Poland with a map
When I boarded the plane to Poland one early Saturday morning little did I know that there was much awaiting me in this magnificent country. My destination was Wroclaw and that was a name which I tried figuring out pronouncing, by listening to colleagues in Bangalore who have been doing business with this region for years together. None of my preparation got me ready to what I was to face when I landed here. 22nd June 1220 is when the tiny propeller plane from Frankfurt landed in Wroclaw. A driver with a white placard which had my name in a completely different semantic order was craning his neck to figure out who this person was. The name was strange enough and longer still: Francis Adappur Asha Mary. It took ME a second to recognize myself so I won’t blame him at all. We walked together to his taxi and our journey to the hotel turned out to be quite pleasant as he spoke German. I was ecstatic at the opportunity to show off my akcent-frei Deutsch. Forget what I said; but I said it without an accent. I noticed him scratching his head a couple of times trying to figure out my rusted German vocabulary but he was too polite to let me know of his confusion. He lost it totally and let out a stifled snigger as I mentioned Party (like a weekend party) for Partei (a political party) when the hot topic of discussion was politics.. An aberration! A sacrilege!
The hotel wasn’t as fancy as I anticipated it to be but the warm smiles on the faces of the staff dissolved my trepidations of any sort. I was escorted to my room(or did I go alone?) and I tried forcing myself to sleep for a while after the crammy 11 hour journey from Bangalore. The excitement was literally lifting me up from the bed and I found myself getting ready to start my exploration. I venture in to the streets and the first thing that I notice is that it doesn’t look very different from India (minus the noise and the dust). The streets weren’t clean as per strict European standards of immaculate cleanliness, the cars looked old and beaten up; the people who I passed by looked hefty and many a times on that first day I found myself involuntarily cringing if anyone came a bit too close to me. The bright side to the whole scene was the happy and healthy youth. That told me that all was well with Poland.
Day 2 The next day was a Sunday and being the wander bug that I am I didn’t want to waste it sitting in the room. It was a glorious day without the sultry heat and yet with the sun out in the sky. The bus station was a mere ten minute walk and the road was as straight as it could get but I still had to lose my way. I had a map with me which made matters all the more worse. Trying to figure out directions from that tool didn’t go too well and I finally resorted to stopping passers by with a ‘help this poor soul’ look and was graciously rewarded. I finally reached my destination. This has never happened to me before but I reached the bus station to board my bus, a full forty minutes early. Had never had the opportunity to figure out how to while away time at railway stations or bus stands as my arrival would almost coincide with the bus’ or train’s departure. I have ended up doing a “DDLJ” scene many a times with someone offering a helping hand to haul me in to the moving vehicle. So here I was, sitting, not knowing what to do and a beggar boy, who looked like a Turk, came asking for money. I turned totally generous and gave him 2 Slots. (I am not too sure how you write it. Polish is quite amusing when it comes to reading and writing as well as listening). Later I saw him walking back to his master with his catch and I also noticed that no one else entertained him. Again, not too far fetched from India! The journey was plain.. but I slept through most of it. I expected it to be picturesque, being told by a romantic traveler friend of mine to watch out for the beautiful countryside and take the ride for the sheer joy of the journey. I didn’t find any such thing.. Guess it was just a bad day ;) Reached the place and was left standing and wondering till I got hold of my victim for the day. A decent looking gentleman who was all keen to help. I tripped him on the foot by asking him if he spoke German. “I Polish”, was the growl that I got in response. I only wanted to relieve him off his misery that was English. But I decided not to let go of my savior, so I made up with him by walking along side with him listening to his description of everything “Polish” in English. He got me to a place where I could buy maps. I looked at him as if he didn’t understand a word of what I asked of him. A map? For me?? What do I do with it? Anyways, I took the map studied it closely and went off. As I walked along empty streets with half open shops I was wondering why I was recommended to come and see this! I walked back feeling sad for poor Poland. Guess this is what they had.. Only empty streets with rows of closed shops. I walked back to the Map shop and had lunch at an amazing restaurant at the patio. With a glass of white wine. So alone and yet so alive. I was brimming with excitement and good cheer and everything was alright with the world even though all I saw was empty streets. Almost about to give up I walk back to where I started and I then begin to see signs pointing to the Old Market and the Synagogues and all things touristic! I had walked backwards!!! In exactly the opposite direction of what was given in the map!! Back at the hotel, I was spent, having had a beautiful day with lots of sunshine, lost streets and miles to my feet. I cannot forget the sweet lady who helped me hail a taxi to go back to the bus station again because I walked in the wrong direction.
Day 3: My first day at the WRO office. The office building looked posh… the HP office was housed in a commercial centre. I was impressed! Wherever I looked I saw doors and all of them required an access to get in. Right from the main door. Man! Why are they so cautious?! I had a session scheduled for 10 in the morning on Successful Business Communication. My colleague, Justyna, had organized everything to the T which made me feel like a slob. She is so organized. I didn’t have to worry about anything! She planned my days till the last minute of my visit and I ended up saluting her the HP way: with an e-certificate. The session started and I was nervous. Not knowing what to expect I had my stock of standard one-liners ready to enthrall my crowd. When they fell flat and when some even bounced back at me, I knew it was time to change tactics. Once that happened there was no looking back. We had fun and I was glad to see the warm comments of my students in the feedback file. After work I went to explore the old market place in Wroclaw. (Don’t be misguided by the spelling, you pronounce it as ‘wrosvav’; almost growling out the first syllable). Another map plus crystal clear directions from the hotel staff. This time I should do it! I was determined and set off feeling totally a native. I managed it to the last bit because it was one straight road and I only looked at the map once I was two minutes away from my destination. That’s when things went wrong. I walked the opposite direction, yet again! I approached a guy manning a store and asked him to help me. He came out of his shop to show me how to reach my destination. Lwawoska… It sounded exotic! I keep wondering and sometimes even aloud on how the Poles managed to pronounce stuff that looks like someone has tampered with the QWERTY keyboard. No vowels in between consonants to ease the flow… I sat down at the table feeling the cool air at 8 in the evening, warming up to the friendly people I saw all around me. Had I been there for a week more I am sure they would have volunteered to show me the way without even me asking for it. I was becoming synonymous with misdirection! It was cold and not as sunny as the weekend but I managed to reach back to my room just in time to thaw my chilled old bones
Day 4: I was beginning to feel at home in this quaint town. At the same time I couldn’t at times stop myself from thinking that I was never more alone. But alone in a physical sense; I really felt good… alive… happy and at my best. The session on Presentation Skills went well. The crowd was more participative. I figure that the word would have gone around saying that this Indian chick is out to get you! Lunch was always at a nearby café. I was surprised to have had my food weighed and priced. It was a rainy day. Couldn’t do much after work and the lack of sleep the previous night got me pulled to the bed as soon as I entered the hotel room. In order to do something useful I asked the reception for a nail cutter, making it sound as crude as it could get, thinking that they would understand me clearly deciphering the two main words, nail and cut. The response that I got left me smiling for a while whenever it came upon me. “ Sorry madam, we do not keep that ‘device’ here with us”.
Day 5: I was sitting as a participant attending trainings on SAP. I never thought I would be able to comprehend anything beyond rhymes and letters but here I was, amidst a group of eager learners, trying to grasp the techniques of handling transactions at an optimum speed. Justyna and I went out after the day’s work. We took the tram and I was thrilled to be on it. Once we reached the old town she got me familiar with many of the beautiful landmarks of the town: the Catherdral, the Tunsi Bridge which separated the main land from the island where the cathedral was situated and many more churches. The Tunsi bridge had something amusing to it; on a closer look I could find padlocks being locked on the rails of the bridge. The keys were thrown by love-struck couples deep in to the river below symbolizing eternal love which never finds a way to break open and stray. Though this tradition was not unique to Wroclow it was a sweet sight to look at the hundreds of tiny padlocks cluttered on the rails on both sides of the bridge. Appealed quite well to the romantic in me though Justyna thought otherwise Among the churches, the one which has haunted me ever since I stepped inside it was the church in the baroque style. Dark and large, the figures seemed to loom out at me and I was enthralled. I could have sat there gazing at the statues but it was closing time and we were rushed out. Justyna was the perfect host giving me details on the history of the town flavouring it with her personal experiences. We even went gnome hunting and I found that extremely entertaining. To have the town scattered with figurines of naughty gnomes hidden in the most unexpected places was a master stroke. I was told that there were around 20 of them hidden across Wroclow and in three days I could hunt down close to 8. Dinner was at a Spanish restaurant which served us some decent Spanish food. Not being too bothered about the cutlery placement during and after a meal, I left it as I pleased to continue chit chatting with my host when I found to my horror that my plate was being whisked away. I stopped the waiter and gave him my patronizing smile telling him that I wasn’t yet finished. He looks at me with a smug face and tells me not to leave my fork and knife next to each other if I wasn’t done. Lesson learnt! I nodded with an embarrassed and not-so-patronising smile.
Day 6 and 7: The last two days went off rather slow. I guess the long distance call with my daughter who told me that she was beginning to miss me got me back from my reverie of living this dream in Wroclow. “I had promises to keep” though the streets and people were lovely, nice and sweet. Yotta and Excel sessions took care of my sixth day at work and I just went out to the market square for an ice cream in the evening. I was now focusing on shopping and hunted down sweets, liquor (I was bombarded with requests for Polish Vodka) and some knick knacks for my 10 year old. The session on Conflict Management completed my time at the HP office in Wroclow and I went back to my hotel in the taxi for the last time. The taxi drivers who I have had had all been chirpy and eager to talk… no matter what the language was. There were people talking about their families and sharing photos while others spoke about the weather and the exceptionally hot summer. India was somewhere too distant on the map for them and one guy was excited to know that Mahatma Gandhi and I shared the same skin colour. He had a newspaper cutting in Polish with a picture of the Mahatma and he was thrilled to show it off to me. He just couldn’t seem to believe that he found the Mahatma’s country woman in his own town and in his taxi. I felt like a celebrity! I laughed along and got back to my room. The dinner on the last evening was at Monopol, which I was told was frequented by Hitler among many other famous personalities. Frankly, for me, I would have preferred something less extravagant and quieter and warmer but the experience was worth carrying along. I got to see what it is to be in a Master Chef Kitchen… looking at the way the dishes were presented and explained. Now, that’s something that Anika would love to listen to.
The hotel wasn’t as fancy as I anticipated it to be but the warm smiles on the faces of the staff dissolved my trepidations of any sort. I was escorted to my room(or did I go alone?) and I tried forcing myself to sleep for a while after the crammy 11 hour journey from Bangalore. The excitement was literally lifting me up from the bed and I found myself getting ready to start my exploration. I venture in to the streets and the first thing that I notice is that it doesn’t look very different from India (minus the noise and the dust). The streets weren’t clean as per strict European standards of immaculate cleanliness, the cars looked old and beaten up; the people who I passed by looked hefty and many a times on that first day I found myself involuntarily cringing if anyone came a bit too close to me. The bright side to the whole scene was the happy and healthy youth. That told me that all was well with Poland.
Day 2 The next day was a Sunday and being the wander bug that I am I didn’t want to waste it sitting in the room. It was a glorious day without the sultry heat and yet with the sun out in the sky. The bus station was a mere ten minute walk and the road was as straight as it could get but I still had to lose my way. I had a map with me which made matters all the more worse. Trying to figure out directions from that tool didn’t go too well and I finally resorted to stopping passers by with a ‘help this poor soul’ look and was graciously rewarded. I finally reached my destination. This has never happened to me before but I reached the bus station to board my bus, a full forty minutes early. Had never had the opportunity to figure out how to while away time at railway stations or bus stands as my arrival would almost coincide with the bus’ or train’s departure. I have ended up doing a “DDLJ” scene many a times with someone offering a helping hand to haul me in to the moving vehicle. So here I was, sitting, not knowing what to do and a beggar boy, who looked like a Turk, came asking for money. I turned totally generous and gave him 2 Slots. (I am not too sure how you write it. Polish is quite amusing when it comes to reading and writing as well as listening). Later I saw him walking back to his master with his catch and I also noticed that no one else entertained him. Again, not too far fetched from India! The journey was plain.. but I slept through most of it. I expected it to be picturesque, being told by a romantic traveler friend of mine to watch out for the beautiful countryside and take the ride for the sheer joy of the journey. I didn’t find any such thing.. Guess it was just a bad day ;) Reached the place and was left standing and wondering till I got hold of my victim for the day. A decent looking gentleman who was all keen to help. I tripped him on the foot by asking him if he spoke German. “I Polish”, was the growl that I got in response. I only wanted to relieve him off his misery that was English. But I decided not to let go of my savior, so I made up with him by walking along side with him listening to his description of everything “Polish” in English. He got me to a place where I could buy maps. I looked at him as if he didn’t understand a word of what I asked of him. A map? For me?? What do I do with it? Anyways, I took the map studied it closely and went off. As I walked along empty streets with half open shops I was wondering why I was recommended to come and see this! I walked back feeling sad for poor Poland. Guess this is what they had.. Only empty streets with rows of closed shops. I walked back to the Map shop and had lunch at an amazing restaurant at the patio. With a glass of white wine. So alone and yet so alive. I was brimming with excitement and good cheer and everything was alright with the world even though all I saw was empty streets. Almost about to give up I walk back to where I started and I then begin to see signs pointing to the Old Market and the Synagogues and all things touristic! I had walked backwards!!! In exactly the opposite direction of what was given in the map!! Back at the hotel, I was spent, having had a beautiful day with lots of sunshine, lost streets and miles to my feet. I cannot forget the sweet lady who helped me hail a taxi to go back to the bus station again because I walked in the wrong direction.
Day 3: My first day at the WRO office. The office building looked posh… the HP office was housed in a commercial centre. I was impressed! Wherever I looked I saw doors and all of them required an access to get in. Right from the main door. Man! Why are they so cautious?! I had a session scheduled for 10 in the morning on Successful Business Communication. My colleague, Justyna, had organized everything to the T which made me feel like a slob. She is so organized. I didn’t have to worry about anything! She planned my days till the last minute of my visit and I ended up saluting her the HP way: with an e-certificate. The session started and I was nervous. Not knowing what to expect I had my stock of standard one-liners ready to enthrall my crowd. When they fell flat and when some even bounced back at me, I knew it was time to change tactics. Once that happened there was no looking back. We had fun and I was glad to see the warm comments of my students in the feedback file. After work I went to explore the old market place in Wroclaw. (Don’t be misguided by the spelling, you pronounce it as ‘wrosvav’; almost growling out the first syllable). Another map plus crystal clear directions from the hotel staff. This time I should do it! I was determined and set off feeling totally a native. I managed it to the last bit because it was one straight road and I only looked at the map once I was two minutes away from my destination. That’s when things went wrong. I walked the opposite direction, yet again! I approached a guy manning a store and asked him to help me. He came out of his shop to show me how to reach my destination. Lwawoska… It sounded exotic! I keep wondering and sometimes even aloud on how the Poles managed to pronounce stuff that looks like someone has tampered with the QWERTY keyboard. No vowels in between consonants to ease the flow… I sat down at the table feeling the cool air at 8 in the evening, warming up to the friendly people I saw all around me. Had I been there for a week more I am sure they would have volunteered to show me the way without even me asking for it. I was becoming synonymous with misdirection! It was cold and not as sunny as the weekend but I managed to reach back to my room just in time to thaw my chilled old bones
Day 4: I was beginning to feel at home in this quaint town. At the same time I couldn’t at times stop myself from thinking that I was never more alone. But alone in a physical sense; I really felt good… alive… happy and at my best. The session on Presentation Skills went well. The crowd was more participative. I figure that the word would have gone around saying that this Indian chick is out to get you! Lunch was always at a nearby café. I was surprised to have had my food weighed and priced. It was a rainy day. Couldn’t do much after work and the lack of sleep the previous night got me pulled to the bed as soon as I entered the hotel room. In order to do something useful I asked the reception for a nail cutter, making it sound as crude as it could get, thinking that they would understand me clearly deciphering the two main words, nail and cut. The response that I got left me smiling for a while whenever it came upon me. “ Sorry madam, we do not keep that ‘device’ here with us”.
Day 5: I was sitting as a participant attending trainings on SAP. I never thought I would be able to comprehend anything beyond rhymes and letters but here I was, amidst a group of eager learners, trying to grasp the techniques of handling transactions at an optimum speed. Justyna and I went out after the day’s work. We took the tram and I was thrilled to be on it. Once we reached the old town she got me familiar with many of the beautiful landmarks of the town: the Catherdral, the Tunsi Bridge which separated the main land from the island where the cathedral was situated and many more churches. The Tunsi bridge had something amusing to it; on a closer look I could find padlocks being locked on the rails of the bridge. The keys were thrown by love-struck couples deep in to the river below symbolizing eternal love which never finds a way to break open and stray. Though this tradition was not unique to Wroclow it was a sweet sight to look at the hundreds of tiny padlocks cluttered on the rails on both sides of the bridge. Appealed quite well to the romantic in me though Justyna thought otherwise Among the churches, the one which has haunted me ever since I stepped inside it was the church in the baroque style. Dark and large, the figures seemed to loom out at me and I was enthralled. I could have sat there gazing at the statues but it was closing time and we were rushed out. Justyna was the perfect host giving me details on the history of the town flavouring it with her personal experiences. We even went gnome hunting and I found that extremely entertaining. To have the town scattered with figurines of naughty gnomes hidden in the most unexpected places was a master stroke. I was told that there were around 20 of them hidden across Wroclow and in three days I could hunt down close to 8. Dinner was at a Spanish restaurant which served us some decent Spanish food. Not being too bothered about the cutlery placement during and after a meal, I left it as I pleased to continue chit chatting with my host when I found to my horror that my plate was being whisked away. I stopped the waiter and gave him my patronizing smile telling him that I wasn’t yet finished. He looks at me with a smug face and tells me not to leave my fork and knife next to each other if I wasn’t done. Lesson learnt! I nodded with an embarrassed and not-so-patronising smile.
Day 6 and 7: The last two days went off rather slow. I guess the long distance call with my daughter who told me that she was beginning to miss me got me back from my reverie of living this dream in Wroclow. “I had promises to keep” though the streets and people were lovely, nice and sweet. Yotta and Excel sessions took care of my sixth day at work and I just went out to the market square for an ice cream in the evening. I was now focusing on shopping and hunted down sweets, liquor (I was bombarded with requests for Polish Vodka) and some knick knacks for my 10 year old. The session on Conflict Management completed my time at the HP office in Wroclow and I went back to my hotel in the taxi for the last time. The taxi drivers who I have had had all been chirpy and eager to talk… no matter what the language was. There were people talking about their families and sharing photos while others spoke about the weather and the exceptionally hot summer. India was somewhere too distant on the map for them and one guy was excited to know that Mahatma Gandhi and I shared the same skin colour. He had a newspaper cutting in Polish with a picture of the Mahatma and he was thrilled to show it off to me. He just couldn’t seem to believe that he found the Mahatma’s country woman in his own town and in his taxi. I felt like a celebrity! I laughed along and got back to my room. The dinner on the last evening was at Monopol, which I was told was frequented by Hitler among many other famous personalities. Frankly, for me, I would have preferred something less extravagant and quieter and warmer but the experience was worth carrying along. I got to see what it is to be in a Master Chef Kitchen… looking at the way the dishes were presented and explained. Now, that’s something that Anika would love to listen to.
Comments
I am yet to transfer whatever pics I took, Rihan. But I will put them up here as soon as I get them sorted
Asha
Thanks for sharing your enthrilling experiences and entertaining us :P