As the days passed, we mostly stayed indoors, either at my aunt's place or visiting other family members. The weather hasn’t been very favorable, with only a handful of sunny days - perhaps four in total. But also the true winter days that had snow was only 2. It's just a gloomy spring weather most of the time.
My uncle’s house is near the railroad, so the sound of passing trains at all hours is something we’ve had to get used to. Sadly, we didn’t spot any wild animals around, even though the area is home to hares, deer, and pheasants, as there are many forests around.
Our son has impressed everyone with his diligence. Despite being on vacation, he tackled 25 pages of homework, combining Chinese and math, without needing a single reminder. Every morning or during the day, he sat at the table and worked on it himself. This amazed the family, especially since homework has largely been abolished for kids in Poland. While the older kids seemed glued to their phones and rarely played outdoors, our son completed all his work in just four days!
We’ve been enjoying a variety of traditional Polish dishes. Some highlights include hunter’s stew and tripe soup. My cousin’s kids visited briefly the first weekend, giving our son someone to play with, but they couldn’t stay long since their winter holidays hadn’t started yet.
One of the quirkiest features at my aunt’s place is a bunker in the yard, which is now used as storage. My uncle has also been introducing my husband and son to his longtime hobby of raising pigeons. As a child, I used to follow him to pigeon houses and even to other villages for flying practice competitions. These days, the pigeons are just stay-at-home birds.
This time, my uncle also pulled out a gun he uses to scare off hawks from preying on his pigeons. They even held a small shooting competition! My husband impressed everyone by hitting the center of the target twice, while my uncle, now in his 60s, joked about his eyesight not being what it used to be.
Another thing to not get bored tstaying home - we have been playing cards almost daily.
Another day brought another family to meet. We went to a nearby city. Parking is free for two hours, but you still need to take a ticket and place it in the window. We walked around the city of Włocławek for a while, but the weather was freezing. During our first week in Poland, we rarely went out because of the cold. My hands were super red and painful from the chilly wind.
We visited my great aunt and uncle, who are in their 40s. Their house is quite traditional but very tidy. After spending some time there, we went shopping together. They thought our son needed a gift but didn’t want to choose something he might not like. Later, they invited us to a late lunch at a restaurant with their daughter, who works as a judge in a nearby court. Like in Taiwan, people in Poland also work overtime, and she arrived an hour late to the meeting. Maybe I shouldn’t compare the two countries, but Taiwan definitely stands out with its overtime working culture, which rarely happens in Poland.
The food at the restaurant was nice, though I found it a bit too salty for my taste. We ordered beef tartare, guinea fowl broth, duck breast, schnitzels, and for dessert, coffee, cheesecake, and a trio of small desserts.
As the days pass, more family members invite us to visit, though they’re usually only free on weekends. We’re hoping to explore other places, like the salt mines, one of the world’s largest churches, or some castles. However, the icy roads and dark, short days make us a bit lazy—sunrise is at 8 a.m., and sunset is before 4 p.m., giving us only about eight hours of daylight. Adding to that, people here are used to sitting in the dark, even when it gets dark outside, they don’t turn on many lights indoors. It’s quite a different atmosphere!
On Sunday, we visited another aunt in her cozy home. Despite its small size by Polish standards, it’s perfect for the two people living there now that their children have moved out. We were greeted with homemade food, cake, and fruit alcohol, as cooking is a passion in our family. Our son even got to collect eggs from their hens, making it one of the most authentic countryside experiences he’s had so far.
The days here are short and dark, with the sun rising at 8 a.m. and setting before 4 p.m. By the time we finished our walk, the weather had turned foggy and cold again, so we headed back home. Winter in Poland is certainly a contrast to life in Taiwan, but it’s been a refreshing change of pace for all of us.
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