Oh man, oh man.

So, what has been happening in Poznań?  I have been busy. I am the guinea pig for a GEM Poland orientation manual.  So I have been sent out several days on assignments by myself in the city. And I really enjoy it! Though I finish the day SO exhausted!!  Here's what I'm told will be a very common view for me this fall... Waiting on a tram under my umbrella. :)

Monday I was out in the city from about 9am till about 6pm, comparing prices/learning vocabulary at the different types of grocery stores. So I had to go to small shops/vegetable stands near my place, the targ - the open air market (beautiful produce and flowers!),  and big supermarkets which are cheaper and further away.  I'm sad I was too scaredy cat to look super weird in front of the vendors, because they truly had some gorgeous looking produce.  I could have some really lovely shots. But the two here are shots of the targ, and I'll tell you one thing, it was an adventure in the rain. I had to learn to wield an umbrella like never before! :)  This aisle was about double the width of the rest of them, and many of the other aisles had leaky coverings, so all the water collected and fell down in the aisles, making it much more wet than in the open air.  Fun!

The targ from across the street. The little
stands went for about a square block.

What else?  I had tomato soup and a Greek salad for lunch. Note the size of the salad container, which I had already eaten. Quite small.

I continued shopping around, finishing my grocery store assingment. I bought some house shoes.  For whatever reason, at the end of this day I was SO beat! Maybe I was out longer than other days, or maybe I had more interaction, or I was working on more vocabulary (pomidory = tomato). On the bus back to my host house, usually I've listened to my language practice on my iPod... After this day I had to just listen to some low intensity music! Love my iPod... It's really great to have on trams/buses. You just have to pay attention to where you're going!

 Cool things coming up: 

• Thursday I'll attend for the first time a women's bible study with ladies from my church. (We're going through Philippians. Cool!) Then meeting with my roommates to get keys!!
• Friday is the big move! And by big move I mean I'm going to take my two and a half suitcases up a flight of stairs. :) I'll probably also shop a bit for some basics... food, cleaning supplies, perhaps some bedding.
• Monday we turn in all the paperwork for my visa.

Prayer requests:

• Again, begin to develop a real friendship and opening for spiritual discussion with my roommates.
• Guidance and wisdom for where to focus time and energy.
• Energy, especially once I'm living independently. I'll not have so much time to recover after I move into my place.

And here are pics from various city adventures...

Adam Mickiewicz, the Polish poet for whom a
university is named (UAM). I'll be taking my classes through
this university, though not terribly near this park.

View of the crosses and eagle.

Self portrait in the Rynek.  Oh, sun! I miss you!

Hot chocolate! Now you're jealous, aren't you? It was as good as it looks.

ulica Święty Marcin (St. Martin Street)

One of the signs for the Stary Rynek (Old Market/Town Square)

The Rynek

Flowers in the Rynek.

Me and my bird friend in the Rynek.

An art/history exhibit set up in the Rynek.

It had to do with the Solidarity movement, which originated in Poland. Solidarity started the first independent labor union in a Soviet bloc country. So it was integral to the fall of communism.  I couldn't understand any of this exhibit because it was all in Polish.  But hey.  What can you do?

More of Ponzań's goats.

Peter. You can tell because he's holding keys. Jesus says to Peter in Matt 16:19: "...I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven..."

From the Town Hall museum in the Rynek... Posters proclaiming Nazi takeover.

The re-opening of the Town Hall in the 50s, after restoration following WWII.

A church just outside the Rynek.

My view of the Town Hall (now museum) from the cafe I ate at that day.