When I woke up this morning, it was foggy. After some lying around being tired, I forced myself out of bed and rifled through my suitcase for one of the dresses I brought with me. Then we headed over to church for the eight am mass. Walking there was like walking through a ghost town. It was foggy, and the usually busy city streets were almost totally free of cars. There were maybe five that weren't driving to the local church.
I'm not totally lost here, but I don't understand enough Polish to decipher what the priest was saying. There's something to be said for not understanding, though. You're free to observe, not distracted by speech and the want to say the right things at the right time in the right places. I think we often miss things because our thoughts are almost entirely consumed with speaking and interacting. When you have an excuse such as mine, it's nice to be left to what you can see without the distraction of what you can hear.
I've always thought of church as a nice place for thinking. Not understanding the readings and the gospel and the homily only strengthened that. When I wasn't marveling at the beauty of the artwork and general being of the church, I truthfully mainly thought of what I would write here. I often think about my blog when I go places, but here I was free to dream up ideas without interruption. I also did some serious thinking about converting to Hufflepuff, which I'm not totally set on doing, and am basically having a mid-school-life crisis over.
Something I also do often is think of little scenes and ideas in my head for stories, so I did some of that.
Walking back from church, my mom told me some of what the priest had been saying. At one point he said that people almost never do things for nothing. They have intent, something to gain, even if they don't notice it themselves.
I like that.
Walking back, we were hoping the weather would remain foggy, but it turned out to be perfect beach weather.
And we have company. Speaking of said company, more people just arrived. Buhbuhbuh. Now that two other girls around my age are here, I'm obligated to stay downstairs. And I was just getting to the good part. >.<
Roughly four hours later, I need to go on a quick tangent. We ended up having twelve guests. I've always acknowledged that I have a fairly attractive family, but no one in America can compare to the family members I have in Europe. WHY AM I RELATED TO SO MANY ATTRACTIVE PEOPLE? I'm jealous. ._. Some of them are just unfairly attractive. I want a perfect little nose and thin eyebrows and clear skin.
So, anyway, the first four people to arrive were my grandmother's two sisters and who I think was my mom's cousin and his wife. This was in addition to me, my mom, my grandmother, and a guy who I think is also my mom's cousin, who lives with my grandmother. It was fairly awkward. They all spoke about as much English as I spoke Polish, or maybe they were just hiding mad English skills. Either way, I kind of stood to the side, wishing I could run upstairs and hide. Then my grandmother and her sisters had a brief conversation which I believe concerned how nice my legs are.
Then the Awkward Monster exploded out of happiness, leaving us all coated in a thick layer of awkward that would doom us all.
Speaking of the Awkward Monster wreaking its awkward-tastic havoc, this conversation I just had with an uncle-that-I-apparently-have is a wonderful example of that:
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"No, my mom would kill me."
"What?"
"...She would not be happy."
-snort- I'm so great at talking to people IRL. Stumbling over my words, talking so fast the foreigners don't understand, and using euphamisms that would imply some serious business to a different culture.
I'm using the moment when they asked to see my netbook to write. Like a boss. We're hoping that the--
As soon as I said that, my mom told me that I have company and have to put the netbook away.
--weather will be as gorgeous tomorrow as it was today, as we could only squeeze in a little under two hours of walking. However, one of my mom's cousins said it was going to rain. Boooo.
And revisiting the awkward, another uncle-that-I-apparently had wanted to stay in touch, so I had to tell him that on Facebook my last name is Ketchum, from Pokemon, and give him the embarrassing email I made in 4th grade. Yaaaay.
Everyone is finally gone. The only good thing that came out of this was a load of cakes and small gifts from people (A multi-colored rosary? That was first on my Christmas list. Already blessed? Bonus, whooo). I would enjoy these gatherings much more if everyone could just, like, speak in a language I understand. I wish my ears magically heard the Polish as English, and that their ears magically turned my English into Polish. That would be so freaking helpful. Instead I stood around awkwardly with the other four girls while they spoke Polish, and one of them translated in okay-English every now and then.
"Why are you so quiet?"
Dude, I'm socially awkward in my first language, let alone one I hardly know.
Okay, I'm wicked tired. If anyone cares, I switched Simisage out of my Pokemon party because I realized after you evolve your Pan- Pokemon, you can't learn anymore moves. Into told me Sawsbuck is really helpful when fighting the E4, and my Sawsbuck was the only other decent grass-type Pokemon I had. And now my party isn't exclusively male. XD
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 28 hours and 6 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 58
- Zebstrika, 53
- Vanillish, 39
- Garbodor, 38
- Swanna, 38
- Sawsbuck, 34
Badges: 8
Sunday, August 21, 2011
When Alcohol Makes You Miss My Little Pony - 8.13.2011
Not a whole lot to report today.
In the morning we walked over to the bakery to buy some bread, as we are having company tomorrow but basically nothing is open on Sunday. Monday is also a church holiday, so we're hoping for beach weather. We also bought cucumbers and tomatoes and cereal and yogurt and chunks of three different cakes. The fantastic thing about this trip is that my mom is much more likely to buy me sweets than in the States. Plus we're having company, so we must have cake.
Then we walked on the beach for three hours, like the bosses we are. It was warm and sunny for most of the walk, and I was wearing shorts to I could walk in the water with the waves crashing around my ankles and it was just l o v e l y. I love the beach to bits, if you haven't noticed.
On the beach, we bought ice cream from a walking vendor. Then, on the walk back when we switched to the pavement towards the end, my mom bought me a gofry, or waffle, with whipped cream and chocolate with cherries. I should mention that my mom tasted the chocolate and pronounced it SPIKED. Hardcore. We're just perpetuating the stereotypes here. I wish I had at least internet, if not my best friend (the dictionary), to make sure I'm using "perpetuating" correctly.
Before we got home, we stopped at one of the many supermarkets, where we bought pear-mint chocolate, pear-black currant chocolate, and some other sweets.
When we got back, I finished re-reading Paper Towns by John Green, I've now read both the books I brought, which means I'll be stealing The Catcher in the Rye from my mom when she isn't reading it, and probably re-re-reading The Hunger Games and Paper Towns.
Then I played Pokemon. However, Victory Road was beginning to stump and annoy me, as I couldn't get out no matter how many times I walked through the same caves. I went out on the balcony, looking for more internet connections. I found a second network that didn't have a password, but I couldn't connect. I think it might be something with Poland vs. Netbook.
"I'm bored."
"You can call grandma and see if you can go over and use the internet."
"I'm not going to call!"
-phone rings-
"I WIN."
So, like the major boss that I am, I walked the entire block-and-a-half trip to my other grandparents' house by myself. Now, walking at home is like, "Whatever, dude." But walking here is like, "You'd better hustle your ass to your destination lest some drunkard stumble your way and decide that now would be a lovely time to commit the crime of rape." Carrying a netbook in my bag wasn't helping the whole situation, so I walked pretty damn fast over there. My mom picked me up, luckily.
My netbook didn't even end up picking up connection there, so I just used my grandmother's hardly-used laptop with this wireless card thing that gives you internet anywhere in Poland. It was slow, but I mean, it was internet. I went three--almost three-and-a-half--days without the thing. I'm an internet geek. I'm more comfortable and confident there than in real life; it's like living without something vital like food or water or air. I was glad to hang around on the internet for a couple hours. Plus I looked up how to get through Victory Road, which I did when I got home. Didn't update the blog because the posts are on the netbook.
We also bought postcards.
Tomorrow we're going for church at 8am and we're having company, so I should really get to bed. Which I'm fine with, because I'm tired. That walk was, you know, tiring.
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 26 hours and 45 minutes
Current Team:
- Emboar, 58
- Zebstrika, 52
- Vanillish, 39
- Simisage, 38
- Trubbish, 35
- Ducklett, 31
Badges: 8
In the morning we walked over to the bakery to buy some bread, as we are having company tomorrow but basically nothing is open on Sunday. Monday is also a church holiday, so we're hoping for beach weather. We also bought cucumbers and tomatoes and cereal and yogurt and chunks of three different cakes. The fantastic thing about this trip is that my mom is much more likely to buy me sweets than in the States. Plus we're having company, so we must have cake.
Then we walked on the beach for three hours, like the bosses we are. It was warm and sunny for most of the walk, and I was wearing shorts to I could walk in the water with the waves crashing around my ankles and it was just l o v e l y. I love the beach to bits, if you haven't noticed.
On the beach, we bought ice cream from a walking vendor. Then, on the walk back when we switched to the pavement towards the end, my mom bought me a gofry, or waffle, with whipped cream and chocolate with cherries. I should mention that my mom tasted the chocolate and pronounced it SPIKED. Hardcore. We're just perpetuating the stereotypes here. I wish I had at least internet, if not my best friend (the dictionary), to make sure I'm using "perpetuating" correctly.
Before we got home, we stopped at one of the many supermarkets, where we bought pear-mint chocolate, pear-black currant chocolate, and some other sweets.
When we got back, I finished re-reading Paper Towns by John Green, I've now read both the books I brought, which means I'll be stealing The Catcher in the Rye from my mom when she isn't reading it, and probably re-re-reading The Hunger Games and Paper Towns.
Then I played Pokemon. However, Victory Road was beginning to stump and annoy me, as I couldn't get out no matter how many times I walked through the same caves. I went out on the balcony, looking for more internet connections. I found a second network that didn't have a password, but I couldn't connect. I think it might be something with Poland vs. Netbook.
"I'm bored."
"You can call grandma and see if you can go over and use the internet."
"I'm not going to call!"
-phone rings-
"I WIN."
So, like the major boss that I am, I walked the entire block-and-a-half trip to my other grandparents' house by myself. Now, walking at home is like, "Whatever, dude." But walking here is like, "You'd better hustle your ass to your destination lest some drunkard stumble your way and decide that now would be a lovely time to commit the crime of rape." Carrying a netbook in my bag wasn't helping the whole situation, so I walked pretty damn fast over there. My mom picked me up, luckily.
My netbook didn't even end up picking up connection there, so I just used my grandmother's hardly-used laptop with this wireless card thing that gives you internet anywhere in Poland. It was slow, but I mean, it was internet. I went three--almost three-and-a-half--days without the thing. I'm an internet geek. I'm more comfortable and confident there than in real life; it's like living without something vital like food or water or air. I was glad to hang around on the internet for a couple hours. Plus I looked up how to get through Victory Road, which I did when I got home. Didn't update the blog because the posts are on the netbook.
We also bought postcards.
Tomorrow we're going for church at 8am and we're having company, so I should really get to bed. Which I'm fine with, because I'm tired. That walk was, you know, tiring.
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 26 hours and 45 minutes
Current Team:
- Emboar, 58
- Zebstrika, 52
- Vanillish, 39
- Simisage, 38
- Trubbish, 35
- Ducklett, 31
Badges: 8
The Perpetual Business of a Quality Fish Store
That would be an excellent title for a novel, I might have to write that for NaNoWriMo.
Anyway, seriously. Here, by the sea, quality fish stores have their hands full. Yesterday, my mom and I dropped by what is supposedly the best fish store in the city and found it utterly packed. Too lazy to stand in line, we left, saying we'd come back as soon as they opened tomorrow (which was today). A little after they opened, we dropped by to find it again, packed (the store wasn't very big, but there were two lines that bent, and probably thirty people waiting to be helped). We found out that there were only three types of fish at that moment and that there would be more in an hour.
It was still stuffed--possibly more so than the other two times--but we sucked it up and stood in line. We left the store with six whole flounders, four fish cakes, one kilo of one salad-thing, and one kilo of another salad-thing, all for twenty-six zloty.
Todays endeavours also included exchanging currancies, eating, ambling around and glancing at the merchandise of different stores, eating, buying shoes, eating, a long and lovely walk on the beach, and eating, We've done lots of eating in the two and a half days we've been here, and I don't regret a morsel of it. We bought 12 assorted pastries after our second trip to the fish store, as well as a kilo of sour cherries and some cheese.
The way I talk about how fantastic the food is, you'd probably expect me to be dining on massive roast animals and banquets the size of your bedroom and such, but the food is really quite simple. Cereal or rolls for breakfast, rolls for supper, and assorted big dinners for lunch, which is dinner here. But everything is just so fresh. It's not like the American crap I'm used to. This is real food. I'm so happy to just eat to my heart's content, especially with all the walking and my boss metabolism.
As I said above, I bought shoes. They're Converse, though not really. Knock-offs from some company called Super Gear, but I like them. They're like high-tops, made of a jean-like material with zippers and things and I like them. I'm no good at describing clothing that already exists, so you'll have to trust me on this one that they are cool.
My dad's mother gave me a box of alcoholic chocolates. As I understand it, the entire contents of the box together would be 1.5% alcohol. I'm going to get so wasted tonight.
(Not really. I'm going to finish this blog post, glance at some French notes, and hit the sack. I'm so cool.)
Speaking of being cool, I've taken to hooking my thumbs into either the back or front pockets of my jeans, which gives me the feeling of walking with some serious swagger. I'm not really sure how I feel about this new habit. XD
Buh, now I have to get up to tell you my Pokemon stats. The thing is charging, and I'm lazy. ._.
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 25 hours and 27 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 57
- Zebstrika, 51
- Simisage, 38
- Vanillish, 38
- Ducklett, 30
- Trubbish, 29
Badges: 8
Anyway, seriously. Here, by the sea, quality fish stores have their hands full. Yesterday, my mom and I dropped by what is supposedly the best fish store in the city and found it utterly packed. Too lazy to stand in line, we left, saying we'd come back as soon as they opened tomorrow (which was today). A little after they opened, we dropped by to find it again, packed (the store wasn't very big, but there were two lines that bent, and probably thirty people waiting to be helped). We found out that there were only three types of fish at that moment and that there would be more in an hour.
It was still stuffed--possibly more so than the other two times--but we sucked it up and stood in line. We left the store with six whole flounders, four fish cakes, one kilo of one salad-thing, and one kilo of another salad-thing, all for twenty-six zloty.
Todays endeavours also included exchanging currancies, eating, ambling around and glancing at the merchandise of different stores, eating, buying shoes, eating, a long and lovely walk on the beach, and eating, We've done lots of eating in the two and a half days we've been here, and I don't regret a morsel of it. We bought 12 assorted pastries after our second trip to the fish store, as well as a kilo of sour cherries and some cheese.
The way I talk about how fantastic the food is, you'd probably expect me to be dining on massive roast animals and banquets the size of your bedroom and such, but the food is really quite simple. Cereal or rolls for breakfast, rolls for supper, and assorted big dinners for lunch, which is dinner here. But everything is just so fresh. It's not like the American crap I'm used to. This is real food. I'm so happy to just eat to my heart's content, especially with all the walking and my boss metabolism.
As I said above, I bought shoes. They're Converse, though not really. Knock-offs from some company called Super Gear, but I like them. They're like high-tops, made of a jean-like material with zippers and things and I like them. I'm no good at describing clothing that already exists, so you'll have to trust me on this one that they are cool.
My dad's mother gave me a box of alcoholic chocolates. As I understand it, the entire contents of the box together would be 1.5% alcohol. I'm going to get so wasted tonight.
(Not really. I'm going to finish this blog post, glance at some French notes, and hit the sack. I'm so cool.)
Speaking of being cool, I've taken to hooking my thumbs into either the back or front pockets of my jeans, which gives me the feeling of walking with some serious swagger. I'm not really sure how I feel about this new habit. XD
Buh, now I have to get up to tell you my Pokemon stats. The thing is charging, and I'm lazy. ._.
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 25 hours and 27 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 57
- Zebstrika, 51
- Simisage, 38
- Vanillish, 38
- Ducklett, 30
- Trubbish, 29
Badges: 8
Walking on the Beach Doodle-loot-doo-doo - 8.11.2011
(Today's blog post contains some strong language. Don't do drugs, kids.)
Today, I ate three-fifths of a candy bar that was 2.1% alcohol. I'm such a bad ass.
Speaking of being drunk, the amount of drunkards here is beginning to scare me just a little. I mean, when they walk by on the street while I'm safe inside, it's okay. But when I pass them with my mom on the street and the turn their blank eyes on me and stare drunkenly into my soul and stumble in what could vaguely be called my direction, it's all, "FUCKFUCKFUCK GET AWAY FROM ME YOU DRUNKEN BASTARD."
This is some serious business.
Being here is a little nicer than Germany in the sense that when I go places, it's just my mom and I, so we speak English. In Germany we went places with my uncle and my aunt and my cousin(s) and so on, so they all spoke Polish to each other. Nicholas would talk to me in English, but everyone else ignored me for the most part when around their Polish-speaking family members. To be fair, my uncle and aunt don't speak English, but.
I can't wait for my sister to get here so I'll have more people to, like, talk to. Granted, she's been practicing her Polish from the second she heard there would be a chance of her coming here. I would've gladly done that, but it's not so easy for me. She was at least born here, and while my family moved to America when she was very little--I think too young to talk, but I don't know much about babies aside from what John Green has told me--they spoke Polish around the house for a bit. I think. So anyway, my mom started to teach me Polish on multiple occasions when I was younger, but then she got busy with work and basically never taught me anything.
That isn't to say I'm totally lost here. The first time I came here, five years ago, I picked up most of what I know. Nothing majorly helpful, but I know like, numbers and colors, some foods, and useful phrases like "I'm hungry" and "But I like the cookie." I had an Over The Hedge obsession during my first trip. Then, when I came here, with my brother, I learned how to ask for a sip of beer and "Gdzie jest ____" (where is ____). I'm pretty good at figuring out what people are saying by picking out a word I know, and sticking it into the likely context. Plus European people dig using helpful hand gestures in stores and things, and all that packaged together means that I often know what's going on without my mom translating.
Trust me, if I'd had the time, I would've taken up the Polish-learning book in the house and studied the hell out of it, but that wasn't an option. You see--
Now I need to tell a story. XD
So, in 7th grade, I signed up for German. I took the class for a year and got straight A+'s and was the favorite of the teacher, like the Mary-Sue Hufflepuff I am, but then budget cuts swooped in and ruined all my fun. German and Russian got lopped off the Program of Studies and I was left to chose a new language to study, because Mary-Sue Hufflepuffs don't take a study hall if there is an academic alternate. I chose French. However, it put me behind my entire grade language-wise, aside from the ten-ish other 8th graders in that class, Mary-Sue Hufflepuffs don't fly well with being academically behind. My options for languages in 9th grade were to 1. Start a new language, which would be stupid as I am fluent in English and know bits and pieces of three other languages already; plus I'd still be behind and am not interested in Spanish or Latin anyway. 2. See if enough people want to take French 1B and then take that course, which would leave me behind. 3. Take French 1/hon, which would mean spending a trimester re-learning everything I learned the past year and still being behind, or 4. Studying the 1B material over the summer. I chose option 4, so...
Back to the main story line.
--I'm studying French over the summer. I also don't have a tutor, because I'm a Mary-Sue Hufflepuff. Luckily, an FFN friend of mine has three years of French under her belt, another possibly more (I forgot), and a third is starting to self-learn the language. So I'm in good hands if I need help, and Google translate can give me a fairly good idea of pronunciations I'm not sure of. See? No room to study Polish.
Okay, so on to what I did today.
After getting up and eating breakfast, I read for a little while before my mom and I set out on an adventure. At first, while we were walking around and ambling into various supermarkets to look for things we would need to buy on our way back, it was windy and cold. When we got on the road that led straight to the beach, it was sprinkle-y and cold. On the beach itself, where I may have committed jellyfish murder*, it was just cold. Then we got off the sand and it became sprinkle-y and cold again. Then we went into a restaurant, where we ordered fantastic food that was only about nine USD per person (25 zloty per person if you divide the bill directly in half, though it wasn't that evem), and it became rainy and cold. It was rainy and cold while we were walking back, it was rainy and cold while we were in the supermarket, and in the post office, and in the other supermarket, and still when we got back. And I'm from New England.
Not to complain, as like, I'm in Europe, but it would be nice if the weather could lighten up. Apparently it was like this for all of July. Buhbuhbuh.
When we got home, I basically hunkered down to play Pokemon. I got up to buy magazines at the little strip of little shops next door, then ate a lovely crossaint that had come out of the oven a few hours before when we were at the Lidl that's a block away, and got back to Pokemon. I also checked the connection with the only non-password-protected network every few minutes, to no avail. I can't figure out why it runs into trouble trying to connect. Currently, my only means of getting internet is the house of my other grandparents, two blocks away, but I can't just go there to use the internet, and I have other people and sites to see as well.
I had a second crossaint for dinner, along with a tomato and a mug of green tea and some blueberries and strawberries and that alcoholic chocolate bar, aw yeah. To be fair, I'm a fourteen-year-old girl who weighs 96 pounds--probably less due to all the walking I've been doing and my boss metabolism--and a handful of those candy bars would probably be enough to get my mind fuzzy. I'm so cool.
That's about it for now. My mom is still stressing over her mother and how...messily she lives. My mom wants to replace some of her things and clean the hell out of this place, but she isn't sure about the money with the outrageous prices here. If you think in dollars, the prices aren't that bad, but if you don't think in dollars (or you think that zloty and dollars are worth the same), it's not pretty.
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 20 hours and 18 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 53
- Zebstrika, 42
- Ducklett, 30
- Trubbish, 28
- Simisage, 26
- Vanillite, 26
Badges: 7
*I thought the thing was a piece of fancy glass someone had dropped--clear with a design in the center. I asked my mom, "What's that?" and poked it with my toe. It just squished in and dented. We stared at it for a moment before my mom said, "That's a jellyfish!" Those things are supposed to be around in September. THAT'S HOW NICE -cough- THE WEATHER IS. Also, my Hufflepuff skills shone through when I found some sea glass. "Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders!" :D
Today, I ate three-fifths of a candy bar that was 2.1% alcohol. I'm such a bad ass.
Speaking of being drunk, the amount of drunkards here is beginning to scare me just a little. I mean, when they walk by on the street while I'm safe inside, it's okay. But when I pass them with my mom on the street and the turn their blank eyes on me and stare drunkenly into my soul and stumble in what could vaguely be called my direction, it's all, "FUCKFUCKFUCK GET AWAY FROM ME YOU DRUNKEN BASTARD."
This is some serious business.
Being here is a little nicer than Germany in the sense that when I go places, it's just my mom and I, so we speak English. In Germany we went places with my uncle and my aunt and my cousin(s) and so on, so they all spoke Polish to each other. Nicholas would talk to me in English, but everyone else ignored me for the most part when around their Polish-speaking family members. To be fair, my uncle and aunt don't speak English, but.
I can't wait for my sister to get here so I'll have more people to, like, talk to. Granted, she's been practicing her Polish from the second she heard there would be a chance of her coming here. I would've gladly done that, but it's not so easy for me. She was at least born here, and while my family moved to America when she was very little--I think too young to talk, but I don't know much about babies aside from what John Green has told me--they spoke Polish around the house for a bit. I think. So anyway, my mom started to teach me Polish on multiple occasions when I was younger, but then she got busy with work and basically never taught me anything.
That isn't to say I'm totally lost here. The first time I came here, five years ago, I picked up most of what I know. Nothing majorly helpful, but I know like, numbers and colors, some foods, and useful phrases like "I'm hungry" and "But I like the cookie." I had an Over The Hedge obsession during my first trip. Then, when I came here, with my brother, I learned how to ask for a sip of beer and "Gdzie jest ____" (where is ____). I'm pretty good at figuring out what people are saying by picking out a word I know, and sticking it into the likely context. Plus European people dig using helpful hand gestures in stores and things, and all that packaged together means that I often know what's going on without my mom translating.
Trust me, if I'd had the time, I would've taken up the Polish-learning book in the house and studied the hell out of it, but that wasn't an option. You see--
Now I need to tell a story. XD
So, in 7th grade, I signed up for German. I took the class for a year and got straight A+'s and was the favorite of the teacher, like the Mary-Sue Hufflepuff I am, but then budget cuts swooped in and ruined all my fun. German and Russian got lopped off the Program of Studies and I was left to chose a new language to study, because Mary-Sue Hufflepuffs don't take a study hall if there is an academic alternate. I chose French. However, it put me behind my entire grade language-wise, aside from the ten-ish other 8th graders in that class, Mary-Sue Hufflepuffs don't fly well with being academically behind. My options for languages in 9th grade were to 1. Start a new language, which would be stupid as I am fluent in English and know bits and pieces of three other languages already; plus I'd still be behind and am not interested in Spanish or Latin anyway. 2. See if enough people want to take French 1B and then take that course, which would leave me behind. 3. Take French 1/hon, which would mean spending a trimester re-learning everything I learned the past year and still being behind, or 4. Studying the 1B material over the summer. I chose option 4, so...
Back to the main story line.
--I'm studying French over the summer. I also don't have a tutor, because I'm a Mary-Sue Hufflepuff. Luckily, an FFN friend of mine has three years of French under her belt, another possibly more (I forgot), and a third is starting to self-learn the language. So I'm in good hands if I need help, and Google translate can give me a fairly good idea of pronunciations I'm not sure of. See? No room to study Polish.
Okay, so on to what I did today.
After getting up and eating breakfast, I read for a little while before my mom and I set out on an adventure. At first, while we were walking around and ambling into various supermarkets to look for things we would need to buy on our way back, it was windy and cold. When we got on the road that led straight to the beach, it was sprinkle-y and cold. On the beach itself, where I may have committed jellyfish murder*, it was just cold. Then we got off the sand and it became sprinkle-y and cold again. Then we went into a restaurant, where we ordered fantastic food that was only about nine USD per person (25 zloty per person if you divide the bill directly in half, though it wasn't that evem), and it became rainy and cold. It was rainy and cold while we were walking back, it was rainy and cold while we were in the supermarket, and in the post office, and in the other supermarket, and still when we got back. And I'm from New England.
Not to complain, as like, I'm in Europe, but it would be nice if the weather could lighten up. Apparently it was like this for all of July. Buhbuhbuh.
When we got home, I basically hunkered down to play Pokemon. I got up to buy magazines at the little strip of little shops next door, then ate a lovely crossaint that had come out of the oven a few hours before when we were at the Lidl that's a block away, and got back to Pokemon. I also checked the connection with the only non-password-protected network every few minutes, to no avail. I can't figure out why it runs into trouble trying to connect. Currently, my only means of getting internet is the house of my other grandparents, two blocks away, but I can't just go there to use the internet, and I have other people and sites to see as well.
I had a second crossaint for dinner, along with a tomato and a mug of green tea and some blueberries and strawberries and that alcoholic chocolate bar, aw yeah. To be fair, I'm a fourteen-year-old girl who weighs 96 pounds--probably less due to all the walking I've been doing and my boss metabolism--and a handful of those candy bars would probably be enough to get my mind fuzzy. I'm so cool.
That's about it for now. My mom is still stressing over her mother and how...messily she lives. My mom wants to replace some of her things and clean the hell out of this place, but she isn't sure about the money with the outrageous prices here. If you think in dollars, the prices aren't that bad, but if you don't think in dollars (or you think that zloty and dollars are worth the same), it's not pretty.
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 20 hours and 18 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 53
- Zebstrika, 42
- Ducklett, 30
- Trubbish, 28
- Simisage, 26
- Vanillite, 26
Badges: 7
*I thought the thing was a piece of fancy glass someone had dropped--clear with a design in the center. I asked my mom, "What's that?" and poked it with my toe. It just squished in and dented. We stared at it for a moment before my mom said, "That's a jellyfish!" Those things are supposed to be around in September. THAT'S HOW NICE -cough- THE WEATHER IS. Also, my Hufflepuff skills shone through when I found some sea glass. "Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders!" :D
The Internet Hotspot Prevails and the Posts Flow Forth - 8.10.2011
Today was, to quote Effie Trinket, a big, big day.
After breakfast and soaking up the internet as much as possible, we left my uncle's home just before 10am and set out for Dortmund, where we were flying from. We reached there in a little over an hour, hideously early. We sat around for a bit before check in opened. Then, instead of following the intercom's instructions (because I was apparently the only one who heard them), we sat around for a bit more before proceeding to the terminal. We said a quick goodbye to my uncle, who we will be seeing again at the end of the month, and then through security we went.
In the terminal, we still had over an hour left, so I played copious amounts of Pokemon. Buh, that reminds me that I'm going to have to get up to get my game to tell you all my stats...hold on...
~elevator music~
Right, so.
The flight was nothing spectacular. We hit some turbulance, blah blah. Have you ever look at the wing of a plane while in flight and wondered, "...Is it supposed to look so flimsy?" Seriously, I was worried the poor piece of equipment would snap.
A lot of the people here--more than in the States, anyway--are really attractive.
So we landed in Poland and took a taxi to my mom's mother's house, which cost us nearly seventy zloty. My mom told me not to speak English in the cab because they would charge us more. I don't know if it's true, but I kept my mouth firmly shut.
Being here has been kind of bittersweet for my mom. My grandmother is old; her eyesight is going and she has trouble moving. Thus, her house isn't the shiniest piece of silverware in the drawer. It's been rather upsetting for my mother, and if I think too much about it I start to get teary. So let's just move on from the subject.
We went for a long walk in the area, where my mom pointed out things that were different, things that weren't different, and things she used to do, places where things had happened to her. It was windy and cold. Then we went to visit my dad's parents, who live a block and a half from my mom's.
There, they let me use the internet. There was a connection here for a moment that didn't have a password, but it disappeared. Any signal I get here is weak, and internet access will be a miracle. I'll be trying, you can bet, as I'm a lonely internet dork. I'll never survive here without the internet. ._.
I guess that's about it. I'm kind of tired, to let me prattle off my Pokemon business and then skidaddle.
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 16 hours and 18 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 48
- Zebstrika, 34
- Simisage, 26
- Vanillite, 25
- Trubbish, 24
- Ducklett, 24
Badges: 6
After breakfast and soaking up the internet as much as possible, we left my uncle's home just before 10am and set out for Dortmund, where we were flying from. We reached there in a little over an hour, hideously early. We sat around for a bit before check in opened. Then, instead of following the intercom's instructions (because I was apparently the only one who heard them), we sat around for a bit more before proceeding to the terminal. We said a quick goodbye to my uncle, who we will be seeing again at the end of the month, and then through security we went.
In the terminal, we still had over an hour left, so I played copious amounts of Pokemon. Buh, that reminds me that I'm going to have to get up to get my game to tell you all my stats...hold on...
~elevator music~
Right, so.
The flight was nothing spectacular. We hit some turbulance, blah blah. Have you ever look at the wing of a plane while in flight and wondered, "...Is it supposed to look so flimsy?" Seriously, I was worried the poor piece of equipment would snap.
A lot of the people here--more than in the States, anyway--are really attractive.
So we landed in Poland and took a taxi to my mom's mother's house, which cost us nearly seventy zloty. My mom told me not to speak English in the cab because they would charge us more. I don't know if it's true, but I kept my mouth firmly shut.
Being here has been kind of bittersweet for my mom. My grandmother is old; her eyesight is going and she has trouble moving. Thus, her house isn't the shiniest piece of silverware in the drawer. It's been rather upsetting for my mother, and if I think too much about it I start to get teary. So let's just move on from the subject.
We went for a long walk in the area, where my mom pointed out things that were different, things that weren't different, and things she used to do, places where things had happened to her. It was windy and cold. Then we went to visit my dad's parents, who live a block and a half from my mom's.
There, they let me use the internet. There was a connection here for a moment that didn't have a password, but it disappeared. Any signal I get here is weak, and internet access will be a miracle. I'll be trying, you can bet, as I'm a lonely internet dork. I'll never survive here without the internet. ._.
I guess that's about it. I'm kind of tired, to let me prattle off my Pokemon business and then skidaddle.
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 16 hours and 18 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 48
- Zebstrika, 34
- Simisage, 26
- Vanillite, 25
- Trubbish, 24
- Ducklett, 24
Badges: 6
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Internet, I Have to Tell You Something - 8.9.2011
I'm a Hufflepuff.
Oh, and I'm pregnant.
Not really. Well, the first one is true. I decided two nights ago that I am, indeed, a true Hufflepuff rather than a Ravenclaw. The latter statement, however, is false. I just look pregnant.
That being said, I'm not overweight. I'm actually severly opposite so, with a BMI of 16.0. But tonight we went to a Chinese restaurant and got the all-you-can-eat buffet. And you'd better believe I ate as much as I could. So much so, in fact, that I looked to be about two months pregnant when I walked out of the restaurant. I don't know what I ate, I just know that it was good and everything we ate only cost us twelve euros. So I win.
Other than that, didn't do much today again. I'm meant to be neatening up my suitcase, but I wanted to blog about my pregnancy food. We're leaving for the airport around ten in the morning to fly out to Poland, where it will be meeting family and long walks on the beach. I don't think I'll have internet access, so I'll probably just be blogging to myself until I get back here.
Which begs the question, when I get internet, do you want a massive info dump, or should I day-by-day post? Or do you not care? Or do you not exist? XD
Well, have fun with whatever you were doing. Thanks for listening, darlings~
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 14 hours and 47 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 42
- Zebstrika, 32
- Vanillite, 24
- Simisage, 24
- Ducklett, 23
- Trubbish, 21
Badges: 5
Oh, and I'm pregnant.
Not really. Well, the first one is true. I decided two nights ago that I am, indeed, a true Hufflepuff rather than a Ravenclaw. The latter statement, however, is false. I just look pregnant.
That being said, I'm not overweight. I'm actually severly opposite so, with a BMI of 16.0. But tonight we went to a Chinese restaurant and got the all-you-can-eat buffet. And you'd better believe I ate as much as I could. So much so, in fact, that I looked to be about two months pregnant when I walked out of the restaurant. I don't know what I ate, I just know that it was good and everything we ate only cost us twelve euros. So I win.
Other than that, didn't do much today again. I'm meant to be neatening up my suitcase, but I wanted to blog about my pregnancy food. We're leaving for the airport around ten in the morning to fly out to Poland, where it will be meeting family and long walks on the beach. I don't think I'll have internet access, so I'll probably just be blogging to myself until I get back here.
Which begs the question, when I get internet, do you want a massive info dump, or should I day-by-day post? Or do you not care? Or do you not exist? XD
Well, have fun with whatever you were doing. Thanks for listening, darlings~
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 14 hours and 47 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 42
- Zebstrika, 32
- Vanillite, 24
- Simisage, 24
- Ducklett, 23
- Trubbish, 21
Badges: 5
Monday, August 8, 2011
Twenty-One-Hundred Hours - 8.8.2011
It's almost eleven, and I nearly forgot to blog.
But I'm here, dearies.
Today was the true slow day, because the only times I left the house were to go for a quick walk through the March-like weather and to rent Easy A--good movie.
Most of the morning was spent writing this, which I have to say, I am quite proud of. It turned out much cooler than I was anticipating, so that was nice. Like, 20% cooler.
Anyone catch the MLP reference? XD
So that was basically my day. Writing, watching Easy A. Played some Gamecube with my cousin because we couldn't find Monopoly. We played Super Smash Brothers Melee, of which I am not used to. I like Brawl better, but my brother sold our copy and my cousins don't have a Wii. I only managed to win one match out of at least twenty. Still, it was fun.
Also, my cousin gave me his DS charger. I am happy to report that my DS isn't busted; it's just a problem with my cable.
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 11 hours and 46 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 40
- Vanillite, 24
- Ducklett, 22
- Simisage, 21
- Trubbish, 21
- Blitzle, 21
Badges: 5
But I'm here, dearies.
Today was the true slow day, because the only times I left the house were to go for a quick walk through the March-like weather and to rent Easy A--good movie.
Most of the morning was spent writing this, which I have to say, I am quite proud of. It turned out much cooler than I was anticipating, so that was nice. Like, 20% cooler.
Anyone catch the MLP reference? XD
So that was basically my day. Writing, watching Easy A. Played some Gamecube with my cousin because we couldn't find Monopoly. We played Super Smash Brothers Melee, of which I am not used to. I like Brawl better, but my brother sold our copy and my cousins don't have a Wii. I only managed to win one match out of at least twenty. Still, it was fun.
Also, my cousin gave me his DS charger. I am happy to report that my DS isn't busted; it's just a problem with my cable.
PoKEMON StATS
Hours played: 11 hours and 46 minutes
Current team:
- Emboar, 40
- Vanillite, 24
- Ducklett, 22
- Simisage, 21
- Trubbish, 21
- Blitzle, 21
Badges: 5
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