Autumn

The days are getting shorter, the wind sharper, and the temperature lower. The leaves are changing color and falling to the ground. Autumn is here! I love autumn, although I don't really know why. Maybe it's because the crisp air and blustery wind stirs my blood and makes me feel more alive. Maybe it's because I make pleasant associations with bowhunting and spending time in the woods. Whatever the case, I'm happy that Autumn is here once again. This year finds me spending Autumn in Poland, where I dwell in an A-frame cabin situated in a little pine woods. One implication of this is that I don't have to rake leaves this year. (Yeehah!) However, it's always fun to reminisce about chores that I don't have to do anymore (like raking:) So, here's a poem about raking leaves. It's by Robert Frost, who is one of my favorite poets.

Gathering Leaves
by Robert Frost
Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.
I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.
But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.
I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?
Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.
Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?

Come learn English!!

Gateway to English is beginning a new school year! Come learn conversational English! Our school features American English taught by native English speakers. Zapraszamy!

School

The first week of school at Gateway to English is history! I have survived some classes, done ok on others, and even enjoyed a few:) I went into the week with some apprehension, partly because I didn't know what all to expect. It really is scary to think of placing yourself in the vulnerable position of teaching people you've never met before, especially when those people are considerably older than you. But in all the newness of teaching, God was very good to me. He worked out many details that allowed me to come through alive and kicking. For instance, I was originally scheduled to tutor Monday morning and then teach three classes from 3:30 to 8:10 that afternoon and evening. That looked a bit daunting, especially on my first day of teaching! But one of the evening classes was canceled, and one of the other teachers is taking it for the rest of the year. Whew! The point is, though, that all through the week God did many "little" things like that and gave me strength and energy to operate out of my comfort zone.

Currently I am teaching nine students in classes and tutoring four people. I teach three classes: a class of four children, a class of two thirteen year old boys, and a class of three ladies. I am starting to get an idea of where I'm headed with these classes this year, and I think I will enjoy this year. More importantly, though, am I actually causing my students to learn? And how can I share Christ with these people? (That's a major reason for me being here, after all.) Please pray that I would know how to teach so that my students could see Christ through me. It has been very exciting and for the most part fulfilling to get to know Polish people. It is my hope that these relationships can be used for God's kingdom.

I'm really excited about several things in particular right now. Number one, I just survived teaching my first two English classes. It feels very good to be alive! Number two, my wonderful friends here in Poland made my life a bit more complete with a birthday gift of J.R.R. Tolkien's Ring Trilogy. Number three, I finally figured out how to type with Polish characters. This means I can type things like Wrocław, Piława, and Częstochowa:)

Bike Trip

Leroy and I just took a quick bike trip to the town of Kazimerz Dolny. We left on Friday morning and returned home on Saturday evening about 10:00. We left home about 9:00 am and poked around on the 30 Km ride to Piława where we caught the train to the city of Puławy. As we were biking out of Puławy, we got the brainy idea to stop at the Wistula river, which runs close to the road, to go swimming. Wow, was that great!

Bad news awaited us after our swim, however. My bike tire was flat! Now that is not good news on a bike trip. So, we pushed our bikes out to the road, and asked two Polish gentlemen where we could find a "pumpka" or a "rowerem serwis" (bike shop). They indicated that we had to go two kilometers back toward Puławy to find a pump. Let me tell you, two kilometers seems alot longer when pushing a bike than it does riding one. Well, to make a long story short, we finally found a bike pump, and made it to Kazimerz Dolny about twenty minutes before sundown. After camping out by the river Friday night, we walked around the town and toured the castle ruins high on the hill above the town.

What a gorgeous town! I was impressed to find that while this town is somewhat of a Polish tourist destination, it certainly isn't a high-pressure tourist town. In fact, it seems rather sleepy. There are plenty of little hole-in-the-wall polish restaurants, with a quiet market square that simply oozes charm. The "Dolny" of the town is the castle situated high on the hill above the rest of the town. Above the castle ruins is a massive stone tower that is thought to have been erected at the end of the 13th century. There's not much left of the castle, but the tower is in good condition and offers a spectacular view of the town and river.

After getting my bike tire fixed on Saturday afternoon, we retraced our route home; 15 Km to Puławy, an 80 Km train ride to Piława, then 30 Km home.

I had the thought as we were biking, that this trip is somewhat surreal. Taking a bike trip in Europe, however short a trip it might be, is something that seems fairly exotic. It was an incredible privilege to do this trip. I'm not just on vacation here in Poland, but I do have the opportunity to act like it sometimes:) I'm very grateful for that.

See pictures on my Photobucket.