The Story So Far... 1-Arriving in Warsaw

Hi, My name is Alex and im an Economics student at University of Salford, im currently doing my second year of studies at Warsaw School of Economics (Szkoła Główna Handlowa in Polish refered to by everyone in Warsaw as SGH. Ive been here for just over two weeks now and thought id start off my blog by filling in the gaps about what ive been up to over the past couple of weeks.

I arrived in Warsaw on the 20th September flying from Liverpool Airport to Warsaw Airport. I manged to get some cheap flights from the low-cost carrier Wizzair, but i did not realise, as you can see in the picture, that i would be getting aboard the brightest plane i have ever seen!! it burns one's retinas especialy as the flight was 8a.m. which of course meant a bleary eyed start to the day waking up at 5a.m.

Upon arriving in Warsaw i was met at the airport by my landlords, this was the part of the day i was fearing the most has i had arranged my accomodation privately (the University dorms are a dive!) mostly by email, as i was lucky that my father knew someone in Warsaw through his work and she was able to put me in touch with some of her friends who own property, but i still didnt know if they were going to turn up or not! I was glad they did and my flat is everything i could ask for, living room/bedroom, large kitchen (well everythings big to me i lived in Eddie Colman Court in Salford last year and got used to it) and hallway with wardrobe and a bathroom. Location wise im 2 minuets walk from the Metro and one stop south take me to SGH and one stop north in the centre, one minuets walk in either direction takes me to a corner shop and if it all goes wrong down the street is the British Embassy, so i cant fault anything with my place!


After unpacking and getting settled i took a walk around the city thats home for the next 10 months, i decided not to take the metro and walk to the centre to establish landmarks and so fond myself in the centre where i walked to one of the newest shopping malls in Warsaw, opened in november last year, it houses pretty much everything, even Marks and Spencers! Also Warsaw's if not Poland's only Burger King, i got my shopping done in the supermarket below and the th essentials (bread, milk, mince, pasta sauce, Beer and Vodka). Most things are really cheap, good vodka is only about £3.50-4 for half litre! Polish speciality vodka is called Żubrówka, its vokda with a blade of two of Bison grass in the bottle turning the vodka a pale shade of green and adding flavour, best drank with apple juice in a drink called Sharlotka, it actualy tastes like apple pie!! Honest give it a try!
I stayed home that eveing and had quite an early night i was really tired from the travelling and in preporation for my girlfriend, Sarah, coming to visit the next day, explained in Part Two....