I must admit that when I first came to Poland back in January of last year, I didn't really 'get' it. It was beautiful enough, and I enjoyed the company of my pal Michał and his friends, but I didn't really have enough independent contact with the place to really get to know it.
This time it's different. And I absolutely love this place.
I'm currently in Kraków, following a two-week Polish course, and coming on in leaps and bounds, even if I say so myself. I've reached that really exciting point where enough sentence pattens are ready-formed in your head and you know enough vocabulary and structures to start making your first faltering steps into the world of conversation - one of the most challenging zones.
And the country, it's just so right, somehow. The centre of Kraków is extremely beautiful architecturally, but packed with tourists. But head out just outside the central hub and you get the real thing - a little bit messy perhaps, but fully functioning, friendly, efficient and great fun. Trams rattling to and fro, shops open all hours, a real sense of healthy bustle and dynamism... a bit like a rather less oppressive version of Germany. (I do hope there are no Poles reading this!)
Anyway... I'm back in Brussels a week on Saturday, but I'll try to write a bit more before then...
Posted by Eurodan at August 19, 2005 2:19 PM