School:
I have talked with the principle about a new class schedule. This has already made my days in class far more productive and I feel that I am learning more than I would with the original schedule. This week I will start my Polish language classes, so I am very excited. It’s difficult to make friends in school because Polish high school students are particularly shy, but I haven’t given up yet. I am hopeful that by taking home my school worksheets to translate, I will be able to understand more in class and bring up my grades. I think understanding more words that relate to my subjects in school will gain me more friends and more of a confidence speaking Polish in general.
Home:
My family has been very understanding, trusting, and supportive here. They have rolled with every mistake and misunderstanding, always helping me to turn it into something positive. I am bonding more with my older host sister which is really fun. Although I assume we have different views about life…we also seem to be the same person! She has been so helpful to me at family events and traveling. I am loving my host family.
As for my family back home, I have been speaking to them to work through the college application process and to get updates on my father and grandfather. Everyone is doing ok.
Rotary Assignments:
I bought a calendar! Not only was this an adventure, it has been saving my life. I have realized the magic of writing things down! My Rotary assignment this month is to be in charge of pumpkins for the halloween party (I’m practically running the place now as you can see). I met with Eva, the club president, at her awesome art shop. I have been using the canvas she and the Rotary club gifted me and can’t wait for the Rotary meeting Monday night to thank everyone.
Problems:
Yesterday I got dizzy in class. I am used to this happening every so often, but I now realize I should have made sure the school was better informed about this. I asked to quietly sit in the hall until the room stopped spinning and I got my balance, but they did not understand what was going on. I tried to tell them that I was ok, but because I didn’t look ok, they were obligated to call an ambulance. What an adventure! I went to the hospital, so now if it happens again in school they will not have to call an ambulance. Everything is ok now, and I haven’t had any other problems.
Goals:
I’ve only been journaling after major events lately, so I need to be more vigilant with this. But my language is coming along nicely. I can understand much more than I can say, so I’m hoping the language classes will help with this. As for cooking a traditional meal, I have only cooked meals from my country and home. Everything else is going well. I am almost finished applying to two of my top universities. Seeing that this is only the first full month, I can’t imagine how much more I will accomplish this year.