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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

My Music ABC: O


The letter O means it is time to for Oldies. As most everything in this world, the meaning of the word 'oldies' is rather subjective.

When I worked with teenage students, we had a project on music. Each student was to make a presentation on their most favorite singer or band. The kids liked the project topic but one girl was sitting in the class and doing nothing. She told me she did not have a favorite musician. When we discussed it, I suggested she could make a project on any kind of music or band of her choice, considering singers who used to be popular in the past as well. Somebody mentioned ABBA as an example.

The girl asked then: 'Are they still alive?'.

That was what 'oldies' meant to her.

In my understanding Oldies = music from the 50s and 60s. When I was a teenager myself, every other Sunday, on the Polish radio, there was a two hour non-stop program with the 50s and 60s music. It was songs only - no commercials, no talking, just pure music. My sister and I always waited for those Sunday evenings - from 8 to 10 pm we listened to those oldies, and sometimes recorded them as well. It was our radio show, the only one which we were both interested in.


Other Os

Mike Oldfield and his 'Tubular Bells'.
OMD - 'Enola Gay'

Omega - there was such a Hungarian rock band. In Poland, they were famous for their song “Girl with Pearl hair”, and I guess, most people did not know anything else by Omega nor anything about the band. At least I did not.

Polish O

Oddzia艂 Zamkni臋ty - it used to be one of my favorite bands of the 80s.




 Some 50s' and 60s' oldies (e.g. The Animals or The Kinks) were mentioned in previous posts so I am not going to repeat them here. Anyway, here is the hit parade for today (enough hits for at least one 2-hour radio show).馃幍

Manfred Mann: 5-4-3-2-1 / Do-Wah-Diddy-Diddy / Sha La-La
The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man
Herman's Hermits: I Am Henry VIII I Am / No Milk Today / Can't You Hear My Heartbeat / World Without Love / East West
Peter and Gordon: Let It Be Me
Gerry and The Pacemakers: Ferry Cross The Mersey / You'll Never Walk Alone / How Do You Do It? / I like It
The Dave Clark Five: The Red Balloon / Glad All Over / Do You Love Me?
The Searchers: Love Potion No. 9 / Needles and Pins / Sweets for My Sweet / Sugar and Spice
The Tremeloes: Silence Is Golden / Here Comes My Baby
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich: Okay
The Archies: Sugar, Sugar
The Box Tops: The Letter
Simon Dupree & The Big Sound: Kites
The Fortunes: Seasons in The Sun / Ballad of The Alamo
The Zombies: Time of The Season / She's Not There
Small Faces: Sha La La La Lee
The Yardbirds: For Your Love / Still I'm Sad / Heart Full of Soul
The Easybeats: Friday on My Mind
Lulu: Shout
The Troggs: Wild Thing / Love is All Around
The Drifters: Saturday Night at The Movies / Stand By Me
Gene Pitney: Something Gotten Hold on My Heart
The Turtles: Happy Together
The Hollies: The Air That I Breathe
The Righteous Brothers: Unchained Melody / You are My Soul And Inspiration
Mamas and Papas: California Dreamin'
Ritchie Valens: Donna
The Everly Brothers: Bye Bye Love / Wake Up Little Susie / All I Have to Do Is Dream / Till I Kissed You
Cliff Richard: The Young Ones / Lucky Lips
The Shadows: Kon Tiki / Apache
The Shireless: Will You Love Me Tomorrow
Brian Hyland: Sealed With A Kiss
Paul & Paula: Hey Paula
The Cascades: Rhythm of The Rain
Rolling Stones: Angie / Paint It Black / Get Out of My Cloud
Carl Perkins: Blue Suede Shoes
Del Shannon: Runaway
Buddy Holly: Peggy Sue
Gene Vincent: Be-Bop A Lula
Jerry Lee Lewis: Great Balls of Fire
Brenda Lee: I'm Sorry
Little Eva: Locomotion
Ricky Nelson: Hello Mary Lou
Pat Boone: Love Letters in The Sand
Freddie & The Dreamers: I'm Telling You Now
The Crystals: Da Doo Ron Ron
The Kingsmen: Louie Louie
Trini Lopez: If I Had A Hammer
Bobby Vinton: Blue Velvet / Roses Are Red
The Four Seasons: Rag Doll
The Dixie Cups: Chapel of Love
The Shangrilas: Remember Walking in The Sand
Chubby Checker: Let's Twist Again / The Twist
Brook Benton: Boll Weevil Song
The Marvelettes: Please, Mr. Postman
Helen Shapiro: Walking Back to Happiness
Linda Scott: I've Told Every Little Star
Dion: Runaround Sue / A Teenager in Love
Ray Charles: Hit The Road Jack
Jimmy Clanton: Venus in Blue Jeans
Skeeter Davis: End of The World
Chris Montez: Let's Dance
Brothers Four: Greenfields
Johnny Tillotson: Poetry in Motion
B. Vee & The Shadows: Devil or Angel / Take Good Care of My Baby
Larry Verne: Mr. Custer
Johnny Preston: Running Bear
Dwain Eddie: Because They're Young / Rebel Rouser
The Everly Brothers: All I Have To Do Is Dream
The Chordettes: Lollipop
Johnny Horton: Battle of New Orleans
Mitch Miller Band: Bridge Over River Kwai / The Yellow Rose of Texas
The Fleetwoods: Come Softly To Me
Harry Belafonte: Banana Boat Song
Freddie & The Dreamers: I'm Telling You Now
Billy J. Kramer: Bad To Me
The Lovin' Spoonful: Summer in The City
The Mindbenders: Groovy Kind of Love
The Tokens: The Lion Sleeps Tonight

馃幐馃幎馃幖馃幐


Monday, February 27, 2017

Wywiady Klubowe: Rozmowa z Dorot膮 Strzeleck膮

Byli艣cie kiedy艣 w Maroku albo w Hiszpanii? W艂asnie tam przeniesli艣my si臋 z Wywiadami na kilka chwil, by spotka膰 si臋 i porozmawia膰 z Dorot膮.

Dzie艅 dobry Doroto, od czego chcialaby艣 zacz膮膰 dzisiejszy Wywiad?

Gdy za granic膮 m贸wi臋 jakiemu艣 cudzoziemcowi, 偶e jestem z Polski, to zawsze si臋 pyta: „Warszawa?”, „Krak贸w?” Bo wi臋kszo艣膰 Polak贸w, jakich zna艂 to by艂a stamt膮d. Sam jak odwiedzi艂 Polsk臋, to tam by艂.
Nie, te miasta to dla mnie drugi koniec kraju. Koszalin! Nad morzem! Najbli偶ej? No mo偶e do Gda艅ska... z 200 km na zach贸d. Nikt nie zna. Normalka! Jednak lubi臋 swoje rodzinne miasto. Ma sw贸j klimat, jest blisko morza. Mieszka艂am tu od urodzenia. Wbrew pozorom du偶o si臋 w nim dzieje, zw艂aszcza kiedy przyje偶d偶am minimum raz na rok.



Jak dawno temu wyjecha艂a艣 z Polski?

Wyjecha艂am do Hiszpanii w 2004.

Kraj/kraje/przyczyna Twojej emigracji to...

Marzenie, by tam mieszka膰, bo kiedy艣 Hiszpania spodoba艂a mi si臋 podczas pobytu tam na wakacjach jako nastolatka. Nie planowa艂am jak to zrobi膰, bo wydawa艂o si臋 niemo偶liwe. Podczas studi贸w pojawi艂a si臋 szansa na roczne stypendium. Rozpocz臋艂am nauk臋 hiszpa艅skiego i uda艂o sie pojecha膰. Po sko艅czeniu stypendium mia艂am wr贸ci膰 do Polski. Wr贸ci艂am tylko po to, by sko艅czy膰 studia. A po obronie dyplomu z powrotem do Hiszpanii, gdy偶 kogo艣 pozna艂am. A potem juz trzeba by艂o tam si臋 jako艣 urz膮dzi膰. Mieszkam tu z przerwami, bo par臋 razy wraca艂am do Polski lub je藕dzi艂am za praca do Niemiec.


Kilka s艂贸w o twoim wykszta艂ceniu...

Sko艅czy艂am kierunek artystyczny Projektowanie wn臋trz na Politechnice Koszali艅skiej. Rok studiowa艂am w Hiszpanii na Uniwerku w Granadzie. Ciekawostka. W ramach pracy dyplomowej projektowa艂am... wn臋trza wi臋zienia. Sko艅czy艂am jeszcze par臋 kurs贸w z projektowania stron internetowych i obs艂ugi program贸w do tworzenia grafik czy rysunku technicznego. Cho膰 cz臋sto w tych dziedzinach by艂am samoukiem.

Czym si臋 zajmujesz na co dzie艅?

Szukaniem pracy na miejscu w Hiszpanii lub zdalnej w Polsce. Tylko 偶e na razie nikt si臋 nie odezwa艂 na moje zg艂oszenie lub si臋 nie dosta艂am, bo du偶a konkurencja i ponadprzeci臋tne wymagania. Przygotowuje si臋 do egzamin贸w do pracy w sektorze publicznym, gdy偶 marzy mi si臋 pracowa膰 zar贸wno w zawodach kreatywnych, jak i urz臋dowych. Tam, gdzie wypali jako pierwsze, to tam si臋 udam i tam chcia艂abym zosta膰 na d艂ugo. Wtedy tez uznam, 偶e odnios艂am sukces. Projektuj臋 grafiki, np. na koszulki inspirowane Marokiem i Andaluzj膮,  rozwijam bloga, z kt贸rego mo偶e co艣 wyniknie. Teraz mam spore wyzwanie, by to wszystko pogodzi膰. Od listopada 2016 wychowuj臋 synka, kt贸ry urodzi艂 sie na emigracji. ;)

Co lubisz robi膰 w wolnym czasie? Twoje hobby to...?

Moje miasto oferuje du偶o mo偶liwo艣ci sp臋dzania wolnego czasu, cho膰 teraz sp臋dzam go g艂贸wnie z synem na spacerach. Lubi臋 "robi膰" plenery z aparatem, bo jest tu wiele pi臋knych miejsc do fotografowania. Uwielbiam wycieczki w g贸ry czy nad morze, narty, rower. Cho膰 cz臋艣ciej sp臋dzam ten czas w fitness klubie gdzie jest 艣wietlica dla dzieci. Maj膮c przez to czas dla siebie cz臋sto, zamiast 膰wiczy膰... zabieram swoje notatki i si臋 ucz臋 albo pisze posty na bloga. M贸j blog to te偶 hobby i wida膰 po nim, 偶e interesuj臋 si臋 Marokiem, r贸偶nicami kulturowymi, kuchni膮 i podr贸偶ami. W wolnym czasie pracuj臋 nad nim.

Z czego jeste艣 dumna?

Z wielu rzeczy. Z pokonania nie艣mia艂o艣ci i przejmowania si臋 co o Tobie my艣l膮 inni. Z nauczenia si臋 j臋zyka i rzeczy, z kt贸rych kiedy艣 ani be, ani me a teraz sobie z nimi radz臋. Ze zdrowia, z relacji z rodzin膮, z synka, z bloga.

Kiedy zacz臋艂a艣 pisac bloga / o czym piszesz na swoim blogu?

Z Hiszpanii, bo blisko, par臋 razy je藕dzi艂am do Maroka, kt贸re bardzo mnie zainteresowa艂o. Znajomi prosili „przywie藕 mi olej arganowy". Pytali o wiele innych rzeczy zwi膮zanych z Marokiem. Interesowa艂a ich kultura, religia, kuchnia, podr贸偶e. Lub byli ciekawi co u mnie pod tym k膮tem s艂ycha膰. Wi臋c postanowi艂am stworzy膰 o tym blog. D艂ugo zwleka艂am. A偶 ruszy艂am z nim dopiero w pa藕dzierniku 2014. Na dodatek nie w Hiszpanii i nie w Maroku tylko w Niemczech, gdzie przez jaki艣 czas mia艂am okazj臋 pracowa膰. Blog sta艂 si臋 odm贸偶d偶eniem podczas przerw w pracy. Potem totalnie wci膮gn膮艂 a偶 zdoby艂 pierwszych sta艂ych czytelnik贸w. Realizuj臋 na nim swoje pasje, pisz臋 te偶 o tym, o co prosz膮 inni lub wydaje si臋 ciekawe. To takie portfolio: teksty, grafika i fotografia, czasem wideo. Jestem wiecznie rozdarta, bo zak艂ada艂am pisa膰 o Maroku. Tymczasem na blog wkrada si臋 Hiszpania, bo tu w ko艅cu mieszkam na emigracji. Jestem taka niepoprawna Polka na pograniczu 3 kultur. Znajomi i czytelnicy kojarz膮 mnie w艂a艣nie z nimi.



Czym jest dla Ciebie Klub Polki na Obczy藕nie?

To pierwsza spo艂eczno艣膰 blogowa, do jakiej trafi艂am, bo to klub blogerek na emigracji. Pozna艂am w nim ciekawych ludzi. Z paroma ju偶 si臋 osobi艣cie spotka艂am. Mog艂am utrzymywa膰 kontakt z innymi Polkami i z j臋zykiem polskim. Zrealizowa艂am pod jego szyldem par臋 projekt贸w blogowych, przy kt贸rych dobrze si臋 bawi艂am. Zyska艂am pomoc, gdy czego艣 potrzebowa艂am lub sama mog艂am komu艣 pom贸c. Cho膰 nie jestem bardzo aktywn膮 cz艂onkini膮 grupy, to nadal jest to moja ulubiona grupa.

To grupa, kt贸ra 偶yje, jest aktywna. Non stop powstaj膮 fajne pomys艂y, kt贸re si臋 realizuj膮. Nawet najg艂upszy i szalony znajdzie zainteresowanie i zrozumienie. Wsparcie dla naszych blog贸w. Fajne dziewczyny b臋d膮ce sob膮 i naturalne. Nie ma wstydu i stereotyp贸w, chyba 偶e to b臋dzie jakie艣 drobne nieporozumienie.

Czy chcia艂aby艣 powiedzie膰 nam co艣 jeszcze?

Tak, chcia艂abym doda膰 odpowiedzi na par臋 pyta艅 z wiwisekcji, kt贸r膮 pisa艂y艣my w grupie zamkni臋tej. Wybra艂am najciekawsze.

Co jest dla mnie idea艂em szcz臋艣cia?
Spok贸j wewn臋trzny. Wolno艣膰 i bezpiecze艅stwo id膮ce w parze. Jedno i drugie nie mo偶e istnie膰 osobno, jak g艂osz膮 niekt贸re idee.

Co najbardziej mnie wyr贸偶nia?
Nie wiem. Pracodawcy non stop zmuszaj膮 mnie do tego, by si臋 czym艣 wyr贸偶ni膰, je艣li chc臋 by膰 wybrana. Oraz czytelnicy bloga czy klienci na moje us艂ugi, je艣li kiedy艣 b臋d臋 takie 艣wiadczy膰 przez w艂asny biznes. Jestem taka jak inni, a je艣li mam co艣 wyr贸偶niaj膮cego, to ka偶dy zobaczy co innego. Kazanie ludziom szukania w sobie cech wyr贸偶niaj膮cych nakr臋ca niezdrow膮 konkurencj臋, por贸wnywanie i indywidualizm zamiast wsp贸艂pracy.

Moja najwi臋ksza zaleta
Nie boj臋 si臋 tego, czego pono膰 wi臋kszo艣膰 ludzi boi si臋 bardziej ni偶 艣mierci-wyst膮pie艅 publicznych. To dziwne, bo kiedy艣 by艂am nie艣mia艂a.

To bardzo ceniona cecha. Tylko nie mia艂am prawie okazji, by j膮 zaprezentowa膰, by gdzie艣 wyst膮pi膰 przed grup膮, wi臋c nie jestem w tym ekspertk膮 i nie jestem pewna czy ludzie by mnie s艂uchali. Raz w 偶yciu gada艂am przed 400 osobami...po hiszpa艅sku.

Jedynie wiem, 偶e si臋 tego nie boj臋 ;)), a je艣li we藕mie mnie trema, to nie jest na tyle wielka, by powstrzyma膰 od wyj艣cia przed publik臋.

Jakiej cechy charakteru najbardziej nie lubi臋 u innych?
Zdecydowanie manipulacji dla w艂asnych cel贸w i jak ja to nazywam, budowania swojej si艂y na s艂abo艣ci innych. Bycia przem膮drza艂ym bucem, by napompowa膰 swoje ego.

Moje motto
„Gdy idziesz do publicznego kibla, ZAWSZE bierz ze sob膮 chusteczki higieniczne. Nawet jak kibel jest pi臋kny, czysty i pachnie lawend膮, to nie licz, 偶e b臋dzie w nim papier”. ;))))

Jak nie masz chusteczek, to zwykle go nie ma.

Motto oczywi艣cie jest aluzj膮 do innych sytuacji z prawdziwego 偶ycia. Czyli...b膮d藕 na wszystko przygotowana.

DOROTA STRZELECKA
  Strony Doroty:
Blog: Kropla Arganu
Facebook: kroplaarganu
Twitter: @kroplaarganu
Instagram: @dorotadorkita

Doroto, dzi臋kujemy Ci bardzo za udzia艂 w Wywiadach Klubowych oraz podzielenie si臋 z nami swoimi przemyleniami.

Id膮c za rad膮 Doroty, spodziewajmy si臋 niespodziewanego oraz tego, 偶e w pierwszej po艂owie marca uka偶e si臋 kolejny Wywiad z Polk膮 na Obczy藕nie. 馃懅  

Pozdrawiamy serdecznie!


Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Sonatas and Interludes by Cage - Piano Concert

Have you ever heard the sound of a piano enriched with bolts and crews stuffed among the piano strings?


In 1938 John Cage (1912-1992) created the first so-called 'prepared piano' - he just installed some hardware, including the screw and bolts in the heart of a short piano. Ten years later his sixteen Sonatas and four Interludes (to be played on such a specially equipped instrument) were completed.

Last Saturday we had a chance to experience a concert of the music by Cage played by Boris Berman at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.

We had never heard a piano 'improved' with hardware. It did sound very different, more like a few instruments (including drums and percussion) instead of one. I must admit that, at the beginning, the tunes played by the pianist seemed quite surprising. They also reminded me the sound of the old short piano with a metal board which I used (well, it was ages ago) when I was learning to play the instrument.

The final Sonatas presented at the concert brought the experimental music by King Crimson, a British progressive rock band, to my mind as well (my husband and I enjoy listening to various kinds of music).

I am very glad we could attend the music evening at The Nasher Center.The concert was quite a new experience to both of us and had a good time.


Thursday, February 16, 2017

My Cosmetic Side: Feet & Pedicure


I take care of my feet quite frequently as I believe they deserve to be pampered no less than the hand or other parts of the body. Especially, that the feet do such a tremendous job - they carry us here and there every day. Having had a shower or a bath, I put some foot cream or body balm on the feet. From time to time (once a week during the summer) I also treat them with a 'feet grater', and then with some foot scrub, to remove the rough and calloused skin and make it smooth.

Some time ago, I decided to have a special pedi treatment done at a beauty place. When in the salon, first I was placed in a big massaging chair where I enjoyed a warm, fragrant and bubbly foot bath. At the same time, the chair was massaging the back of my neck. Soft and calm music was coming from some hidden speakers. I must admit, t was all very relaxing.

After about a quarter (or so) the beautician came to take care of my feet. She was surprised how soft my feet were. Well, I did not know what she had expected. I told her that I took care of my feet at home and I did not neglect them. The lady praised my personal beauty care and said my feet did not need any extra salon treatment.

When I asked the beautician what were the worst feet she had ever dealt with, she replied that  Swedish men/customers tended to have the hardest and the roughest feet. Maybe because they had not worn socks in the summer? I do not know why.

Anyway, I had the calloused skin removed then and had the nails done as well. I loved the bright pink shade of the nail color!

I was so very pleased with the service at that beauty parlor that before I left, I bought a gift coupon for a pedicure treatment for my mom. It was my Mother's Day present for her. And she did enjoy the visit (and its results) at the salon too!


And what about you?
How often do you take care of your feet?
What do you do?


Wednesday, February 15, 2017

In The Kitchen With Tobo: Soups on Our Menu: Chicken Noodle Soup

In The Kitchen With Tobo: Soups on Our Menu: Chicken Noodle Soup: Since we like having chicken noodle soup at weekends, I am sharing my way of making the soup. What you need: (yield: for two persons)...




Wywiady Klubowe: Rozmowa z Agnes Wi臋ckowsk膮

Ciekawi jestescie gdzie dzisiaj goszcz膮 Wywiady Klubowe? Odwiedzamy Pary偶 (tu jeszcze nas nie by艂o 馃懇).

Agnieszko, bardzo nam mi艂o, 偶e masz ochot臋 z nami porozmawia膰 i opowiedzie膰 nam o sobie!

Gdzie jest Twoje miejsce w Polsce...

Urodzi艂am si臋 i wychowa艂am na warszawskim Targ贸wku. Przez kr贸tki okres mieszka艂am r贸wnie偶 na Mokotowie oraz w 呕yrardowie, miejscowo艣ci oddalonej od Warszawy o 60 kilometr贸w. Jednak to na Targ贸wku sp臋dzi艂am wi臋kszo艣膰 mojego 偶ycia. Tutaj zawiera艂am pierwsze przyja藕nie, chodzi艂am do szko艂y oraz przedszkola. Tutaj te偶 mia艂am wi臋ksz膮 cz臋艣膰 rodziny: rodzic贸w, dziadk贸w oraz wujostwo. W miar臋 jak dorasta艂am, poznawa艂am r贸wnie偶 inne dzielnice Warszawy – do liceum chodzi艂am na Woli, a nast臋pnie studiowa艂am na wydziale romanistyki na Powi艣lu. Zar贸wno moja rodzina, mieszkaj膮ca w stolicy od pokole艅, jak i p贸藕niej szko艂a (Liceum im. Batalionu „Zo艣ka”) przywi膮zywa艂y wielk膮 wag臋 do historii Polski, a w szczeg贸lno艣ci Warszawy. Dzi臋ki temu znam bardzo dobrze moje rodzinne miasto i jego histori臋. Do tej pory ch臋tnie wracam do Warszawy i przechadzam si臋 po moich ulubionych miejscach: Star贸wce, 艁azienkach Kr贸lewskich, Parku Rydza-艢mig艂ego, no i po rodzinnym Targ贸wku.



 Jak dawno temu wyjecha艂a艣 z Polski?

Z Polski wyjecha艂am 4,5 roku temu, je艣li oczywi艣cie nie liczy膰 d艂u偶szych pobyt贸w za granic膮 spowodowanych sta偶em czy odwiedzinami u taty.
Po raz pierwszy wyjecha艂am za granic臋 w wieku 18 lat do Wielkiej Brytanii. Rok p贸藕niej, po zdanej maturze, pojecha艂am pierwszy raz do Pary偶a. Nast臋pnie oscylowa艂am mi臋dzy tymi dwoma krajami: raz Wielka Brytania, raz Francja. Na kr贸cej lub d艂u偶ej, przewa偶nie w okresie wakacyjnym. Latem 2012 roku na dobrze po偶egna艂am si臋 z rodzinnym domem i wyjecha艂am do Francji na sta艂e, z 2-miesi臋czn膮 przesiadk膮 w Wielkiej Brytanii.



Kraj/ kraje / przyczyna Twojej emigracji to...

Decyzja o przeprowadzce do Francji podj臋艂a si臋 praktycznie sama. Kiedy, jeszcze w liceum, moja nauczycielka od francuskiego m贸wi艂a mi o studiach we Francji, bardzo chcia艂am wyjecha膰 do Montpellier. Nie zna艂am tego miasta, ale wydawa艂o mi si臋 fajne, studenckie, no i zachwalane przez moj膮 nauczycielk臋. Akurat wtedy mia艂am obsesj臋 na punkcie wszystkiego, co francuskie, wi臋c pojecha艂abym gdziekolwiek, bylebym mog艂a m贸wi膰 po francusku. Ba艂am si臋 jednak, 偶e nie posiadam jeszcze wystarczaj膮cego poziomu francuskiego, by poradzi膰 sobie w obcym kraju sama. Postanowi艂am si臋 zosta膰 w Polsce i p贸j艣膰 na filologi臋 roma艅sk膮 odk艂adaj膮c wyjazd na okres studi贸w magisterskich. Zaraz po maturze, w ramach prezentu od rodzic贸w, pojecha艂am z kole偶ank膮 do Pary偶a. O ile zwiedzanie Londynu niezwykle mnie m臋czy艂o, o tyle Pary偶 okaza艂 si臋 mi艂o艣ci膮 mojego 偶ycia. Nigdy nie zapomn臋 tego momentu, kiedy wdrapa艂am si臋 na wzg贸rze Montmartre, tu偶 przed bazylik臋 Sacre Coeur i spojrza艂am na panoram臋 miasta. Wtedy ju偶 wiedzia艂am, 偶e musz臋 tu kiedy艣 zamieszka膰. Kocha艂am j臋zyk francuski, francusk膮 kultur臋, kuchni臋… Wszystko, co zwi膮zane z Francj膮! Dlatego te偶 postanowi艂am d膮偶y膰 do spe艂nienia moich marze艅. Chcia艂am zamieszka膰 w Pary偶u, chcia艂am tu studiowa膰, pracowa膰, zbudowa膰 sw贸j dom. I si臋 uda艂o! Mi臋dzy 2009 i 2012 rokiem, w Pary偶u go艣ci艂am kilkakrotnie. Jednak chc膮c sprawdzi膰, czy aby na pewno Pary偶 jest moim miejscem, zdecydowa艂am si臋 na 3-miesi臋czny wyjazd na Ile de Re (wyspa na Oceanie Atlantyckim niedaleko La Rochelle w regionie Poitou-Charantes). Wyspa oraz s膮siaduj膮ce z ni膮 miasto by艂y pi臋kne, ale nie czu艂am tego przyci膮gania co w Pary偶u. Dlatego te偶 wr贸ci艂am do Pary偶a i tutaj te偶 zamieszka艂am.



Kilka s艂贸w o Twoim wykszta艂ceniu...

Jak ju偶 wspomnia艂am, w Warszawie studiowa艂am filologi臋 roma艅sk膮 przez 3 lata. Marzy艂 mi si臋 wtedy zaw贸d t艂umacza. Po przeprowadzce do Pary偶a podj臋艂am nauk臋 w prywatnej szkole teatralnej na wydziale aktorskim. Szko艂a jednak nie spe艂ni艂a moich oczekiwa艅, dlatego te偶 rozpocz臋艂am studia na wydziale teatrologii Uniwersytetu Paryskiego. Obecnie jestem na 4 roku.

 Czym zajmujesz si臋 na co dzie艅?

Jestem t艂umaczem w firmie zajmuj膮cej si臋 badaniami rynku kosmetycznego. Dodatkowo pr贸buj臋 swoich si艂 jako aktorka, re偶yser i dramaturg. Przez 2,5 roku wsp贸艂pracowa艂am z grup膮 teatraln膮 Compagnie de la Pleiade, z kt贸r膮 mia艂am okazj臋 wyst膮pi膰 w 4 przedstawieniach granych w teatrze Nord-Ouest oraz w teatrze Menilmontant w Pary偶u. Obecnie pracuj臋 nad moj膮 pierwsz膮 sztuk膮, Nuit Bouffe.



Twoje hobby - co lubisz robi膰 w czasie wolnym?

Spor膮 cz臋艣膰 wolnego czasu sp臋dzam w teatrze. Z racji moich studi贸w, a tak偶e pasji, musz臋 by膰 na bie偶膮co z tym, co si臋 aktualnie dzieje w teatralnym 艣wiecie. Uwielbiam te偶 pisa膰 oraz czyta膰 – oddaj臋 si臋 tym dw贸m czynno艣ciom z wielk膮 przyjemno艣ci膮, kiedy tylko mam troch臋 czasu dla siebie. Ogl膮dam r贸wnie偶 sporo film贸w i seriali, co pchn臋艂o mnie do wykupienia abonamentu, kt贸ry uprawnia mnie do ogl膮dania nielimitowanej liczby film贸w w r贸偶nych kinach we Francji.

Z czego jeste艣 dumna?

Jestem dumna z kobiety, jak膮 si臋 sta艂am, odk膮d mieszkam w Pary偶u. Przeprowadzka, samodzielne 偶ycie oraz odpowiedzialno艣膰, jak膮 wzi臋艂am na siebie, bardzo mnie zmieni艂y, pozwoli艂y dorosn膮膰. Jestem dumna z tego, co do tej pory uda艂o mi si臋 osi膮gn膮膰.
Jestem r贸wnie偶 dumna z mojej rodziny, z tego, 偶e potrafi膮 prze偶y膰 nasz膮 roz艂膮k臋 i 偶e wspieraj膮 mnie w tym, co robi臋.

Kiedy zacz臋艂a艣 pisa膰 bloga i o czym piszesz na swoim blogu?

Bloga o moim prywatnym 偶yciu za艂o偶y艂am w 2011 roku podczas mojego pobytu na Ile de Re. Wcze艣niej, od 2008 roku, prowadzi艂am bloga z t艂umaczeniami piosenek i musicali.
Obecnie pisz臋 g艂贸wnie o francuskim teatrze oraz rozwoju mojego w艂asnego projektu. Coraz cz臋艣ciej pisz臋 r贸wnie偶 o emigracji i 偶yciu codziennym w Pary偶u. Tematyka mojego bloga ewoluuje w miar臋 tego, jak sama si臋 rozwijam.



Czym jest dla Ciebie Klub Polki?

Klub Polki jest dla mnie niesamowitym miejscem w sieci. Uwa偶am, 偶e Magda dokona艂a niemal偶e cudu, zrzeszaj膮c tyle bab z r贸偶nych stron 艣wiata, z r贸偶nymi pogl膮dami i do艣wiadczeniami w jednym miejscu. To wielki zaszczyt dla mnie, m贸c do niego nale偶e膰 i tworzy膰 t臋 bogat膮, niezwyk艂膮 spo艂eczno艣膰.

M贸wi艂am ju偶, 偶e kocham koty? Nie? No to prosz臋! 馃槉 Mam ich 2.

AGNES WI臉CKOWSKA
  Strony Agnes:
Blog
Facebook: @blogdelautrecote
Instagram: @agnes.wieckowska


Bardzo 偶a艂uj臋, 偶e nie mo偶emy zosta膰 d艂u偶ej w Pary偶u. Przyznam, 偶e te偶 lubi臋 koty i ch臋tnie zobaczy艂abym kotki Agnes. Mi艂o by艂oby te偶 obejrze膰 sztuk臋, nad kt贸r膮 pracuje nasza Klubowa Kole偶anka. 
Wywiady gnaj膮 nas jednak dalej, gdzie艣 gdzie czeka ju偶 na nas kolejna Pani z Klubu Polki na Obczy藕nie. Z kim spotkamy si臋 pod koniec lutego, dowiecie si臋 wkr贸tce 馃懇.


Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Movies Monthly: January

In January, some of our favorite series came back after the Christmas break. Besides, Sherlock appeared with the newest season, which was in our opinion the best of all.

A new season of Death in Paradise (detective story series) started. DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) seems to be a more interesting character than the DI of the very first Death in Paradise season. Officer Dwayne Myers (Danny John-Jules) is quite a funny person, he adds a lot of humor to the series.


Brand new BBC series have begun this year:

  • Vera - a detective story, the most interesting one. 
Vera (Brenda Bethlyn) is a middle-aged female detective, sharp minded, determined and very friendly as well. She addresses everybody 'Love'. Although she looks very soft, more like not a very well-groomed housewife, than a bright policewoman who she actually is, she speaks her mind when it is needed. Being successful at her work, Vera seems not to cope very well with her loneliness - lonely personal life.
  • Black Books (comedy) - silly but entertaining.
  • Murder in Suburbia - just another detective story series about two young lady detectives.
Other series which we found interesting:
  • Six (war, action, history, drama) - 2017
  • The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (documentary)  
The new season was a bit different than the previous one. Mr. Freeman did not travel to all the places on Earth showed in the 3 episodes. There were other persons instead of him as well. I wish there had been more episodes of the documentary series.
  • Secrets of the Six Wives (documentary) - interesting facts and the history showed from a different angle - the king Henry VIII's wives perspective. We learned new things about the queens' life stories and all the history matters showed from their point of view.

Most interesting movies of January

  • The Saint Meets the Tiger - 1943
  • The Saint's Vacation - 1941
You think you know something but you actually do not. We thought The Saint series made in the 60s was the original one - meaning the idea and the main character. It appeared there had been quite a few, made much earlier movies about Simon Templar - an early version of James Bond. They were based on the novels by Leslie Charteris - which we had never heard about.

According to us, the worst of those Saint movies was The Saint Strikes Back, which was supposed to be created under the supervision of the book character author. The plot of that story was very weak and not so interesting and humorous as the ones mentioned above.

Anyway, we watched all the old and original The Saint films (1938-1943). The very first one - The Saint in New York, was quite different to all the ones which followed it. It was more like a gangster movie not just a story about a wealthy dandy.

  • State and Main - (comedy), 2000. Some truths showed in the movie seem to be always current.
  • Lucy - (SF) 2014 - quite an intriguing story about a woman who was able to use 100% of her brain.
  • Lone Survivor - (war) 2014 - we watched the movie (based on the real story/book Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team by Marcus Luttrell) when it was released in 2014. Since we read the second book written by the same author, we just wanted to remind ourselves the Lone Survivor.
  • Windtalkers - (war/WW2), 2002, with Nicolas Cage - a very interesting movie showing the participation of Navajo Marines in the war. I had not known that the Navajo language was used during WW2 as an unbreakable code/radio cipher.
  • To Be or Not to Be - (comedy),1942 - a funny story of a Polish theater troupe involved in an anti-spy plot. The comedy is set in Warsaw occupied by Nazis (WW2). This original story and the film were much better and funnier than a remake made in 1983.

Friday, February 10, 2017

In The Kitchen With Tobo: Our Early Valentine Cakes

In The Kitchen With Tobo: Our Early Valentine Cakes: Our Valentine weekend cakes are ready. �� Smaller heart cakes And a bigger one :-) What I used to make them: 1 box yellow ...

馃挄



Thursday, February 9, 2017

Visit to Stutthof Concentration Camp Museum


Last November, during our visit to Poland, we also went to see the Stutthof Concentration Camp Museum. It is definitely not a typical tourist destination at all.

If you do not know - a quick reminder on some history matters.

Nazi Germany invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939.  The Nazis' plan was to annex Poland and get new living space for German citizens there. To make it possible, the idea was to annihilate all the Poles. Therefore, very soon after the invasion, the massive extermination of Polish people began, and the Stutthof concentration camp was created on Sept. 02, 1939. Prisoners were transported to the camp by trains.



What they found in the place is difficult to put in words. Starvation, extremely hard, slavery labor, the horrifying cruelty of Nazi guards, inhuman living conditions, exposure to extreme cold in the winter and many more horrible things and situations. Mentally disabled persons were killed with lethal phenol injections. It is not possible and I do not intend to describe it all in this short post.

'Death gate' leading to the camp

Prisoners' shoes

Since 1942, people from other parts of Poland and Europe were sent to Stutthof as well. All in all, 110,000 prisoners, citizens of 28 countries (including the USA) were registered at the camp. During the war, about 63,000 - 65,000 were killed there (28,000 of Jewish origin).


Crematoria

Gas chamber 

In January 1945, when the war front (and the Russians) was coming closer to the camp area, Nazis evacuated it. Prisoners had to walk in the freezing winter weather, no proper clothes, barefoot in the snow, exhaustion, and beating by guards - about 23,000 prisoners perished during the evacuation of the camp.

#1 camp surgery/death room, #2 art by a prisoner

We went to the museum by bus - Stutthof museum is situated near Sztutowo village (50 km from Gda艅sk). The entrance to the museum is free. In November, due to the colder season, there were very few people visiting the place beside us. The weather was perfect as for that part of the year in Poland. It was cool but there was no wind, snow or rain either. We could walk around the area not being disturbed by anything or anybody.


My husband had never been to a concentration camp museum, I had been to the Stutthof museum quite a few times, with groups of my older students as such a field trip is also part of the Polish school curriculum (the museum is not recommended for children under 13 years old). However, when I had happened to be there with my students, I had to stay focused minding the teenagers more than watching the museum itself. So, although in different ways, it was the first type of such  'tourist experience' to both of us.


We visited the Stutthof museum on Thanksgiving Day. Learning what had happened there, we had so many things to be grateful for. More than one could usually think of.


Stutthof Museum website: http://stutthof.org/english

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Valentine's Day Giveaway


Valentine's Day is coming. Therefore, I am giving away 1 SET: a ball pen and a key ring which is also a dream catcher. I like the heart-shaped dream catcher and I think it is quite a nice Valentine's Day item. At the end of the two, red strings, it has small beads and real feathers. I believe it was made by Native Americans.

If you wish to take part in the giveaway, please visit my blog Facebook page, like this post and make a comment on it. I am going to send this set (for free) to one person only. If there is more than one person interested in receiving the set, I will draw the name of the winner.

The giveaway lasts from Tuesday Feb/07/2017 to Monday Feb/13/2017. The name of the winner will be announced on Feb/14/2017


The winner of the giveaway is Magdalena Choda of Spain. The above set has already been posted to her.
Happy Valentine's Day :-)

Friday, February 3, 2017

In The Kitchen With Tobo: 12 Cakes12 Months: Mixed Fruit Cake

In The Kitchen With Tobo: 12 Cakes12 Months: Mixed Fruit Cake: I need to tell you about the December cake to close the 12 Cakes 12 Months project. It was quite an all year long challenge and searching...