Krakow, Poland
By Jason de Roulet
17 July 2008
What city do you live in? What neighborhood?
I lived close to the Jagellonian University Hospital on the eastern side of Krakow, Poland for a month.
What are some adjectives that describe your neighborhood?
The neighborhood where our dorm was located was urban, noisy, and run-down in that charming way you only experience in Europe.
How long have you lived there, and what brought you there?
I lived there for one month, doing a medical school rotation at the neurology clinic of Jagellonian University Hospital.
What is your favorite thing about this place? Your least favorite?
The city has so many great attributes, but I must say my favorite thing about Krakow was the food -- delicious pierogies, pork cutlets, and street-meat, not to mention ice cream shops on almost every corner! The main thing Krakow was missing was Abbott's frozen custard, one of my favorite foods back home in Rochester.
Do you feel that you belong there?
Even though I was only there for a month, I easily settled in and began to consider Krakow my home away from home. The people of Krakow are the friendliest and most welcoming I have come across in all of Europe, and the city is the perfect size -- big enough to stay exciting, but small enough to get to know well.
What is the most common misconception about where you live?
That people in Eastern Europe are cold and unfriendly, which is certainly not the case!
What is a special fact about your city that you have to live there to know?
The best kielbasa in the city (also the best I have ever eaten!) is only sold between the hours of 8pm and 3am, out of a blue van parked on the side of ulica Grzegorzecka -- sketchy, but delicious!
What aspect of your city do you secretly love?
Listening to all the Polish being spoken around me and not understanding a word of it.
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