I love Poland

IZA (happy 23rd birthday)

Everyone needs an Iza in their life. If you have one, hold onto them! My time in Poland was shaped by being with Iza, who let us stay in her flat in Warsaw central, and her family home in Zalesie Górne. It's about a 30 minute train ride out the city. For the life of me, I can't pronounce that place right. I really thought I had good pronunciación of foreign languages until I tried to speak Polish. Instead, Morris and I were given permission from the locals to shorten it to 'Zed-Ged' which sounds cooler anyhow.

Iza is the second friend I've shamelessly cashed in on Europe accommodation since becoming their friend in Melbourne. Iza's parents are precious, precious people. Her babcia (grandma) is a serious treasure. Her dad is hilarious. Her mum is a genius cook, and also the nicest. The beanie I'm wearing was knitted by her! Iza's brother awesome Bartek as well - he was our chaffeur for the trip driving a very cool RGB car, very slavically.

Zalesie Górne, we learned, is a party place in the summer. It has a water park. In the dead of winter though, the water park looks like an abandoned soviet industrial station.

These pierogi ruski's were ridiculous. And I think I like soup now. Also lazy dumplings!

Warsaw

Well-chiseled.

Warsaw local Antek, Iza's roommate, gave us a full walking tour. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the history and cultural significance of the place. He's a journalist, and the type of person whose passion you can't help but buy into. He might be the coolest person I've ever met. Very stupidly, we got no photo with him.

He told us that, in Poland, a very large proportion of the population is nobility (szlachta), and even have large inheritances technically in their name, which go back generations. It's something like ~10% of the population of the old Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. But this doesn't necessarily entitle you to a castle (though some do have these in their names and can't access them), it's just that a lot of people were a part of this nobility.

Simon, Me, Tytus, Mr Morris.

At one point there was a fight outside the party. As the bodyguards emerged like clockwork, I seen myself the largest man I ever done seen in my life.

important polish words I learned:

Witamy, kurwa, bober, cześć, pierdole, piwo, jak się masz, tak, babcia, dzujkuje (they also say something which sounds like 'jinkies' which means thanks), żabka (little frog), mute na moi cerceiz (honey of my heart)