2011 - A Great Year Ahead

Well, 2011 certainly will be a big one for Team Sullivan.  We hope that the upcoming year will bring us grace and ease as we embark on a number of changes for our family.  One of the things that Tom and I are most looking forward to is the new challenges, both personal and professional, that we will face.  We know that although these might not always be easy to face in the moment they will continue to help us grow in mind and in spirit.  

As we continue to prepare for our departure we look forward to sharing our experiences in 2011 in this blog.  Please feel free to add your email address on the upper right hand side to get our updates.

We came across this quote and really liked the message.  It's fun to think about what experiences we will have to share at this time next year.....

"Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." -Hal Borland

We wish you and your family a wonderful 2011 filled with grace and ease!

xoxo, The Sullivan's

Downtown Warsaw on NYE

Polish Christmas Traditions

We spent the past couple of days celebrating the holidays with traditions; both American as well as family ones.  This got us wondering about Polish Christmas traditions.  Here are a few things we've learned about Polish Christmas traditions.  We are excited to try some of them out in the coming year.

Weather-forecasting is quite popular during Christmas. Everything that happens on Christmas, including  the weather, has an impact on the following year. The weather on Easter and throughout the next year supposedly depends upon the weather on Christmas (snow, rain etc).

Straw is put under white tablecloth. Some maidens predict their future from the straw. After supper, they pull out blades of straw from beneath the tablecloth. A green one foretells marriage; a withered one signifies waiting; a yellow one predicts spinsterhood; and a very short one foreshadows an early grave.

Poles are famous for their hospitality, especially during Christmas. In Poland, an additional seat is kept for somebody unknown at the supper table. No one should be left alone at Christmas, so strangers are welcomed to the Christmas supper. This is to remind us that Mary and Joseph were also looking for shelter. 

 

It is still strongly believed that whatever occurs on Wigilia (Christmas Eve) has an impact on the coming  year. So, if an argument should arise, a quarrelsome and troublesome year will follow. In the morning, if the first visiting person is a man, it means good luck; if the visitor is a woman, one might expect misfortune. Everyone, however, is glad when a mailman comes by, for this signifies money and success in the future. To assure good luck and to keep evil outside, a branch of mistletoe is hung above the front door. Finally, old grudges should end. If, for some reason, you do not speak with your neighbor, now is the time to forget old ill feelings and to exchange good wishes.

   

Christmas Day, called the first holiday by the Poles, is spent with the family at home. No visiting, cleaning, nor cooking are allowed on that day; only previously cooked food is heated. This is a day of enjoyment, for Jesus was born. 

The Breaking of the Oplatek The oplatek is a thin wafer made of flour and water. For table use, it is white. In Poland, colored wafers are used to make Christmas tree decorations. In the past, the wafers were baked by organists or by religious and were distributed from house to house in the parish during Advent. Sometimes an oplatek is sent in a greeting card to loved ones away from home.


Warsaw's Old Town at Christmas



It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

We were very fortunate to have a wonderful Christmas celebration this year surrounded by special family and friends.  It was great to see everyone and catch up and we were excited to talk to everyone about our move.  Ironically enough, we wound up going to mass near my sister-in-law's at a traditionally Polish church (the mass after ours was being held in Polish).  After mass we met the priest and told him that we were moving to Warsaw.  He was super excited and gave us a blessing for a safe journey..we'll take all the prayers we can get.  And, we thought it was pretty great to get a blessing from a priest who was also from Poland.

Tom with some of his favorite ladies (our nieces and his mom).

Our niece, Estella, with our almost one year old nephew, Tom.

All Quiet on the Blog Front

We haven't been able to blog as often as we'd like to lately.  Things have been PRETTY busy on the Sullivan front as we prepare for the big move.  We are learning more than we ever wanted to know about international paperwork and documentation, meeting with the consulate, realtors, appraisers, moving companies, and more... and are trying to take things one day at a time too.  Our to do list has 150 things on it, but we are confident that it will all get finished one way or another because it has to.  We have also been planning out the calendar for the next few weeks so that things continue to run smoothly.  We are fortunate to have some fun visitors (Aunt Irene, Lizzy, Mom & Dad) coming to spend quality time with us after the first of the year.  This will be a much needed break between all of the move preparations.  To top it off, Tom will be traveling to Amsterdam, Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium for some work meetings which he is really excited about.  With all of the craziness we are also trying to stop and enjoy this ride of life!

And, last but not least, we have an official move date....we will be moving over to Warsaw the weekend of February 12th.  So, our first official weekend living in Warsaw will be the weekend of our 4th Wedding Anniversary!  Who would have thought 4 years ago when we said "I do" that we would now be moving halfway across the world.  It's funny how life works itself out!

Charlie has quite enjoyed us spending so much time at home packing and organizing.  He thoroughly enjoys lounging around in his Christmas PJ's (thanks gmomma and grandpa) while we work.

Clueless on Poland

Among the excitement and discussions with our family and friends one question has continually come up time and time again.  It seems that people just really aren't all that familiar with Poland and want to know more about it and what it is like.  So, to help start answering that question here is a list of 20 facts about Poland.

1.      Poland is the the 9th largest country in Europe.

2.      The most popular name for a dog in Poland is Burek which translates to: “brownish-grey color”.

3.      In Poland the name day is considered more important than the birthday.

4.      Amongst all the members of the European Union, the residents of Poland marry the youngest.

5.      Poland boasts 17 Nobel prize winners, including four Peace Prizes and five in Literature.

6.       90% of Poles have completed at least secondary education.

7.       Marie Curie (born Maria Sklodowska ; 1867-1934), the first and only Nobel laureate in two different sciences and first female professor at the Sorbonne University.

8.       Polish born astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was the first person to propose that the earth was not the center of the universe.

9.       Officially, Poland is now 1038 years old. Its formal beginning is the year 966 when the ruling prince, Mieszko I, decided to adopt Christianity as the official religion of his people, thus establishing political bonds with the rest of civilised Europe.

10.     Saint John’s Kupala is a popular holiday in which people jump over fires, a tradition that predates Christianity.

11.     In Wroclaw there is an annual city-wide medieval festival, including jousts, horse archery, medieval dances and other activities.

12.     Marzenna is a tradition where people weave straw dolls and decorate them with ribbons. These represent the end of winter, and the beginning of spring. When the snow starts to melt, they proclaim the beginning of spring and chuck the Marzennas into the river or stream, symbolically ‘killing’ the winter.

13.    During Wianki people go to the riverbanks and float wreaths with candles on them on the water. If it floats to a woman on the other side, she’ll find love. If it circles three times, she’ll be unlucky with her love life.

14.   According to Polish folklore only marriages concluding in months that contain the letter “r” can be successful.

15.   Przystanek Woodstock is the biggest open-air festival in Europe–an annual free rock music festival in Poland, inspired by and named for the Woodstock Festival.

16.   Pizza in Poland does not contain tomato sauce. The waiters bring sauce to the table in a pitcher, and you pour it on top. Sometimes the sauce is just ketchup.

17.   There is a Pope channel on TV. Anytime one needs to see the pope, one can tune him in.

18.   In Poland, bananas are peeled from the blossom end, not from the stem end.

19.   Some Polish beer is ten per-cent alcohol.

20.  Polish toilet paper is made of crepe.

Turkey and Pina Coladas....

We were very fortunate to spend the last week celebrating Thanksgiving in Riviera Maya, Mexico with my parents, Marlene and Steve (thanks Aunt Nancy and Uncle Tony)!  The timing of the trip could not have been more perfect.  After a busy couple of weeks finalizing our decision to move abroad, the warm sun and gorgeous beach was just what we needed.  It gave us the perfect opportunity to take some time for ourselves to R-E-L-A-X and spend some great family time with my parents!

We also had some time to catch up on our reading.  And we read some great and very helpful expat books.  They not only outlined all of the organizational details that we need to work through before our departure but also included some insightful guidance on the emotional changes that we can anticipate throughout the process.  Tom also started working on his Polish lessons via the ipod.  It was pretty funny to see the reactions from the fellow pool goers at the resort as they heard Tom practice his Polish.

Exploratory Visit!

Tom and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go on an "exploratory trip" to Warsaw.  After a direct flight to Warsaw we spent 5 days wondering around our new home.  The purpose of the visit was to check out the city and confirm that we were 100% sure about our decision.  So instead of spending our visit doing traditional tourist type activities we focused on practical and lifestyle items.  Our "must dos" included; riding public transportation, visiting grocery stores, drug stores & shopping malls, and exploring the local neighborhoods.  We also had the opportunity to connect with a group of expat internationals through facebook and meet up at a local bar to watch rugby.  It was great fun and a good opportunity to get a lot of questions answered.  And, in case anyone was worried, Tom can vey easily get NFL Football on TV in Poland.  We had the chance to sample some authentic Polish cuisine and enjoyed a variety of pierogi, Zurek (a traditional Polish sour soup), some local pork dishes, and of course, Polish vodka.  Tom spent a couple of mornings visiting the C.H. Robinson office and meeting his new team.  They seemed very motivated and excited for his arrival. 

Tom and I both feel much more comfortable with our move having had the opportunity to explore the city!  We loved the city and were continually surprised by how modern and cosmopolitan it is.  It reminded us a lot of Prague, Rome and Vienna.  The city seems very liveable and quite easy to get around in.  We found a lot of great parks that we are excited to share with Charlie.  Here are some pictures from our visit...enjoy!

The New Road....

It's Official...The Sullivan Family is off on a new road!

Tom, Charlie and I are moving to Warsaw, Poland in early 2011.  Tom was promoted to General Manager at C.H. Robinson and will be in charge of managing the Warsaw, Poland office.  We are super excited about this new opportunity, so proud of Tom's accomplishments, and can't wait for the new experiences this will bring us as a family.  I am still figuring things out regarding my job and there is a decent possibility that I might even be able to transfer within Leo Burnett and work for their Warsaw office.  We will see....

All of this craziness started about two and a half months ago when Tom was approached regarding the opening in the Warsaw office.  Tom went through an intensive interview process at the corporate level and even underwent a psychological evaluation to ensure that he was "fit" for an international assignment.  Tom can now say that he is 100% not crazy....He even told the psychologist that he has a special "voice" that he uses to pretend he is talking as Charlie, our dog.  And somehow, that still did not persuade them against sending us.  : )   In addition to the interview process, Tom and I have spent the past months thinking, researching, and talking and doing it all over again and again.  We have talked about the big and the little and everything in between.  Obviously, this is a big decision to uproot our wonderful life in Chicago to try something new and different. 

At the end of the day, in some ways it was an easy decision and in other ways it was very difficult.  We are so fortunate to have such great family and friends in our lives that we truly value.  We know that being 7 hours away will make things a bit difficult.  But, we are looking forward to plenty of Skype dates.  And, we are planning to get a two bedroom apartment so visitors are always welcome.  We are also planning to use this blog to share our experiences and adventures with our move...so please feel free to check in often!

We'd like to thank all of our family and friends for their outpouring of love and support this past week as we have started sharing our big news!  We appreciate each and every one of you so much and are fortunate to have your support now and in the future.  We know that with that support comes a bit of heartache knowing that we won't be as close.  But, please know that although we might be a little further from each of you....you will always be close in our hearts and minds.

Love, Sarah, Tom & Charlie