Two and a half weeks in Poland: "We can live any way we want."

Written by Lolly on August 22nd.

I'll be reading Annie Dillard's "Living Like Weasels" tomorrow with my students. At the end, Dillard concludes: "I think it would be well, and proper, and obedient, and pure, to grasp your one necessity and not let it go, to dangle from it limp wherever it takes you." And, as I-- or we-- begin to write this blog, I find that I'm pulling from whatever is around me. Right now, I am at a table in the beautiful living room of 17 J. Fucika in the district of Sadyba, in the city of Warsaw surrounded by what I'm about to teach. So, I guess that on a Sunday morning before a week of school, little has changed.

Nonetheless, we are here and feeling somewhat settled: Paul is reading on the couch; Phoebe is upstairs in her room; Chase is guarding the door while Reed navigates cookie making with the aid of google translate.

The transition began on the third of August, when Steve and Zealand picked us up in the most remarkable bus I've ever been in. Jim, our awesome neighbor, came to see us off and helped load bags, a dog, and a bike on board. From there, we headed to Newark International Airport (so that Chase did not have to deal with a layover.

Chase either sat shotgun or in the driver's seat.

And honestly, the girls and I napped (well I definitely napped) after spending the last four weeks teaching with the awesome Buffalo Prep (the best way I could ask to conclude a teaching career in Buffalo, NY), packing up the house for our wonderful renters, completing paperwork, and navigating an incredibly difficult passport situation. Steve-- true to his adventurous self-- ensured that we had enough time to hit the slopes for a ski before leaving us at "departures."

With skis in tow and a safe parking space for the bus (and the dog), everyone took a few runs down the hill.

It's hard to capture what all of this felt like. Steve's attention to detail, and Zealand's menu planning to ensure that we ate all AMERICAN food before boarding the flight was the perfect reminder that we were embarking on a remarkable adventure rather than leaving a life replete with people we love and a city that had become home.

There were so many moments from the 17th of June to the 3rd of August when we couldn't imagine leaving. And, this send off established the essential mindset of our "one necessity" which -- for me-- is adventuring with our family and learning AS a family. It's easy to look at these photos and think about the fun we had; it's more important, however for me to attempt to communicate what a gift it was. It was the framing device through which we envisioned our arrival in a new city, a new country, a new continent.

It's too bad that Steve could not just get us all the way to Poland, because nothing has been quite as smooth after that trip. We lost a Leatherman and my expensive conditioner (it was going to make my hair purple) to TSA (sigh), Reed spent the entire night awake while the rest of us slept, but then we landed. We landed, got our dog, found our people, went to the hotel and went to dinner. From there? Well, from there, we went to school and began a supportive and fun orientation process. We got bank accounts, bus passes, found our house, attempted to settle it, went to Ikea, started school, learned about the IB, lost a wallet, paid three fines for using bus passes incorrectly; we've angered the bus police and Chase has angered the neighbors, we've wandered Warsaw, attended wonderful gatherings, gotten Polish SIM cards and bikes, and-- perhaps most importantly-- we are building new relationships and spending lots of time with FRAMILY (friends/family). Oh. And, we get to eat the BEST berries.

We will continue to post, and you'll hear from each family member. For now, know that we are happy and healthy. We miss our families and our friends; we miss our framilies in Maine, St. Croix and Buffalo. As we begin our second week of school (school started on the 17th here!), please know that we think about all of the love and support we've gotten. This was a fast decision-- one that we did not make lightly and one that required lots of people to suspend judgement and extend love. Thank you. Or, Dzien Dobre. We will try to-- as A. Dillard says "live like weasels" and SEIZE whatever presents itself. Much love.