Note

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I got this note for my birthday in 2007, one of many birthdays to come that I would be celebrating abroad, far from my closest one’s. I had been living and studying in Warsaw for only four months at that point, but I had already met beautiful people that I stay in touch with until today.

The note is a kind of Carpe Diem shout out in Polish telling me to “Take what’s best from life!”. It’s simple and straightforward, and it was given to me at a point in life when I was still in the phase of dreaming big and not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life.

Five and a half years later, I still keep the note in my wallet. Not to be reminded to take what’s best from life – but to be reminded about the years that have passed and that I actually have been doing so since. And that good friends can be found at any time and any place.

Okay, that’s all for today’s cheesy feel-good entry, I can’t take myself seriously anymore. Haha, have a great Sunday!

Moja Babcia

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Babcia means grandmother in Polish. My grannie likes to look at the photos in my blog and send me cheesy PowerPoint jokes and funny videos. We email almost weekly and sometimes I call her from Skype which makes her really happy. Today, I figured I would make her a little surprise and write a note in Polish here – because she’s the best gradmother there is, and because I miss her.

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Kochana Babuniu,

Właśnie napisałam wszystkim o tym, jak do siebie często piszemy maile, no i o tym jak za tobą tęsknię. Jesteś najlepszą babcią na świecie i mam nadzieję, że się niedługo zobaczymy! Na razie nie wiem do końca jak będzie ale niedługo zadzwonie i wszystko opowiem. Uściski dla wujka i dziadzia, widzimy się na mailu!

Kocham mocno,

Twoja Carolinka
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Poland, Christmas & Forever young into 2012

Here’s a photo-bomb of my stay in Poland.

The 11 days started off with christmas in Wroclaw with grandparents and family. After a few days I took a train to hang out in Torun with my dad and another packed trainride later I arrived in Warszawa, where I danced with very dear friends and celebrated a sparkling New Year’s Eve.

In Wawa, on the 30th of December, after a very Polish dinner prepared by my friend and very intense dancing in a club – we all decided to check in at the Intercontinental Hotel instead of going back to my friends’ place. We got a great deal and we could eat, have breakfast and spend hours at the pool.. also, we were just a hop away from the “Forever young into 2012” New Year’s Eve party which was held at the top floor of the Marriott Hotel that we could see from our window. So very much worth it, a relaxing vacation in your own city is a lovely and random way of spending the last and the first days of the year.

click the photos for full size

Midnight mass

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I am trying to keep this space somewhat neutral in terms of both politics and religion. But as I am celebrating Christmas with my family in very catholic Poland it just won’t work right now..

I attended midnight mass tonight, it’s something we do every year. For some it’s tradition, for other’s it’s the main purpose of Christmas and for some the feeling of guilt and shame would be almost lethal if they chose not to go.

Last years I have chosen to actually listen to what the priest is saying and how he uses his voice, which has been highly interesting.

Today’s speech started with the story about how God chose to become a baby and the beauty of the most powerful being in the world asking for help, crying out his needs and being completely vulnerable and giving humanity his trust.. a message telling us that we have to be attentive to the needs of the weaker and less priviledged and how Christmas is about sharing and showing solidarity with each other..  then the priest somehow wandered off to how the communists and facists bore the responsibilities of millions of deaths, because God always finds his way back into our lifes – so “when you take the holy cross off the walls in schools and legal institutions, it shows up in cemeterys and at the sides of roads”. He continued talking about the darkness of today’s world, about how people distract themselves with computers and sex.. and get absorbed by excessively focusing on  working and on various types of charity work [sic!] instead of meaningful practices such as connecting with God.

The absurdity kind of culminated when he explained how gay pride parades are the unquestionable proof of how evil is spreading in the world. We were originally warned with a very clear message from God at the time when volcanic lava covered the ancient Gay-city of Pompeii. Those who do not see this obvious connection are distracted and brainwashed by modern society. I seem to belong to that group.

..if he only knew who I will be dancing with in a couple of days.

Dobranoc


Adolf Dymsza & Eugeniusz Bodo – Ach śpij kochanie
Paweł i Gaweł (1938)

Adolf Dymsza and Eugeniusz Bodo singing the lullaby “Ach śpij kochanie” (Oh sleep, my love) in the Polish musical comedy Paweł i Gaweł from 1938, based on the writings by Aleksander Fredro. This is high quality nostalgia. Sing the song to any polish person and they will know that it is time to go to sleep.
Because the moon is already yawning and it will fall asleep soon.. Dobranoc.