At lunch today with my team, I mentioned the Anne of Green Gables/Anna connection that one of my Polish friends had told me about.
They said, yes, that probably was true.
And then told me that Anne of Green Gables was required reading for Polish schoolchildren!
The women immediately started recapping their favourite episodes (when she died her hair green!) and murmured dreamily, "I love the films."
The males just rolled their eyes and shook their heads.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Birth announcement
My friend V left me a message last night, telling me that she had given birth to her second child, a boy, and that all was well. Then she added a bit of a teaser, saying that she had a story to tell and I should call her.
Which I did immediately.
I got the scoop, but since it's her story, I'll let her describe it. This is from the email birth announcement I received tonight:
Woman gives birth to baby in car, (Oh wait, that was us)
On February 17, 2008, at 10:53 pm, V gave birth to a baby boy, 6 lbs 13 oz. Mom and baby are happy and healthy; dad is still recovering from the shock of watching V deliver the baby herself, in the front seat of their Toyota Corolla not 2 minutes away from the hospital. This scenario was a slight deviation from the detailed birth plan, however it makes a great Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of the week.
Yes, it's true. Could I make something like this up? I received a much more detailed version, (actually two versions, as both V and her husband told me the story, which differed somewhat but were consistent in the main facts), and had people laughing so hard they were in tears today when I recounted it at work.
Or perhaps they were just stunned. One of my friends here, an expectant father, flat out did not believe me when I told him my friend delivered her baby herself in a moving car (yes, her husband did not even pull over)! He asked me if it was an early April Fool's Day joke.
V, I always knew you were independent and strong willed, but I never imagined you'd take it this far . . .
Congratulations! I can hardly wait to meet the new addition. A trip to Poland with a new born should be a piece of cake for you.
Which I did immediately.
I got the scoop, but since it's her story, I'll let her describe it. This is from the email birth announcement I received tonight:
Woman gives birth to baby in car, (Oh wait, that was us)
On February 17, 2008, at 10:53 pm, V gave birth to a baby boy, 6 lbs 13 oz. Mom and baby are happy and healthy; dad is still recovering from the shock of watching V deliver the baby herself, in the front seat of their Toyota Corolla not 2 minutes away from the hospital. This scenario was a slight deviation from the detailed birth plan, however it makes a great Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of the week.
Yes, it's true. Could I make something like this up? I received a much more detailed version, (actually two versions, as both V and her husband told me the story, which differed somewhat but were consistent in the main facts), and had people laughing so hard they were in tears today when I recounted it at work.
Or perhaps they were just stunned. One of my friends here, an expectant father, flat out did not believe me when I told him my friend delivered her baby herself in a moving car (yes, her husband did not even pull over)! He asked me if it was an early April Fool's Day joke.
V, I always knew you were independent and strong willed, but I never imagined you'd take it this far . . .
Congratulations! I can hardly wait to meet the new addition. A trip to Poland with a new born should be a piece of cake for you.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Canadian, eh?
Yesterday, while at an open house for my company, I spoke briefly with a young woman about a position. Shortly after our initial conversation, she asked me if I was Canadian. Stunned, I said I was, and asked her how she knew. Had someone mentioned it to her? Everyone here assumes that I am American.
She said no, she just knew because my accent was distinctly Canadian. Turns out she has a good friend from Cambridge, Ontario.
That comment alone may have made it worthwhile to spend my Saturday at the office.
She said no, she just knew because my accent was distinctly Canadian. Turns out she has a good friend from Cambridge, Ontario.
That comment alone may have made it worthwhile to spend my Saturday at the office.
Brunch
This week was a tough one. Nothing bad happened, but in my enthusiasm for my work I tend to over commit myself and take on too much. My position here is busy enough without all of my extra self-imposed projects, and this week everything caught up to me.
So I worked every night, skipped all the activities that keep me sane, and spent too much time berating myself for doing both of the former. By Thursday I was literally hopping mad, and Friday evening I was in tears. No relief on Saturday as I had committed to an all day work event.
But today, sweet Sunday, one simple meal changed everything.
In Toronto, brunch is not a weekly occurrence for me, but my good friends S and DW are big fans, so I often join them for it, particularly if we have friends in from out of town.
In Poland, breakfast mostly consists of sandwiches or sweet buns, and there are few places in town where you can get what we would consider brunch.
So today when my American and British friends and I were given the menus at a restaurant we had found that served brunch, we squealed with delight. American style pancakes, French toast, English breakfast, bagels, maple syrup! The menu gave me such pleasure that I had to share it, so I read it aloud to my 18 month old buddy, who smiled as if someone was telling him a good bedtime story.
Even better than the menu was the food itself. When T first sipped her cafe latte she sighed with pleasure, declaring it amazing, and quickly ordered a second. When the pancakes arrived, 4 year-old M's eyes widened, and he asked his mother if she would share it with him.
My tost francuski was everything I had hoped it would be, and more, as was the half a bagel and cream cheese I mooched from T. That, my mimosa, and the good company put me right again. Once again, all is well.
So I worked every night, skipped all the activities that keep me sane, and spent too much time berating myself for doing both of the former. By Thursday I was literally hopping mad, and Friday evening I was in tears. No relief on Saturday as I had committed to an all day work event.
But today, sweet Sunday, one simple meal changed everything.
In Toronto, brunch is not a weekly occurrence for me, but my good friends S and DW are big fans, so I often join them for it, particularly if we have friends in from out of town.
In Poland, breakfast mostly consists of sandwiches or sweet buns, and there are few places in town where you can get what we would consider brunch.
So today when my American and British friends and I were given the menus at a restaurant we had found that served brunch, we squealed with delight. American style pancakes, French toast, English breakfast, bagels, maple syrup! The menu gave me such pleasure that I had to share it, so I read it aloud to my 18 month old buddy, who smiled as if someone was telling him a good bedtime story.
Even better than the menu was the food itself. When T first sipped her cafe latte she sighed with pleasure, declaring it amazing, and quickly ordered a second. When the pancakes arrived, 4 year-old M's eyes widened, and he asked his mother if she would share it with him.
My tost francuski was everything I had hoped it would be, and more, as was the half a bagel and cream cheese I mooched from T. That, my mimosa, and the good company put me right again. Once again, all is well.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Cookie update
All five dozen got eaten. Sadly, I ate at least 6 myself, despite my good intentions to only eat one. I should have known better than to keep the refill container on my desk.
I am not sure if they were a hit or not. Some people had seconds, so at least they weren't a disaster.
And everyone thought they smelled good.
I am not sure if they were a hit or not. Some people had seconds, so at least they weren't a disaster.
And everyone thought they smelled good.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Wanillowy aromat
I've just finished the baking extravaganza described earlier tonight.
My kitchen has a very odd vanillowy smell. Next time I will not be so liberal with the wanillowy aromat. Wait, that sounds like there will be a next time for the aromat. Not very likely . . .
I am not sure it even is related to vanilla extract. The smell is undecipherable, thus indescribable.
Adventures in baking indeed!
My kitchen has a very odd vanillowy smell. Next time I will not be so liberal with the wanillowy aromat. Wait, that sounds like there will be a next time for the aromat. Not very likely . . .
I am not sure it even is related to vanilla extract. The smell is undecipherable, thus indescribable.
Adventures in baking indeed!
Girls who wear glasses
Several years ago (at least 6, maybe 7), I started getting bad headaches while working. It probably had more to do with stress than my eyesight, but when I went to see the optometrist she gave me a prescription for glasses. She said I had 20/20 vision but had a slight astigmatism, and that the glasses might help my headaches. I wore them faithfully for quite a while, partially because they helped, but also because I thought they looked cool.
After a few years the novelty wore off, and I didn't wear them as much. I still kept them at my desk and would put them on if I was staring at the screen for hours on end.
I haven't worn them much in the last year or so, and not once in Krakow. Earlier this week my eyes were getting tired, and the headaches started again, so I decided I should resurrect the glasses.
What a reaction! As soon as I put them on, people started commenting. My favourite remark was "Wow you look so much smarter!" which was immediately followed by much back pedaling, and then qualified by saying that I have a very smiley face and that I look much more authoritative with the glasses.
So maybe I'll start wearing them to important meetings.
After a few years the novelty wore off, and I didn't wear them as much. I still kept them at my desk and would put them on if I was staring at the screen for hours on end.
I haven't worn them much in the last year or so, and not once in Krakow. Earlier this week my eyes were getting tired, and the headaches started again, so I decided I should resurrect the glasses.
What a reaction! As soon as I put them on, people started commenting. My favourite remark was "Wow you look so much smarter!" which was immediately followed by much back pedaling, and then qualified by saying that I have a very smiley face and that I look much more authoritative with the glasses.
So maybe I'll start wearing them to important meetings.
Adventures in baking
In honour of Valentine's Day (Walentyki if you are in Poland), I decided to bake some cookies for my team.
Thanks to my horribly expensive junk food order from Canada I have chocolate chips. Chocolate chip cookies are not common here, so I thought they would be a special treat for the Poles.
My challenges started in the baking aisle. I had to call one of my writers in order to determine that brown sugar, a key ingredient in all chocolate chip cookies, is not available at most Polish grocery stores.
Then I saw something called wanillowy aromat in the baking aisle. It appeared to be vanilla extract, but I was a little suspicious of the word aromat. It seemed too close to aromatic to be extract.
My writer confirmed that in Poland we don't have vanilla extract for taste, just to enhance the smell. I bought it anyway.
When I got home I realized that I don't have a cookie sheet. Nor do I have baking soda. But everything else seemed in order, so I improvised with some glass casserole dishes, white sugar and skipped the baking soda. Who knows what that's for anyway . . .
The recipe on the back of the chipits package didn't actually call for vanilla extract, but since I bought it, I thought I'd throw it in to see how it enhances the smell.
My cookie dough is very, very smelly.
The first batch took a lot longer to cook in my oven than the recipe suggested. When finally done, the cookies seemed a little pale, but edible. So to speed things up a bit, I decided to bake one batch in my normal oven and one in my toaster oven.
Oddly enough the toaster oven cooks much faster then the real oven, even though the temperature is supposedly the same. The first (and only) batch from the toaster oven burnt after 5 minutes, and I had a few anxious moments wondering if the fire trucks would show up downstairs again. No sign of them yet, but I've decided to stick with the real oven for now.
I hope my team appreciates these.
Two weeks ago I made Nanaimo bars, which were a big hit, even though they didn't set properly and turned out more like Nanaimo pudding. One of the guys asked me if they were a special Canadian treat for Pancake (Shrove) Tuesday, as I brought them in that day.
I'm thinking I should stop trying to adapt Canadian recipes to Polish ingredients and just start to learn how to make Polish baked goods.
Thanks to my horribly expensive junk food order from Canada I have chocolate chips. Chocolate chip cookies are not common here, so I thought they would be a special treat for the Poles.
My challenges started in the baking aisle. I had to call one of my writers in order to determine that brown sugar, a key ingredient in all chocolate chip cookies, is not available at most Polish grocery stores.
Then I saw something called wanillowy aromat in the baking aisle. It appeared to be vanilla extract, but I was a little suspicious of the word aromat. It seemed too close to aromatic to be extract.
My writer confirmed that in Poland we don't have vanilla extract for taste, just to enhance the smell. I bought it anyway.
When I got home I realized that I don't have a cookie sheet. Nor do I have baking soda. But everything else seemed in order, so I improvised with some glass casserole dishes, white sugar and skipped the baking soda. Who knows what that's for anyway . . .
The recipe on the back of the chipits package didn't actually call for vanilla extract, but since I bought it, I thought I'd throw it in to see how it enhances the smell.
My cookie dough is very, very smelly.
The first batch took a lot longer to cook in my oven than the recipe suggested. When finally done, the cookies seemed a little pale, but edible. So to speed things up a bit, I decided to bake one batch in my normal oven and one in my toaster oven.
Oddly enough the toaster oven cooks much faster then the real oven, even though the temperature is supposedly the same. The first (and only) batch from the toaster oven burnt after 5 minutes, and I had a few anxious moments wondering if the fire trucks would show up downstairs again. No sign of them yet, but I've decided to stick with the real oven for now.
I hope my team appreciates these.
Two weeks ago I made Nanaimo bars, which were a big hit, even though they didn't set properly and turned out more like Nanaimo pudding. One of the guys asked me if they were a special Canadian treat for Pancake (Shrove) Tuesday, as I brought them in that day.
I'm thinking I should stop trying to adapt Canadian recipes to Polish ingredients and just start to learn how to make Polish baked goods.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Kindred Spirits
My third day in Krakow, I noticed this display in bookshop window. At the time I just smiled to myself, pleased that one of my favourite Canadian childhood books was available here in Poland. It wasn't until this past Saturday that I realized how much of an impact Lucy Maud Montgomery's books have had on Polish culture.
When discussing Polish names with some friends, I mentioned that Anna seemed to be an extremely popular Polish name, particularly among women about 25 years old. I was stunned when my friend said it was a result of "those stories about Anne of Green Gables."
Apparently the Anne books were translated into Polish 25 or 30 years ago and were a big hit, resulting in many little Annas. No Anne with an E here.
Abandoned
Once upon a time I had two cats that followed me anywhere. Even all the way across the world to Poland.
And then I turned the heated floors on in my lovely Cracovian abode.
Now my cats spend most of their time lying on the floor in one or other of the two bathrooms, or in the kitchen.
I can't say I blame them though, as when I was lying on the floor taking pictures of Small, I could hardly drag myself up and away from the heat.
And then I turned the heated floors on in my lovely Cracovian abode.
Now my cats spend most of their time lying on the floor in one or other of the two bathrooms, or in the kitchen.
I can't say I blame them though, as when I was lying on the floor taking pictures of Small, I could hardly drag myself up and away from the heat.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
The Colour Purple
Indigo, aubergine, violet, periwinkle, plum. For years I had a love affair with the colour purple.
And then, suddenly, a few years ago it stopped. Instead, when I walked into a store, I was drawn to the greens, and recently, almost uncontrollably to brown.
But lately, helped I am sure by a fashion resurgence, I seem to have come to my senses. Over the last few months I have remembered why, and how much, I love purple.
It started in Toronto in December when I purchased not one, but two, purple sweaters. Then on Monday I bought an entire bedding ensemble in purple shades.
On Saturday, while picking out flowers, I couldn't help myself.
Purple and green together! What more could you want?
To see more purple (you know you want to), check out my recent pics link.
And then, suddenly, a few years ago it stopped. Instead, when I walked into a store, I was drawn to the greens, and recently, almost uncontrollably to brown.
But lately, helped I am sure by a fashion resurgence, I seem to have come to my senses. Over the last few months I have remembered why, and how much, I love purple.
It started in Toronto in December when I purchased not one, but two, purple sweaters. Then on Monday I bought an entire bedding ensemble in purple shades.
On Saturday, while picking out flowers, I couldn't help myself.
Purple and green together! What more could you want?
To see more purple (you know you want to), check out my recent pics link.
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