To Poland

While my typical idea of winter break involves soup cups full of tea and marathons of Fringe while swaddled in an afghan, this year I made an alternate commitment. Starting before noon on the 1st, I hauled butt clear across the country and into southern Poland to work at Wizard Camp. Together with 46 Ukrainian students, a handful of staff, and two more American volunteers, we conducted an English camp for a week in the town of Zywiec (pronounced: Jivets. Polish is a mystery to me.) Although I was under the impression we'd be wearing striped scarves, preparing potions, and quibbling over quidditch rules, this was good too.

Zywiec is a quiet hamlet outside of Krakow, ensconced in rolling hills and evergreen forests. We shacked up at Rychwald Manor, a multi-building complex up the hill from town. The lodging was considerably nicer than any I've ever stayed at in Ukraine: consistent hot water, quaint slanted ceilings, and quality meals. In fact, the whole atmosphere was very pleasant. The church bells tolled every hour from the town below and the weather was surprisingly less severe than back home.

We taught lessons to a group of talented students throughout the day and did various activities with them in the evenings. Some of the highlights included team performances of songs and dances, cooking bratwursts over the fire, writing a play, karaoke night, making a time capsule, and writing letters to Santa (UkrChristmas is on the 7th of January due to the fact that the orthodox church uses the Gregorian calendar).

We took a day trip down to Vienna! While we didn't have much more than a few hours to wander the city, we managed to see the bulk of the sites and still meet a local. I can't say enough what a gorgeous place Vienna was, and so full of music. The next time I visit, I absolutely must see the opera, philharmonic, and plethora of museums and not simply gaze ignorantly at the statues and architecture.

We also stopped on our way home in Krakow. Whereas Vienna's beauty is stately, august white embellishments trimming the high pastel buildings which tower over narrow cobblestone streets, Krakow has a more organic beauty. The side-walks are under tree canopies, the buildings shorter and coloured rich earth tones, and even the river is more quaint and provincial than the regal Danube. I'd be lucky to live in either city, and both will require more of my attention in the future.

In the end, the week passed like a strange dream, and before I learned to pronounce "thank you" in Polish, I was back on a train in Ukraine. It was a surreal way to pass the winter: in an unassuming village with a group of dedicated children who could not only speak English but in fact wanted to do so. Spending so many days with good friends whom I had not seen in months if not more was also something of a Christmas miracle, one which ended all to soon. Being back in my town, back to my routine, renders the experience that much more ethereal, but I'm refreshed and motivated for my last year in Lutugino. Bring on 2014!