Random Encounters

Random people are hilarious! How fun would it be to just meet new people every day and try to find something interesting about them. Basically, that's what travelling is all about, being able to open up -and open up to- people that you've just met and maybe won't see ever again. It's what this trip is really helping me get good at because it's the only way to keep from being lonely when you travel from place to place.

To my surprise, I was at the recieving end today of someone randomly starting a conversation. I was taking a break and reading with a coffee downtown today when this 80 year old man who definetly has some bounce in his step sits down at the table beside me with a newspaper and a tiny chess set. I look up and nod and go back to my book

Old man: You look like you want a game
Dzido: (looking up) excuse me?
OM: A game of chess (opening up the tiny magnetic board)
D: haha naw, thats alright (thinking to self--> senile old man is crazy)
OM: Yeah, you do, its fun (setting up the pieces)
D: No, I'm good. Just reading my book
OM: You can read later whenever you want to, but you should play now.

At this point I think that the man is right, why don't I play? I can read at home! He sold me good. So I shift over to his table

Old Man: Alright, so we'll play for a coffee. (taking out 10 PZN and putting it under the board). I need to buy one for my girlfriend, she's late
Dzido: Your girlfriend?
OM: Yeah, she's a hot professor at the university here. Retired of course

Ok, so at this point I should make a note. Besides the fact that his girlfriend talk was ridiculously funny, has anyone ever seen a senior citizen hustler? Because until tonight the fact that old people have girlfriends or make money off stupid travellers was foreign to me. Anyways.

Three moves into the game as my master plan is just about to unfold, he looks up and the son of a vondruke checkmates me!!!

No, I'm jsut kidding. But the reality wasn't that different. Three moves into the game was about the time I notice this guy is not thinking at all about his moves! He knew exactly what he was doing, and more imporatantly what I was doing.

Well, long story short, turns out that this guy was a chess instructor in Warsaw. Yeah. He destroyed me. It wasn't even like that desperate kind of destroyed, where I'm hanging on at the end for a stalemate or anything. It was more like someone hunting for bunnies with a howitzer. And I was a fluffy pink bunny

After the 5 minute shlackking:

OldMan: You played great! Double or nothing now
Dzido: haha you jerk, no way!
OM: ok, 2 to 1. 10$ to your 5$
D: no chance
OM: 10 to 1
D: ...you're gonna kill me
OM: (smiles)
D: Alright, but I was faking last time, this game is for real
OM: haha ok, I'll be ready

We ended up playing w/o any money on the line, and this time he even told me where to move once or twice. But even with his help he still obviously won (the guy's a frikking chess teacher!) though this time I made a dent in his pieces. Losses aside, it was definetly fun. After the games he told me about being an instructor and that he used to do private lessons and stuff. We sat around for a bit and he showed me some basic strategy that he teaches.

Funny old guy, fun games. I like random people

Segue!

Now, since I have almost 1000 pictures sitting in my camera, I'm never in short supply for posting. Here's a couple of festive shots from my visit to Katowice last week with my dad. We went to see my family, so much family! Here's just a handful of photos of all the people that I can call if I get lost in Poland and need some warm piergoies or shoulders to cry on. We had some nice food and birthday cake for my birthday and some weird polish vodka of course. Aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents all came to say hi to the two canadians who seem to come back to Poland more and more frequently. Family is SO important so it's alway nice to see them, even if its just for a little bit. Check out the similarity between my dad and his brother (standing in the back) Twins like Vic and me!

And here's a shot of the lovely ladies that came to listen to my stories. They 'oohed' and 'ahed' at just the rigth times during my reinactment of the running of the bulls (which included photos, videos, sock puppets and live demonstrations) and made me feel very nice about my adventures. Thanks for the birthday wishes!