My granddaughter was born in December 2016 in London. Her name is Gabriela. Her mother is Brazilian, Ana (a lovely and nice woman) and her dad is my son Szymon. Christening of my granddaughter took place in Kraków. Then I saw and held her in my arms for the first time. She was small, vulnerable and polite... she only had 4 months. When they left - I missed her very much, although my daughter-in-law sent me photos and videos of Gabriela's progress since her birth. I was and I am grateful for that. Time passes quickly. My granddaughter grows, walks, runs, laughs, cries, dances... She is very lively, she is interested in everything. I found out about it, when my son and his family were visiting last month. They came to Poland for a week on Valentine's Day and found a winter aura. There were games in the snow: throwing snowballs, making a snowman, an igloo in the garden, sledding down Dębowiec, fun in Leopark and at home. When they left it got sad at home. I miss them again. Currently, my granddaughter is 15 months old. She smiles at me while I talk to my son on facebook. I'm flying to London in September to take her in my arms again and have a hug!

T.

Children, students, working and not (eg pensioners, housewives) - everyone is waiting for holidays. New possibilities are opening up. Travel agencies tempt with their offers and everybody tries to adapt to them according to their financial capabilities. Getting to know the cultures of other countries can be interesting on condition that the holidays are not only spent on sunbathing. Meanwhile, Poland has everything: the sea with more iodine than the South of Europe, mountains favourable for hiking, lakes for swimming and sailing, gardens with fruit and vegetables and a lot of cultural monuments to visit. Everyone who goes abroad boasts about where they were and what they saw and this is usually "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence" attitude.
Poland is a beautiful country and it's worth getting to know. I love holidays spent here because..."here is my place and here is my home"!

T.

Recently I have been in the theatre in Bielsko-Biała two times. I watched a play titled "Boeing Boeing". It was a funny story about a young man and his three fiancees who are stewardesses of three different airlines. Unexpected change of the flight schedule spoils the carefree life of the hero of the play.
The second theatre play titled "Pomoc domowa" ("Home help") is a continuation of the performance "Boeing Boeing". It was also great fun. I laughed a lot and loudly, and enjoyed it. I am going to go to the theatre on the 6th of May again for the play "Kogut w rosole" ("Rooster in chicken soup" or "Rooster in broth").
I also saw a goog film entitled "Game of Thrones" based on the fantasy novels by George RR Martin "Songs of ice and fire". This is a story about the battle for a throne of the seven kingdoms in the land of Westeros.
I also watched World Figure Skating Championship in Milano last week. I really like to watch such sports. It gives me pleasure.
I have revised English that we learnt on English lessons in the library. It is a pity that my memory fails. I have read the website of our library and blog posts "English for everyone". I tried to read and translate short stories on the Internet such as Learn English Through Story: "Swan Lake", "Beauty and the Beast".
I would like to thank you, Mrs Ola, for your time, commitment, patience and professionalism. Two and a half years ago I could not say any word in English. Now I am not "so green" anymore(as we say in Poland).
Thank you very much!

A.H.

***

Thanks very much for such a lovely post (and for the kind words as well!). I was also very happy to teach your group and I am looking forward to seeing you again! :-)

Ola

Once upon a time I was born in Czaniec in a poor family. On the way back from school my classmates bought orangeade and buns. I envied them orangeade and buns but I never had money (orangeade cost 1 zloty and 60 gr., a bun cost 50 gr.). One day, when I went to school, miracles occured. I found 20 gr. and I went to the nearby wayside shrine to pray for it. When I went farther I found another coins: 20 gr., 50 gr., 1 zloty, 2 zloty, 5 zloty (with a fisherman). In total I had about 10 zloty. I was happy because I could buy a bun with orangeade for a week. Somebody might say - it was a coincidence but for me it's a miracle. The recondition wayside shrine stands at that place to the present day.

Best wishes
P M

Ania and I had been in Rabka sanatorium since the 8th of November.
Rabka-Zdrój is a well known health resort for adults and children.
The city is beautifully located in the middle of the mountains. The spa park is a unique place in Rabka-Zdrój. There is a brine graduation tower and a lot of interesting trees and plants in the spa.
This is a great place to stroll around and to relax in a pleasant environment.
We lived in a large sanatorium: Silesian Rehabilitation Center. We had many treatments. We went to the swimming pool every day and we swam a lot.
We often went to the spa park to practice nordic walking.
On Sunday we went for a trip to Maciejowe mountain. At the top there is a nice mountain shelter. We ate delicious cheesecake with hot chocolate.
We were also on trips in Zakopane and Nowy Targ.
It was a very good holiday.
We will wait for the next trip.

I was born in Paczków. I don't remember my birthday because it was long ago. I had four brothers and one sister. We all lived in the countryside (village). When I was a little kid I had my nose up, big and ugly freckles and a high forehead. Besides, I had long braided brown hair. I attended a primary school in my village. In my spare time I was fishing in the river and played football with my brothers, I helped my parants in the field work and I pastured cows. I sang in the school choir and played handball in the district league. Although I was skinny and ugly, I had a happy childhood. The I attended the Construction Technical School in Kędzierzyn-Koźle, where I lived in a boarding house. When I graduated, I started studying at Silesian Technical University in Gliwice. After the graduation I got married and moved to Bielsko-Biała. I worked there, I had three children there and in 2007 I moved to Kozy. Currently I am a pensioner and I live alone. Is it happy? ... Yes and no!...

T.

I was born in Kozy, a small town near Bielsko-Biała, where I grew up as well. When I was seven years old, I went to Primary School no 1, which was in Kozy.

I was born in Sosnowiec. I grew up in this town and I went to the elementary school there. After, I studied at the Medical School the profession of a nurse.
I was a thin child and I was taller than my peers. I had long blonde hair. My mom did braids for me. I was very shy and I did not have many friends. Where I lived, there was a lot of children. We all had fun together. We played volleyball, badminton and lots of other sports. I liked to cycle. I liked to go to school, but I enjoyed the holidays very much. My favourite subject in the elementary school was Physics because I liked the teacher. She always very interestingly explained the physical phenomena. I did not have such a teacher anymore.
In the medical school I liked the profession subject and practiced in the hospital. In my free time I read books, sometimes with my friend we went to the cinema or the pool. My favourite hero was Staś Tarkowski from the novel of Henryk Sienkiewicz "In desert and wilderness".
I do not like to write about myself in Polish and English.

M.K.

Another short biography of one of our students, followed by an exercise from the textbook:

I was born in Bielsko-Biała. I grew up in Bielsko-Biała too. I went to primary school in Komorowice and a medical school in Bielsko-Biała. I studied medical emergency.
I moved to Kozy when I got married and two years later I came back to Bielsko-Biała.

Answers to the questions from the textbook ("what were you like as a child/how did you look like"):

1. I was thin, average growth. I had straight hair. I did not have dimples and freckles

2. I had a few friends. I liked going on trips with them. We played ping pong.

3. I liked school. The biology teacher was my favourite because she was doing interesting lessons. Technical classes were my favourite subject because I liked doing various things

4. In my spare time I liked to do mountain cycling. It was a hobby for me.

5. My favourite hero was the agent Hans Kloss

D.

We've just received a lovely autobiography (you can read it below). What about you? When were you born? Where did you go to school? What did you look like when you were a child? Don't be shy and tell us about yourself! You can send your biography over to angielski@gbpkozy.pl :-)

Ola

I was born long ago in Sosnowiec. My date of birth is the eighteenth of February nineteen fifty-six.
I grew up in Sosnowiec on Great Street.
In 1962 I entered the Primary School of Sosnowiec. I studied at the Silesian University which I graduated from in 1978. During my studies I met my wife.
We have a son Peter. He lives with his family in London. Our grandson's name is Adam. He is 5 years old and is already going to school.
I worked for 35 years in Primary School. I am currently retired and learning English.

Andrzej

Hi! In September I had days off work so my wife and I went to the sea to the health resort Dąbki. On sunny and sizzling days we went to the beach to sunbathe. We swam in the sea and we went for a walk to a sea strand. On the cloudy days we went to sightsee nearby towns and ports. In Darłowo we explored the market place with beautiful fountain, pomeranian princes' castle and church where is buried the last Baltic Viking, king of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Pomerania, prince-Eryk I. Later we went to Darłówko.There is a harbour with a mobile bridge and the lighthouse. After several sizzling days which we spent on the beach, we went to Ustka. There is a lightouse, a mobile bridge and the harbour. We swam forty-minutes cruise at the sea. In Jarosławiec there is a high and beautiful lighthouse. To get upstairs we had to ovearbear 122 steps. In the evenings we went to the pub to eat fish, to drink one's fill of beer and we went above nearby lake for a dance.My wife and I spent the holiday time nice and pleasantly.

Best wishes M P

Chrobry square vel Wzgórze is my favourite place in Bielsko-Biała. It is in the city center in Bielsko-Biała. On the Chrobry square there is a beautiful fountain and Sułkowskich castle. From Chrobry square one may get across arkades to the Old Market place. In front of the Sułkowskich castle near Chrobry square one may see Polish Theatre and a wonderful fountain. On Chrobry square there are coffeehouses in which one may drink tea or coffee.

Main Square in Kraków is my favourite place in Poland. There are Sukiennice in which a lot of souvenir shops sell souvenirs. There is Mariacki Church with an antique altar triptych of Wit Stwosz. On the street, drive many wonderful horse-drawn carriages. In the centre stands a monument of a Polish big poet Adam Mickiewicz. Next to Sukiennice you can buy flowers for loved ones.

M.P.

I was in Switzerland this year. I flew by plane from Krakow to Basel. I was in the Alps. I rode the cable car to Pilatus Mountain (2.132 m. above sea level). The views were beautiful! I was also on the Lake Geneva. I visited Montreux. As that time there was a jazz festival (51. Montreux Jazz Festival). By the Lake Geneva I saw a beautiful old castle - Chateau de Chillon. The castle was built in the 16th century. I also saw the production of ementaler cheese in the village. Then it was cheese tasting. It was delicious. I would like to go back to Switzerland...

Alice

I am going nowhere for vacation this year. I am resting in my garden. I am lying on a sunbathing armchair and drinking a cool lemonade. Together with my friends we are baking sausages and potatoes on the campfire. I am very often watching photos from my journeys across Europe.

I was in Greece a few years ago. It was one of my travel dreams. I visited the hills of Acropolis, Parthenon, Areopag in Athens. These are terasures of Greek antiquity. I saw also Meteora (Ekecheiria). This is a monumental mountain masiff with monasteries on the top.
Meteora is eye-catching and breathtaking. It is on UNESCO World Heritage list.

A.

It's already the end of July. Hard to believe, isn't it? Well, the time flies by. I'm sure you've got plenty of holiday stories to share. If there's anything you want to write about, you're welcome to send it over to angielski@gbpkozy.pl or bring it to the library to get it published on our blog :-)

All the best,

Ola

We were with the family on a holiday by the sea, in a small fishing village of 600 people (after the peak season), in Rowy near Ustka. There is an old church from 1844-49 there of neo-romanesque style built of stone boulders.
It is close to the clean beaches and to the Słowiński National Park and the largest mobile dunes in Europe. There is a port on the river Łupawa.
The Sun was shining. Sometimes it was raining. I was walking by the sea. My sister had a dog and it liked walking with us so we took the dog for walks. The wind was strong and cold.

J.Ś.

Emerytka 67 gave us a solid piece of local history in her post. As the summer holidays are getting closer, perhaps there will be more entries like this one? If you see or hear anything interesting, please let us know! You can write to angielski@gbpkozy.pl Thanks!

Ola

MAIN TRAIN STATION IN BIELSKO-BIAŁA

The Main Train Station in Bielsko-Biała was bulit in the years 1889-1890 by the architect Karol Korn. The history of that station dates back to the year 1853, when the decision on the structure of the railway line was taken from Bogumin to Oświęcim, as connecting Vienna with Galicja.In year 1995 a repair of the station started and was finished in the year 2001. It is one of the prettiest buildings in Bielsko-Biała.

Emerytka 67

I washed the dishes yesterday because the dishwasher broke down.
I went for a trip with my friend to Kraków and it was very nice.
On Wednesday I read Musso's "Girl on Paper" and loved it.
I listened to Zbigniew Wodecki on the radio. I'm very sad that he left.
I visited my friend on Monday and we went for a walk. Then, we played with her granddaughter. We didn't meet on Sunday because R. looked after her mother.
My husband was on a walk with the dog. I stayed home and cooked dinner and then baked the cake.
In the afternoon my husband and I cleaned the house. I washed the windows.
Later my husband dusted the furniture and hoovered the floors.
In the evening I sang and danced happily but I didn't go out because I was tired.
My son and his wife didn't come to us. They went to the Cinema and then to the pub and ate spaghetti.
My husband and I went to the theatre in February. Later we walked in the park and talked about a play.

M.