Grrr

Sometimes it sucks not knowing the language of the country you live in.

Yesterday, I called the company that is supposed to provide me with bottled water (no one in Krakow drinks the tap water although apparently it is safe). I haven't had water delivered since sometime in early September, although they keep sending me bills (which I keep paying). So I finally decided to try and call and figure out what was going on. My Polish hasn't progressed much past me being able to say Good day, do you speak English? The person said yes, so on I went.

But her English was not much better than my Polish, so I had to resort to asking one of my colleagues to speak to her.

And then my hair appointment was rescheduled to this afternoon, and the person who was going to come with me and translate can't make it. So once again I had to ask around for someone to accompany me.

Usually I don't mind asking for help, but some days I hate being so dependent.

Then this morning I spent an hour in an aerobics class that was full of dance moves I didn't know. I am more sporty than dancey (as anyone who has ever attended my step class can attest), so I probably would have struggled with this class in English, but I spent a good portion of the class feeling sorry for myself, even though four or five other women were having as many problems as I was.

The Polish language continues to humble me. I struggle with pronunciation and remembering the words, let alone the 5 grammatical cases, which I don't really even understand in English. My head is so full of work when we have our classes that it is hard to switch modes. And I feel inadequate since everyone around me speaks multiple languages.

But some days I have small victories. I can order in Polish in restaurants now, and I love going into shops and ordering fruits and vegetables and making other purchases in Polish. And I can understand a bit more when I listen to people speak, so gradually it will get better.

But some days it still sucks . . .