NEWs :)

I’ve decided to continue writing on this blog to practice my English and be in touch with those who read it :)
As you all probably know, I got married on 15th August 2009. It was the most wonderful day of my life!! It started at eight o'clocl when I went to my hairdresser and then to my beautician. Thanks to them, at 12 o’clock I looked great and the only thing I had to do was to dressed myself ;) Well, it’s not very easy if your dress has to be tied up at your back, so my mother had to help me:

When I was alone in the living room, waiting for Wojtek to arrive, the emotions came up... I’ ve realised what is going on, that it was the BIG DAY when I was getting married, when all my life was going to change…
I had to control myself and not to burst in crying in order not to ruin my make-up and to make a good impression on Wojtek when he came in. We were both very pleased to see each other finally!! :) I need to say that whole my family wanted to make this day as much special and memorable as they could. That’s their work when it comes to decorating our garden and the house.Me and Wojtek wanted our and our best men cars to look nice so we bought plates to stick to our cars:

The most moving moment of the day was the blessing of our parents as it was kind of farewall…

And then we were just happy that it is the day we were waiting for so long. Although the priest said that the bride woman was smiling all the time and the bride man was serious, we were both full of joy which is clearly visible in those photos!


So it happened, we were a married couple!! It was time to start the wedding party… :) We’ve began it with a traditional breaking glasses for the luck!

And, of course, with the first dance :) We were preparing it for months and were under a big pressure when we stood in the centre of a ballroom, waiting for the band to play the song. What is more, the song was a surprise for all our guest, including our parents and we weren’t sure if they would like it. What do you think of it?

We were dancing waltz and, happily, did it according to the plan :)

And then the party begun. We just had a good time, dancing together, kissing and calling ourselves: Wife and Husband :)

It really was OUR DAY, everything was organised as we wanted: decorations, choir, a singer, priests and altar boys, music band and food served. I wish all of you such a wonderful, memorable, full of joy and happiness wedding day!!

PS. All the photos taken by Szymon Domagała www.foto-malibu.com

Goodbye!

I honestly can't believe it.
I've made it!
I graduated from the Teacher Training College!
I obtained B.A. degree in English!
I am a teacher!
I am satisfied and happy! :)


What to do next? My plans for the next three months:

• complete the renovation of my husband-to-be and my flat


• prepare myself to get married


• pass the exams for M.A. studies


• relax in Majorca :))

So, officially, TTC's teachers and students - thank you for those three years! Goodbye!

The end.

It was yesterday that I - miss Aniola (with 'the most innocent surname in the world' - cited after John Casale :)) - attended last classes at KJO.

I am really moved by the fact that three years of exhausting, stressful, demanding, but, all in all, enjoyable BA studies came to the end.

When I left the KJO building yesterday I was overcome with sadness and I will surely recall KJO with a feeling of nostalgia. But still, I am the kind of person who likes changes and new challenges and as I am an optimist I look forward to what is set ahead for my future.

Life goes on. Our time at KJO finished, hopefully. I guess it is time for us to say "Goodbye and good luck!".

Hope to be in touch with you! Dont' let the acquaintances out as we did with the dogs ;)

A must!

PAULO COELHO - the Brazilian artist. The remarkable author. The talented poet. He writes about simple things in a flowery language. The most obvious truths become magic when wrote by him.

I love his books because of hope they bring. Here is a quotation to prove my words:

Also, he talks about love showing it from different angles. The most significantly, he is not afraid of writing about God and His presence in our life.

I found out about his talent somewhere in the lower secondary school and then started buying his books. I've already read:

• THE ZAHIR - about the real love



• ELEVEN MINUTES - very bravely about the mysteries of physical love



• THE DEVIL AND MISS PRYM - about the fight between good and evil



• VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE - about discovering the beauty of life



• THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN - about the faith in God's might



• BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT - about finding the 'second half'



• THE ALCHEMIST - about the importance of following our dreams



• THE PILGRIMAGE - about the author's pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

There are two others waiting on my shelf:

• THE WITCH OF PORTOBELLO



• LIKE THE FLOWING RIVER

Has anyone read them?

The books I own are in Polish as I wasn't confident with my English enough to take up a challenge of reading Coelho's works in my L2. I suppose my next purchase will be in English though ;)

If you are interested in Coelho's life take a look at his official site where you can find not only his splendid biography but also his blog, photo gallery and much more!

To close with, food for thought for all of us, I guess.

My website

In my IT classes I was asked to design a webpage. The choice of the topic was up to me, so I've decided to write a few words about Poznan Walking Pilgrimage to Czestochowa, which I've made two times.
So, if you are not familiar with it, or simply want to learn more about it, have a look at my website :)

Easter

That is all what Easter is about...
Name the pictures 1-10 and then, find the words in the Wordsearch ;))

Wishing you an Easter bringing hope, peace and love to your life! May the miracle of Christ Resurrection fill your heart with joy!

"Five years' time"

I've just listened to it on the radio! It's such an optimistic song that I had to share it with you :) And it suits the future topic so well. Enjoy!

My diary in five years' time :-)

Hi, my name is Monika Paryś. I’m 26 (OMG!) years old. I live in a small flat in Poznan. In 2009 I graduated from Poznan University with BA in English and two years later I obtained MA in Pedagogics. As a result, I am qualified to teach children at both the kindergarten and primary school age, and also grown-up teenagers. I have always wanted to be a teacher and my dream came true! :-) I work in a primary school and I’m an educator of an early primary class. Currently, however, I’m devoting my time to my lovely nearly 2-year-old child :-) Because of the fact that the fruit of my husband’s and my love has a very strict day schedule, so is mine.

7 a.m. I wake up just after my husband and I prepare sandwiches for him, then I kiss him goodbye and our child waves to him. Next, my baby and I have breakfast and an enjoyable morning play ;-)
10 a.m. I go for a walk with my child and we do some shopping on the way back. We both love observing the coming of spring. In addition to this, my child is keen on making new contacts with children at the same age :-D
11.30 a.m. My baby has a nap and I can work a bit: prepare lessons, check tests. Apart from that, I have some time for reading an interesting book.
13.30 p.m. My child wakes up and is busy with toys while I’m preparing dinner. I love cooking, especially some unusual dishes. Happily, my husband likes eating them :-) I play with my child, trying to teach some English from the beginning. It is so cute to hear this childish English pronunciation.
4.30 p.m. My husband is back from work. We have dinner and a talk, not with our child yet, though ;-)
5.30 p.m. My husband stays at home with our child and I leave for work. I teach English on afternoon courses. Although I don’t like leaving my husband and my child alone at home, I find satisfaction in working with my students.
9.30 p.m. I am back home. My child is already sleeping and I have some time for my beloved one. We just enjoy ourselves :-)

The happiest day of my life!

My boyfriend, Wojtek, told me that he was taking me for a surprise trip for few days. It was only in the car, where I’ve found out that we were going to Paris :) Together with Wojtek’s brother we have spent three fantastic and enjoyable days in France.
It was planned that on the 15th of March we go to see the Eiffel Tower. At the top of it, Wojtek kneeled, opened a heart box with a gold diamond ring and asked me to marry him in 17 months.

What could I say? ;) I was moved, happy and certain that he is the one with whom I want to spent the rest of my life! So, it has already been year since I am engaged. I cannot believe that in five months I will be married :)

In memory of JS

Two weeks ago we lost a dedicated, patient, optimistic, tolerant, never wanting to offend anyone, having a sense of humour teacher.
I was priviliged to be his student. He always wanted his classes to interesting and original. He taught me History of England and British culture and life. I especially enjoyed the latter because he used to give us some unique facts about British, which couldn't be found in a normal coursebook. I remember very well that one of his first words during this class was: "Americans always cause problems" :D Let's take few more examples:

• Delia Smith was the one who has changed British attitude to food
• local - it's a name for a place where British drink regularly
• on BBC Radio 4 there is a forecast for ships very popular
• in Britain there is a great tradition of sports. "If England is beaten, Scotland is happy, no matter who they play with."
• in 1966 England won the World Cup. "However, it's controversial" (with a sense of satisfaction ;))

And did you know that a saying "Dr Livingstone, I presume" is used to greet someone for whom you were looking a long time? I've learnt this on his History lectures.

Unfortunately, noone is ever going to learn anything like that. May John Solan rest in peace.

'YES' for Valentine's Day *

Although it’s been two weeks since Valentine’s Day, I still have some Valentine’s decorations in my room ** and feel that “Love is in the air” :) Furthermore, the coming of spring makes it even more visible, don’t you think so?

Some people say that Valentine’s Day is only a commercial day, but isn’t it nice to give, or receive, a cute Valentine’s card or a lollipop? It’s a simple as well as romantic way of showing the other person that you care for him/her.
Other people state that each day is a good day for expressing your love, so why don’t we use this day to celebrate it in a special way?
Opponents of Valentine’s Day also claim that weather conditions in February are not favourable for celebrating the day; however, I firmly believe that time for Valentine’s Day is perfect! All those couples in love, good friends and happy families make the world warmer!

If you don’t like going to cafes or to the cinema, you may try something original. That’s where I was taken this year… ;)



* I wanted to post it earlier, but I was too busy…
** I just love decorating my room – it makes it more cosy and enjoyable to live in :]

Exams.

An exam session has come; in Polish - SESJA, which means:
S omehow
E veryone's
S tudying
J ust
A bnormally.

But I'm happy today because of the fact that the first semester of our last year at College has ended. We'll no longer have to spend whole days at University, hopefully. We may devote our time to writing our B.A. papers and to improving our general knowledge of English - isn't it fantastic? :D

To cheer us up, I've added "a joke a day" to my blog! ;-) Today's one: A man was walking on the beach one day and he found a bottle half buried in the sand. He decided to open it. Inside was a genie. The genie said," I will grant you three wishes and three wishes only." The man thought about his first wish and decided, "I think I want 1 million dollars transferred to a Swiss bank account. POOF! Next he wished for a Ferrari red in color. POOF! There was the car sitting in front of him. He asked for his final wish, " I wish I was irresistible to women." POOF! He turned into a box of chocolates. :D

Good luck with your exams, dear all!

Time flies...

You know what? My little Brother (OK, he’s not little – he's 1.85 meter in height…) went for his „Studniówka” (a traditional ball 100 days before high school leaving examination) today. He looked so handsome and mature! I know, I’m emotional, but still. I remember him coming to my bed because he was afraid of sleeping alone in a new place. I remember playing with him: with his cars, bricks, with my dolls. I remember his favourite play before falling asleep – I had to tell names of football players who were on stickers on his furniture. Not only did I have to know the correct order of footballer’s stickers but also in which club they played! :D He was so dangerous when after watching “Rocky” he practiced boxing at me ;) And he was so cute when I was getting ill and he was bringing me a glass of Pluszcz saying: ‘Drink it now.’ And today he is an adult: almost 19 years old, passed his driving licence test this week, made ‘a media career’ in our 8th high school – yeah, being aware of hard work, he went to the same one… :) Nowadays, we have different roles to play in life – I’m getting married, he’ll begin his studies. I hope we’ll never lost touch with each other because he’s my only brother and despite all the differences, all quarrels and all misunderstandings, I love him so!

Because of the fact that my Brother’s ball evoked memories, I’m posting a picture of me taken three years ago when I was leaving for my "Studniówka" :)

“For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.”

Barack Obama is aware of the importance of his presidency. “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.” I liked his inaugural address – he was self-confident, courteous and firm. I am under the impression of his image – natural, smiling, loving husband and father (can’t dance well, unfortunately ;)). And I liked him even more when I got to know that he is left-handed! He must be intelligent :D Being the first Afro-American American President, he IS making history. Therefore, I am glad I witness such an important event.
Personally, I hope for a positive change not only in the US, but also in the world because of the fact that the US has impact on all the world’s issues. I want to believe in Barack Obama’s promises. I have fingers crossed for him. I also wish good luck to his wife and their lovely daughters. I can imagine what a change happened in their lives! I am sure they are proud of Barack Obama’s success but also afraid of what the future may bring them.
“America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. “ said The 44th President of America in his inaugural speech on 20th January 2009 and let those words by my wishes to him.

Love it!

Actually, I always wanted to be a teacher. As an older sister I used to teach letters to my younger brother. I also taught him singing – we have even recorded ourselves :) However, even as a child I was aware of the fact that teachers do not earn much, so I sometimes dreamed of becoming a tennis player (but I do not have any talent for that) or a model (but I’m too short).
I came to Teaching Training College because – ok, let’s face the truth – I wasn’t admitted to pedagogics. All in all, it turned out to be an ideal place for me ;) Not only have I improved my English but also learnt a lot on the subject of teaching. After graduation, I plan to continue my education in elementary pedagogics, so my teaching practice haven’t made me change my mind.

I started my teaching practice in September in Junior High School in Skórzewo. The first lessons came a little bit unexpectedly as I went for the observation and my ex-teacher said: ok, so tomorrow you’ll start teaching. I had only one afternoon for preparing to them, oh no :] I was afraid because I knew that teenagers at the age of 13-15 are the most misbehaving. But I’ve made it and everything went fine! I did my job according to my plan, and what’s more, learners were cooperative as well as friendly.
I also have good memories connected with high school teaching. I have to admit it was a very demanding task as those learners had many questions and got bored easily but, on the other hand, it was so satisfying to see them interested and engaged in the lesson.
I look forward to teaching in a primary school as that’s what I always dreamed of!

Summing up, although teaching is time-consuming (preparing all those additional materials: pictures, games etc.) and challenging (copying with different attitudes, abilities, character traits of students), I love it!