Other Expats

There’s a gadget on this blog, a blogroll, called “other expats.” The order varies, depending on who has the most recent post. I thought I’d take a minute to introduce you to some of these folks.

Kielbasa Stories – written by Chris, an American gal married to a Polish guy and mother of two. Kielbasa Stories is one of the first blogs I started reading after moving to Poland; I just love her sense of humor and the candor with which she writes. It’s been a few years, so I don’t remember who found who first. The funny thing is, shortly after I began reading the blog, I was talking to my Polish friend, Elzbieta, and she said that she also liked reading blogs. Not only were they interesting, it was a great way to practice her English. Her favorite was one called Kielbasa Stories – small world! (While my blogroll is made up of blogs written in English, I should mention that Elzbieta is now blogging, you can find her at http://karuzelablog.blogspot.com) It got to be an even smaller world, the first time we were in Wroclaw, we got to meet Chris and family.

Poland-Our Future – is a blog we started reading before Ed moved to Poland. It’s written by American expat, David. He and his wife Joan retired to Poznan a few years before Ed arrived, so it was nice to get a feel of the city and Poland before the big move. We met for coffee in the rynek my first summer here. Although, it was one-sided, I felt like I already knew them after following their lives for the past few years.

My European Housewife Life – written by Marianne, also an American. This is a blog that I’ve just recently started reading. Marianne lives in Bavaria, so I’m guessing her husband is German. It’s been interesting to see the similarities in our experiences, but there are also differences. I’m starting to thing about returning to the US; Marianne is staying. Come to think of it, most of the blogs I follow are Americans living here permanently.

And 2 Makes Crazy – is written by Brooke. We first met when I was in Poznan visiting Ed in June 2010. A mutual friend had arranged a lunch so that her daughter, who was here for the summer, and I could meet American ladies in town. We have a lot in common, both coming from Arizona. I understand her desire to wear flip-flops during the winter. We’re just not used to shoes – they’re so confining! Brooke and her husband, Richard, came to Poland more than 10 years ago. He’s a minister; she’s a teacher. They felt called to ministry here and have created a faith based charity that has many programs in Poznan and other Polish cities and has spread to other countries. It all began with Rich going into the Poznan train station one night with a thermos of hot tea and, if I’m not mistaken, a couple of granola bars in his pocket in an effort to connect with the homeless population. Brooke is currently expecting their third child, but that’s a story I’ll let her tell you.

The Road to Poland – Olivia D is a more recent arrival in Poland. She and her Polish husband have relocated their American family here permanently. She is an amazingly strong woman who has written from the heart about the joys of motherhood and the how difficult it has been for her to find her place here in Poland, and while my journey is different, I understand perfectly what she is saying.

Polanded – mainly a photo blog written by my own dear, sweet Ed. He was a more active blogger when I was stateside, keeping me and the rest of the family up to date with photos of his adventures.

Never a Dull Day in Poland – written by Kelley, who lives in Bydgoszcz. Her husband, like mine, is retired from the military and is now a civilian contractor. Unlike me, she is still raising her family; their eldest is now in college. She’s very active in the local international ladies club.

A Black Man in Poland – American blogger, Joel, lives in Warsaw and is married to a Polish woman. His post on driving in Poland was hilarious and spot on!

Moscow Munchkins – Mrs. Munchkin began reading my blog before their move overseas. They have adopted a daughter from Poland and a son from Russia. I have enjoyed following their adventures in Moscow. When I see references to prices in Russia, it reminds me how good I have it here in Poland!

There are other international blogs that I read from time to time. They are mainly the blogs of those “Followers” who have connected by way of Google Friend Connect, but they aren’t written in English. I had to use google to translate the Polish to know Hanna was expecting twins, that madkasia was becoming a surgeon in the US, that stardust crochets. I miss the fine points of Ege’s poetry when it’s translated from Norwegian. You can see what I’m saying, it’s not as easy to read and I worry that sometimes, I’m even missing the gist. I’ve just started using google chrome and it makes translating webpages so much easier, so maybe I will become better about keeping up with my non-English friends in the blogosphere.