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.

a pendant

I got from my father a pendant a few month ago. He had found it in a clinic. I was really happy for the present, because it was very symbolic and characteristic for my father. I remember from my childhood that he was always bringing to home some buttons, stones, pieces of jewelry, sometimes even money, found somewhere on the street. I was wearing the pendant as a present from my father more precious then anything he could bought even for big money.
Unfortunately, the pendant didn’t stay with me for a long time. I lost it a few days ago. If a thing can have a destiny, probably the destiny of it was to pass form ones hands to the others.

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.

Again in Paris

I’m here again only for a moment. The city is like always. I file as if I’ve never went out of it, but only as if I haven’t been in favourites places for a long time. In the few moments of spare time I have, I look at windows of Parisian tenements and observe people drinking coffee and reading newspapers in cafes. One time in a radio I heard a description of the city done by Czesław Miłosz. It was Paris. I guessed, not knowing where he was living as an emigrant. He was able to convey atmosphere of the city – everything what I like and dislike in Paris.

My dentist said that I look like Olga Tokarczuk who is a writer. This comparison amused me, because it was very simple association: my hair is as short as hers and I like similar clothes as she wears. It was funny but I didn’t ignore this remark. The same taste in small things might mean closeness in more serious things. Seating on the dentists chair I said to myself that it is highest time to read her book. I heard a lot good opinion about her writing, more over this year she got a very important literary prize. When I was going home from the dentist I bought the rewarded book Bieguni. This the book about travelling. It is really for me, isn’t it? I travel a lot and I really don’t know what made me tired more: being on the way or waiting for another travel.
In the photo: travelling – Iceland.

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).

Ajzik

I went for a walk with my dog. Suddenly he groaned and started to limp. I was worried by that. My dog is old and he had two operations on his knees some years ago. I was expecting many complications. I was even afraid that this time he could not survive from it. I took him to home, gave him some goodies, I hugged him. He was a bit surprised at my tenderness but accepted it with a joy and didn’t care about his leg. In the evening he recovered.

...snails

Going to work I usually a pass small public garden next to the Academy of Mining and Metallurgy. Lately some modern sculptures appeared in the garden. Generally, I would say that they are terrible. They look like crazy erotic imagination of snails. They are tasteless to be honest. One of them is named "Transformation". This title meant for me nothing till the moment when some vandal damaged the sculpture a bit. In the part of this abstract snail, where the head appeared that it should be a head, the vandal painted a schematic nose, eyes and a smile. Thanks to that, the snail transformed to hearty character of a funny fairy tale.

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.

I seen a sunrise from a plain.

When we reach an airport it was still dark. After take off I was observing empty surfaces covered by snow. Here and there were I saw small groups of lights – small estates.
Few minutes later we flew into light. Probably we reached the sunrise sooner then it is usually on the land. The spell was broken…

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.

two girls

I was observing two girls in pub, when I was in Cambridge. They were playing darts. Both had very short hair, both were wearing blue jeans and green cotton blouse. They looked each other with love and happiness. They were rally beautiful with this affection…

Cambridge in the morning

I’ve spent three days in Cambridge. The travel was not very fruitful because of irresponsibility of our partners. I’m not worry about this very much, however it makes some difficulties for us. The photo was made when we were going for the first meeting with them. We didn’t know that we will get bad news.