Life in a Foreign Culture

Sometimes things here are hard just because of the language barrier

For example todays adventure..... A Policeman came to my door and woke me from my nap. He only spoke Polish and I felt a little scared that he had a Polish document with my name on it. It turned out to be nothing but a routine passport check.

Or yesterdays adventure...... meat doesn't come in little packages so you have to order it and watch them cut it off a HUGE piece of meat. I wasn't even sure what I was getting. I was hoping for lamb or beef but got Pork instead.

Or the day before..... I was on the tram and a lady came and tried to talk to me in Polish. This often happens with beggars so I just said "I'm sorry I only speak English" turns out she was the ticket checker.

Or before I went away a man got angry at us (in Polish) asking us if we where ashamed to speak Polish.... or even worse did we not know the language. Even when my friend (fluent in Polish) explained I was new to the country and I tried my best to speak Polish to him he seemed angry.

But the other side of that is the grace shown by people that can't speak English. The patience of the Policeman, the willingness of the butcher to use sign language to show how much meat I wanted or the hospitality of people in the Church who invite you to share a meal in their homes even thought they can barely communicate.

So you have to take the good with the bad. Remeber God has called you here for a purpose and just laugh a little at yourself.

Thank you for your prayers.
Keren

home again safely

Ok, I have arrived home after a relaxing and growing time in Hungary and then on teachers retreat in the mountains. Yes, I am now calling Wroclaw home (I think this is progress!!).

The weather is lazy/warm weather and the trees are all the colours of autumn. Red, gold, browns and oranges. It is so beautiful.

The weather in Hungary was perfect. We saw Budapest (stunning at night and gorgeous during the day) but also travelled to Slovakia and around the lake in Hungary. It was amazing to see mountains and the crystal blue lake with white swans and the white sails of small boats. Wow!

Latest updates on my classes: I will be teaching one adult intermediate class and one childrens class, plus helping with Childrens club and on the childrens winter camp....... the classes are set (teaching starts in one week) but the other activities may vary.

God is teaching me a lot! I am learning a lot about what it means to be a woman in Christ. To be soft with a gentle spirit but at the same time strong in the Lord. To see the beauty of God and start to understand his compassion and love. To speak with words that encourage and build up.

A change is as good as a holiday.....

Or so they say! The last 12 weeks have been non-stop constant change so I think I will try the holiday. Rebecca (a fellow teacher) and I leave at 5:45am tomorrow morning, catch a train to Warsaw to spend the night, sight see and meet up with a friend from Brisbane. Then we fly to Budapest, Hungary where we will be met at the airport and are housesitting a flat for 5 days and having locals show us around. Wednesday next week we take a bus to Krakow, spend the night and sight see before coming home just in time for a weekend work retreat in the mountains!!!

Another change going on in Poland at the moment is the government. It decided it wasn't doing the best job and so we are having elections on the 21st of October. Please pray that the government elected is wise and that its desicions open up further opportunity for people in Poland to hear about Christ.

I am making new friends and having fun but do miss my Church a lot on Sundays. Things will settle a bit more once the school term starts. Anula (the school director) is looking at opportunities I might have to be used in more of a mission focus which might mean one less class at school. I will keep you posted!

God Bless & sleep sweet,
Keren

Wroclaw-My new home :-)

The first photo is of a nicer part of town! I love how they paint the buildings. In some areas the buildings are still mainly grey and since the weather has changed (cold, wet and.... grey) it can get a little gloomy. I also love the cobblestone streets.


The second picture is of the First Baptist Chruch. On the same block as my home and the school. The thing I enjoyed about the Church service was the greetings people brought from other Churches. In Europe if you visit a Church they will often send their greetings back to your home Church. It is a great way to remember about the wider Church family.

Wroclaw is built on many rivers and is sometimes called the Venice of Poland! No one really know how many bridges there are. Guide books say about 148. The patron saint is John the Baptist (so you see many heads on plates around town) and it is also famous for the dwarves (little statues can be seen in interesting places around the city).

The history of Wroclaw is really diverse as the area has been owned by 3 or 4 different countries! I live in a less lovely part of town. Much of my area was destroyed during the war which means many of the buildings standing where built during communist times so are big, functional but grey. I do live in a city!!! So many HUGE apartment blocks (but there are also many parks and ovely things to see)

Last night a Polish lady who goes to the first Baptist Church and learns English at our school took us around town. It was GREAT to go with a local. We would go up dark alley ways and then down steep steps into basements that turned into Jazz clubs or up a narrow flight of stairs which opened into a gorgeous tea room. Places I would have never thought to explore hold the most amazing treasures.


I have 2 housemates now. Becky from the UK and Victoria from the Ukraine. Both have taught before and both are of a similar nature-gentle spirits. It is funny because 2 new American teachers have arrived and also a couple from America (who I've adopted as grandparents) who are here as pastoral care for 4 months have all been put in the same section of the building.

People have strange ideas about Australia. One person thought it is in the Northern Hemisphere and another thought it was part of Europe! I am usually asked if I am from England or America (they can't place my accent) and they are quite suprised to hear I am from Australia as it is so far away for them and would cost an entire 4 months wages to visit.


Oh, I almost forgot. I had my first formal Polish lesson today. It was a lot of fun!! I am told that Polish is the second most difficult language in the world for a native English speaker to learn but I am communicating well with some words and some non verbal and written help. I even enjoy going to the post office (which most people do not enjoy!) the ladies there have always been very helpful to me and I haven't had any problems with them yet!


I've got to get some sleep, team day tomorrow so I get to meet all the teachers!
Love Keren