking up in the morning and being able to hear the waves pounding and the wind blowing (even from my little house down the street from the waterfront!); I love looking out and seeing grey skies that match the color of the water; I love how quiet and desolate the beach is; I love watching the big freighters come in. The good news is that the Stevenson's recently went to Hel. No really. That's the name of the town, and it's right up on the Baltic. I saw some of their pictures and there was a lighthouse and a commercial fishing fleet and it looked beautiful! I can't wait to go next summer. It's on the list of things to do.

Well, for being blogging uninspired, I sure managed to fill this post up with utterly random nonsense. Thanks for sticking with it and I'll try to come up with something more interesting next time (which I think I can follow through on, as we're leaving for Italy in a week!!!!).
In parting, I'll leave you with the beginning from a song I've been listening to a lot lately--what with the nostalgia for the Great Lakes and all--and for which I'm sure I'll be relentlously teased, especially by a certain friend whose name starts with "T" and ends with "eresa"...

"The legend lives on
from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee"...

Can anyone name that song?????

Lap 2--Mom and Dad

The top photo is my mom and dad in the courtyard of Wawel Castle (where the frescos from the 15th century are). It was pretty amazing to see!

This is my dad standing on a bench of this ancient castle, peering into a window.

This picture above is our main form of transportation for the week. They rode a total of 4 trains during their time here and are old pros at the Polish train system, which involves being ready to tuck and roll at your stop...the train waits for no one.

Below, a picture of mom and dad in Old Town Olsztyn. My dad bought an Olsztyn baseball hat. It's official: he liked it here =)

After just getting warmed up in Lap 1, the Tour continued with a lap spent with my parents! We "reunited" in the lobby of the hotel in Warsaw and it was wonderful! They arrived safely, with a whole suitcase of goodies from America =) I am now supplied with new running shoes, my flute, socks, a travel coffee mug, soem of Grandma Davis's infamous chocolate chip cookies, more hair repair instrumes from Lori (thank you!!!), and the first four episodes of Deadliest Catch--my FAVORITE TV SHOW!--from Uncle Tom and Aunt Barb (thank you!) and lots of other goodies.
Not only was it great to be back with my parents for the week, we also got to see some beautiful sights in Poland and experienced a lot of history. Our first full day together, we caught the express train to Krakow and arrived, checked into our hotel and headed into Old Town. It was beautiful. Way bigger than Olsztyn or Warsaw! We walked around, went through a castle with frescos from the 15th century(!), and enjoyed dinner outside. The next day was not what I would call "fun", but powerful. We went to Auschwitz concentration camp. It's actually a series of three camps, and we saw two of them. It was...hmmmm, I don't know what to say. It definitely left an impact. I'm glad I got to see it, but wouldn't want to do it more than once. I'm also glad that I got to experience it with my parents.

The next day, we spent a little more time in Krakow, then caught the express train back to Warsaw, where we spent the next two days. We saw lots of different monuments and learned more about what happened in Warsaw during the German occupation in World War II (by the way, if you're ever interested in learning more about this, you can watch the movie "The Pianist"--it's strong and intense and a little hard to watch, but worth it nonetheless). Then, we headed back into Olsztyn and went to the Intemann's house with the rest of our team to celebrate Ethan's 5th birthday. It was a great chance for my parents to meet everyone and we all had a great time.
In Olsztyn, we had some time to just relax, but we also saw Old Town and went through the castle here. We got to go up into the tower and saw some amazing views of Olsztyn.

The visit with them was amazing. I'm SO thankful that they were willing to make the big trip. It was wonderful to see them, for them to see where I'm living and what my life is like here, and for them to meet my "family" here. Thanks mom and dad! When are you headed back? =)

(I can imagine that their answer is along the lines of: when Poland discovers ice cubes, air conditioning, and starts getting Cleveland Indians games broadcast...oh, and starts speaking English)

Lap 1: Camp

The photo above is us and the Americans that came for the week. They were awesome. They shared some powerful dramas, prepared English and drama workshops, brought food for an American Day at camp, and just loved on these kids. It was also a blessing to me to get to spend time with them.

The photo below is my cabin and group that I was a part of for the Alfa discussions. They were each so sweet and a lot of fun. I had a great time with them. Please pray for them, that the Lord would continue to draw each of them closer to Himself.

The photo above is a rainbow that showed up one afternoon during our Alfa group discussions. It was COLD pretty much all week, and it rained for several of the days. Anyhoo...the girl on the left is Agnieszka and she is a new sister in Christ. Next to her is Viola, the leader, and beside her is Karolina and then Magda.

The photo below is of the Polish believers who worked at the camp. They were great and put a LOT of hard work into this week. Please continue to pray for them as they follow up with the new believers and continue to meet with those who are interested in continuing to study the Bible.

So, the first stop on the Tour '07 was a little village called Swietajno where we worked with people from the Polish Baptist church here in Olsztyn at a camp for youth aged 14-18 from three cities in the area. There were about 50 students that came and it was an amazing time. Because it was older students, there were many who spoke English remarkably well, which made our task much easier! We had a team of 7 come from Jonesboro, Arkansas, including 3 youth and 1 college student, which was great. These 4 spent SO much time with the kids, it was awesome to see. They all lived with the students, along with Amber and I. I was in a cabin with 7 other girls who all had either just finished high school or only had a year or two left. They were great and all except for one spoke great English. I got to know two of the girls, Magda and Karolina, really well and am hoping to continue meeting with them. They are what would probably be considered "postmodern" thinkers and are interested in reading and talking about the Bible. Please pray for them, that we'd be able to connect with them (they live in Olsztyn) and that they'd be drawn to read God's Word.


Throughout the week, we met in small groups to discuss different topics in something called Alfa Groups. It was a great way for open conversation and to be able to point these youth to God's Word. At the end of the week, we had 14 new brothers and sisters in Christ and many others who are interested in continuing to talk about these topics. Please pray for the church here, that they'd be intentional and faithful to following up and continuing in discipleship with these students.

And, just for fun, here are a few random hi-lights of the week:
-Amber fell down a few steps as she was sending a text message; she was o.k., so it was permissible to laugh, right?
-I actually saw a couple of horse-drawn wagons in this village...no kidding
-eating lots of delicious home-made Polish soups for lunch each day (carrot, cucumber, chicken noodle...yummmmm)
-America Day including s'mores, Jif peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, eggs, bacon, and pancakes and getting to eat the remaining peanut butter throughout the week
-I also found someone who is very similar to my Grandma Davis: she was the "chief" back in the kitchen for the week and is 80 years old...I walked into the kitchen one morning to find her slathering peanut butter on a piece of pastry and topping it with syrup. She must be on the Grandma Davis/Buddy the Elf diet...the more sugar the better =)
-hearing DiscoPolo for the first time; it's a genre of music that everyone here talks about and usually knows the words to, but won't actually admit to listening to---let me just say that I now understand why
-playing Phase 10 and winning!!!!!!!! woo-
-learning how to yell "look out!!!!!!!!" in Polish because you've just thrown the frisbee and, although your father actually spent time teaching you how to NOT "throw like a girl" you still do! Sorry dad!
-waking up to a rooster crowing; eating lunch to the sound of a rooster crowing; going to bed to the sound of a rooster crowing...I think this guy was a little confused because he kept at it all day long
-getting to see stars as far as your eye can see; we can't do that here in the city and it was something I was really looking forward to out in the country (I definitely miss being able to see them out over the lake)...a lot of the nights were cloudy, but there were a few that were clear (and cold!) and it was wonderful

-

Tour De Poland 2007

Well, I've officially completed the Tour De Poland 2007. It was about a year ago this time that I was on the Tour De Western Ohio. Things sure have changed in a year!
Anyhoo...the Tour '07 is in the books and, as usual, what an amazing thing it is to be a part of the things God is doing among us.
In case you missed it, here is the '07 touring schedule:
July 27--volunteer team from Arkansas arrives; meet team in the evening and head out into Old Town Olsztyn for dinner
July 28-Aug. 4--youth camp in a little village about an hour away
Aug. 4--return to Olsztyn and have dinner at the Stevenson's house
Aug. 5--leave for Warsaw; Amber and I took an early train and met her family at the airport, then I met up with the volunteer team and Patsy and spent the evening in Old Town Warsaw
Aug. 6--touring Warsaw with the volunteer team; Patsy and I played tour guides; my parents arrived!!
Aug. 7--get the volunteer team to the airport, then leave with my parents for Krakow
Aug. 8--Krakow
Aug. 9--return to Warsaw
Aug. 10--Warsaw
Aug. 11--on to Olsztyn and Ethan's birthday party at the Intemann's house
Aug. 12--Olsztyn
Aug. 13--my parents boarded a train and headed back to Warsaw where they stayed for the night, then flew over the pond on the 14th; I spent the day doing laundry and taking off my acrylic nails
Aug. 14--Amber and I head out to Olsztynek to be a part of a week of outreach in this little town
Aug. 15-17--Olsztynek
Aug. 18--slept in 'til 10 and enjoying the day in my own home

Phew! There it is. That's the last three weeks in a nutshell. I'm going to post something about each adventure in a seperate post, but I will just say that it was a time filled with meeting new people, ups and downs, lots of learning about the Polish culture, and about trusting the Lord for each day...not worrying or fretting about days to come. It was a wonderful experience, but I'm glad to be home for a while!

So long, Farewell, ...(um, I don't know how to spell the rest of the song)

Can you see us??? These our are new beds for a couple of weeks. You take what you can get here!

Well, I don't really have anything too exciting to blog about right now, but wanted to touch base before I check out for a few weeks. Right now, we're hanging out in our flat waiting for the volunteer team from America to arrive. They're coming from Arkansas and are here for a little over a week to help out with a camp for high school students. We're leaving tomorrow for the camp and will be MIA for the week. Then, after a quick night back here in Olsztyn next Saturday, we head to Warsaw where we'll say good-bye to the team and I'll meet my parents! They're heading in on the 6th, then we'll hang out for the week until they leave on the 13th. Then, right after they leave on the 13th I'll head out, with Amber, to a little town near here to spend the week helping out with a mini-crusade-ish-type-thing. Phew! It's definitely going to be an action packed few weeks, but I'm looking forward to some good times.

Like I said, other than that, there's nothing too exciting going on here right now. I'm sure I'll have more to post after the next three wild weeks. But, before I go, I have to share about one of the best books I've ever read. Now, I'm not an avid reader, by any stretch of the imagination, but I do enjoy a good book. And this is one amazing book. It's called Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and I think every female checking out this post should read it. It's amazing. It's a big 'un (about 400 pages) but I read it in no time at all. The only warning is that you should be ready to be up really late reading, because once you pick it up it's really hard to put it back down and actually go to sleep. I think it would be an awesome book to read in a book club type thing (not that I've ever actually been a part of one of those, but they sound fun!). So, there's my two cents for the day =) But seriously, if anyone is looking for an amazing book to read, go find this one!
Well, I'm off to go finish packing. I'll check back with you all in three weeks! So long!

Jazz in the Castle

Do you ever have a day or an event that you just know was a gift from the Lord? I had one of those last night. It was wonderful. And I'd love to tell you all about it!
Well, first of all, yesterday morning Amber and I went to visit with Bozena, our new language partner. We trade off Polish conversation for English and so far (we've met twice) it's working out really well. She has a 12 year old daughter who we're also going to help with English as well. They're both super sweet and we're having fun getting to know them.
So, after our brains were mush from over 2 hours of conversation, we hiked back in the smokin' hot heat (side note: so, I've learned that heat here just isn't as fun as it was in Huron when I pretty much just spent the day in the lake or with a beach chair parked in the water on the shore---again, I'm learning that this is how the rest of the free world lives! Who knew?!?!), grabbed some lunch, and headed to Old Town to drink some iced coffee. As we were sitting outside and watching the Polish world go by, we got an SMS from one of the girls in our English Club, Ala. She said that she had 2 tickets to a jazz concert in the castle that night and wanted to know if we wanted them. So, unsure of what to think about the whole event or what it would turn out to be, we said "sure!" and off we went.
Let me try to set the stage; picture yourself inside a 600 year old castle, late evening as it begins to cool down, a bass, guitar, and a drumset, great jazz, and free tickets. Yeah, it was wonderful. These three guys were awesome and they played with such passion, it was so neat to see. Amber and I just sat there saying "this is great". It was such an absolute blessing from our Father. It truly felt like just a little gift; a little time out to stop and just enjoy a totally unexpected blessing.
Today, on the flip side, we got some bummer news. We once again travelled out to Platyny and were once again denied. Marcin (and all of us) is praying about what to do next. There is so much involved here, it would take a few posts to explain, but please continue to pray for Marcin to have wisdom to know what to do here and for the people of this village, especially the kids. We spent some time out there this afternoon and what we saw among the kids was disturbing. Please pray that they'd be set free to true life in Christ.

Please Pray!

This is a picture of a little gift that was given to each of us that worked at the camp in Platyny. I have a feeling that it will be one of my most prized posessions from my time here in Poland. I wanted to share this with you and ask you all to pray, once again, for this little village. Marcin, Sean, Bryan, Patsy, Amber, and I all headed out to Platyny yesterday afternoon, planning to go and visit some families and teach the English lesson. We were told to bring a copy of our college diplomas with us, which the Soltys (one of the village leaders) needed to see. As I'm sure you can guess, given the previous track record in this village, it didn't quite go as planned. When Marcin took the copies to the Soltys to trade for the key to the building, he was told that he needed to have a letter of permission from the mayor. Ugh! So, no english and no meeting with the kids yesterday. We all met together in the home of one of the members of Marcin's church, who lives in Platyny, and talked and prayed. As far as I know, Marcin was going to try to get in touch with the Mayor today to discuss the situation with him, but I'm not sure what the outcome was.
As we met together and prayed, I was reminded of a couple of verses:

"He (Jesus) opens doors, and no one can shut them; He shuts doors, and no one can open them." (Revelation 3: 7)

"But the word of God cannot be chained." (II Timothy 2:9)

I know that God is in control of even this, and no decision from man will change that. Of course, we have our plans and strategies to get into this village, but "we can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps" (Proverbs 16:9). Whatever the verdict, I know that my Father reigns and that He is not bound or hindered by man's decisions and rulings. His Word never comes back void, even in a little village of 400 in northeast Poland!
Please continue to pray for these people. Please pray for the boldness and encouragement of the believers who live there...they obviously have the most influence and easiest "in" with the people! And please pray that the Lord would use all of this to stir a curiousity and interest in the people of Platyny...to use even this, in His mercy, to draw people to Himself.

**ok, so we talked with Lydia and Stacey at our little "Girls Night Out" tonight and they shared with us what Sean had heard from Marcin. Apparently, Marcin got ahold of the mayor and the mayor now says it needs to be addressed at a meeting of the Rada (kind of like the city council, to the best of my knowledge), which will meet again in 2 weeks. I guess that means we won't know anything more for two weeks. However, Marcin will continue to be able to meet with the home Bible study group in the home of one of the believers in Platyny.**