Interesting and amusing observations....

We have noticed more subtle differences during everyday life here. For one, cashiers at grocery stores are given seats instead of standing all day. I must say that we have noted that there is a mentality that they cannot do anything outside their job description. Even at US stores if you have to bag your groceries because they are shorthanded the cashier will usually help you along when she is done ringing up the sale. Here your child can be screaming in the cart and there is no one behind you, but they just sit there filing their nails.

We went to a Pizza Hut in a mall the other day and did not find one checkered table cloth. Instead it was more of an upscale eatery or bistro. Very modern looking, dimly lit, tables/booths in a chocolate brown color. The menu offered not only pizza, but also things like stuffed mushrooms and different pastas (not just spaghetti). It was a bit of a surprise albeit a pleasant one.

We were watching Polish TV the other day and saw...get this...“Poop and Scoop Barbie” (this may not be the actual name, but it’s the one I came up with). She comes with a small dog that poops and a pooper scooper. Have we really run out of ideas for Barbie? What’s next “Kitty Litter Barbie?”

I finallyfound a way to learn a bit of Polish with the kids. I am learning the Polish alphabet and numbers by watching Sesame Street in Polish. It may sound silly, but with the letter of the day and number of the day, I’ll have the alphabet and numbers down in about a month. Sesame Street also pronounces the words which is very helpful. I never imagined when I was a child that I would be learning a new language with Sesame Street 25 years later.

The English weekly papers I receive are full of funny stories that are actually news. Some communist minded thinking still exists here as you can see from the following: Some homeless guy was arrested for insulting the Polish president and breaking wind at the mention of the president’s name. He told the paper that he “was drinking with the Russian guy, Oleg,” (as if we all know who Oleg is!) and did not remember much. He was acquitted. The court ruled that “an intoxicated person cannot in effect insult the president of the Republic of Poland.” Glad they took their time in thinking that through! It’s the way that they describe these incidents that makes it funny. The other funny one was one about Poles filling up their cars with vegetable oil. One guy said that he would “start my car with normal petrol, but when the engine warms up, I change over to food oil. I can travel up to 30,000 km and everything is fine.”

Very amusing!