Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Weather in Warsaw
Weather in Warsaw--Click "English" for non-metric:
http://www.accuweather.com/world-index-forecast.asp?partner=netweather&locCode=EUR%7CPL%7CPL007%7CWARSAW%7C&metric=1
http://www.accuweather.com/world-index-forecast.asp?partner=netweather&locCode=EUR%7CPL%7CPL007%7CWARSAW%7C&metric=1
Monday, October 6, 2008
October 6, 2008. Monday - Omar sosa
Went to Omar Sosa concert! http://www.omarsosa.com/
Google "youtube Omar Sosa"
Google "youtube Omar Sosa"
Daily Diary
Having cogitated on how to best make use of this blogspot, I've decided to post a daily diary. Just short posts on what I am doing each day. This one is a catch-up:
September 15, 2008--Monday. Arrived Warsaw @ 5:30 p.m. via train from Vienna. Met at Coffee Heaven, across from train station, by apartment agent/new friend P.K. Escorted to grocery store for essentials: tea & toilet paper. Escorted to apartment (which was cold). I felt unsettled. However, my nephew, Jim, was in town on business. He came over, met me and P.K., and we went to dinner downstairs at the London Grill. This family welcome made things all better.
September 16--Light-medium rain. Walked to school to begin to get my stuff to the apartment. When I visited here in June, I had left two large suitcases in the "cupboard" (closet) in my new department. I had also posted several boxes. Today with the help of John Fells, Academic Director, I loaded the two large and heavy suitcases into a taxi, ordered by dept. secretary, Joanna. I showed the driver my address, written on a card. Got to my apartment, schlepped the suitcases into the small elevator, got them up to the 6th floor, got them into the apartment and unpacked them.
September 17--Went back to school with the two now empty suitcases and loaded contents of all the previously posted boxes into the suitcases, then repeated taxi, etc. process from yesterday. Walked to mall near train station for a high quality, soft sheet and similar pillow cases. Made my bed. Put Sandy's quilt on it as a bedspread. Vowed to take a picture and send it to her. As of Monday, October 6, haven't yet....
September 18--Warsaw Fulbright orientation at U.S. Embassy all day.
September 19--Departure by chartered bus for Wroclaw (pronounced Vrots-wav) for 10-day orientation.
September 28--Sunday. Train from Wrocslaw to Warsaw. Shared 6-passenger compartment with fellow Warsaw Fulbrighters Fran and Cathy Conti, as well as with a young mother and child.
September 29--Went to school. Began to unpack school-related things. Received my school computer log-in and password. Cleaned computer keyboard. In the evening, got onto tram #4, thinking that it would take me to Akadia Mall. But wrong tram, which took me across the river instead. Spotted the neon of a different mall and jumped off. Followed others down the steps to walk under the street to the mall.
Bought a radio/CD player, house plants and containers, bath towels, bathroom rug, bed comforter, and lots of plastic-basket organizing containers since I have few drawers but, instead, two walls of open cubbyholes upon which to set things--for example, all of my clothes. Back to apartment on tram. Got off too early and walked too far in dark and drizzle with bulky bags. Made it though!
September 30--Met with John Fells at 10 a.m. at school re. grading principles, reading dissertations, course schedules and syllabi, and countless questions. More organizing at school. Back to the mall on tram #4 for coffee pot, house-plant dirt, more plastic baskets, and a reading lamp for the bedroom. Re. the latter, thought I bought a grey one but ended up with an orange one, which I decided to keep nonetheless. Tired, but happened by an "Orange" cell-phone store, much like Verizon stores, when leaving the mall. Located a clerk who spoke enough English to sell me a Polish sim card, install it, and teach me about using it.
October 1, 2008--Wednesday. Opened bank account in Warsaw. Took two hours. Walked to Fulbright office to give Dorata my bank account information, which she didn't need. Ran into Cathy at Fulbright office. Learned that I could buy a one-year pass card for the buses and trams. Fulbright person wrote my request in Polish on a piece of paper. Took the paper across street and plaza to get one in the post office. Correctly and with good luck, read the Polish instructions about which line to get into. Successfully purchased the card.
Walked to Warsaw Filharmonia box office http://www.filharmonia/pl & bought 3 of the 10 remaining tickets for Saturday night--for Fran, Cathy, and myself.
Walked more of my neighborhood and located more restaurants. Went to "Riff" and bought an electric piano! Figured I can sell it on Craig's List Poland before I leave. Ate at a (fair-to-bad) Vietnamese restaurant near Riff.
October 2--Departmental meeting at 1:30. Worked with librarian, Lidia, on reading materials for first session. Met with Jakub, computer whiz, re. installing newer version of adobe acrobat and allowing me to access Stan State library from my office computer.
Walking home, stopped at Blilke restaurant on Nowy Swiat and had a really nice dinner of Potato pancakes, a good white wine, and--splurge!--a truly wonderful chocolate mousse. www.blikle.pl
October 3--Stayed in apartment all day, working on syllabi and waiting for piano to be delivered between noon and 2 p.m. Piano delivered and set up at 5:30 p.m.
October 4--Worked more on syllabi. Met Fran and Cathy at 5:40 in filharmonia concert hall for 6 p.m. performance. It was wonderful! We had front row seats, three of the only ones left, and saw mainly the performers' feet--but still it was wonderful. And being that close, we could watch the cellists' fingering, as well as the solo pianist's hands in his lap while not playing (Brahams Concert for piano, 1, op. 15) and the expressions on the four soloists faces (Penderecki's Credo).
Went to dinner afterward at Blilke. Met Ruth, 79, a former "hidden child" who told us her story. http://www.adl.org/hidden/default.asp .
October 5--Beautiful day--sunny and warm(ish)! Walked toward Old Town and around Ograd Saski park. Visited Tomb of Unknown (Polish, WWII) Soldiers. Sat and read October issue of (free) Warsaw Insider in Sofitel Victoria hotel lobby, a quiet oasis with a very nice restroom.
Met Fulbrighters Ted, Fran, & Cathy at 3 p.m. for a visit to Zacheta National Gallery, www.zacheta.art.pl . Afterward, we all went for beers, Coke Light (with ICE!), onion soup, and a calimari snack in an Old Town cafe. I left the others at 5:35 to walk to the Embassy where a film was supposed to be showing as part of a film series on U.S. presidents. Got there and found the embassy closed on Sundays. No movie. Walked around--weather still lovely--went again to Blilke's, for a glass of wine, then home.
October 6--Planned to be at school earlier than now but am writing this blog....
September 15, 2008--Monday. Arrived Warsaw @ 5:30 p.m. via train from Vienna. Met at Coffee Heaven, across from train station, by apartment agent/new friend P.K. Escorted to grocery store for essentials: tea & toilet paper. Escorted to apartment (which was cold). I felt unsettled. However, my nephew, Jim, was in town on business. He came over, met me and P.K., and we went to dinner downstairs at the London Grill. This family welcome made things all better.
September 16--Light-medium rain. Walked to school to begin to get my stuff to the apartment. When I visited here in June, I had left two large suitcases in the "cupboard" (closet) in my new department. I had also posted several boxes. Today with the help of John Fells, Academic Director, I loaded the two large and heavy suitcases into a taxi, ordered by dept. secretary, Joanna. I showed the driver my address, written on a card. Got to my apartment, schlepped the suitcases into the small elevator, got them up to the 6th floor, got them into the apartment and unpacked them.
September 17--Went back to school with the two now empty suitcases and loaded contents of all the previously posted boxes into the suitcases, then repeated taxi, etc. process from yesterday. Walked to mall near train station for a high quality, soft sheet and similar pillow cases. Made my bed. Put Sandy's quilt on it as a bedspread. Vowed to take a picture and send it to her. As of Monday, October 6, haven't yet....
September 18--Warsaw Fulbright orientation at U.S. Embassy all day.
September 19--Departure by chartered bus for Wroclaw (pronounced Vrots-wav) for 10-day orientation.
September 28--Sunday. Train from Wrocslaw to Warsaw. Shared 6-passenger compartment with fellow Warsaw Fulbrighters Fran and Cathy Conti, as well as with a young mother and child.
September 29--Went to school. Began to unpack school-related things. Received my school computer log-in and password. Cleaned computer keyboard. In the evening, got onto tram #4, thinking that it would take me to Akadia Mall. But wrong tram, which took me across the river instead. Spotted the neon of a different mall and jumped off. Followed others down the steps to walk under the street to the mall.
Bought a radio/CD player, house plants and containers, bath towels, bathroom rug, bed comforter, and lots of plastic-basket organizing containers since I have few drawers but, instead, two walls of open cubbyholes upon which to set things--for example, all of my clothes. Back to apartment on tram. Got off too early and walked too far in dark and drizzle with bulky bags. Made it though!
September 30--Met with John Fells at 10 a.m. at school re. grading principles, reading dissertations, course schedules and syllabi, and countless questions. More organizing at school. Back to the mall on tram #4 for coffee pot, house-plant dirt, more plastic baskets, and a reading lamp for the bedroom. Re. the latter, thought I bought a grey one but ended up with an orange one, which I decided to keep nonetheless. Tired, but happened by an "Orange" cell-phone store, much like Verizon stores, when leaving the mall. Located a clerk who spoke enough English to sell me a Polish sim card, install it, and teach me about using it.
October 1, 2008--Wednesday. Opened bank account in Warsaw. Took two hours. Walked to Fulbright office to give Dorata my bank account information, which she didn't need. Ran into Cathy at Fulbright office. Learned that I could buy a one-year pass card for the buses and trams. Fulbright person wrote my request in Polish on a piece of paper. Took the paper across street and plaza to get one in the post office. Correctly and with good luck, read the Polish instructions about which line to get into. Successfully purchased the card.
Walked to Warsaw Filharmonia box office http://www.filharmonia/pl & bought 3 of the 10 remaining tickets for Saturday night--for Fran, Cathy, and myself.
Walked more of my neighborhood and located more restaurants. Went to "Riff" and bought an electric piano! Figured I can sell it on Craig's List Poland before I leave. Ate at a (fair-to-bad) Vietnamese restaurant near Riff.
October 2--Departmental meeting at 1:30. Worked with librarian, Lidia, on reading materials for first session. Met with Jakub, computer whiz, re. installing newer version of adobe acrobat and allowing me to access Stan State library from my office computer.
Walking home, stopped at Blilke restaurant on Nowy Swiat and had a really nice dinner of Potato pancakes, a good white wine, and--splurge!--a truly wonderful chocolate mousse. www.blikle.pl
October 3--Stayed in apartment all day, working on syllabi and waiting for piano to be delivered between noon and 2 p.m. Piano delivered and set up at 5:30 p.m.
October 4--Worked more on syllabi. Met Fran and Cathy at 5:40 in filharmonia concert hall for 6 p.m. performance. It was wonderful! We had front row seats, three of the only ones left, and saw mainly the performers' feet--but still it was wonderful. And being that close, we could watch the cellists' fingering, as well as the solo pianist's hands in his lap while not playing (Brahams Concert for piano, 1, op. 15) and the expressions on the four soloists faces (Penderecki's Credo).
Went to dinner afterward at Blilke. Met Ruth, 79, a former "hidden child" who told us her story. http://www.adl.org/hidden/default.asp .
October 5--Beautiful day--sunny and warm(ish)! Walked toward Old Town and around Ograd Saski park. Visited Tomb of Unknown (Polish, WWII) Soldiers. Sat and read October issue of (free) Warsaw Insider in Sofitel Victoria hotel lobby, a quiet oasis with a very nice restroom.
Met Fulbrighters Ted, Fran, & Cathy at 3 p.m. for a visit to Zacheta National Gallery, www.zacheta.art.pl . Afterward, we all went for beers, Coke Light (with ICE!), onion soup, and a calimari snack in an Old Town cafe. I left the others at 5:35 to walk to the Embassy where a film was supposed to be showing as part of a film series on U.S. presidents. Got there and found the embassy closed on Sundays. No movie. Walked around--weather still lovely--went again to Blilke's, for a glass of wine, then home.
October 6--Planned to be at school earlier than now but am writing this blog....
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