As part of a summer language program, I've been gradually learning more about Polish, Poznań, and the local culture. I am the only American enrolled in the program and while English is the language of instruction, I am one of the few native-English speakers. (I've had a lot of fascinating conversations that involved explaining colloquial phrases in English--why do we sometimes address small children as "pumpkin" anyway?-- and learning about similar phrases in German, such as "Mäuschen" and "yaco taco" (not sure about the spelling there...)). Here's some things I've noticed so far:
-"
Googlować" is a verb in Polish (also "googlen" auf deustch). So is "facebookować".
-There are only three reasons to learn Polish: 1) For your studies, 2) To reconnect with family or distant Polish roots, or 3) (the most popular reason by far) your boyfriend/girlfriend is Polish.
-Poznań's
football team is currently the best in Poland. But they still lost to Praha tonight. (Also, their nickname is "Kolejorz", which roughly translates to railroad workers).
-Poznań's stadium is currently the best stadium for the
EuroCup 2012 (but that's because it's the only one that is completed). I believe tonight's match (loss) was the first game in that stadium.
-A (traditional) Polish lunch is HUGE. We're talking soup, meat, potatoes, salad, and vegetables required at each meal with lots of other side dishes to complement. However, dinner/supper is basically the same thing as breakfast (breads, cheeses, lunchmeats, tea), so be sure to eat up.
-Poznań is also famous for its rogale swietomarcinki, or St. Martin's croissants. They're traditionally eaten on Nov. 11, but bakers now often carry them year round. (I can't testify if
this recipe is accurate, but it's a good image).
-Like much of the rest of Europe, about 90% of the city center of Poznań was destroyed during World War II. (Poznań was actually part of Prussia for a century, and there was much debate when drafting the
Treaty of Versailles if it would be included in the newly resurrected Poland or not). The majority of the buildings were rebuilt using detailed replicas, but the decorative
city hall (which is not actually a city hall) located in the center of the Stary Rynek, or old marketplace, was not rebuilt until 1999. During communist times, such a ornate building was not considered necessary.
I tend to usually fall into the category that mocks all the fuss and "twouble" with Twitters, but the antics of Jared Cohen and Alec Ross might make me rethink this position. As highlighted recently by the NYT, Cohen and Ross are policy advisers to Secretary Hilary Clinton, and they're personally bringing old-fashioned diplomacy into the new digital age. DoS has had an offical blog and official Twitter for a couple years now, but the tweets of 140 characters or less directly from the policy advisers seem to have a fresher, more candid or direct take. Not to mention that the official Twitter has only a fraction of the followers of Cohen or Ross.
Here's a beautiful project by artist Luke Jerram to bring a little more music into our everyday lives. Recently installed in New York City, Jerram and his piano concept have been traveling the world and enabling ordinary people to sit down and create music amidst the city cacophony. Artists decorated over 60 pianos and placed them in public places across the five boroughs--and don't worry, music enthusiasts, I can personally testify that the pianos were covered during rainy weather (which sadly prevented me from playing). After the installation, the pianos were donated to local schools and community groups.
