Sorry this entry is really choppy. I just wanted to write before we moved to the next city so here goes.
The Tatar mountains are amazing. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it has been to walk through the fields behind our hostel, and I know I'm not alone in feeling joyful because everyone seems to be singing sound of music and spinning around.
"Learning is never wasted," was one of the little comments our guide today told me. I'm hoping that's true. I'm feeling rather stupid a lot of these days because I've never really studied World War II nor taken a polish history class so I'm struggling to keep up while I know others are frustrated by tour guides being too simplistic. I love Zakopane though--not only because it has a shorter, seemingly simpler history than Kraków, so I'm less overwhelmed--but also because it's such a beautiful retreat from the busy city. I've spent a lot of time drawing and even got to paint with a polish middle school kid (gymnasium it's called here I think) here who is really talented and sweet. He helped me count in polish and drew a cool picture of Chris.
Something I've really loved about the trip is how seamlessly everything is organized. From traveling alone previous summers, I know the constant underlying stress of planing where to go, where to stay, how to get there, how the public transportation works in each city, what to do when I'm inevitably lost, how to explain what I need without speaking the language, where to eat and what I'm even ordering once I get there... the stress is enormous. This trip I've been able to focus more on learning the history because all of these details are taken care of. On the other hand though, everything is so comfortable that I feel like I'm in Poland but in a huge American bubble that is keeping me from really seeing what's around me. Because I don't need to fight with the language to take care of my needs, I've barely learned any polish. I keep comparing prices to what it would cost in the U.S. instead of considering whether or not it's a normal price here. I'm not meeting many people outside of our group because I feel like I know the other students so little I want to focus on getting to know them better (though I know I haven't been doing a good job of this either, sorry).
I'm sad about some conflict that seems to be between a lot of us, but I'm happy I'm here. This trip is what each of us make of it. Sometimes that means resting and caring for ourselves and maybe being introverts, while other times it means supporting each other and trying to listen. I'm excited for Lublin and for exploring a new city and for awesome polish coffee and a new hostel and learning more about polish history, and even a little excited for the bus ride so maybe I can catch up on needed sleep. :) Dobranoc, goodnight everyone!