Bagel Shop & School

I have to say, so far I am really impressed with Poznan University of Medical Sciences. I don't know if they got EU funding or if it was paid for by student tuition, but they've taken great lengths to renovate the buildings and lecture rooms. The lecture room I was in this morning has an electric outlet for every seat as well as what looked like a DSL internet plug! I think the fact that this school has been around longer than Gdansk makes a difference too. Gdansk was built post war when everything was gray and made of concrete. Our major building was built before that so it has more character than the communist era buildings. Even the stair wells are amazing. The side stairs that lead up to individual departments have a skylight above and almost an MC Escher feel to them as the next flight of stairs begins at a different place than the first one ended. It's a great illusion.

And the students! I am in love with my classmates! Yes, quite a few of them may still be spoiled brats, but at least they are slightly older brats and are that much more mature and I'd say they are the minority. One guy showed me to this little mall near the school that has free wifi so I could check email. It turns out that a Bagel shop just opened there 3 days ago. I met the owners (a Dutch/Polish couple) because the guy had come around giving opening gifts to all the ladies. And the bagels...OMG, YUM! I have not had a bagel since Christmas last year in Ottawa. Both he and his wife spoke perfect English, of course, and told me all about their business plan and were super nice. It's a place I will definitely be going back to. Unfortunately, it's not the cheapest place, but I guess it's on par with US prices. I had an AMAZING bagel breakfast sandwich and a coffee for about $6. Actually, that'd be cheaper than some places in the states. Strolling through the little mall afterward I found they have a small world food store (hello, peanut butter and Asian delights!) and a pet store. The whole place is super-chic and geared towards international clientele. I went in the pet shop to see what prices were like for the cat litter we use and they were actually on par with our shop in Gdansk. I told the lady in Polish that I was learning Polish and tried to infer that Piotr and I were moving from Gdansk with two cats. She cracked me up, she started correcting my Polish! That's great! Most shop keepers (that I've experienced in Poznan) will switch into English at the first sign of Polish struggle, but not her.

I'm about to go in for our first Anatomy lecture. Anatomy may be interesting this year because I already took it. Unfortunately, I don't think it will transfer though because they have a higher credit requirement than Gdansk did, but it's worth asking.