Polish Independence Day and Kampinoski Park
This week was a lot of fun. Friday was Polish Independence Day. One of my Polish teachers told me there would be a big event with a parade, with uniforms from many historical periods. We…
Living Abroad
Day of the Dead… in bed.
On October 28th, we had a get to know dinner for the international relations master’s students and their families at a nice pizza joint in Mokotów. Here we are: Halloween isn’t really celebrated at all…
Smartphones, Fulbrighters and a Sermon
Annika had an OB appointment recently, but Paul tends to get bored at the doctor’s office. One thing that really keeps him occupied is getting his picture taken. Thank goodness for smartphones. Thursday I took…
A brief visit to Old Town
Something I forgot to put on last week’s entry was about this film: I saw 1920: Bitwa Warszawska (The Battle of Warsaw) on the 6th of October at the Kino Femina. They had a special…
The semester begins
Monday was my first day of classes. I had some delays being able to register for my Polish classes at the university, and by the time I could register the courses were all full. I…
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!
This week has been all about getting settled in Warsaw before school starts. Lots of little details to work out, like getting a polish bank account so we can pay our bills (in Poland pretty…
How to be a cannibal in Polish and other musings
It’s been a great week. The program in Wroclaw included Polish language classes and lectures on Polish history, sociology and art. I had an amazing Polish teacher who was always so enthusiastic and excited. It…
Orientation at the Embassy and then off to Wroclaw
Well this has been a very interesting week. On Wednesday Fulbright Orientation began in Warsaw. We started at the US Embassy in Warsaw. We have quite an interesting and diverse group of Fulbrighters. There are…
Getting to Poland: The First Week
Flying across the world is certainly exhausting under the best of circumstances. In my case I was so wound up about leaving that the night before we flew out I only slept about 45 minutes…
Thoughts on Leaving America Behind
My name is Ryan Boudwin. I am twenty-seven years old. I am a former police officer and a non-traditional student that completed an undergraduate degree in international relations at American Public University by studying part-time…