Hello Mother, it's me again.

When I moved back to Poland in the end of summer 2007 I was bound for an adventure of graduate, academic bliss. I came here for the culture, the historic city, the scorched earth of a tragic Polish century, the beauty that remains and all I had to learn and experience from the stunning city of Kraków. My home is the old Jewish district of Kazimierz, historic for the 'driving out' of its residence to the confines of a Jewish ghetto across the river into Podgórze. Once a thriving cultural center and economic hub of Kraków, the only Jews to grace these littered streets are tourists, on holiday, stopping through to pay tribute to the past, or in search of heritage, some sense of closure to a time all too quickly forgotten. There is a resurgence of this district, but of a much different breed. The streets ring vibrant with the sights and sounds of small bars and the occasional freshly sprouted posh club - hip hole in the wall, candle lit cafes, all looking out on to the weathered and cracking steps of Plac Nowy.

I have met great friends, many leave, some remain... my favorite possession is my fuchsia pink Fisher bicycle, which I ride, everywhere. My days are intertwined around coffee and yoga... and I know there was a point behind my life here... oh yes, I have had a year with an unwritten thesis hanging over my head. Unwritten, it resides in scraps of notepaper scattered around my room, books dog eared and post-it noted; various shades of green and pink - taunting me as I scratch my head in search for their once marked significance. Sidetracked by warm weather, teaching English, mid-afternoon card games and just plain professional procrastination, I have five months till the looming deadline, five months to write, what I have barely touched in one year...

So, what better time than the present, the summer, in Kraków, when all the friends are gone, when the tourists are out in abundance and the city is too crowded to draw you into its center without a fight... when... oops, the recession cancels your job and you are without funds to live on... SHIT! Cette la vie!

All of the sudden life again is in flux, and when a bit of panic takes over, the questions begin to roll in... but then there's an email, an opportunity, you say 'hello' and walk out the door, into the open air, take a deep breath (most likely with a bit of tail pipe residue from the 86 Fiat that just peeled down the street and around the corner in a blaze of unimpressive glory), and remember how exciting the unknown can be.

So, I have three days to prepare for a month long teaching stint in Sur, Oman, two hours down the coast form Muscat, where I will be teaching children and teenagers (something I have NEVER done) English and hopefully appreciating all the thrills of a culture I am unfamiliar with, hopefully remaining calm in the midst of uncertainty and finding grace in the chaos.

I AM packing the thesis - the notes that have been transferred on to my laptop, the bits that have been written - perhaps more will be written while in Oman, perhaps not... it all remains to be seen.