November went by pretty quietly. I was basically getting into the rhythm of life here, studying and socializing with my peers (a post on Polish night-life to come!).
Here's a picture that I took of a fall night on Kraków's main square:
December, though, was a pretty exciting month (as it usually is). On the 17th, I celebrated my 24th birthday in the most Polish way I could think of -- by attempting to eat 100 pierogi!
My rules for the day were that I had from the time I awoke to the time I went to sleep to eat the 100. I also could consume nothing but pierogi, coffee, and wódka.
Sadly, I only made it to 91. Impressive, nonetheless, for a mere American!
Here's my tally of the pierogi flavors I ate:
Meat: 33
Meat/Cabbage: 5
Broccoli: 4
Spinach: 2
Mushroom/Cabbage: 20
Chicken/Curry: 6
Pizza: 6
Cherry: 6
Potato/Cheese: 9
My birthday also provided me with a good incentive to work on my Polish language skills. I bought candles with packaging that was all in Polish. When I tried to blow them out, it turned out they were trick candles!!! Have you ever heard of someone playing a birthday prank on himself?
The following weekend, on a whim, I decided on a brief getaway to the capital - Warszawa!
I showed up to the bus station to buy a ticket, only to learn that they could only be bought in advance!! I was destined to make it to the Polish Washington, DC, though, because the guy behind me in the bus line happened to have an extra ticket, which he gave to me! So on blind luck and no planning, I was on my way to my first Polish city outside of Kraków. I could now have something to compare Kraków to, so as to determine what about the city was typically Polish and what was uniquely Krakowian.
I was very pleasantly surprised by Warsaw. Every native Krakowian absolutely loathes this city. They call it ugly, impersonal, boring, and artificial. I think they're crazy. The extent to which the city was reconstructed (it was completely razed in WWII, unlike Kraków) is remarkable. The old and new towns have the beautiful narrow streets that one would expect from a Polish city. The city squares were very well maintained. The Christmas decorations were beautiful. The streets were clean. I particularly enjoyed walking around Warsaw University's campus. To hell with the commonly-held opinion in Kraków. I would definitely go back!
Here I am with the city's mascot: A sword-weilding warrior mermaid. Note how low the "fish parts" start.
Shortly after my return to Kraków, I left again for the Polish mountain town of Zakopane... to celebrate Christmas! Three friends and I got some rooms at a little inn for what was to be my first Christmas away from home. The trip was fraught with problems, though. We did not have a kitchen, as we were expecting, so we couldn't cook. Also, most stores and restaurants were closed, so we had trouble finding places to eat. I got deathly ill on Christmas morning and was bedridden most of the day. We arrived with some snow on the ground, but by the time we left, it had all melted into muddy slush. Despite all this, though, I had a great time! I made mulled wine and egg nog. We were constantly playing chess, particularly at night with our hot wine. Christmas carols were playing on loop on my computer. The problems that we ran into gave the whole experience an adventuresome feel!
On our second to last day, we went on a great hike up one of the city's nearby mountains, Morskie Oko.
Next up was New Year's. It's a pretty big deal in Kraków. People from all over Europe flock to the main market square. Somehow, I survived the crowds and had a great night. By the end of the night, the city's streets were filthy with broken glass, discarded alcohol and food containers, confetti, and passed-out drunk people. The next morning, though, the city was spotless. It made me wonder whether the previous night had been a dream. Well done Kraków!
January was all about final exams. For most of the month, I was a recluse with a gross exam beard. In Poland, they really draw out the exam process. In the states, they take place over a week. Here, they're spread out with endless make-ups and re-sits. When they're finally over, you feel like this lady:
Right after my final final, I hopped on a Ryanair flight to Italy to celebrate!
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