and if you say to me tomorrow, what fun it all would be

I got my carta pobytu! The fabled, ever elusive long-term residency permit. What's more, maybe in contrition for taking so long, they gave me two years. So I have two years in Poland. That should be enough to get the tip of a foothold in Polish. And the first glimmerings of understanding into the Polish character. It's very nice that this whole process is over, and I can start thinking about something else. Phew.


Carta Pobytu! valid for two years. it should be covered in tears and blood.

I'm tired. I'm sick of the bureaucracy. So tantalisingly close, on the precipice, staring over into the sun soaked lands of gainful tax paying employment, when of course, just one more obstacle in an endless stream of obstacles is put before me. A bank account balance? Fuck!!!!!

in the main square yesterday

Dutch santa?

wroclaw place!

Marriage consummated with a padlock in Wroclaw

Zurek is a traditional Polish soup made from a certain kind of flour that's been aged to become sour. And then you add sausage, usually a special white sausage, but below I just got one at random that looked good. The one below is also from a packet, which is what we usually have.

Zurek goodness

Nothing that revelatory to report. Still struggling on with the visa application process. This saga. Erik the viking never had to lodge a residency permit with the Polish government. Frankly I'd rather sail blindly into the Atlantic. But we are making progress, it's just sllllow. There are a few things which are a real cause for concern. I'm probably going to be here longer than my 90 day visa allows, and as such be here illegally. This shouldn't be a huge problem, as another guy who was working at my school was in a similar situation, overstayed his visa, and he wasn't led out of the country at gunpoint or anything. And if they deport people with the same vigour they process residency permits with, I should have about 10 years before they spring into action. My future boss said that if they do come and knock down the door, to give her a call, and she'll come and yell at them. Some Polish women are so battle hardened, from having to deal with these poorly run under resourced institutions all the time, it's really endearing. It's like going to war, when you step inside that government building, you just don't realise it at the time. A war of attrition. Where the most obstinate and immovable win. And we will win! As long as I'm not deported, obviously. So Kim, if the phone rings early Thursday morning, don't worry, it's probably just your son calling from the Polish/Ukrainian border.

room with a view

view from the 'American Corner' on the third floor of the biblioteka on the main square in Wroclaw

katastrofa narodowa

Krakow afternoon