W Warszawy - Ost Blog
Chapter II - Exploring
[Tue, Oct, 26th. 12.47] Discover Lichtenberg on two feet and a heavy three-wheel suitcase
The night train to Warszawa consists of four trains on its own: Warszawa, Kiew, Gdansk and Kaliningrad. Each train has its own set of clerks on board, since the wagons are split up. This means, there are Polish, Ukrainian and Russian guys there, each not even knowing where the wagons from the other parties are.
[Mon, Oct 16th] Ecuador is everywhere
There are about 12 million ecuadorians living in Ecuador and two million living in Spain. Plus some additional ones scattered around the world. I seem to have some special affinity to those few. I keep having stray encounters with Pedro, our guest student in Berlin once a month. Last evening, two others popped into "my" train compartment. Wilson and Sophie were on their way through all of Europe, and Warszawa was their next spot. Since i barely knew the city better than they did, we decided to meet in the evening.
I met the two in front of the cultural palace (the Soviet dick-shaped building on the picture below) and they were almost shock-frosted. We took a long walk along the Jana Pawla II road, which is packed with lots of business palaces. We finally found a Polish restaurant that offered Pierogi and other traditional food. Pierogi is the Polish version of what is called Maultaschen, jiao zi, ravioli or dumplings elsewhere. It was obviously a place prepared for tourists, so we fitted well in there. On my way back i remembered that it gets time to get myself a winter coat.
[Thu, Oct 12th, 20:50] Construction work
Riding on a tram through the inner city i came along a water pipe leakage on a crossing. It was not like an open Bronx avenue fireplug squirting fountains among jumping black children. And not like a german winter leakage lazily bubbling into a puddle on the surface. Here, the water broke from its encasement with brute force, producing a one-meter geyser on the sidewalk and pushing forward as a small river.
Later my colleagues helped me to find the way to the next OBI hardware store. After several websites with city maps crashed or proved themselves useless, we found the location by a small 'OBI' written in my city map. Did it the primeval way. The store resided inmidst an industrial area with un-innovative box-shaped halls. You might know this kind from the outskirts of Miami, Shanghai, Paris and probably Bielefeld (not Berlin!), and if not, take a look at Sim City.
[Wed, Oct 18th] Small unit tactics
Today, i went playing soccer with the guys after work. We crossed the Zwirki i Wigury road to get into Mokotow park. In some corner of the park we climbed over a fence into some area with decaying barracks and rusty steel installations. After a while we reached a bumpy soccer ground with 20cm of juicy grass that also would have served well as a meadow. Two brawny ladies practised hammer throwing on one side. We took the other and played 4 on 5. The teams played fair and with energy. I managed to prepare two goals, held off some dangerous balls and spoiled countless easy shots. Kogut, our crazy system administrator was hell on legs, and the others also knew to play. Darkness ended the game, my 5-men team losing 9:12.
[Mon, Oct 23rd] Night shift
Returning to Berlin to arrange stuff that belongs to my life only marginally starts wearing me out. Next thursday, my furniture will be moved out by a truck. Piling and packing everything drained that much of my nerves that i forgot my freshly bought train tickets in the supermarket. Luckily, the staff had kept them warm for me.
After three hours of sleep, i went to the authorities to get a passport for Nils. They told me the freshly made photographs would not fit the biometrical standards. With my ten-year-old under suspicion of being a terrorist, and the staff refusing to negotiate, i finally consolidated my distrust in the system. I decided to go abroad as soon as possible until i noticed that i already had done so. More than occasionally, i missed my quiet place in Warszawa.
[Thu, Oct 26th] Parsing with Parsimony
Warszawa has a rich Kebab culture. Each time i bought one, the vendors ask me strange questions that i don't understand, like "flat or cross bread? Garlic or spicy sauce?". I used to answer with the first unknown word and being surprised what i got in return. Until yesterday, when i figured out to answer white instead of garlic.
This sudden process in learning Polish motivated me enough to go to OBI again. Punching my way through waves of technical terms and answering awkward mumbo-jumbo, i managed to order forty square meters of floor panels and styrofoam. Furthermore, i instructed them to deliver everything to my home. All in Polish, because both parties were either unable or too proud to try anything else. On Monday, i will see whether the stuff arrives.
[Fri, Oct 27th] My stuff has arrived!
Yippie! Finally the truck from Berlin with all my furniture came. The team of the Besto removal company was highly professional and unloaded everything within half an hour without a single scratch.
[Thu, Nov 2nd] All Saints?
The first of November is a public holiday throughout Poland. Staszek and Ada took me to the evangelic cemetary to the graves of her grandparents. It was cold and raining, and i had no cap nor an umbrella. As we arrived at the cemetary in late twilight, there were lots of people of all age around. Inside, there was a spooky silence. We went along tombstones and crucifixes of enormous size. There were even a few gothic family crypts. And all of them, to the last grave, had been decorated with candles in red, white and occasionally green. Some of them appeared as eerie position lights of invisible ships. Some clustered together in dozens, as if a grave was on fire. Others, like ghostlights in the distance, trying to delure us. The entire cemetary was a a shimmering sea!
Back again, we had some great food and hot drinks together. Not much later, the hospitality of Staszeks father invited us to one of his house parties. During the evening slowly turning into night, i was finally convinced that the Polish have robust hepatocytes. Though Staszek told me that this party was relatively tame, i took the message that these people know how to celebrate. Skipping the gory details, i got to bed at about 4 a.m. When i got up and went for work, the first tender snowflakes were falling.
[Mon, Nov 6th] Money matter
I changed my mind in thinking of Berlin as a cheap city. On my weekends, normal costs accumulate: Getting from the train station home 2.10 EUR; bringing rolls for the entire family on my way 5 EUR; calling a friend from a phone booth 1 EUR (not counting jammed coins); inviting two people for a coffee 8 EUR etc. Comparing examples of what i spend in Warszawa during the day: two kayzerki (rolls) 0.10 EUR; a kilo of tomatoes 1.25 EUR; some cheese 1.50 EUR; a meal in a nearby lunchroom 2.50 EUR. It doesn't take a math genius to estimate how many days i live in Poland for the amount i spend within a few hours in Germany.
[Sat, Nov 11th] On the window ledge
The first weekend that i will spend entirely in Warszawa started with a small welcoming party in my flat. The Polish word 'parapetowka' literally means 'on the window ledge' which refers to party in a place with almost no furniture. Some of my bioinformatics colleagues came, some additional people from the wetlab (which i appreciated a lot!) and Master Janusz. With Staszek in Tübingen for a job, Ada came without him.
We had a great time together. During the evening, i learned some Polish vocabulary not found in dictionaries. Grzesiek had brought 'Pan Tadeusz' with him, which is the name of the Polish national epos. It is also a famous brand of vodka. About 60% of it are water, which may cause some nausea on drinking. To counter it, i was recommended to eat something salty. The guys had cared for salted herring and ogurki. Thanks to the herring and eight hours of heavy sleep i woke up in full consciousness.
[Sat, Nov 11th] Tian xia - below heaven
Today is the Polish independence day. Started exploring the Ochota district on foot. Besides several big fenced areas with new buildings like mine there was a surprisingly high number of barren areas. I crossed a few, with puddles of water, sparse vegetation, and piles of stones thrown upon god's earth. Followed the Jerzolimskie road until i reached some shopping malls that buzzed with life despite the holiday.
Inside, i felt alienated by the crowd, drifting through the shiny corridors with mud still drying on my shoes. The abundance of luxuries was omnipresent. On one floor, no fewer than four shops for nuptial dresses were lined up. In the mall center below a huge glass cupola, a remote control car race was going on. And in the basement, i encountered Qin Shi Huang Di. The first chinese emperor had brought some copies of his terracotta soldiers with him, posing there as if they were defending some remote outpost. Strolling through the exhibition, i saw dozens of unique figures. These guys looking straight into my eyes must have been huge (or enlarged by the artisans). There were some exhibits from newer periods of chinese history as well, including a photograph series of chinese scyscrapers. By now, they could very well outnumber the ranks of Qin's spirit army.
Less than 100m from the back door i got on a parcel with high grass, ruins and a rack of metal containers with doors. I did not dare to examine them closer, suspecting they might be inhabited.
Emperor Qin had once united china, or 'all land which is below heaven'. For geomantic reasons, the barbarian countries did not fit under the square-shaped heaven. I wondered, whether i had a share of it.
[Wed, Nov 15th] Panele
New floor. Thanks to Ada and Kudlaty! Say goodbye to the ugly carpet.
