the talking bear

6 Month Update

You wouldn't have thought that after nearly 6 months of absence (ab-sense?) I would have bothered to update my blog. I feel it a kind of duty. I owe it to a lot of people. I may even owe it to myself. I dunno.

The last six months, and in fact this whole year, has taught me so much about what is real and what is not; what is truth (or something that resembles it), and what are porky-pies, or just plain bullshit. I suppose such emotional conflicts are something that every person has, more or less. But let us not dwell on emotion for too long, as there are things to be told.

I am still an MA student. Although at this point in time I rather I weren't. Last semester I attended class, of course, but there wasn't enough of it.

I worked as an intern at Kraków's International Print Triennial. I was supposed to learn something useful, like do a bit of PR or something. I translated instead. Oh, how I translated. Now I know this blog is about my profession also. But this was incredible. I started to figure out that I was not cut out to be a full-time translator. Nevertheless, I finished the internship after three months (the time alloted by the university), and found myself with a few translations coming in, either from the Print Triennial or from the Bunkier Sztuki, the contemporary art museum. And of course some students keeping up appearances from time to time. I trained one in English for his matura exam. My next-door neighbour's grand-son. No pressure there, then. Luckily he passed. And they say A-levels are getting easy in the UK...

I went on holiday to Italy. Beautiful. I went by train from Poland. It took me forever, because the Italians decided to strike on my ass the day I decided to travel. So I spent 14 hours in Villach, a very picturesque Austrian Alpine town on the border with Tarvisio. The way back was adventurous too, as precision Italian timekeeping, this time, made me run across Vienna station half-naked to catch my ongoing connection to Kraków. But that's really by-the-by. It was fun.

When I got back from Italy I got busy answering the phone. And making calls too. The last two months have done their business. And I've done mine. I have got two new jobs which ideally sit together side by side. At least with the timetable that I have been given. I am now a lektor at a local (Cracovian) private Catholic university, the Tischner European University (Wyższa Szkoła Europejska), teaching English as a foreign language (natch) but also a practical module for the Applied Linguistics course at the university. All pretty cool. Then a month after that I had an (job) interview at Radio Polonia, the English section of Polskie Radio's external service. Two days later I was in the studio reading the news lajw to a global audience. I got my microphone, and am now their correspondent in Kraków.

All this, and of course more. My company has finally started up. Funnily enough, it's called The Talking Bear. And I deal in translation, foreign-language teaching, and advertising. Yes, you did just read that... I have my own stamp, and what is more my very own accountant. Well, I would like to see any of you try to understand Polish tax law!

Of course, not everything is OK all of the time. My mother's best friend Zyta died just before I went to Italy. She was in a coma for about a month. So sad when shit like this happens. She was with us on our holidays in Italy last year, and I, too, have known her for my fare share of time. She accompanied me with her husband Marek on the drive down to the Abruzzo, and lay on the back seat telling us funny stories and engaging in awesome discussion, whether it was about caffè coretto or Florentine architecture. RIP, Zyta. You were truly great.

And then comes today. I'm sitting at home with a cold and a temperature. Translations from the aforesaid institutions never seem to cease, and of course I'm a little fed up with it all. And then a message: Carmen nie żyje. Carmen was a stray dog (bitch) that hung around our house in the Abruzzo. Her full given name was Carmencita (by the people who looked after the house), and she was very friendly, always hungry and extremely playful. Mum got her inoculations done, got her an Italian pet passport and while I was driving with Marek and Zyta back to Warsaw, Mum and Carmen went to Rome and attended the Angelus on St. Peter's Square. Carmen even had her own seat on the plane on the flight back. However, we knew that she was ill. It wasn't long before she became weak, not helped by last winter, with no doubt. Always cheeky and cheerful, Carmen was great company for us, and for the other three dogs in Warsaw.

In the Wawel choir too, two people have died so far this year. One bass and a second tenor.

How brittle life is: such is the way we are made, alas.

To finish for now - one thing that I have realised is this: you can't have your cake and eat it. But you can nibble at someone else's. (That's love.)

I don't know when I'll next post. The best way to listen to what I am doing is here. In fact I might even start taking my radio podcasts that I file with Radio Polonia and upload them here. Perhaps with a bit of off-the-air commentary?

Love you all, M

PS No, I haven't finished my MA. But I will. Promise.

30000 kWh

I suppose I have to apologise for my absence for, well, more than a month. I was not in any fit state to write anything of substance (what a surprise) and I thought that a trip to Italy would do me some good, if only to forget about paying any sort of bills for a while.

Kraków. Now.

Apart from death threats from my branch of a certain bank in the UK (alas, I wish I could tell you, but I fear for my life), I had a man come from the Kraków Electricity Company to double check my meter today. At 7.30 in the morning, to be precise. He was a little surprised (and I horrified) to see that in the past 6 months I had managed to clock up 30000 kWh, and that was just on the night tariff (we have two here in Kraków, one day and one night, including 12 noon until 2 pm for that urgent wash or whatever). I didn't know what to say to the guy, apart from that it is physically impossible to run up that kind of mileage in such a short time. It's not as if I have a doll factory stowed in the basement or something. They're changing the meter. They called at 8am just to tell me that. About time: it hasn't been replaced since 1973. Might be suffering from post-communist depression or something.

Italy. Then.

Ah yes. A lovely place. We had no Italians and no German tourists. Just the beautiful Gran Sasso mountains dividing our area of Abruzzo with Lazio. Stunning. Lots of vino di tavola and Caffè Coretto (or however you spell it). Campari was bought in copious quantities for consumption back in Poland, although I'm still waiting for it to be warm and, well, Italian enough for me start drinking it. 5l of vino also came back with me. That's for my house party on Friday (everyone's invited!) which will celebrate the regaining of my partial sanity and the re-decorating of the Palazzo da Miś, which of course has taken a fortnight longer than wanted expected. In fact I'm writing this post with my father making szarlotkas (Żubrówka and apple juice) in the kitchen and Makaron the painter (and friend from the Lokal) singing songs and drinking a Harnaś in the hall.

My photos from Italy can be seen here.

To watch me taking a bomb dive into the pool, click here (Quicktime movie, 3.58 MB).

The Journey. When?

Having driven 4000 miles in the past month I'm going to be finding myself in front of the wheel once more next month when I go on my tour of Poland for a week or two with a friend of mine from London (of course she doesn't know anything about this yet, so keep mum). Until then it's Berlin and Warsaw. Got to love it. Perhaps Prague for breakfast in the not too distant future.

Now. Again.

Right. Bills to pay. Translations to do. Teaching tomorrow. First, though. A drink.

Cześć.

Święta, Święta, i po Świętach...

Back in Krak after Easter nosh and booze and rejoicing in Warszawa. All satis, needless to say.

The Easter break started promisingly with a beer and a kotlet schabowy (breaded pork cutlet - the only thing not Wiener about it was the lack of lemming) in the restaurant car last Wednesday.

Classic WARS design (WARS being short for Wagony Restauracyjne i Sypialne, [Restaurant and Sleeping Cars] I think...)

The Triduum was a time for reflection, hope, sadness and joy all mixed into one... The Varsovian nights were especially beautiful: we had fog on Good Friday and clear skies on others. Some rather good pics. No rifleshots from the local military base at 6am on Easter Sunday, though. I think that's the first time I've ever managed to sleep beyond that time in Warsaw on that day...

Have started my stint at IH with a couple of classes yesterday. All jolly good fun. However, will be taking next week off as am going to Frankfurt for the Musikmesse. Of course, I will have much to write about after I get back. For now, I'm thinking about different teaching methodologies and the best way to tell students that even though you shouldn't use present continuous with stative verbs, everyone does. I blame McDonald's. If they hadn't had started their "I'm lovin' it" campaign, life would be a lot easier.

Time for lunch. And prayers for the Pope.

Behold, Grampus...

And there we have it... My pause was for a trip to England that would mark the death of my beloved grandfather Julian (or as he used to sign his e-mails, "Grampus"). He was a naval commander, submariner (in the Royal Navy), captain to the Sheikh of Dubai's personal yacht, husband to three wives (not all at once, you understand), grandfather of countless grandchildren (of which I am the only Beauchamp) and an all-round gent. Miss you already, Gramps.

Gramps earlier on in the summer. (Not his uniform - one too many stripes!)