An Afternoon Off

We rowed this morning, but Tim gave us the afternoon off. There isn't much to do at the hotel other than watch EuroSport, nap, and surf the internet in the lobby (where there is free wireless), so things can get a bit slow. I spent some time getting physical therapy and looking at row2k, before deciding to take a pleasant stroll.

I went in the direction opposite Saturday's adventure, and things looked much different. Instead of the patchy new building/abandoned lot look, there was actually a neighborhood with many houses and almost no vacancies. I think my conception of the city was skewed by our initial experience with a few blocks of sparse development; other than that area, the city seems pretty normal (if post-Soviet). There were a lot of people walking around today as well, so it appears all is well in Poland, and I made a premature evaluation of the city, country, and geopolitical region. I do find it strange when people say things like "oooh, I just LOVE Costa Rica" after returning from a trip on which they might have seen two square miles of the place. But that's just how people think, so I will continue to make generalized judgments on things based on very limited experience. Sorry. I am only human.

As I said, people in Poland do indeed walk around on the street, just not in rundown areas. I saw so many people on my walk that TWO of them stopped me to ask for things in Polish. The first was a young gentleman asking for directions. The second was a middle-aged woman who wanted to know the time. On both occasions I disappointed my inquisitors by awkwardly mumbling something in English, which made both understand that I was either foreign or "slow." The young man gave me a thumbs-up before moving on, and the woman grabbed my wrist to look at my watch.

From this, I have ascertained that all Polish people are: (1) Friendly (2) Inquisitive (3) Tolerant. I am also a bit flattered because it means to the average Pole I appear (1) Polish (2) Approachable (3) Knowledgeable. I have taken these encounters to mean that my gym shorts/T-shirt/boat shoes fad has spread overseas, and the people here view me as the very model of a contemporary young Pole: attuned to Western culture, but true to my Proto-Slavic roots. (Also, I have been told I sort of look like that guy on The Office who I think has a Polish last name, so that may contribute to my Polish appearance.) Clearly the Poles hold facial hair in high regard, and are very perceptive when it comes to body language. My confident stride and wristwatch clearly broadcast "I know where I am going and I know what time it is," perhaps a bit too well considering I don't know the language.

To give you a sense of the landscape, here are some photos of my adventure:A Polish street corner. In Poland, they have buildings and cars.

In Poland, Frog=Food so this little guy is all over the place.
He marks a popular grocery store.

Here is a sweet building. You can see the trolley lines in the foreground.

Anyway, on my 30 minute walk I learned that there is NOTHING TO DO anywhere in Poland. As evidence to the contrary, Mark, our physical therapist, claims to have seen a guy in a Captain America suit walking down the street at 6am on Sunday. He had large shoulder pads, tight spandex pants, and looked to be coming home from a good night of partying. The girl accompanying him seemed embarrassed, probably because he wasn't wearing boat shoes. Mark seemed to think this indicated crazy parties, but I suggested it might just indicate crazy people. In any event, both are fun, and I hope this is an sign of good times to come. There are a few points of business to address first, however: dispensing justice, destroying the will of many foreigners, etc. But that is next week.

On returning from my walk, I joined the rest of the gang is some vigorous group stretching and got ready for dinner. The restaurant was empty since most of the other crews had not yet returned from practice, but Osborne and I did share some conversation over the fate of Stanford Crew, how Silas is doing, and how we can make money on renewable energy. Few conclusions were reached.

Afternoons off, though restful, generally make us wary that Tim may be planning something for tomorrow morning. These things are usually traps of some sort, because he wouldn't give us recovery unless we were going to need it. I am going to sleep early tonight.