Life Updates...

A quick recap on what's going on in our world:

• I am still not used to telling time military style everywhere....luckily Tom gave me a great trip to subtract two from the first number.
• Apartment shopping is going well.  We are looking at a lot of options to make sure we pick the right place for us since we have no plans to move more than once in Warsaw.  Although, bringing a king size bed with us has been a bit of a challenge.  Half of the bedrooms I have seen wouldn't even fit a king size bed.  But, we have found some apartment options that will work.
• Apartment prices are negotiable and it is expected that you will negotiate...Tom thinks that if I knew a bit more Polish I would really haggle them down, especially after the way I negotiated his car.     : )
• We are really enjoying the local fruits and veggies here.  People eat pretty seasonal around here and everything is local....and we don't have to pay Whole Foods prices.
• I have a Polish cell phone but was not able to get a contract since I don't have residential paperwork yet. So, instead I have a pay-to-go plan.  Apparently these are super popular over here...and the phone works.....which is pretty much all that matters.
• The treadmill at the hotel gym is in kilometers per hour...so I have no idea how fast I am going but I am working hard..and that's what counts anyways, right?
• The Polish elderly LOVE Charlie.  I get stopped multiple times a day where they give Charlie lots of love and excitedly start speaking a bunch of Polish that I of course don't understand.  I find it really cute to see them so excited.
• Poland is a country of rule followers.  People wait for the light to change before walking into a crosswalk.  You must provide original documents for customs and they cannot deviate one bit.  And, even the cell phone company wouldn't give me a calling plan since I didn't have my residence card yet even though I offered to pay all 2 years of the contract up front.  Of course, I don't blame the Poles for this habit considering their rough history.
• I have become a master of washing clothes in the hotel bathtub (thank you Tide To Go packets!) although we are sending some of the bigger stuff to the hotel laundry.  But, we are trying to avoid that since the average charge is $6 USD per item.  : (
• No one in Poland goes out dressed casually.  I am quite the anomaly when I walk Charlie in yoga pants and Ugg boots...but since I don't know what people are saying about me and I am really cofortable I don't really care.
• Tom discovered Slingbox...a way to essentially get US Cable television through our computer in Poland...he is one very happy man knowing he will not be without Pawn Stars or Storage Wars.
• We have been heading to various expat social events to get to know people around the city.  It has been wonderful meeting people and getting great "tips" on how to navigate the city and the people.
• Our stuff has arrived!  Now, we only need to have the real estate company get it through customs (tax free please!) and truck it down to Warsaw...it came into a port on the Northern coast.  If we do not have an apartment when it gets here it will briefly go into storage for a week or two.
• Tom is working hard to understand the Polish culture at work.  No one will talk badly or negatively about anyone else in the office no matter what...even if it's their worst enemy.   Therefore, its been a bit hard for Tom to get an accurate depiction of the current problems in the office.  And, let's just say the Poles are not exactly prompt...the buses run inconsistently therefore the Poles do as well.  For a husband who used to have a policy called A.I.S. (ass in seat at a certain time) for his team this has been tough to swallow.

Here is a WONDERFUL article on Warsaw and its recent growth (thank Anglim Family for passing it along).  Definitely read it if you have a few minutes:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/Warsaw-on-the-Rise.html

We are trying to negotiate our favorite apartment right now that is a bit more than we were hoping to spend.  And, our condo in Chicago officially goes on the market today.  So, Please send positive energy our way for our housing situations to work themselves out!

Love you all, T&S