Laser house to Ice rink

Life in Katowice could be much more exciting if you know the right places, move with the right set of people and finally utilize your spare time to it's max! So far in Katowice, I have been able to live my dreams and on the other hand I'm able to put my fears behind me.

Among many other interesting things I have tried during my stay here, is going to the laser house and trying Ice skating.

Laser Maze: Just like the film - ENTRAPMENT

The laser house (www.laserhouse.pl) is another kind of game world on it's own. If you have seen the science fiction TV series Star Trek, you will definitely understand what I mean. 

Despite the fact that the laser guns and other gadgets used looked really freaky, the game which lasted for 20mins (single round) was very stimulating.  The game is quite similar to paintball because they both have the same goal of shooting at the opponent in other to get points. A small group of ten people could easily get the game started.

And now speaking about Ice skating, I have lived in Finland for over two years now but never could I boldly get my legs into those scary looking Ice skating shoes. But finally, I have conquered my fear and not only did I try the shoes on, I have also skated. ;) And Yes, I skated like every professional on his/her first day on the Ice rink. :D  

Check out my Ice rink adventure below:  

One more language is GOLDEN

If only you speak all languages there is in this world, then this post is irrelevant to you. Better still you can leave a comment and share your experiences about either the motivating factor(s) for learning a new language or your learning process. That being said I would like to share the joy in learning a new language with you my cherished readers. ;)

As much as going to a different country (or even in the same country where different languages are spoken depending on the area you are in) from yours could be so much fun so are the challenges involved. Among other culture differences is the language, where you can either find it irritating or interesting to learn how to speak it. I have had the opportunity to be in two different countries (Finland & Poland) where the spoken language are clearly different from each other.

Numbers

Initially, getting to Finland I knew I had no other better way to survive the everyday life than to learn the Finnish language. In spite of the fact that English language is used for my degree programme, I still needed to learn one of the most difficult languages in the world. Moreover I had in mind that in other to get higher chances for a reputable job, I would need a very sound Finnish Language skills. Along my way there were difficulties, but still the learning process was very much fun. The act of learning "yksi, kaksi, Kolme,... one, two, three,..." again in the classroom felt so much relaxing and it brings back my childhood memories. And most importantly my finnish friends were always ready to teach me one or two new words every time we meet. These factors were very much motivating and I have since been eager to learn more of the language. 

But now I face a new challenge which is learning the Polish language. I must say the scary part of speaking the poilsh language is from its pronunciation. I can remember vividly the trouble I faced when I needed to pronounce the old name of my host University (Karol Adamiecki...). But now the learning process has been much fun for me and a way to bring smiles to the faces of the Polish people. Smiles on their faces in the sense that, I walked into a mini food shop (Monika Sklep, Monika's Shop) to buy some eggs. Usually I always point at the things I wanted to buy, but Unfortunately in "Monika's sklep, Monika's shop" they don't have the eggs placed on shleves that one could easily see them.

Monika Sklep

But now, I had no other choice than to begin a conversation in whichever way I could because I needed this eggs so badly. The conversation started "Dzien dorby! Good morning" I said, "dzien dobry, good morning" she replied...I tried to explain to her in English and also managed to give her descriptions of what I wanted but all to no avail :(. Then a light sparked in me, remembering that Ania has once thought me the name of one of my favourite breakfast dish. Then I went on to say "prosze jajecznica, scramble eggs please", the shop assitant couldn't help but laugh her head off after hearing me say that.

Eggs

 

Not to take too much of your time, I would like to conclude with 7 points why I think you should learn one more language, they are;
- Tool for facing the high speed in globalization,
- To enhance easy and better communication,
- To be accepted easily into a new environment,
- To show respect for other cultures,
- To attract people towards you,
- To put smiles on people's faces,
- To be able to express your love in the language of your future partner ;) (if applicable).    

The hidden truth about the Poles

"What do you think about the Polish people?" This is one of many questions I am frequently asked by Poles on a daily basis. Unfortunately, there is no word or sentence that I can specifically say which will perfectly describe my thoughts about the Poles. Nonetheless, I experienced three different scenarios in Katowice which I would love to share with you.

I have just left the city centre heading home by tram. It was a rush hour so the tram was quite crowded but I managed to get a seat and just like every other day, people gazed at me with amusement. On approaching the second tram stop, I suddenly noticed that majority of the commuters on the tram quickly alighted. Then I wondered what was going on. Before I could say Jack! Three Police vans with their sirens on arrived at the scene.

Surprisingly a larger crowd boarded the tram almost immediately but it was very obvious that they were not normal commuters. This group of people had similar shirts, scarf, hats and they were shouting furiously while banging the tram windows. Yes, they were angry (visiting team) football fans who had just lost a match. Knowing this I said to myself "What the hell am I doing on this tram?:(" with the knowledge that such football fans could be very violent, I felt like sinking into the seat.

To add insult to injury, I am an obvious foreigner. How worse could it get?:( Although the tram was being escorted by the Police, it still doesn't guarantee my safety. A few seconds later I heard a whisper "murzyn, murzyn" negro, negro...that says it all, I got their attention immediately. The tram became awkwardly silent while the closest guy to me began a conversation "Skąd jesteś?" where are you from?, I replied "Jestem z Nigerii" I'm from Nigeria. They were all amazed that I was able to understand and reply in polish language. Luckily for me, at this time I knew a few sentences ;).

The guy continued with the conversation in polish, but then I was lost and I replied "Nie rozumiem, I don't understand." But they were all so interested in having a conversation with me, so they had to ask one of them who could speak english to come over and help with translation. The conversation continued with many questions asked and also they told me how much they love the ex-Polish national team football player Emmanuel Olisadebe a Nigerian.

Hearing all these made me feel so relieved, seeing that my presence could make angry football fans stay calm (at least for a while :D) and willing to have a small talk. My second encounter was also on a tram but this time, it was a more cheerful experience. A man was seated with his little sister/daughter, little did I know that they were talking about me. The man spoke to me in polish but I did not understand much of what he said :( which was a pity. On getting to my tram stop the little girl ran towards me and pointed at my wrist. I didn't understand much but I rolled up my jacket sleeves, not until then that I could understand that she was  requesting for one of my wrist bands which I cheerfully gave to her.

Finally, the third experience is very fresh in my memory and it would forever last in my mind. This happened just last Saturday (5.3.2011) at a photo studio where I was to get an express passport photograph. There I met an old man, who gracefully welcomed me despite the fact that he is not the owner of the studio. He could only speak in polish but the owner of the studio helped with translations. The old man was very passionate about his speech telling me how much he loves Africa so much and also told me that he has a friend who is currently in Ghana and how much he would also love to visit Africa someday.

To round it off when I was about leaving, the man shook my hands firmly and kissed the back of my hand saying "Kocham Afryka, I love Africa". I was overwhelmed by his speech that I almost had tears in my eyes to hear one out of many say such about Africa. Having these three different experiences with the young, youth and old explains the compassion of the Poles.

Now, I would let you choose the right words or sentence to describe these poles. But there is one thing that is certain, katowice is a place where not only the University's staff are warm and kind hearted.      

I am sorry :(

Hello my faithful readers, firstly I would like to apologise for the long delay between my last post and now. I have been up and down facing some challenges on my career path which I needed to attend to urgently but bearing in mind that I will never abandon my friends out there.

I have got many heart-warming feedbacks from my frequent readers who left comments on my post and also those who contacted me personally to tell me how my writing has inspired them positively. Hearing all these comments is a source of joy to me to know that my postings has made a positive impact on my friends out there.

Therefore I would like to use this opportunity to say a "Big Thank You" to all those who took their priceless time to give me a feedback and also to those who patiently read my post but in one way or another couldn't leave a comment but I am hoping that someday I would get a feedback from you.

It has been a long time from Christmas till now during which quite many things have happened in Poland and even during my short visit to Finland. I promise to get started immediately with my latest postings.