POLAND 365 :: WEEK 9

February 26-Isaac headed to school with treats to
share with his classmates. Here in Poland it is a big
deal to celebrate your "Name" day but birthdays are
special too. In class, kids can share treats with their
classmates they bring. He was so excited to do this
and had fun when all the kids sang "Sto Lat" to him,
which is what is sung to you on your birthday here.

February 27-Today was Isaac's 4th birthday
and one of his gifts was a batman costume.
 He has worn it every day since getting this
(with the exception of this past week where
he was in the hospital-more pictures about
the week in the hospital to come in the
next blog post). His name means "laughter"
and he embodies the meaning of his name!
He is our family jokester, witty, caring and
tender hearted. He is extroverted and learning
how to express himself in a new culture in
light of this. He is a rambunctious little boy
and we couldn't imagine life without him! 

February 28-Although there are many similar foods here, there are many
different foods and different versions of foods we are familiar with...like this hot
dog bun. It's a bun with a hole in it and you just put the hotdog down in it. It made
us laugh, but is actually very smart because then your condiments don't drip out!

February 29-Leap day in Poland...just like any other
day for us with work and school. In the kitchen cooking
dinner. It took me a while to be comfortable cooking here
(even cooking foods I'm familiar with from back in the
States). Finding the right things to buy (ingredients,
spices, etc.) can be a little challenging...but we are
getting the hang of it and I am getting my groove
back in the kitchen. I do get nervous when we have
our Polish friends over (or friends from the International
church) because I never know if they will like my
American cooking! I hope to learn how to cook
more traditional meals, but I'll work on that in time.

March 1-Yesterday there was no snow, and
today there is! We were hoping the snow was
going away (well mama was at least) and yet
there are several days it still surprises us out
of nowhere. Here is a nearby tram station/stop
that we go through often. Whenever we don't
have to take the kids with us (to language class
or other non grocery carrying errands or meetings),
we take the bus/trams. It's much easier actually
to get places even if it takes a little longer. 

March 2-And even though there is snow, we
still like to get out and go for walks. In the
States, I don't think I would have been this
way as a mama, but when winter is so long,
you just have to bundle up and get moving
regardless of the weather. People who have
young children (even new babies) often have
their kids bundled up and pushing them in
strollers. Usually they have some type of
cover on their feet like pictured here or if
it's smaller babies, it's actually a stroller
that looks like a little basinet on wheels.

March 3-Driving (like I mentioned a moment ago) can
sometimes be harder to get around then just taking public
transportation because the traffic is awful and you're often
sitting at a red light or in congested traffic for a while. I
sat at one red light that did change 5 times, yet never
actually moved! Isaac joined me on some errands this
particular afternoon and kept me company while we
sat in traffic. (Notice his batman costume on!)