Collection of my postcards

I usually buy post cards during my travels. I never had knew why I was doing it. I rarely send them to my friends or family (we live in SMS era…). Also, I rarely look at them. I don’t even treat them as souvenirs from the trip. I just keep them in a drawer. Last weekend I found a great possibility to use them. I was a participating in discrimination and antidiscrimination training. In one exercise trainers used postcards in a way which was great for me. Each participants had to choose one card and tell about his or her reflections at the beginning of the second day of the training. It was very interesting for people. They were deeply involved in the task, very creative and open. I think, I will use my collection in my future work in similar exercises.

une lettre

Je marchais dans la rue. C’ étais une nuit. Je ne regardais pas autor de soi, mais la rue sous mes preds. Soudain, j’ai remarqué un Moreau de papier qui semblait interessant. Dans un premier temps, je ne savais pas pourquoi. Je me suis approchée et j’ai pris le papier. Il sést avéré qu’il m’avait intéressé parce que, j’avais remarqué mon prénom (Gosia), écrit dessus. Ce était comme si cette lettre avait été écrite pour moi. Bien sûr, cette lettre n’était pas pour moi, mais pour une autre personne. La contenu a était trés bizarre: « Dites à cette Ania de vous rendre les notes de Gosia et si elle les copie, elle restera à un tunnel ». Les notes au verso etaient aussi bizarres: « Esc-que tu savais que Marek (le frére de Krzysiek) a été au Centre de régimes et un emplyer du Centre lu-a dit qu’il était interdit de manger des bananes? »

What a nice stereotype!!!

I went with my friend who is blind to a rehabilitation center. He has some problems with his spine and that’s why he needs some exercises. We found the room number 216 and we asked a nurse what we had to do: to wait or to go in. She didn’t know so she promised to ask someone about it. She came back after about 5 minutes and asked my friend: “But why have you come here? To give a massage or to have a massage?” We started to laugh. This is such a strong stereotype, that if you are blind you must be a masseur.

death-lanterns

Death-lanterns are the remains of former customs. They were placed by hospitals or cemeteries. It seems that they are connected with an ancient tradition of keeping fire or candles on graves. They were especially helpful during epidemics, when a lot of sick people were taken to hospitals or dead people to cemeteries. People believed that the fire of death-lathers helped lost souls in finding their graves before the sunrise. Their purpose was also as a reminder about the prayer for the dead. In a symbolic sense they were a line between death and live. There is many monuments of this type on the pilgrim path to Santiago de Compostella. In Kraków there is a death-lantern, next to the church of St. Michał.

Time machine

I like contradictions, that’s why this morning was so interesting for me. My friend asked me to go with him to a clinic for an MRI test. We were surprised that there is such a machine in a clinic which is behind the administration building of steel mill. People think that the glory of the clinic, as well as the steel mill, ended many years ago, but the doorkeeper was not surprised when we asked about the MRI. He directed us to a lift, the same sort as in a block of flats of my aunt twenty years ago (a real technological museum piece). We were informed that we had to go to a basement. And you know? In the basement there was indeed an MRI machine! The lift was like a time machine leading to better world: MRI, nice staff, no queue and no delay. And my friend is OK. Maybe not healthy, but it is definitely not very serious.

What a surprising being!

I was walking with my friend. From the opposite direction was coming a woman with a dog. The dog was very funny: unbelievably small, white with big eyes and ears. The owner leaded the dog with a red leash. My friend was delighted with the view. She said to me: “What a surprising being!”. Suddenly the dog stopped. His owner dropped the leash. The dog started to look at my friend with astonishment. I started to laugh and I told her: “you must be also strange being for that dog”.

Szpieg z Krainy Deszczowców

This is a real treasure among graffiti. Let me introduce you to the Spy from the Rain Peoples Country – a hero of children’s tale. He was following The Wawel Dragon who had set off on a rescue expedition with help to professor Baltazar Gąbka. I forgot about existing all those heroes, so to find this picture it was nice surprise for me.

instead of...

When I have to do something in the city after my work, usually going home I have to change my bus on the stop near dormitories of Technical University. I noticed a long time ago, that there is a small graffiti there. This is a picture of a girl with red flower in her dark hair. Below there is a rose with a drop of blood dripping from its thorn. I have never made a picture of it because of not enough light for making photo. I will do it one day, but at the moment we must be satisfied with a photo of the same graffiti without the rose. This is a stop of tram number 14.

Ash tree

A few days ago came to me my secondary school friend. We meet each other rarely. She comes to me usually once a year when she needs to stay in Kraków for a night or two. She always brings me some gifts. This year it was tea form China and a book. I’m creasy about tea so it was very good present for me, but the book was event better. It is hardly difficult to find good science fiction book. A lot of them are real rubbish. This one was read by my friend who likes this kind of literature and who knows very well my preferences. It was a very good choice for me. This is a very complicated story about a man who was sent to a fantastic world. His mission was of course to save this world. The man is a kind of heroes I like very much. I was reading the book with real pleasure, but I was ashamed a bit by the book. There is a very important motif of ash tree in the book. It is very moving and sad moment. I order to imagine this scene well I needed a picture of a ash tree, but I didn’t know how it looks like… Now I know – I checked it in the Internet and even found a real tree which you can see in the picture. This is the ash tree near the Ark church in Kraków.

A necklece

No, I wasn’t bored during that meeting in our office, I only couldn’t concentrate on the conversation. The woman who was our guest was wearing a necklace made of black, white and silver (plane and patterned) cubes. I tried to guess the scheme in which the cubes were arranged. The black one after one, two and three others? And which scheme with the others? Was those silver cubes treated as one kind regardless of being patterned or not? I almost guessed the scheme for a few times, but it have never been the proper scheme. Probably there was not at all and cubes were arranged accidentally… doesn’t matter. It is nice to have a moment of relax during your working day, isn’t it? Like with a small chapel in the picture above. I see it every day from a transparent lift shaft. It gives me a moment of being away of the cares of daily life.

a desk in Prowincja Café

There is an innovation in Prowincja Café. Of course apple cake and cappuccino are good as always. The same thing is with waiters – nice and friendly like Amelia in the movie about Amelia. Fortunately owners of the Café removed white tables from summer garden and exchanged them for old, antique school’s desks. People smile to each other seeing that. They like to seat there and have some coffee. I even observe a lady who explained to her young son, for what there was a hole in a table of the desk (a bottle of ink) and gutter (for a pen).

Wenecja

Today I went to a doctor. I hate it. It make me nervous and dependant. To rose me spirit I went to sushi bar for lunch. Award was doubled. Eating my favorite nigiri I could observe interesting scene. At the next table there were sitting a girl and her father. The girl was talking all the time about some toys she got as an extras for some shopping. For about half an hour her father said nothing. He was only waving his had for “yes” or for “not”. When she finished her story silence hung over the table. The girl was mixing tea with her chopsticks, the father was reading menu again and again… What a nice day together…
In the photo: macaron at Wenecja Street.

Smile

The Institution I work for moved our office in other place. I go to my work by bus. I got out on the stop next to Academy of Mining and Metallurgy. Then I turn left and go along main street. The way is long and, especially in wintertime, not very nice, but I smile at least one time – when I pass a gate smiling to me.

Camaldolite

The Camaldolite monastery is in Bielany near to Kraków. This is a strict monastic rule. Monks live in isolated monastery. They get up at 4 o’clock every day. They work hardly and pray a lot. They don’t meet people. It is not allowed to women to visit the monastery during whole year with the exception for 12 days. One of them is Christmas. I'm not religious but decided to go to the monastery for the Watching Service.
We left our car somewhere in the forest (there was probably the first parking place, in the way to the monastery). We were walking to the church very slowly in a group of other people for about 15 minutes. Frost, snow, darkness, silence… Much closer to Christmas then usual commercialized space… In the church: monks, a lot of
People singing… They don’t use any instruments, just human voices. It is very exceptional.

supermarket

I have a new washing machine. I’m very happy of it. This is big effort to buy something before Christmas… You can’t imagine how many stupid question about an ordinary TV set can a person ask and how many people wants to buy such a thing just before Christmas. My old washing machine was not enough kind to wait with its technical extinction for few weeks more and it sentenced me of observing it and being in that crowd.
In the photo: another angel. There is a lot of such angels in Kraków now. Much more suits to Christmas then a supermarket, isn’t it?

a sculpture

On the Wszystkich Świętych Square (All Saints Square), in front of the Pavilion of Stanisław Wyspiański appeared a sculpture (first in Kraków !!!) showing a plan of nearest streets prepared especially for blind people (with description in Braille). It is very similar to the sculpture I saw in Cambridge. It is even more interesting because beside buildings and streets existing till today it shows The All Saints church which was demolished in the end of 19th century. To be honest I didn’t know about the church. Of course I could have been more smart. There are two big monastic churches in this square and non of them is named All Saints: neither The Dominicans nor The Franciscans…
I don’t know what it is: a sculpture, a plan? What?