Do widzenia Polska

Thus far, each time we've left a country, the heavens have opened and we believe the angels have wept with us. It poured rain on Friday, so the campers did their final show in the big white tent for all of their parents & relatives who came to collect them. It was a wonderful celebration, but emotionally draining. Many of the families couldn't speak English, so all I could do was tap my heart with a tear-streaked face, hug their child and trust they understood. Those of you who know me will believe me when I tell you my faith was strengthened by seeing how God gave me a love for these children. When we left California I thought the painful goodbyes were over . . . but no. I suppose it's an indication of how sweetly we've connected. How can relationships grow in such a short period of time? Perhaps it's time . . . we have time on vacation to sit and chat and share ourselves and listen to others, instead of the usual rush in our everyday lives. I dunno. But let me say to folks at home ~ I thought one of the biggest gifts we could offer during this trip was time. We wouldn't have homework to do or meetings to attend. We could stay up late because we wouldn't have to wake up for work and we'd linger longer because we 'd have nowhere to go. But that hasn't been the case. Even with no big plans, we still skip family devotions or rush off for some event or have people waiting for us or a train to catch. Personal goal: to devote myself fully to the present moment. Here, more than ever, if I don't it will be lost. But that's true at home as well, isn't it?

Poland ~ Nearing the End

Charlie was afraid that you'd think we'd joined some Moonie cult type thing when you read about the camp weddings. Hope it came across differently ~ harmless except for the fact that Mary is now a little nervous around her devoted "husband" who never leaves her side.

Our camp life ends tomorrow night and we are already getting the blues! I don't know what I'll miss most ~ the beautiful surroundings, the wonderful Polish counselors, the fantastic food or my sweet campers. Did I tell you about Kuba? On the first day, every camper stood up and introduced themself. Most kids raced through their name and said how many years they've studied English. Kuba (familiar for Jakob) stood up (picture a chubby, nerdy, red-cheeked Polish boy) and said "I like to eat and play computer games!" As you can imagine, he isn't the most popular ~ usually the victim of all the cool boys' jokes. After a couple days of suffering through sports activities, he came to my English session and told me he couldn't wait until Sunday. When I asked why he said, "I go to church and pray for rain." He wants to be food taster when he grows up. I adore him. Or Peter . . . Mary's "camp husband". He befriended our family from the get go and is never further than an arm's length away (his English is improving!). He's a gifted artist and has drawn beautiful pictures for Jane & Mary. Today Chase wasn't feeling well and, sure enough, Peter came to our room to deliver a precious Get Well drawing. When we went to Krakow for the weekend his parents came for a visit. They left a delicious marble cake for us. We continue to feel that we're gaining so much more than we're giving. I could go on & on describing all of the people here who are touching our lives. Yeah, it'll be hard to say goodbye.

Poland ~ what day is it?

I might burst from emotion. Jane and I just returned from a day-trip to Warsaw, where we met up with a friend of mine from 23 years ago. When I lived/worked in Spain after college, I made many friends through an international organization (UCB-based) called AIESEC. I was very close to a girl from Gdansk, Poland, who invited me to come to her country at the end of my time in Spain. So, naturally, I accepted her kind offer and moved to Poland for six weeks and met many crazy Polish college students (maybe you met Ela & Ryszard at our wedding?). Anyway, today I was reunited with Eva. It was so fantastic. Truly a reminder of how important it is to keep in contact with people that you think you may never see again. She shared thoughts about the "new" Poland we all see today. While she acknowledged that many good things have resulted from the lifting of the Iron Curtain, she also said that life was very good before they knew any 'better'. Sure, there was a scarcity of meat & clothing, it was difficult to travel, and lines were long for groceries, but without all of the westernization, families were closer. There weren't as many options for people, so communities were tighter. Just like the Internet ~ you recognize the pros & cons of "progress".

And tonight, we were hit with the consequences of traveling abroad. When we exposed our kids to people in new lands, we risked the possibility of them becoming very attached. Well, here you see it ~ Chase & Mary both got 'married' at camp. :)

One of my students proposed to Mary. and Chase was brave enough to ask one of the Polish counselors to get married ... and Jane was the maid of honor for another couple! Any camper who wanted to participate in the evening activity went through the motions of proposing, making a bouquet, a ring, or using the lacy curtains from their window for a veil. The camp was all aflutter.

Lots of festivity, tradition, and laughter. Of course no event here would be complete without dancing and singing. One of the campers is particularly gifted -- you can hear his voice on YouTube if you have a minute... he's 11 years old.

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=u6haNfrfGPA&feature=related

Poland ~ Day 9

Krakow is a great city! Even the kids loved it (maybe because they didn't visit one museum). Life was happening in the Market Square of the Old Town. Stalls of wonderful food, sidewalk cafes, street entertainers, crafts, shops, musicians, etc. Very fun! And, it was hot, summer nightlife, which is always fantastic.

The train is such a fun way to travel. On a local trainfrom Kotun to Warsaw, Jane & Mary got knitting lessons from two the ladies from our volunteer team. And on our return train we were all thrilled to have a reserved compartment since the halls were filled with people who had to stand for the 3-hour journey. We invited in a father with his daughter, but they only spoke French, so we didn't bond much.

And no words can describe Auschwitz. We were all so moved, but felt so helpless. You walk through and imagine any number of scenarios, but it's all so incomprehensible. I dreaded the visit and it was as deeply disturbing as I feared. All of us had many questions, but we came away realizing that it's impossible to understand the depravity of the people responsible. Our Polish friends tell us that the generation of WWII has more anger & hatred than people of today's society, but nobody has forgotten...

Poland ~ Day 6

We are almost at the end of our first week with these Polish campers and I'm so glad that we have another week to go! Most of the experiences/vacations/missions trips I've known are one week opportunities and I'm always astounded at how relationships are established. So the blessing of having another week is fantastic. I love these people! Hopefully my group is learning some English, but I KNOW they're having fun. Tomorrow, each volunteer is presenting a "state report" (Charlie will represent So Cal . . . we'll be sure to "booo" if he mentions that baseball team, I'll discuss northern California, Jane will talk about the life of a high school senior and college entrance, Chase is going to talk about sports, and Mary will talk about a typical school day for her.)

After our English sessions we will get on a train for Krakow and make the difficult visit to Auschwitz. So many cities in Poland have been destroyed in various wars that Krakow remains a treasure that retains much of its original architecture. So, we won't write for a few days . . . have a great weekend! Thank you to those of you who send an occasional comment or e-mail. We all get so excited to receive any news from home (or Australia or Lichtenstein or... :) and we're grateful that any of you take time to check our blog.

Poland ~ Day 4

This a very special place. As a volunteer opportunity, of course we expected no luxuries, but we have been totally blessed by the camp's accomodation of our family. Jane, Chase & Mary are teaching (playing games, etc.) in the morning, then joining the campers in sports activities and dancing in the afternoon. Friendships are being made all over the place. The Polish counselors are keen to invite Charlie & me for social time after the kids have 'lights out' at 10pm. All who know us can imagine what a stretch that would be, but we wouldn't miss it.

One of the campers is super talented on piano and his voice is like an angel's. We hope to get a recording of him and share it with you, because it goes right to the heart.

Last night was an Initiation for new campers, so our three kids had to undergo the challenge. Drinking yucky concoctions, licking mustard off of a wood sculpture, and walking across squishy things in the dark were a few of the tests! They all came away with a certificate, so we're in!!

I was in Poland as a student 23 years ago, but this is a very different visit. The people are always the best part about the country and that remains the same. We're all picking up a bit of the language, so that's fun. And the food has been much better than the potato diet we expected.

Miss you all ~ thanks for checking in!

Colleen

Photos from England

1) Our farmhouse B&B
2) 14th century tithe barn in rainstorm
3) Charlie punting in Oxford
4) Chase & Charlie in the pub
5) Jane & Mary in hedge maze

Poland Day 1 (by Chase)

Leaving England was bittersweet because, from now on every country that we'll visit will not be a native English speaking land. That means that all signs, names, conversations, etc will be in another language – kind of intimidating, huh? Plus, I know that Poland is not as prosperous as the UK or Ireland so there will be some adjustments there, I'm sure. Lastly, as we tried to start getting our bearings on the Polish language (e.g. yes/tak, no/nie, please/proscze, thank you/dziekuje), we observed that it was really hard pronouncing & reading new letter combinations and multiple sounds. Knowing that would mean that any attempt of trying to communicate with the Poles might be reduced to hand motions and facial expressions – thankfully, we have a "drama queen" in our family.
After getting off the plane, going through customs and claiming our bags, we were overjoyed to find a smiling woman with a Global Volunteers sign awaiting us. She seemed even happier to see us than we were to see her, as she outlined our upcoming activities and work schedule. Dorota, the GV country manager who met us at the airport, was such a welcome sight to us when we arrived in a foreign country and, thankfully, she also speaks perfect English.
We're not the only Americans volunteering at this camp for the next two weeks … we also picked up two other ladies at a Warsaw hotel (sisters from Colorado) – Shelly & Elaine. There's also Jim, from Tampa, Florida, who's back for his fourth year of teaching here at the camp – it's great to have him here as he's been showing us the ropes and giving us information about the people and their customs.
When we arrived at our facilities, we were pleased to find that the camp (and our accommodations) were better than I had imagined. I had a vision of worn carpets, dusty cots and dirty bathrooms, but NO – the kids sleep in dorm-like rooms with multiple beds in each, very clean dining areas and a great kitchen that serves good food. The Polish kids, ages 11-15, all seem very energetic and excited to be here. We're lucky enough to be staying in a 2 bedroom apartment with plenty of space for the five of us. Outside, the grounds have a swimming pool, tennis court, volleyball net and a huge tented ballroom for meetings, dances and talent shows. Everyone but me is looking forward to the dancing lessons.
Dobranoc (Good night!)

Farewell England

Well, we've left that beautiful country of England and survived 6 days of Charlie driving on the left side of the road. Not too many "toots", but it kept us all on our toes! He did a great job.
We can't access the Internet from our laptop, so we won't be able to post any photos until later. The last stay we had in the UK was in a 14th century farmhouse outside of Salisbury with gorgeous gardens. I'm inspired to do more for my own lot at home, but it would cost too much to water it as much as needed. En route we drove through a torrential downpour which was the only thing that kept us from going inside a massive 'tithe barn' in Bradford-upon-Avon. Oh, that Oak Park should need such a large storehouse! There's a story here that the old priests used to have a method of collecting which may just work...they would tie a rope across the road and if they caught a girl or woman, the men in the family would have to buy them back. (No comments on how much they would fetch).
Another stop we made between rainstorms was to the longest hedge maze in England. The hedges were 10 ft. tall and it took Mary & Jane (winners of the race) 30 minutes to find the center.
Hollywood update: We visited the abbey where they filmed "The Other Boleyn Girl".
Have I mentioned it has been raining? We flew to Warsaw yesterday and were met by our Global Volunteers representative. We'll write more about the camp later, but our lodging is in a 200-yr-old building and the rest of the volunteer team seems wonderful (only three other people besides our family). Last night we turned out the lights to another thunder and lightening storm for added 'atmosphere'. It was hot & humid, but today it must be 15 degrees cooler.
This morning we went to a church service in the local village...all in Polish, of course. We recognized the cadence of the Lord's Prayer and thankfully, 'hallelujah' is universal. The priest never looked up, but we assume he gave a sermon. We miss you, Pastor!

You think they speak the same language... (by Jane)

Although people in the UK speak "English" like us, sometimes our questions or their statements are....lost in translation. Here are a few examples of American words translated into English:

movie - film
intermission - interval
fries - chips
chips - crisps
(dollar) bill - note
(sports) field - pitch
bathroom - toilet
tennis shoes - trainers
sweatshirt - jumper
underwear - knickers
line (the kind you wait in) - queue
exit - way out
to rent - to let
cookie - biscuit
trunk (of the car) - boot
hood (of the car) - bonnet
gasoline - petrol
pants - trousers
you're welcome - it's alright
biking - cycling
seat (of a bike) - saddle

here's the prime translation:
knocked up - awakened ("what time would you like to be knocked up tomorrow?" "oh, around 8 a.m. would be fabulous, thank you.")

England

We were beautifully cared for in the home of old friends for the long weekend and it was a wonderful visit. How could it not be when the hostess cooked magnificently and conscientiously, the kids matched our own's ages, the house was large enough to comfortably handle all five of us AND our huge suitcases, and the weekend gave us a glimpse into their life in rural England? I don't know an American who isn't charmed by a British accent, but now I know that even small family squabbles in such sound lovely.
Judy took us into London and gave us a quick overview of the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman influences of architecture and art before we visited the British Museum. It was good to help our minds get in gear. I've recently been amazed at Jane & Chase's exposure to a World History course...how do we think that can be accomplished in two semesters? All nations, all generations, all aspects of politics, art, and cultural affairs? Impossible, of course.
It doesn't matter, really. The kids may be exposed to St. Paul's Cathedral, but they are only interested once they hear that Mary Poppins' "feed the birds" happened on its steps! And the 12th century cloisters of a nearby abbey suddenly becomes relevant because much of Harry Potter was filmed there. So, no pressure on Charlie and myself to be great teachers.
I'm just as guilty in my own point of reference. We just toured the charming Cotswolds and I found myself thinking of Lin Hildeburn more than the quaint sights before me, because I was last here with her. But every turn holds another amazing view ~ we won't go on & on, but I really love the villages and country roads. And within a few miles we come across another treasure. Today, we visited Bath and learned about the Roman occupation in England during the first four centuries. Jane was amazed that the current city was built right on top of the old baths and temples, only unearthed in the past few centuries.
We're not catching much of the Olympics, unfortunately, and what we DO see has the British cast of characters in obvious emphasis. We have a new appreciation of archery & equestrian categories.
Reminder to self upon return: Plant more hollyhocks.

So Far...(by mary)

ITS RAINING!!!

Everything's good. We just finished our bike tour yesterday and it was REALLY hard!!! It was very fun though. Our last ride was in a huge valley. Right when we got to the top of the mountain, it started to pour buckets of rain. The rain was so hard you couldn't even see 5 feet in front of you. It was also kind of gross because it was a horse and buggy trail so we were pretty much riding through horse poop puddles that splashed in our face and our body. But for a half and hour, we rode in the rain. It was a blast! I loved it. Then we walked in to the b&b- drenched. Then, that night we went to a show called river dance. It was soooo cool. It was a tap dancing theatrical play that was so awesome. It was very loud and in sync. I threw up twice on the ten hour plane flight and lost binkey and my bag. Other than that, everything is great. The b&b's we've stayed at are cool and the hotels are awesome! Right now, I'm at a house in England thats called the old rectory which is were the priest used to live (the church is across the lane) that is 4 stories high, has a pool, a water slide, and there back yard is as big (probably bigger) than a football fields length. It has a hedge maze that goes on forever. its really fun to play hide-n-go seek. =) The family has four kids.
Blond Boy that's 10 years old= Lachlan (Locklen)
Dirty Blond Girl thats11 years old (my age)= Francesca
Strawberry Blond Boy that's 15 years old= Collum
And a REALLY pretty blond girl that's 17 years old= Charissa (Carissa)

P.S. My suitcase and my blanket (binkey) finally arrived so i'm having fun now.

P.S.S. I HATE POTATOES!!! not really, but in Ireland that's all they serve you.

Slainte

We left the Emerald Isle in such a memorable way! For our final ride we put the bikes on small boats near Ross Castle and embarked across three lakes. Charlie commented that it could be Hawaii for the intense green mountains with rock crevasses and dark, ominous clouds overhead. By the time we had lunch and rode to the top of the valley, the rain began. It POURED on us all the way down the other side and we'd never had so much fun!

Last night we saw Riverdance and, once again, appreciated the dance & music of Ireland. The O'Leary family gave us each a meaningful gift and we had to say our sad goodbyes. It was a very special week.

One indicator that Charlie is beginning to unwind is the fact that he has slept in past 7:30am. Good to see and with less schedule I hope to see it grow later still.

Ireland

Well, it's not as easy as we'd thought to find Internet access and keep this updated whilst on the road ~ apologies for infrequent postings!

But Ireland...'tis a beauty. And we wouldn't haven't seen it as gloriously if not for being on bicycles. My body is exhausted from the riding, but the scenery; the rock walls, the moss-covered tree forests, the ivy-covered ruins, the babbling brooks, the coast and wildflowers all surpass the expected. I spent my first two days frustrated with the pictures we captured, or rather, didn't capture. Now I want to pitch the camera, because we never seem to be able to stop and shoot something that quickly passes ~ however important those images are in the mind's eye.

We ride 30-35 miles a day and everyone in the family would report differently, but I, Colleen, am wiped out at the end of each day. Now, that is not to say that the accordion and guitar music in a pub can't revive me, but my thighs are aching!

We've connected beautifully with our host cyclists ~ a family from Kerry Pike (near Blarney) with children similar in age to our own. The giggles never cease and we'd recommend the week's adventure to any of our friends.

Tomorrow we ride for the last day before leaving Killarney and heading to England on Thursday. Bless you all. We miss you!