New House, New City, Familiar Country

Well, we are still settling in, teaching Megan how to use all of the new things (to her) in a European house: rolladen (German-designed shutters); a sit-in-the-tub shower, new locks, transformers, and other little differences. So far, she is enjoying dancing across the parquet and tile floors of the house, which, in the summer, has three floors of heating: hot on the top floor, medium/warm on the ground floor and cool in the basement. It has been over 90 F lately and without AC we tend to retreat lower when we need a little coolness.

This evening, following the delivery of the ubiquitous expat arrival meal (pizza delivery), Megan and I played with a ball in the paved courtyard and watched as a cool front was forcing clouds toward us in the direction of the mountains, bring the scent of rain and a very nice wind. We watched the various levels of clouds roil around then picked some plums from one of our fruit trees (there are plums, pears, apples and crabapples) and went inside to lock down for the night. Ritual time...windows shut, rolladens down, exterior lights on, security system on. Poland has changed a lot in ten years, and crime is very low here, but some habits die hard.

This first week has been interesting, settling into the rythyms of a new job. Working in the center of Krakow is a real pleasure, even with the commute. The tram line runs from the foot of our hill and directly into the city, dropping me less than 100 yards from the office. Walking past a beautifully restored Benedictine cathedral and along the cobblestone streets, I can't help but look forward to the ride back out and lunchtime, when I have been wandering around a bit, absorbing the summertime atmosphere of a city that I first saw in 1991, almost the first chance I had to travel in Europe. Krakow and Poland are very familiar to me, having studied Polish in 1986 and having lived here before, but this new Poland, leaping forward with astonishing speed, continues to be a new adventure and learning experience everytime I come. Now to resurrect my alleged proficiency in the language.....