Author: James McNally

Attention Non-Blogging Friends

If you’ve ever wanted to set up your own weblog, but are intimidated by acronyms like XHTML and CSS and PHP and by computers and the web in general, then you’re in luck. TypePad is nearing completion, with the preview release becoming available just yesterday. It’s made by the same smart and friendly folks who make Movable Type, which powers the weblog you’re reading right now, and they’ve made it affordable and easy-to-use, with three levels of complexity and customization.

I’m sure you could be up and running in about 15 minutes. Go and check it out!

Poland Report II

Hello again from Katowice! In the past week, we’ve seen some beautiful and some terrible things, and met some of the nicest students in the world. Our English class is in full swing and we’re enjoying ourselves immensely. Our students are between 14 and 24 years of age, and most look much younger than their ages. They are so open and honest, and they appreciate absolutely everything we say or do. It’s almost embarrassing. We’ve taken so many pictures, and I know that when our class ends on Thursday night, there will be some tears (and some will be mine – I’m such a sap!).

Friday morning we’re heading to Warsaw, where we’ll get to do some more sightseeing before flying back to Toronto on Sunday night. Hope to see some of you soon. And the rest, stay tuned for the Poland Gallery!

Wish You Were Here

I’m writing from the home of one of our hosts, so I can’t say much, but Brooke and I are having a wonderful time. After a certain amount of culture shock, we’re settling in. We’ve done some sightseeing already, to Krakow and to a salt mine near there (the city’s name escapes me at the moment). Tomorrow we’re going to see Auschwitz, which is not “sightseeing” but which will be a valuable experience.

The Polish people we have met so far have been incredibly hospitable and friendly. This is a place we may want to visit again!

I’ll have more to share soon…

How I’m Spending My Summer Vocation

Tomorrow night, Brooke and I leave for 16 days in Poland. We’re travelling to Katowice, in the southern part of the country, near Krakow, to help the Katowice Baptist Church with their summer ESL program. There are ten of us going, and it will be both fun and a challenge to live and work together as a group for the next few weeks.

Though it’s not really a vacation, I’m hoping that in the process of teaching and serving the needs of the church there, I’ll gain some insight into another culture and learn about the history of a fascinating part of the world. However…

While doing some research on hotels and restaurants in Krakow, where we’ll be spending a day or two, I found that Poland has its own equivalent of Hooters. Behold Rooster! The web site assures me “Thanks to such reachness of menu everyone will find something suitable for oneselves.” Hmm. I wonder if the Rooster girls need ESL lessons. 🙂