Mom, work and Merry Christmas!
Ahhh...back in Budapest for Christmas and New Years! My Mom and Dad did make it over here to Europe...Mom is doing well! She had surgery on December 6th and when they checked the nodes etc...the cancer had not spread! So that was very good news:). She is healing well from the surgery and by the time she returns in January she will meet again with doctors and probably do round(s) of radiation. At this point; it does not look like chemo will be needed but that is up to the doctors etc. Thank you for your prayers and asking how she is...see the picture to the side...good times with Mom in Krakow!
Bob/Co/Michael/Mom and Dad all came up to Krakow for 2 days. They took the train, slept and ate in my 'loft' and we had a great time. We went to the Christmas Market in Old Town Krakow that is just absolutely beautiful. The whole Old Town Square is awesome just in itself...and then add the decorations, all the wonderful food smells cooking (my favorite being Oscypek...fried cheese with cranberry sauce on top), the various booths selling their wares, going through the old 'clothier' hall with such good stuff being sold AND to top it off a hansome cab ride to the restaurant for dinner! Amazing...loved the 'clip clop' sound of the horses going down the streets...oh - just sensory overload that night! We also took a tour of the city the next day with the gal I met on my first day. It was great to see her (Joanna) and make some plans to get together again to go to a concert in an old cathedral - repeat the sensory overload!
So - besides asking about my Mom...people have asked about my job. I absolutely love living in the lofts above the coffee shop. It is so convenient to run downstairs to not only do some work things but to have a latte! Anyway...work has been a bit slow for me since Poland requires anybody getting close to a kitchen or a coffee machine to pass a 'sanitary testing'. It is not a written test so I hope I will do okay! Its a process...you go to the sanitary office 3 days in a row to leave 'samples'. Then they tell you to come back at a certain time to meet with a doctor. My first day I could meet with a doctor is December 30th....I will be out of town still so I will go when I return; probably on January 6th. In the meantime I have been getting to know the employees and I love them! Mostly university students and they are just amazing. So good, helpful and willing to talk English:). Admittedly, I did a little bit of accounting work as well, along with laundry for the shop:). On Sundays the kitchen is not officially open so I have been learning the process of clean up, making basic coffees, what counter can have what items on it (ie no dirty dishes allowed on the counters where food is cut up/made).
All in all, January will be a more normal work month I think. I start Polish language lessons on January 9th...one month intensive classes starting at 9:30 a.m. three times a week. I'm exxcited for that; to learn to read, pronounce etc. It is bound to help! The school is about a 5 minute walk from my loft which is very convenient. Along with that I will be doing my shift work in the coffee shopp so I will learn lots there as well. Also doing community outreach for the coffee shop - what does that look like? Music, art, cooking, games, English, history, - we can be creative with our special events at the shop! We have business people in the buildings right around us as well as a University across the way so hopefully we can draw some folks in to Sweet Surrender:).
Robby arrives Christmas Eve and then our family will be complete in Budapest. The rest of my family - my two sisters in Boise - have their families together as well. David is home from Ft. Bragg, North Carolina and Jess is back from her first semester in college....Keith and Phyllis are blessed. Garrett also came home from his first semester in college....Nate, Tanner and Kaylynn Marie are all on their Chrsitmas break now so Susan and Ken have a house full as well!
I trust your families are gathering at some point this Christmas season...may you enjoy your time and celebrate well! What an amazing and blessed season - enjoy! Life is good and I think it is appropriate to say; God is waaaayyy better:).
Bob/Co/Michael/Mom and Dad all came up to Krakow for 2 days. They took the train, slept and ate in my 'loft' and we had a great time. We went to the Christmas Market in Old Town Krakow that is just absolutely beautiful. The whole Old Town Square is awesome just in itself...and then add the decorations, all the wonderful food smells cooking (my favorite being Oscypek...fried cheese with cranberry sauce on top), the various booths selling their wares, going through the old 'clothier' hall with such good stuff being sold AND to top it off a hansome cab ride to the restaurant for dinner! Amazing...loved the 'clip clop' sound of the horses going down the streets...oh - just sensory overload that night! We also took a tour of the city the next day with the gal I met on my first day. It was great to see her (Joanna) and make some plans to get together again to go to a concert in an old cathedral - repeat the sensory overload!
So - besides asking about my Mom...people have asked about my job. I absolutely love living in the lofts above the coffee shop. It is so convenient to run downstairs to not only do some work things but to have a latte! Anyway...work has been a bit slow for me since Poland requires anybody getting close to a kitchen or a coffee machine to pass a 'sanitary testing'. It is not a written test so I hope I will do okay! Its a process...you go to the sanitary office 3 days in a row to leave 'samples'. Then they tell you to come back at a certain time to meet with a doctor. My first day I could meet with a doctor is December 30th....I will be out of town still so I will go when I return; probably on January 6th. In the meantime I have been getting to know the employees and I love them! Mostly university students and they are just amazing. So good, helpful and willing to talk English:). Admittedly, I did a little bit of accounting work as well, along with laundry for the shop:). On Sundays the kitchen is not officially open so I have been learning the process of clean up, making basic coffees, what counter can have what items on it (ie no dirty dishes allowed on the counters where food is cut up/made).
All in all, January will be a more normal work month I think. I start Polish language lessons on January 9th...one month intensive classes starting at 9:30 a.m. three times a week. I'm exxcited for that; to learn to read, pronounce etc. It is bound to help! The school is about a 5 minute walk from my loft which is very convenient. Along with that I will be doing my shift work in the coffee shopp so I will learn lots there as well. Also doing community outreach for the coffee shop - what does that look like? Music, art, cooking, games, English, history, - we can be creative with our special events at the shop! We have business people in the buildings right around us as well as a University across the way so hopefully we can draw some folks in to Sweet Surrender:).
Robby arrives Christmas Eve and then our family will be complete in Budapest. The rest of my family - my two sisters in Boise - have their families together as well. David is home from Ft. Bragg, North Carolina and Jess is back from her first semester in college....Keith and Phyllis are blessed. Garrett also came home from his first semester in college....Nate, Tanner and Kaylynn Marie are all on their Chrsitmas break now so Susan and Ken have a house full as well!
I trust your families are gathering at some point this Christmas season...may you enjoy your time and celebrate well! What an amazing and blessed season - enjoy! Life is good and I think it is appropriate to say; God is waaaayyy better:).
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