My name is crap.

My polish book and workbook.

The first sentence I learned in my Polish language class today is "Nazywam sie Yvonne K" which obviously means "My name is Yvonne K."

I am stuck on the first word.

Every time the teacher would ask me, "Jak sie nazywasz?" I would stutter "Nashhh Nashhh Nashhh," she would correct me and I would repeat the word correctly. But a few minutes later, when she came to me with the same question, I was back to square one. "Nashhh Nashhh Nashhh."

What is it about this word?

First, looking at the combination of the letters "z" "y" and "w" sitting right next to each other makes my eyes cross. My teacher, who has a name starts with an A and I never fully got (it was hard to pronounce! so what if she wrote it on the board!) said that Polish is easy because all the words look as they sound. To me, this word looks like "Nazi-wam" but it doesn't sound anything like "Nazi-wam." It sounds like Na-zhee-vam Well, that is what I think now. I'm not sure. Nashhh.

I thought Polish would be easy, at least on the first day, but I am a beginner just like everyone else. Who cares that I can understand what they say? The words can't come out of my mouth!

Nothing seems very easy right now.

Every time I step outside, I get lost. It seems like every street in Krakow starts with "k" an ends with "a" and have 10 letters in between. In order to get to the street I live on, I must walk down ul. Krowoderska. But every time I look for it, I come across ul. Karmelicka or ul. Krupnicza--almost but not quite. It doesn't help that the streets all look the same to me either.

Today I lost my way to school. After twenty-five minutes of walking to nowhere, I asked a woman where ul. Bronowicka was, and she said, "very far away."

Simple things like using my cell phone (the operator always tells me to try again) to going to a restaurant (do I order at the counter or sit at the table?) to using the toilet (how do I flush?) are challenging. I don't remember it being so complicated when I studied abroad in London but perhaps it's the language, perhaps it's being on my own, or perhaps I am older and so set in my ways at home that getting out of my routine feels uncomfortable. I know I have to accept the fact that here in Poland, everything from the extraordinary to the mundane is a learning experience.

Tonight I walked home from the welcome party at the school and stopped inside a shop to pick up some groceries. After I paid, the man at the counter did not put my items in a bag. I looked at him for a second and then realized I had to do it myself. So I picked up a plastic bag and for the life of me, could not pry it apart. After fussing for a few minutes as the man watched, I gave up. I opened my book bag, stuffed my groceries inside and carried the milk carton home in my right hand.

Krakow: Still cold and damp.


The internet cafe I spent my afternoon.


First Polish groceries: not very Polish.