First day of school

Yesterday we had a Big Exam and today the results were up on the noticeboard at the school, just like in those American College Movies.
We all peered hard at the lists and I was very relieved to be in the intermediate and not the beginner stream. You may laugh but it is quite plausible to study Polish for nearly two years and still be a beginner. On Sunday we hit the slopes thanks to a kind colleague of my flatmate with a big car, and at the Karczma, the Poles explained to our lady with the ladle that they were helping me out because 'bardzo słabo mówi Pani po polsku'. I protested of course: 'słabo', yes, but not 'bardzo słabo'!

We had our first meeting with the designated tutor for our class (I have a feeling that it doesn't work quite this way with real Polish students) and each person had to introduce themselves in Polish. I am slightly odd in that I have neither Polish family nor a Polish girlfriend.*

- Aren't there any people like us, who just like to learn languages? said my flatmate.

And there are some university students from other countries, but they are in the middle of their studies. Normal people don't just drop out of work for five months to learn a language.

Nor do I actually, which is why I am juggling twenty thousand-odd words of French EU law around twenty hours a week of polska gramatyka and trying to resist the urge to drop out altogether and get a job as a ski bum. I wish I hadn't complained about having too little work two weeks ago.

I'll keep you posted. You can still get GPRS in the mountains so I'll be able to blog from the basement of my chalet...


*although with regard to the latter I suspect more people would read my blog if I did.