Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Happy!!!!!!

She's happy today. Now Joan is down to using one crutch for support. She was able to walk into the bathroom and take a shower by herself. The
first time in six weeks since her accident. She will be using the plastic brace when we go outside for walks and around the house when necessary. But, for the most part, she is back to walking on her own two feet without
much assistance from the crutches. Whoopeeeeeee!

Poland is preparing for the celebration of the signing of the Poland's Constitution. It's the second oldest Democratic Constitution in the World. Drafted in 1788, enacted on May 3, 1791. The first is the United States Constitution, drafted on September 17, 1787 and ratified in 1789. It's a four day holiday this year beginning tomorrow. All stores and government offices will be closed and many people are taking a four day holiday. Saturday there will be parades in every city and even today I could notice the display of Polish flags on many houses and buildings.

In previous years Joan and I used to go to Columbus Drive in Chicago for the May 3rd celebration. There is always a large parade and a huge turnout of Polish/Americans celebrating the occasion. This year we're actually going to celebrate it in Poland. Isn't that amazing!


Ona jest szcz臋艣liwa dzisiaj. Teraz Joan jest na d贸艂 do u偶ywania jednej kuli dla poparcia. Ona mog艂a chodzi膰 do 艂azienki i wzi膮膰 prysznic sama.
Pierwszy czas w sze艣ciu tygodniach od jej wypadku. Ona b臋dzie u偶ywa膰 plastycznej klamry kiedy p贸jdziemy na zewn膮trz dla spacer贸w i dooko艂a domu kiedy konieczny. Ale, przewa偶nie, ona jest z powrotem do chodzenia na jej w艂asnych dwu stopach bez
du偶ej ilo艣ci pomocy od kul. Whoopeeeeeee!

Polska przygotowuje si臋 do celebrowania podpisywania si臋 Konstytucji Polski. To jest druga najstarsza Demokratyczna Konstytucja w 艢wiecie. Naszkicowany w 1788, postanowiony w maju 3, 1791. Pierwszy jest Konstytucja Stan贸w Zjednoczonych , naszkicowana we wrze艣niu 17, 1787 i ratyfikowany w 1789. To jest cztery swi臋to dnia tego roku zaczynaj膮cy si臋 jutro. Wszystkie sklepy i urz臋dy pa艅stwowe b臋d膮 zamkni臋te i du偶o ludzi zajm膮 cztery 艣wi臋to dnia. Sobota b臋dzie parady w ka偶dym mie艣cie i nawet dzisiaj m贸g艂bym zauwa偶y膰 pokaz polskich flag na wielu domach i budynkach.

W poprzedniej Joan lat i zwyk艂em p贸j艣膰 do Kolumba Drive w Chicago przez maj 3. celebrowanie. Jest zawsze wielka parada i ogromny udzia艂 polskich/Amerykan贸w celebruj膮cych okazj臋. Tego roku mamy faktycznie celebrowa膰 to w Polsce. Nie jest tamto zdumiewaj膮ce!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

I am not frustrated..........

even though today I could have been very easily. I went to the Medicover office at 12:30 PM to pick up the prescriptions I called in yesterday. They weren't ready so i had to wait a half hour until a doctor was free to write them. No dig deal! I waited, got the prescriptions and went back home to the Apteka to get them filled. The clerk at Apteka said she couldn't fill them because the doctor has forgotten to write in the number code for the NFZ insurance. OK, still I wasn't frustrated. It was a nice day to be outside so I went back, on the bus, to Medicover to get the problem fixed. The receptionist took the prescriptions into the doctor and 15 minutes later came out with another girl and said to follow them into an office. They then explained to me that because we now also have NFZ and the prescriptions were for Joan, she would have to fill out a form and sign it before they could give the scripts to me. SO..........back on the bus, back to the flat, Joan filled out the form and then back on the bus to Medicover. I gave them the form, they gave me the prescriptions and I got back on the bus and went to Apteka. This time there was no problems. They filled them and I finally got home at 5PM.

At first I did start to get frustrated but I thought was sense does that make. It's a beautiful day, I have nothing to do until my lesson tonight at 6:45PM and if I wasn't riding the bus back and forth, 6 times, I would just be sitting at home. At least this way I'm outside doing something, looking at architecture, flowers, trees and people so it's not so bad.

We finished off the 呕urek for dinner. I got back on a bus, went to school and then returned home to write this blog. It was a good day.


nawet gdyby dzisiaj mog艂em by膰 bardzo 艂atwo. Poszed艂em do biura} Medicover o 12:30 PO PO艁UDNIU by podnie艣膰 nakazy wezwa艂em wczoraj. Oni nie byli gotowy tak musia艂em czeka膰 p贸艂 godzina a偶 doktor by艂 wolny by napisa膰 ich. 呕adne szturchni臋cie nie maj膮 do czynienia! Czeka艂em, dosta艂em nakazy i wr贸ci艂em do domu do Apteka by dosta膰 ich nape艂niony. Urz臋dnik w Apteka powiedzia艂, 偶e ona nie mog艂aby nape艂ni膰 ich poniewa偶 doktor zapomnia艂 wpisa膰 kod liczby dla ubezpieczenia NFZ. W porz膮dku, jeszcze nie by艂em sfrustrowany. To by艂 mi艂y dzie艅 by by膰 na zewn膮trz tak wr贸ci艂em, na autobusie, do Medicover by dosta膰 problem ustalony. Recepcjonista wzi膮艂 nakazy do doktora i 15 minut p贸藕niej wysz艂y z inn膮 dziewczyn膮 i powiedzia艂y p贸j艣膰 za nimi do biura. Oni wtedy udzielali wyja艣nienia do mnie, 偶e poniewa偶 teraz te偶 mamy NFZ i nakazy by艂y dla Joan, ona musia艂aby wype艂ni膰 form臋 i podpisa膰 to zanim oni mogliby da膰 skrypty, mi. SO..........back na autobusie, w ty艂 do mieszkania, Joan wype艂ni艂a form臋 i wtedy w ty艂 na autobusie do Medicover. Da艂em im form臋, oni dali mi nakazy i otrzyma艂em z powrotem na autobusie i poszed艂em do Apteka. Tym razem nie by艂y 偶adnych problem贸w. Oni nape艂nili ich i w ko艅cu dosta艂em si臋 do domu przy 5PM.

Najpierw zacz膮艂em stawa膰 si臋 sfrustrowany ale pomy艣la艂em by艂em sens robi tamto robi膮. To jest pi臋kny dzie艅, nie mam niczego by czyni膰 a偶 do mojej lekcji dzisiaj wieczorem o 6:45PM i gdybym nie je藕dzi艂em autobusem tam i z powrotem, 6 raz贸w, ja w艂a艣nie siedzia艂bym w domu. Przynajmniej w ten spos贸b na zewn膮trz robi臋 co艣, patrz臋 na architektur臋, kwiaty, drzewa i ludzi tak to nie jest tak z艂e.

Wyko艅czyli艣my 呕urek dla obiadu. Otrzyma艂em z powrotem na autobusie, poszed艂em do szko艂y i wtedy wr贸ci艂em do domu by napisa膰 ten blog. To by艂 dobry dzie艅.

Monday, April 28, 2008

NFZ

I've noticed for some time now that everyone who comes into the local little store here says good morning or good evening when they come in. That's a little different from the states. There they say hello to anyone anywhere at anytime but here in Poland only when entering the store.

The national health care system here is NFZ(Narodowy Fundascz Zdrowia). Today I had to make the first monthly payment for next month so I went to the post to pay but they wouldn't accept it because I don't have a NIP(tax number). Foreigners living in Poland don't get one. I went back home, called the NFZ office to find out what to do and they did not understand why the post would not take my money. They said to try again with a different clerk. The new clerk looked over the document and said I did not have my bank account number on it but I was paying in cash so didn't see the need. So, back home to get the account number and return. Finally, after the third try she took my money, stamped the receipt and I returned home. You have to pay each month but after a few payments I will be able to use online banking to pay for it.


Zauwa偶y艂em przez pewien czas teraz gdy ka偶dy, kt贸ry przychodzi do miejscowego ma艂ego sklepu tutaj m贸wi dzie艅 dobry albo dobry wiecz贸r kiedy oni wchodz膮. To jest troch臋 r贸偶nego od stan贸w. Tam oni m贸wi膮 cze艣膰 do kogo艣 gdziekolwiek przy kiedykolwiek ale tutaj w Polsce tylko kiedy wchodzenie do sklepu.

Narodowy system opieki medycznej tutaj jest NFZ(Narodowy Fundascz Zdrowia). Dzisiaj musia艂em zrobi膰 pierwsz膮 miesi臋czn膮 zap艂at臋 za w przysz艂ym miesi膮cu tak poszed艂em do poczty by zap艂aci膰 ale oni nie przyj臋liby tego poniewa偶 nie mam NIP(podatkowa liczba). Cudzoziemcy mieszkaj膮cy w Polska nie dostaje jednej. Wr贸ci艂em do domu, nazwany biuro NFZ by wynajdowa膰 co robi膰 i oni nie zrozumieli dlaczego poczta nie wzi臋艂aby moich pieni臋dzy. Oni powiedzieli spr贸bowa膰 znowu z r贸偶nym urz臋dnikiem. Nowy urz臋dnik przejrza艂 dokument i powiedzia艂, 偶e nie mam mojej liczby konta bankowego na tym ale p艂aci艂em got贸wk膮 tak nie zobaczy艂em potrzeba. Wi臋c, w ty艂 do domu by dosta膰 numer konta i wr贸ci膰. W ko艅cu, po trzeciej pr贸bie ona wzi臋艂a moje pieni膮dze, ostemplowa艂a recept臋 i wr贸ci艂em do domu. Musisz zap艂aci膰 ka偶dego miesi膮ca ale po kilku zap艂atach, kt贸re b臋d臋 m贸g艂 u偶y膰 online maj膮cego rachunku zap艂aci膰 za to.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Leszek's Party.















I had a surprise call today from cousin Marcelina inviting me to an 80th Birthday for her father, Leszek. In my car I followed Marcelina south to the village of Jaszkowo where there is a restored mansion, horse stables and restaurant. Leszek has four children, Marcelina, Luka, Krzysztof and Tomasz and they were all there with their children. Of course, his wife Cecylia was there also. I was able to meet a few more relatives I haven't met before and see a few I haven't seen since 2004 when we were last here.

It was a beautiful day to be outside and the dinner/party was given on an outside veranda with a nice view of the Warta river. It's an excellent place and I will visit it again when Joan can walk.

Mia艂em niespodzianka wo艂aj膮 dzisiaj od kuzyna Marceliny n臋c膮cej mnie do 80. Urodzin o jej ojca, Leszek. W moim samochodzie poszed艂em za Marcelin膮 na po艂udnie do wsi Jaszkowo gdzie jest przywr贸cony dw贸r, stajnie konia i restauracja. Leszek ma cztery dzieci, Marcelin臋, Luka, Krzysztof i Tomasz i oni byli wszystkim tam z ich dzie膰mi. Oczywi艣cie, jego 偶ony Cecylia by艂 tam te偶. Mog艂em spotka膰 kilka wi臋cej krewnych, kt贸rych nie spotka艂em przedtem i zobacz臋 kilka nie zobaczy艂em od 2004 kiedy byli艣my ostatnim tutaj.

To by艂 pi臋kny dzie艅 by by膰 na zewn膮trz i obiad/partia by艂a dana na zewn臋trznej werandzie z mi艂ym widokiem rzeki Warta. To jest doskona艂e miejsce i odwiedz臋 to znowu kiedy Joan b臋dzie mog艂a chodzi膰.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Visit to Oliwia


Another beautiful day in Poznan, warm, partly cloudy but with a lot of sunshine. I was invited by cousin Oliwia to visit her in her flat so I took bus #82 to the Archewziewskiego stop where she met me. I haven’t seen Oliwia for some time so it was nice to see her again. She is a student, living in an apartment with 5 other girls where she rents a room with another room mate. There was an additional surprise because cousin Artur Kupi艅ski also was invited and so I was able to visit with both of them.

They are both full of energy, intelligent and with many opinions which I was happy to talk with them about. We spent about two hours together and then I had to return home to attend to Joan’s needs.

I want to thank all of you who sent me birthday wishes. This morning, early, when I was writing the blog I thought about my life of the last 64 years. The mistakes I have made, the good things I have done and how different my life could have been. But I stopped myself because if anything would have been different who knows where I would be today. I am happy here in Poland. Even as a stranger, a foreigner, I feel at home here. Oliwia asked me if I still feel excited about being here and I do. I would have liked for this house in Grodziec to be the last place we would live but that did not happen and I will not worry about it. We will find a place somewhere to live, I am sure.

Inny pi臋kny dzie艅 w Poznaniu, ciep艂y, cz臋艣ciowo pochmurny ale z du偶o 艣wiat艂em s艂onecznym. By艂em zaproszony przez kuzyna Oliwia by odwiedzi膰 j膮 w jej mieszkaniu tak wzi膮艂em autobus #82 do Archewziewskiego zatrzymuj膮 si臋 gdzie ona spotka艂a mnie. Nie zobaczy艂em Oliwia przez pewien czas tak to by艂o mi艂e by zobaczy膰 j膮 znowu. Ona jest studentem, mieszkaj膮c w apartamencie z 5 inne dziewczyny gdzie ona wynajmuje pok贸j z innym koleg膮 pokoju. Tam by艂a dodatkowa niespodzianka poniewa偶 kuzyna Artur Kupi艅ski te偶 by艂 zaproszony i tak mog艂em bywa膰 z obu z nich.
Oni s膮 obu pe艂ni膮 energii, inteligentnej i z wieloma opiniami, kt贸rymi by艂em szcz臋艣liwy by powiedzie膰 z nimi dooko艂a. Wydali艣my oko艂o dwu godzin razem i wtedy musia艂em wr贸ci膰 do domu by uczestniczy膰 do potrzeb Joan.

Chc臋 podzi臋kowa膰 wszystkim z was, kt贸rzy wys艂ali mnie urodziny pragn膮. Dzisiaj rano, wcze艣nie, kiedy pisa艂em blog pomy艣la艂em o moim 偶yciu o poprzednich 64 latach. Pomy艂ki, kt贸re zrobi艂em, dobre rzeczy, kt贸re zrobi艂em i jak r贸偶ny moje 偶ycie mog艂o by膰. Ale zatrzyma艂em si臋 poniewa偶 je偶eli co艣 by艂oby r贸偶ne kt贸ry wie gdzie by艂bym dzisiaj. Jestem szcz臋艣liwy tutaj w Polsce. Nawet jak obcy cz艂owiek, cudzoziemiec, ja czu膰 si臋 tak jak w domu tutaj. Oliwia pyta艂 mnie czy jeszcze czuj臋 si臋 podniecony o byciu tutaj i robi臋. Polubi艂bym dla tego domu w Grodziec by by膰 ostatnim miejscem 偶yliby艣my ale, kt贸rzy nie zdarzyli si臋 i nie zaniepokoj臋 si臋 tym. Znajdziemy miejsce gdzie艣 by 偶y膰, jestem pewny.

64

When I get older losing my hair, many years from now.Will you still be sending me a valentine, Birthday greetings bottle of wine. If I'd been out till quarter to three,would you lock the door. Will you still need me, will you still feed me,when I'm sixty-four. You'll be older too and, if you say the word, I could stay with you. I could be handy, mending a fuse, when your lights have gone. You can knit a sweater by the fireside, Sunday mornings go for a ride. Doing the garden, digging the weeds,who could ask for more.Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four. Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear. We shall scrimp and save. Grandchildren on your knee, Vera, Chuck & Dave. Send me a postcard, drop me a line,stating point of view. Indicate precisely what you mean to say, Yours sincerely, wasting away. Give me your answer, fill in a form, Mine for evermore .Will you still need me, will you still feed me,When I'm sixty-four.I heard this Beatles song many years ago and finally today, I understand them. It fitting for me, I am 64 :-)

Kiedy dostaj臋 starsze tracenie moich w艂os贸w, du偶o lat od teraz.B臋dziesz jeszcze wysy艂a膰 mi sympati臋, Urodzin powita艅 butelk臋 wina. Je偶eli by艂em poza a偶 do kwadransu do trzeciej, zamkn膮艂by艣 na klucz drzwi. Jeszcze b臋dziesz potrzebowa膰 mnie, b臋dziesz jeszcze karmisz mnie,kiedy b臋d臋 sze艣膰dziesi臋cioma czterema. B臋dziesz starszy r贸wnie偶 i, je偶eli tob膮 powiedz tylko s艂owo, m贸g艂bym pozosta膰 z tob膮. M贸g艂bym by膰 zr臋czny, naprawiaj膮cy zapalnik, kiedy twoje 艣wiat艂a posz艂y. Mo偶esz robi膰 na drutach sweter przy kominku, ranki niedzieli id膮 po jazd臋. Robienie ogrodu, kopi膮c 偶a艂ob臋,kt贸re mog艂yby poprosi膰 o wiecej.Will jeszcze potrzebujesz mnie, b臋dziesz jeszcze karmisz mnie, kiedy jestem sze艣膰dziesi臋cioma czterema. Ka偶de lato mo偶emy wynaj膮膰 domek na Wyspie Istoty, je偶eli to nie jest zbyt drogie. Posk膮pimy i b臋dziemy oszcz臋dza膰. Wnuki na twoim kolanie, Vera, Chuck & Dave. Wy艣lij mi poczt贸wk臋, napisz par臋 s艂贸w mnie,podaj膮c punkt widzenia. Wska偶 dok艂adnie co zamierzasz powiedzie膰, Tw贸j szczerze, s艂abn膮ce. Daj mi twoj膮 odpowied藕, zape艂nij form臋, M贸j na zawsze . Jeszcze b臋dziesz potrzebowa膰 mnie, b臋dziesz jeszcze karmisz mnie,Kiedy b臋d臋 sze艣膰dziesi臋cioma czterema.Us艂ysza艂em t臋 Beatles piosenk臋 du偶o lat temu i teraz pami臋tam. Dzisiaj to stosowny dla mnie, jestem 64 :-)

Friday, April 25, 2008

No house!

Joan and I have been talking constantly for the last 24 hours and have decided that the houses in Grodziec are not for us. It would take too much work to replace the furnace, windows, doors, add a few windows to let in light downstairs and who knows what else. It was a very tempting offer though. I really liked the property, the garden, orchard, landscaping, the fact that it was in the village of my grandmothers birth and maybe if I was forty years old we would have bought it. I'm not and so taking on a project like this would be is a little to late in life for us. We'll keep looking, hoping to find a place of 80 to 100 meters in size and in better condition.

Spring is in full bloom now. The trees along the streets are filling up with leaves, yellow dandelions line the roadsides and flowers are blooming everywhere. I can't wait for Joan to start walking again so we can go out together. Stary Rynek, the old town square, is full of people walking around and all of the restaurants have their outside cafes set up again.


Joan i ja m贸wi臋 stale od poprzednich 24 godzin i zdecydowa艂em si臋, 偶e domy w Grodziec nie s膮 dla nas. To wzi臋艂oby za bardzo praca by zast膮pi膰 piec, okna, drzwi, doda膰 kilka okien by wpu艣ci膰 艣wiat艂o ze schod贸w i kt贸re zna co jeszcze. To by艂 bardzo kusz膮ca propozycja chocia偶. Naprawd臋 polubi艂em w艂asno艣膰, ogr贸d, sad, kszta艂tuj膮c architektonicznie, fakt, kt贸ry to by艂o we wsi mojego urodzenia babek i by膰 mo偶e gdybym mia艂 czterdzie艣ci lat kupiliby艣my to. Nie jestem i tak podejmuj膮cy si臋 projekt w ten spos贸b by艂bym jest troch臋 do p贸藕nego w 偶yciu dla nas. B臋dziemy kontynuowa膰 patrzenie, spodziewaj膮c si臋 znale藕膰 miejsce 80 do 100 metr贸w w rozmiarze i w lepszym warunku.

Wiosna jest w pe艂nym kwiecie teraz. Drzewa naprz贸d ulice zape艂niaj膮 si臋 z li艣ciem, 偶贸艂te mniszki lekarskie liniuj膮 boki drogie i kwiaty kwitn膮 wsz臋dzie. Nie mog臋 czeka膰 na Joan, 偶eby zacz臋艂a chodzenie znowu tak mo偶emy wyj艣膰 razem. Stary Rynek, stary miejski kwadrat, jest pe艂ny ludzi przechadzaj膮cych si臋 i wszystkie z restauracji maj膮 ich zewn臋trzne kawiarnie umieszczone znowu.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Joan's Visit





We went to the house in Grodzie膰. Joan was able to view the first floor and then the owner and I carried her upstairs to see the second floor. She liked the second floor because it was bright with light, the first floor is darker because of all the trees in front of the house. We went outside to look at the second house and the property. There were two men behind the second house digging up the garden area and preparing it for planting. After we got home and talked a little I feel that Joan is not so in favor of buying this place despite it large size, plus second house plus the property. We'll talk more over the weekend but I think our answer will be no.


Poszli艣my do domu w Grodzie膰. Joan mog艂a obejrze膰 pierwsz膮 pod艂og臋 i wtedy w艂a艣ciciel i ja nosi艂em j膮 na g贸r臋 by zobaczy膰 drugie pi臋tro. Ona polubi艂a drugie pi臋tro poniewa偶 to by艂o jasne z lekk膮, pierwsz膮 pod艂og膮 jest ciemniejsze z powodu wszystkich drzew przed domem. Poszli艣my na zewn膮trz by popatrze膰 na drugi dom i w艂asno艣膰. Tam byli dwaj ludzie za drugim domem odkopuj膮cym obszar ogrodu i przygotowywanie tego dla sadzenia. Gdy dostali艣my si臋 do domu i powiedzieli艣my troch臋 czuj臋 si臋, 偶e Joan nie jest tak za kupowanie to miejsce wbrew temu du偶y rozmiar, plus drugi dom plus w艂asno艣膰. Powiemy wi臋cej przez weekend ale my艣l臋, 偶e nasza odpowied藕 b臋dzie nie.

New Guest

We had a visit today from Ma艂gorzata Snita艂a, daughter of Zybyszek and Ninka. She is a lovely, intelligent young woman living with her parents for the next year. Because of our connection to her parents she wanted to meet us and so came to visit. She has a liking for Bulgaria where she has spent some time on scholarship to study Bulgarian filology. Philology is not a degree in the U.S. but exists in Europe. Philology, derived from the Greek - logos, which is a word with no single equivalent in English, but which has been translated to mean such things as "argument", "articulation", "logic", "reason", and "word") is as "an affinity toward the learning of the backgrounds as well as the current usages of spoken or written methods of human communication". In a sense, to understand a language, philology seeks to understand the origins of that language, and so it is often defined as "the study of ancient texts and languages", although this is a rather narrow view and is not entirely accurate.
In the academic traditions of several nations, a wide sense of the term "philology" describes the study of a language together with its literature and the historical and cultural contexts that are indispensable for an understanding of the literary works and other culturally significant texts. Philology thus comprises the study of the grammar, rhetoric, history interpretation of authors, and crirical traditions associated with a given language.

She has been back for 6 months, will stay for a year and then hopes to return to Bulgaria. She said Bulgaria is a beautiful country but the people are still very poor.

We told her about our struggle to learn Polish and said she will come once a week while she can and just talk with us only in Polish. I think that will be helpful for Joan and I.

Unfortunately, I didn't remember so my camera so I didn't get her picture to show. Next time.


Mieli艣my wizyt臋 dzisiaj z Ma艂gorzata Snita艂a, c贸rki Zybyszek i Ninka. Ona jest 艣liczn膮, inteligentn膮 m艂od膮 kobiet膮 偶yw膮 z jej rodzicami na przysz艂y rok. Z powodu naszego po艂膮czenia do jej rodzic贸w ona chcia艂a spotka膰 nas i tak przysz艂a bywa膰. Ona ma upodobanie dla Bu艂garii gdzie ona sp臋dzi艂a jaki艣 czas na stypendium by studiowa膰 bu艂garski filology. Filologia nie jest stopie艅 w Stanach Zjednoczonych ale istnieje w Europie. Filologia, wyprowadzona od Greka - logo, kt贸re s膮 s艂owo z 偶adnym pojedynczym ekwiwalentem po angielsku, ale, kt贸re by艂y przet艂umaczony by oznaczy膰 takie rzeczy jak "argument", "staw", "logika", "rozs膮dek", i "s艂owo") jest jak" powinowactwo ku nauce te艂, jak r贸wnie偶 aktualne u偶ywania m贸wionego albo napisanych metod ludzkiej komunikacji". W pewnym sensie, by zrozumie膰 j臋zyk, filologia usi艂uje zrozumie膰 pocz膮tki tamtego j臋zyka, i tak to jest cz臋sto definiowane jak" badania staro偶ytnych tekst贸w i j臋zyk贸w", chocia偶 to jest raczej w膮ski widok i nie jest ca艂kowicie dok艂adny.
W akademickich tradycjach kilku narod贸w, szeroki sens terminu "filologii" opisuje badania j臋zyka razem z jego literatura i historyczne i kulturalne konteksty, kt贸re s膮 niezb臋dne dla rozumienia utwor贸w literackich i innych kulturalnie znacz膮cych tekst贸w. Filologia tak zawiera badania gramatyki, retoryki, historii interpretacji autor贸w, i krytyczne tradycje po艂膮czy艂y si臋 z danym j臋zykiem.

Ona jest z powrotem od 6 miesi臋cy, pozostanie na rok i wtedy spodziewa si臋 wr贸ci膰 do Bu艂garii. Ona powiedzia艂a, 偶e Bu艂garia jest pi臋kny kraj ale ludzie s膮 jeszcze bardzo biedni.

Powiedzieli艣my jej o naszej walce by nauczy膰 si臋 polski i powiedzieli艣my, 偶e ona przyjdzie raz tydzie艅 podczas gdy ona mo偶e i w艂a艣nie m贸wi z nami tylko w po polsku. My艣l臋, kt贸ry b臋dzie pomocny dla Joan i ja.

Niestety, nie zapami臋ta艂em tak mojego aparatu fotograficznego tak nie dosta艂em, 偶eby jej obraz pokaza艂. Na drugi raz.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!





Joan and I want to wish a Happy Birthday to cousin Ron Kazmierczak, his 65th.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Wtorek

A return to class today to find out that our student/teacher now has a student/teacher and she taught the class today. She couldn't be more than 20 years old but she do a fairly good job I think. We only have about two months left on this course and then we'll be on our own again to learn. I think we've made progress with written text, grammar and vocabulary but speaking is still the problem.

Joan's been hooked on the EuroSport channel the last few days. Her new love is Snooker, the pool game. She's been watching the four day European Championships in the evening after we finish studying and she really enjoys it. Her son would be proud of her because he is a pool fanatic.

Our meeting is all set for this Thursday in Grodziec at 3PM. The real estate agency called the owner to say I wanted to return with my wife and they will be waiting for us. Hope it's not a rainy day so it won't be difficult for Joan to walk from the car to the house. I've been thinking about carrying her upstairs so she can see it. She can't manage stairs at all on her crutches plus the stairs are a little steep. The agent said the price of the house is negotiable and that's great because we'll need a little negotiation to afford it.


Powr贸t by klasyfikowa膰 dzisiaj by dowiedzie膰 si臋, 偶e nasz student/nauczyciel teraz ma studenta/nauczyciela i ona uczy艂a klas臋 dzisiaj. Ona nie mog艂aby by膰 wi臋cej ni偶 20 lat maj膮ca ale ona robi膮 do艣膰 dobr膮 prac臋, kt贸r膮 my艣l臋. Tylko mamy oko艂o dwu miesi臋cy opuszczali艣my na tym kursie i wtedy b臋dziemy na naszym w艂asnym znowu by nauczy膰 si臋. My艣l臋, 偶e zrobili艣my post臋p z tekstem pisanym, gramatyk膮 i s艂ownictwem ale m贸wienie jest ciche problem.

Joan by艂y uzale偶nionym od EuroSport wy偶艂abiaj膮 ostatnie ma艂o dni. Jej nowa mi艂o艣膰 jest Snooker, gra basenu. Ona obserwowa艂a cztery dzie艅 europejskie Mistrzostwa wieczorem gdy ko艅czymy studiowanie i ona naprawd臋 cieszy si臋 tym. Jej syn by艂by dumny z niej poniewa偶 on jest basenem fanatycznym.

Nasze spotkanie jest wszystko umieszczone dla tego czwartku w Grodziec przy 3PM. Agencja nieruchomo艣ci zawo艂a艂a w艂a艣ciciela by powiedzie膰, 偶e chc臋 wr贸ci膰 z moj膮 偶on膮 i oni b臋d膮 czeka膰 na nas. Miej nadziej臋, 偶e to nie jest deszczowy dzie艅 tak to nie b臋dzie trudne dla Joan by chodzi膰 od samochodu do domu. My艣la艂em o transporcie jej na g贸r臋 tak ona mo偶e zobaczy膰 to. Ona nie mo偶e zarz膮dzi膰 schodami w og贸le na jej kulach plus schody s膮 troch臋 urwiska. Agent powiedzia艂 cena domu jest sprzeda偶na i kt贸re jest wielkie poniewa偶 b臋dziemy potrzebowa膰 troch臋 negocjacji by dostarczy膰 to.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Grandparents & language

A nice day today, good weather so I went for a little walk and then to the park by the church where I sat and watched people go by. I don't know if I was just not aware in America but here, in Poland, you see so many grandparents walking with grandchildren or pushing strollers with babies in them. Also you see so many more people wlaking around here then in America, especially in the evenings after dinner.

I have still so much learn of the Polish language. Today I read the contract I signed with the real estate agency when I went to see the house in Grodzie膰. The way I read it meant we had to pay 2% for the real estate agency and 22% of the total cost in a tax. That meant the house was out of our reach and we were unhappy. Then I took the contract to a Polish friend who read it for me and it turned out I was wrong so the house is still affordable. This Thursday I will return to Grodzie膰 with Joan and our friend Zybyszek so Joan can see the house for herself. I am sure she will have questions to ask that I cannot think of and Zybyszek speaks English as well as we do so he will be able to translate and say everything. I would still like to visit it again with Wieslaw Kazus, husband of cousin Ola and builder of houses, so he can tell me the condition of this house but I liked this house and the property. It is only 40 kilometers from Konin and maybe an hour and 10 minutes from Poznan. I can see myself living there.


Mi艂y dzie艅 dzisiaj, dobra pogoda tak poszed艂em po troch臋 spaceru i wtedy do parku przez ko艣ci贸艂 gdzie usiad艂em i obserwowa艂em ludzie mijaj膮. Nie wiem czy by艂em w艂a艣nie nie 艣wiadomy w Ameryce ale tutaj, w Polsce, widzisz tak du偶o dziadk贸w chodz膮cych z wnukami albo pchaj膮cymi spacerowiczami z dzie膰mi w nich. Te偶 widzisz tak du偶o wi臋cej ludzi wlaking dooko艂a tutaj wtedy w Ameryce, specjalnie wieczorami po obiedzie.

Mam jeszcze tylu ucz膮 si臋 polskiego j臋zyka. Dzisiaj czytam kontrakt, kt贸ry podpisa艂em z agencj膮 nieruchomo艣ci kiedy poszed艂em zobaczy膰 dom w Grodzie膰. Spos贸b, kt贸r膮 czytam to mia艂am na my艣li, 偶e musieli艣my zap艂aci膰 2% dla agencji nieruchomo艣ci i 22% z kosztu 艂膮cznego w podatku. Kt贸re oznaczy艂o, 偶e dom by艂 poza naszym zasi臋giem i byli艣my nieszcz臋艣liwi. Wtedy wzi膮艂em kontrakt do polskiego przyjaciela, kt贸ry czyta to dla mnie i to wyeksmitowa艂o, 偶e nie mia艂em racji tak dom jest jeszcze taki na kt贸rego sta膰. Ten czwartek wr贸c臋 do Grodzie膰 z Joan i naszym przyjacielem Zybyszekiem tak Joan mo偶e zobaczy膰 dom dla siebie. Jestem pewny, 偶e ona b臋dzie mie膰 pytania by poprosi膰, 偶e nie mog臋 pomy艣le膰 z i Zybyszek m贸wi po angielsku, jak r贸wnie偶 robimy tak on b臋dzie m贸g艂 przet艂umaczy膰 i powiedzie膰 wszystko. Jeszcze chcia艂bym odwiedzi膰 to znowu z Wieslaw Kazus, m臋偶em kuzyna Oli i budowniczego dom贸w, wi臋c on mo偶e powiedzie膰 mi warunek tego domu ale polubi艂em ten dom i w艂asno艣膰. To jest tylko 40 kilometr贸w z Konin i by膰 mo偶e godzina i 10 minut z Poznania. Mog臋 zobaczy膰 si臋 mieszkanie tam.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Home









We went to Golina today, to visit cousin Kazia and her son, Andrzej. Also to take Andrzej with me to the real estate agency where I would get the address of the house for sale in Grodzie膰. To tell you the truth, I was expecting to find a house in need of extensive immediate repairs for the amount of money asked for this place. It's a standard two floor block house, with small kitchen connecting to a breakfast room on side of the first floor and living room or dining room on the other. It also has a laundry room, pantry, bathroom and room for the central stove that is heated with coal. The stove is old and should be replaced. The house was built in 1985. The floors are all wood. It has a rather steep staircase leading upstairs where there are two bedrooms. living room, den and another bathroom. Behind this house is another house being used for storage and an attached garage. That house would need a lot of work to make it habitable. The property itself is rather large, 1 1/4 acres. It sits at the end of the village on a road leading into the village. In the front of the house it's landscaped very nicely with trees, bushes and flowers. It has a beautiful blue spruce tree behind the entrance gate. The trees are old enough that it blocks most of the view of the house. I liked the house but Joan, because of her ankle, did not see it yet except for the pictures I took so no decision was made to buy or not to buy.

Poszli艣my do Golina dzisiaj, by odwiedzi膰 kuzyna Kazia i jej syna, Andrzej. Te偶 by wzi膮膰 Andrzej ze mn膮 do agencji nieruchomo艣ci gdzie dosta艂bym adres domu na sprzeda偶 w Grodzie膰. By powiedzie膰 prawd臋 ciebie, oczekiwa艂em znale藕膰 dom w potrzebie obszernych natychmiastowych napraw dla sumy pieni臋zy pytanej dla tego miejsca. To jest standard dwa dom bloku pod艂ogi , z ma艂膮 kuchni膮 艂膮cz膮c膮 do pokoju 艣niadania na stronie pierwszej pod艂ogi i pokoju mieszkalnego albo jadalni na innym. To te偶 ma pok贸j pralni , spi偶arni臋, 艂azienk臋 i miejsce dla centralnego pieca, kt贸ry jest podgrzany z w臋glem. Piec jest stary i powinien by膰 zast膮piony. Dom by艂 zbudowany w 1985. Pod艂ogi s膮 ca艂y las. To ma raczej strome schody wiod膮ce na g贸r臋 gdzie tam s膮 dwa pok贸j mieszkalny. sypial艅 , nora i inna 艂azienka. Za tym domem jest inny dom b臋d膮cy u偶ywany dla magazynowania i przymocowanego gara偶u. Tamten dom potrzebowa艂by du偶o pracy by zrobi膰 to mieszkalnym. W艂asno艣膰 sam jest raczej wielki, 1 1/4 akry. To siedzi przy ko艅cu wsi na drodze wiod膮cej do wsi. W przodzie domu to jest ukszta艂towane architektonicznie bardzo przyjemnie z drzewami, krzakami i kwiatami. To ma pi臋kne drzewo drzewa Picea pungens za bram膮 wej艣ciow膮. Drzewa s膮 do艣膰 stare, 偶e to blokuje najwi臋cej z widoku domu. Polubi艂em dom ale Joan, z powodu jej kostki, nie zobaczy艂em tego jeszcze poza obrazami wzi膮艂em tak 偶adna decyzja nie by艂a zrobiona by kupi膰 albo nie by kupi膰.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Sandy

Sometimes it's difficult to understand why events happen they way they do in life. The first 8 years of my life were spent in a strong Polish community in North Hammond, Indiana where seeing and playing with different cousins was an everyday occurrence.

After my grandparents died aunts and uncles starting moving a little further apart because of work or other reasons. My uncle Adam Kazmierczak bought a house in Clark Station, Indiana, about an hours drive away. It was a actually a split level house with two floors and each floor was a house in itself. My mother moved there with him and his family, his wife aunt Steffie and their two daughters, Sandy and Christine and son Duane. Duane and I played together all the time. We only lived there for a year or two and then moved back to Hammond. As years piled on Duane and I lost track of each other and it wasn't until 2001 that I was able to find him and talk again with him.

He was living in the state of Virginia and married. I decided to drive the 1000 miles to meet with him again after so many years absent from each others lives. I met his wife who, coincidentally, had the same name as his sister, Sandy. She had a beautiful personality, so full of life and in a few hours I had an immense liking for her. We only spent 3 days together but in that time formed a bond of friendship that lasted. From that year on we would call each other on any given day just to see how the other person was doing and what was going on in our lives. When I told her about our move to Poland she was thrilled for us and supported our idea 100%. She was an amazing person.

Last month she passed away, much to early in life, and tomorrow is the day of her memorial service. I wish I could be there physically but mentally I will. As long as I live..she will too.

Czasami to jest trudne zrozumie膰 dlaczego zdarzenia zdarzaj膮 si臋 oni droga, kt贸r膮 oni robi膮 w 偶yciu. Pierwsze 8 lat mojego 偶ycia by艂y wyczerpane w silnej polskiej spo艂eczno艣ci w p贸艂nocnym Hammond, Indiana gdzie widzenie i gra z r贸偶nymi kuzynami by艂o codzienny occurrence.

Gdy moi dziadkowie umarli ciotki i wujk贸w zaczynaj膮cych poruszenie troch臋 dalej na boku z powodu pracy albo innych powod贸w. M贸j wujka Adam Kazmierczak kupi艂 dom w Clarku Station, Indiana, o godzin przeja偶d偶ce daleko. To by艂 faktycznie rozdzielony poziomu dom z dwoma pod艂ogami i ka偶da pod艂oga by艂a domem w sobie. Moja matka ruszy艂a si臋 tam z nim i jego rodzin膮, jego 偶ony ciotki Steffie i ich dwoma c贸rkami, Sandy i Christine i syna Duane′em. Duane i ja pobawi艂em si臋 razem ca艂y czas. Tylko 偶yli艣my tam przez rok albo dwa i wtedy cofn臋li艣my si臋 do Hammond. Jak lata nagromadzone na Duane i straci艂em 艣lad siebie nawzajem i to nie by艂o a偶 do 2001, 偶e mog艂em znale藕膰 go i powiedzie膰 znowu z nim.

On mieszka艂 w stanie Wirginii i wzi膮艂 艣lub. Zdecydowa艂em si臋 kierowa膰 1000 mil by spotka膰 si臋 z nim znowu potem tak du偶o lat s膮 nieobecnym od ka偶dego inni 偶yj膮.

Spotka艂em jego 偶on臋, kt贸ra, przypadkowo, mia艂a to samo imi臋 jak jego siostra, Sandy. Ona mia艂a pi臋kn膮 osobowo艣膰, tak pe艂en 偶ycia i w kilku godzinach mia艂em ogromne upodobanie dla niej. Tylko sp臋dzili艣my 3 dni razem ale w tamtym czasie tworzyli艣my obligacj臋 przyja藕ni tamto trwani. Od tamtego roku na my nazwa艂by si臋 nawzajem w jakimkolwiek danym dniu w艂a艣nie by zobaczy膰 jak inna osoba robi艂a i co sz艂o na w naszym 偶ycia. Kiedy powiedzia艂em jej o naszym ruchu do Polski ona by艂a przej臋ta dla nas i popar艂a nasz膮 ide臋 100%. Ona by艂a zdumiewaj膮c膮 osob膮.

Ubieg艂y miesi膮c ona umar艂a, du偶o do wcze艣nie w 偶yciu, i jutro jest dzie艅 jej pami膮tkowej us艂ugi. Pragn臋, 偶ebym m贸g艂 by膰 tam fizycznie ale umys艂owo b臋d臋. Tak d艂ugo jak ja live..she b臋dzie r贸wnie偶.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Pi膮tek

Yes, wash day today. I've become really good at doing the laundry but we have only one drying rack so I can only do one load at a time and it's an apartment size wash machine so it's a small load. That's about half the size of a normal American machine. The fabric softeners here don't do near the job the American ones do. Nothing comes out really soft no matter how much softener I put it. It's not enough of a reason to return to America :-)

The weather has been back to cool the last few days so I haven't been out for a walk . Tomorrow Joan and I will go to Golina, to cousin Kazia's house, and then her son Andrzej and I will go to look at the house for sale in Gr贸dzie膰.

Our normal Friday afternoon Polish class was cancelled so no school today. The teacher will make it up with extended classes next Tuesday and Friday.

Joan is so bored that she has been watching the European's women's weightlifting championships on TV. Now that's really being bored.


Tak, umyj dzie艅 dzisiaj. Sta艂em si臋 naprawd臋 dobrym w robieniem pralni ale mamy tylko jedn膮 wysychaj膮c膮 p贸艂k臋 tak mog臋 tylko zrobi膰 jeden 艂adunek jednocze艣nie i to jest wielko艣膰 apartamentu mycie maszyna tak to jest ma艂y 艂adunek. To jest o p贸艂 rozmiarze normalnej ameryka艅skiej maszyny. 艢rodki zmi臋kczaj膮ce struktury tutaj nie robi膮 blisko pracy Amerykanin, kt贸rego jedne robi膮. Nic nie wychodzi naprawd臋 mi臋kkiego 偶adna sprawa ile 艣rodek zmi臋kczaj膮cy k艂ad臋 to. To nie jest do艣膰 powodu by wr贸ci膰 do Ameryki :-)

Pogoda mia艂a w ty艂 och艂odzi膰 ostatnie ma艂o dni tak nie poszuka艂em spaceru . Joan jutro i ja p贸jd臋 do Golina, do kuzyna dom Kazia , i wtedy jej syna Andrzej i ja p贸jd臋 popatrze膰 na dom na sprzeda偶 w Gr贸dzie膰.

Nasze normalne pi膮tku popo艂udnie polska klasa by艂a nie odwo艂ana tak 偶adna szko艂a dzisiaj. Nauczyciel b臋dzie pogodzi膰 si臋 z kim艣 z rozszerzonym klasyfikuje nast臋pny wtorek i pi膮tek.

Joan jest tak nudzona, 偶e ona obserwowa艂a Europejczyka kobiet mistrzostwa podnoszenia ci臋偶ar贸w na telewizji. Teraz gdy naprawd臋 bycie nudzone.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Nic nowego!




Nothing new. Some pictures of Pozna艅 at night. I had an email from the real estate company that is handling the sale of a house in Gr贸die膰. I wanted to set up an appointment to see the house so I wrote to them. They replied that they had no agent available to show me the house but I could come to their office and they would give me directions and the address of the house. It is currently occupied so the owner would show me the house and surrounding grounds. I find it really strange that the agency is selling a house yet has no one to show the house to clients. That kind of thing would never happen in the U.S. I'm hoping that cousin Andrzej will not be working on Saturday afternoon and can accompany me for the visit.

I thought about this house today, not really about the house but the possibility of living in the town/village that my maternal grandmother was born in. We've visited this place before, on previous trips to Poland, so I know it is a small place, smaller than Golina. I remember well the manor house where my great grandfather worked as a smith and when we were there we even visited the town office to see if we could get inside to look at it but it wasn't possible. That was four years ago and I don't know what happened to the manor house. At the time we were there is was closed, previously it was turned into a school but closed and unoccupied when we were there. It was on a large piece of property in the center of the town and had another building in front of it that was occupied by one family on one floor. The church of my grandmother was closed at the hour we were there and we were able to get the caretaker to let us in so I could see it. I walked through the cemetery looking for family names on tombstones but could not find one that I recognized. I went back a second time with cousin Andrzej but still could find no connection.

Joan is well, waiting patiently for the time when she can walk without the crutches. We had hoped to take a trip to Gdansk on the 26th of April but don't think that will happen.


Nic nowego. Kilka obraz贸w wieczorem Pozna艅. Mia艂em email od sp贸艂ki nieruchomo艣ci, kt贸ra pos艂uguje si臋 sprzeda偶膮 domu w Gr贸die膰. Chcia艂em umie艣ci膰 um贸wiony termin by zobaczy膰 dom tak napisa艂em do nich. Oni odpowiedzieli, 偶e oni nie mieli 偶adnego agenta dost臋pnego by pokaza膰 mi dom ale m贸g艂bym przyj艣膰 do ich biura i oni daliby mi instrukcje i adres domu. To jest aktualnie zaj臋te tak w艂a艣ciciel pokaza艂by mi dom i otaczaj膮ce grunty. Znajduj臋 to naprawd臋 dziwny, 偶e agencja sprzedaje dom jeszcze nie ma nikogo by pokaza膰 dom do klient贸w. Tamto mi艂y ze strony rzeczy nigdy nie zdarza艂oby si臋 w Stanach Zjednoczonych mam nadziej臋, 偶e kuzyna Andrzej nie b臋dzie pracowa膰 nad popo艂udniem soboty i mo偶e towarzyszy膰 mnie dla wizyty.

Pomy艣la艂em o tym domu dzisiaj, nie naprawd臋 o domu ale mo偶liwo艣膰 o mieszkaniu w mie艣cie/wsi, kt贸r膮 moja matczyna babka urodzi艂a si臋 w. Odwiedzili艣my to miejsce przedtem, na poprzednich podr贸偶ach do Polski, wi臋c b臋d臋 wiedzie膰, 偶e to jest ma艂e miejsce, mniejsze ni偶 Golina. Pami臋tam dobrze dworek gdzie m贸j wielki dziadek pracowa艂 jak kowal i kiedy byli艣my tam nawet odwiedzili艣my miejskie biuro by zobaczy膰 je偶eli mogliby艣my dosta膰 si臋 wewn膮trz by popatrze膰 na to ale to nie by艂o mo偶liwe. To by艂o cztery lata temu i nie znam co zdarzone si臋 dworkowi. Wtedy byli艣my tam s膮 byli zamkni臋ty, poprzednio to by艂o obr贸cone do szko艂y ale zamkn臋艂o i nie zaj臋ty kiedy byli艣my tam. To by艂o na du偶ym kawa艂ku w艂asno艣ci w 艣rodku miasta i mia艂o inne budynek przed tym, kt贸re by艂o zaj臋te przez jedn膮 rodzin臋 na jednej pod艂odze. Ko艣ci贸艂 mojej babki by艂 zamkni臋ty przy godzinie byli艣my tam i mogli艣my dosta膰, 偶eby dozorca pozwoli艂 nam w tak mnie m贸g艂by zobaczy膰 to. Chodzi艂em przez cmentarz szukaj膮cy nazwisk na nagrobkach ale nie m贸g艂bym znale藕膰 jednego, 偶e rozpozna艂em. Wr贸ci艂em drugi czas z kuzyna Andrzej ale jeszcze m贸g艂bym nie znale藕膰 偶adnego po艂膮czenia.

Joan czuje si臋 dobrze, czekaj膮ca cierpliwie na czas kiedy ona mo偶e chodzi膰 bez kul. Spodziewali艣my si臋 wybra膰 si臋 w podr贸偶 do Gda艅ska 26. kwietnia ale nie my艣limy, kt贸ry zdarzy si臋.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Outrageous!

Today I had to go to Pikary street, to the store that sells medical braces for people with fractured ankles. I figured it would cost 50-75 zl for these two pieces of plastic with Velcro. Wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When the girl told me the price I was totally surprised....200zl. 200 zl for two plastic pieces. I asked why it was so much and she told me because we have private insurance and not national. If we had national coverage the cost would be 60zl. That's quite a difference. I thought I would wait until our national coverage begins on May 1st but she told me I would have to make an appointment with a national doctor and he would have to write a prescription for the brace. She said I could wait from one to three months for the appointment. By that time Joan's leg should be healed and she needs the brace now so I paid the money, took the brace and walked back to the bus stop to catch #63 back home. 200 zl....what a ripoff.

Dzisiaj musia艂em p贸j艣膰 do Pikary ulicy, do sklepu, kt贸ry sprzedaje medyczne klamry dla ludzi z 艂amanymi kostkami. Wyobrazi艂em, 偶e to kosztowa艂oby 50-75 zl dla tych dwu kawa艂k贸w plastiku z Velcro. 殴le!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kiedy dziewczyna powiedzia艂a mi cen臋 by艂em ca艂kowicie surprized....200zl. 200 zl dla dwu plastycznych kawa艂k贸w. Poprosi艂em dlaczego to by艂 tyle i ona powiedzia艂a mi poniewa偶 mamy prywatne ubezpieczenie i nie narodowy. Gdyby艣my mieli艣my narodowe om贸wienie koszt by艂by 60zl. To jest ca艂kiem r贸偶nica. Pomy艣la艂em, 偶e czeka艂bym a偶 nasze narodowe om贸wienie zaczyna si臋 w maju 1. ale ona powiedzia艂a mi musia艂bym zrobi膰 um贸wiony termin z narodowym doktorem i on musia艂by napisa膰 recepta na klamra. Ona powiedzia艂a, 偶e m贸g艂bym czeka膰 od jednego do trzech miesi臋cy na um贸wiony termin. Do tamtego czasu noga Joan powinna by膰 leczona i ona potrzebuje klamry teraz tak p艂aci艂em pieni膮dze, bra艂em klamr臋 i wraca艂em piechot膮 do przystanku autobusowego by z艂apa膰 #63 tylnemu domowemu. 200 zl....what ripoff.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Cast-less........but

still not walking. The doctor said she was still healing after he saw the x-ray taken today. He put a gauze bandage on her ankle and said to stay off her foot for another two weeks. He also said to buy a velcro-stablizer brace for her ankle and to always wear it. After two weeks she should start walking on her leg, with the brace and crutches. In four weeks we are to return to have another look at the ankle so Joan is still immobile.

We left the office and arrived home just as a tremendous rain storm hit the area and we were unable to get out of the car. After 20 minutes we decided to try and make it to the underground parking area for our building. With Joan hobbling down the sidewalk the sky opened up and poured rain upon us. By the time we got to the parking we were soaked and had to change out of the wet clothes when we got home.


jeszcze nie chodz膮ce. Doktor powiedzia艂, 偶e ona jeszcze goi si臋 gdy on zobaczy艂, jak promienie Roentgena wzi臋te dzisiaj. On po艂o偶y艂 banda偶 gazy na jej kostce i powiedzia艂 wytrzyma膰 precz jej stop臋 przez inne dwa tygodnie. On te偶 m贸wi艂 kupi膰 velcro klamr臋 stabilizatora dla jej kostki i zawsze by nosi膰 to. Po dwu tygodniach ona powinna zacz膮膰 chodzenie na jej nodze, z klamr膮 i kulami. W czterech tygodniach mamy wr贸ci膰 mie膰 inne spojrzenie na kostk臋 tak Joan jest jeszcze nieruchoma.

Zostawili艣my biuro i przybyli艣my do domu w艂a艣nie jak straszliwa ulewa uderzyli艣my obszar i byli艣my niezdolni by wydosta膰 si臋 z samochodu. Po 20 minutach zdecydowali艣my si臋 spr贸bowa膰 i zrobi膰 to do podziemnego miejsca parkowania dla naszego budowy. Z Joan utykaj膮c膮 na d贸艂 chodnikowi niebo otworzone i zla艂 deszcz na nas. Przez czas dostali艣my si臋 do parkingu byli艣my zmoczeni i musieli艣my zmieni膰 si臋 z mokrego ubrania kiedy dostali艣my si臋 do domu.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Forsythias




Another great day for a walk so I went south to Grundwaldska street to the park. The forsythia bushes are in full bloom, yellow everywhere. I sat in the park for a while and took a walk south on Przebyszewskiego street. I ended up by the Arena and then returned home.

Earlier in the day I went to the post office at 8:00AM and mailed in our tax forms to the U.S. The deadline is tomorrow so I was just in time. I had a little difficulty getting the clerk to understand I needed a signed receipt but eventually she understood.

Tomorrow is the big day for Joan...her cast comes off. She's thinking she'll be able to walk again tomorrow after the cast is off but I think it's still going to take a couple of more weeks until she gets use to using her foot.


Inny swietnie dzie艅 dla spaceru tak poszed艂em na po艂udnie do Grundwaldska ulicy do parku. Krzaki forsycji s膮 w pe艂nym kwiecie, 偶贸艂tym wsz臋dzie. Usiad艂em w parku na chwil臋 i pospacerowa艂em na po艂udnie na Przebyszewskiego ulicy. Zako艅czy艂em przez Aren臋 i wtedy wr贸ci艂em do domu.

Wcze艣niej w dniu poszed艂em do urz臋du pocztowego o 8:00AM i wys艂any w naszych podatk贸w formach do Stan贸w Zjednoczonych nieprzekraczalna granica jest jutro tak by艂em w sam膮 por臋. Mia艂em troch臋 trudno艣ci dostaj膮c膮, 偶eby urz臋dnik zrozumia艂 ja potrzebny podpisana recepta ale ostatecznie ona zrozumia艂a.

Jutro jest du偶y dzie艅 dla Joan...her rzuconego odpada. Ona my艣li, 偶e ona b臋dzie mog艂a chodzi膰 znowu jutro gdy rzut jest precz ale my艣l臋, 偶e to ma jeszcze wzi膮膰 par臋 wi臋cej tygodni a偶 ona b臋dzie dostawa膰 u偶ycie do u偶ywania jej stopy.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Visit to Rogalin.(Click on each picture)

The gate to the palace
The main building



Front door


Right wing
Main building under renovation
Left wing
Grounds behind house
Back view
The wallking mound behind the palace
Old oak trees

A beautiful day today and I just couldn't stay inside all day. I made lunch for Joan, made sure she was OK and then went to Rogalin, to see the outside of the palace. The inside is being renovated and you can't go in this year but the grounds can be walked on and you can view the outside of this magnificient palace.

This monumental residence was begun in 1768 and by 1774 it was habitable, two years before the Declatation of Independence for America.
In 1776 the stables were built and a year later a chapel in the south wing. It's a baroque style residence built by Kazimierz Raczy艅ski. The palace consists of the main builiding with a gallery wing on each side. The architect is unknown but thought to be a Saxon architect. There is an excellent site that tells about this palace with more pictures but in Polish.
http://rogalin.eu/. Even if you can't read Polish, it's worth looking at the pictures on the site...The palace is located in the village of Rogalin.

Rogalin is a village in Poland, near Pozna艅, situated on the Warta river. Rogalin is primarily famous for its 18th century baroque palace of the Raczy艅ski family, now the Raczy艅ski Art Gallery, housing a permanent exhibition of Polish and international paintings (including Paul Delaroche and Claude Monet) which was started by Edward Aleksander Raczy艅ski. Rogalin is also known for its 1000 year old oak trees (Polish: D臋by Rogali艅skie) on the banks of the Warta.

I drove directly into the parking area and was greeted by a parking lot attendent. The fee was 4 zl to park. I walked a short distance over a bridge to the entrance of the grounds. Even without being able to go inside of the palace the trip was worth it. It is magnificent!! The surrounding grounds or park are very interesting to walk. An impressive site for me was the oak trees that were cordoned off with a wood fence. Some of these trees are 1000 years. 1000 years old! In the back of the palace are the gardens and the park, with great views of the countryside, statues everywhere and at this time of the year, only a few people. I imagine in summer this place will be packed with tourists.

When I look at the palace it is impossible to imagine this being a residence of a family. It is so incredibly large, with so many rooms. I can't believe the owner ever used more that 10 rooms and this palace must have over 100. I think if I owned it today I could easily invite every relative I have in Poland to live there and still have some rooms left and I have a lot of relatives here.:-)


Pi臋kny dzie艅 dzisiaj i w艂a艣nie nie m贸g艂bym pozosta膰 wewn膮trz ca艂ego dnia. Zjad艂em posi艂ek po艂udniowy dla Joan, upewni艂em si臋 ona by艂a w porz膮dku i wtedy posz艂a do Rogalin, by zobaczy膰 na zewn膮trz pa艂acu. Wewn膮trz jest odnowiony i nie mo偶esz wej艣膰 tego roku ale grunty mog膮 by膰 chodzone dalej i mo偶esz obejrze膰 na zewn膮trz tego magnificient pa艂acu.
To monumentalne miejsce zamieszkania by艂o zacz臋te w 1768 i przez 1774 to by艂o mieszkalne, dwa lata przed Declatation Niezale偶no艣ci dla Ameryki.
W 1776 stajnie by艂y zbudowane i rok p贸藕niej kaplica na po艂udniu skrzyd艂o. To jest miejsce zamieszkania stylu barokowego zbudowane Kazimierz Raczy艅ski. Pa艂ac sk艂ada si臋 z g艂贸wnego builiding ze skrzyd艂em galerii na ka偶dej stronie. Architekt jest nieznany ale my艣l by by膰 sakso艅skim architektem. Tam jest doskona艂e miejsce, kt贸re opowiada o tym pa艂acu z wi臋cej obrazami ale po polsku.
. Pa艂ac jest zlokalizowany we wsi Rogalin.
Rogalin jest wie艣 w Polsce , blisko Pozna艅 , umieszczonym na Warta rzece. Rogalin jest g艂贸wnie s艂awny z jego 18. stulecia barokowego pa艂acu Raczy艅ski rodziny, teraz Raczy艅ski Galeria Sztuki , lokuj膮c trwa艂膮 wystaw臋 polskich i mi臋dzynarodowych malarstw {obraz贸w} (w艂膮czaj膮c Paul Delaroche i Claude Monet ), kt贸re by艂y zaczynane przez Edwarda Aleksandera Raczy艅ski . Rogalin jest te偶 znany dla jego 1000 roku stare d臋bowe drzewa (polski : D臋by Rogali艅skie) na brzegach Warta.
Pop臋dzi艂em bezpo艣rednio do miejsca parkowania i by艂em witany przez parkingu attendent. Op艂ata by艂a 4 zl by zaparkowa膰. Chodzi艂em ma艂a odleg艂o艣膰 ponad mostem do wej艣cia grunt贸w. Nawet bez mo偶enia p贸j艣膰 wewn膮trz pa艂acu podr贸偶 by艂a warta tego. To jest wspania艂e!! Otaczaj膮ce grunty albo park bardzo interesuj膮 chodzi膰. Wywo艂uj膮ce g艂臋bokie wra偶enie miejsce dla mnie by艂o d臋by, kt贸re by艂y odgrodzone kordonem z drewnianym ogrodzeniem. Kilka z tych drzew s膮 1000 lat. 1000 lat maj膮ce! W plecach pa艂acu s膮 ogrody i park, z wielkimi widokami okolicy, pos膮g贸w wsz臋dzie i w tym razem roku, tylko kilku ludzi. Wyobra偶am sobie latem to miejsce b臋dzie zapakowane z turystami.
Kiedy patrz臋 na pa艂ac to jest niemo偶liwe wyobrazi膰 sobie to bycie miejsce zamieszkania rodziny. To jest tak niewiarygodnie wielkie, z tak wieloma pokojami. Nie mog臋 uwierzy膰 w艂a艣ciciel kiedykolwiek u偶ywa艂 wi臋cej, 偶e 10 pokoi i ten pa艂ac musi mie膰 ponad 100. My艣l臋 je偶eli posiad艂em to dzisiaj m贸g艂bym 艂atwo zaprosi膰 ka偶dego krewnego mam w Polsce by 偶y膰 tam i jeszcze ka偶臋 kilku pokojom opuszcza膰 i mam du偶o krewnych tutaj.:-)