Teaching English in Poland

After a couple of days here at the Manor of Raymontwonka (that's the phonetic spelling!) our group has settled in. We are a group of fourteen volunteers from all over the U.S. "Old Ralph" as he calls himself, is from Iowa and has been here four or five times; Mike from Chicago, was here last summer; Pat from New England has been here several times before; and Charmaine from San Diego is here for the first time on her way to meet a boyfriend in Prague.

Today was our first day in class and I must say, the third grade class I met was no better/no worse than most American third grades. I'm hoping for better results from a group of teachers that I'll be tutoring later today.

The weather is still cool and rainy. I'm wishing I'd brought some of those sweaters that I left languishing in a drawer in Florida, however, someone reminded me yesterday that the alternative to cool and rainy might be hot and humid since the buildings at this ancient resort aren't air-conditioned. (The main building was built in 1776 -- you should see the locks on our doors!) Yesterday when we visited Seidlce, I rode in the car with Maurek, the manager/part owner of the place and he told us of the plans to build more buildings and make it a first-class resort. It is certainly beautiful enough in its agragrarian setting.

We're making plans to go to Krakow by train next weekend. I'm looking forward to that. Onward and upward!