Oh, przepraszam, did that joke not translate?

For all of my friends and family back home who are reading this here blog, that P word up there means "excuse me".  To any random passer-by who I might not yet have had the pleasure of meeting (I know, don't flatter yourself Chels - you're members list just today hit 6 people) I ask of you this...PLEASE, pleeease take this blog with a grain of salt!  Know that it is not EVER my intention to offend local folks or poke fun at my surroundings.

I respect even the wackiest of your mascots...

...admire your cleverly crafted graffiti...

...enjoy your enthusiastic fans (this guy was New Years Eve wasted on a Tuesday night in March, I might add)...

...truly love having lunch with your restaurant kitties...

and can I just say, your discounted denim is TO DIE for!

During our European travels there have been some not so fabulous experiences...

Nearly breaking my wrist tripping on sidewalk garbage, the very same afternoon that I was backed into an alley in an attempt to steal my camera - not sure how this picture depicts either of those things

...and also some beyond incredible, there are NO WORDS, memories for life moments...

Trust me, this was an epic evening...

Good, bad, beautiful, hideous, funny, awkward...I want to be able to share all of these things.  And since I can't spend an hour on the phone with each of my loved ones from back home every day, putabirdonitpoland seems to be the most sensible platform.

However, just this week one of my American girlfriends living abroad took some flak for her honest, sarcastic, witty and bright blog.  Some local villagers misinterpreted her sharings as rude and braggadocious (just one of my favorite words - and yes, it's really a word).  I know that was not her intent.  She is most definitely a "glass half full" type of person and finds the lovely in even the most...well...unlovely situations.

With that being said, I beg you, Mister, Miss or Mrs. Reader...please don't take any of this too seriously.  I wake up every single day happy to be out here in this wild part of the world, well outside of my comfort zone - mostly spending my time walking around like some kind of a wide-eyed idiot.  While I'm proud to be an American, I don't claim to know it all and I'm not going to fight you over whose country is better.  I'm lucky to be here and I know it.

So thanks.  And party on.