today i feel american

on the one hand, i got lost for about half the time i was lost on saturday.  on the other hand, i got stereotyped as american, which has never happened before.  And i mean i think it was probably because i gently disagreed with the guy over a political issue, but it still kind of sucked.

I signed up for my language courses today, and after that was done, the API dudes told me where to find the main building to sign up for something called an Erasmus Card,which is apparently a progam for all the exchange/abroad students to get together and do events, and for like $10 you get fifty percent off a bunch of signups and whatnot.  I also bought a welcome bag which came with a tote, a notebook, two pens (THANK GOD COZ I DIDN'T BRING ANY), a SIM card (for when/if i finally get my Polish phone), a lanyard, a tshirt (which i'm giving to mom!) and a mug.

Before i get into the who stereotyping story, i wanna give a shoutout to my mom for buying me a little portable tea diffuser and encouraging me to take it with me.  I didn't bring any tea, because i figured i would have to declare it.  But there is a vendor selling tea in the market, and so i was able to get a couple types of tea from the guy.  One is strawberry and comes in bags, the other is Pineapple Green which comes in loose leaves.  so woo to my mom for giving me a totally useful gift!

so okay there i was, and i was waiting in line to sign up for this Erasmus card, and there's this totally beautiful girl in front of me.  She almost bumps into me, but didn't, but she kept making eye contact in a way that i have learn means "talk to me!"  So I ask "englielsku?" she she responds "what?"  And i said "oh, good, english!"  and there are a few people around me and eventually she leaves (though she insistently and and repeatedly shook my hand really hard.  and told me where she was going, and where she'd be tomorrow.  which either means she has a crush on me, or she was seriously confused and wanted help.  idk)

One of the people standing around was this guy and he was kinda cute, but i hadn't really been talking to him.  still, i noticed him trying to catch my eye, too, and so when the conversation moved away from Sophia and onto the other people who were waiting quietly (which i fixed pretty damn quick) he kinda busted into Anna, Evgenia, and my conversation with "So have you seen it?"  and i asked "Seen what?" and he asked "Have you seen 50 Shades of Grey?"  and so i laughingly include him in that no, i haven't, but i'm trying to read the books.  we talks some and make the eye contacts and do the joking and stuff that is the closest that i get to flirting.  making someone laugh and doing eye contact?  yeah, that's my game.  that's how i roll.

(I also made fun of him for THAT being the first thing he asked me, "hey what do you think of kinky sex" equivalent SO FUNNY YOU SHOULD MENTION THAT.  ACTUALLY--  but apparently he heard me say i'm from the seattle area and he remembered that from the movie.)

later i am lost and so i sit on a bench to go through my erasmus bag and who walks by but the flirting boy!  So i get up to walk with him for a bit (because he's heading my way and actually it was good because i needed to get back to the old town to collect my bearings) and while we walk, he tells me about one of his studies or papers due or whatever is about Cyprus Island fighting for its independence from a bigger country.  So i ask if that's like Crimea and Russia, and his response is "Sort of, except historically, Crimea was just part of Russia."  and i sort of smiled and said "probably not if you asked the Crimeans."

So he flashed back with "Why do you care?  You're American!  You live well, you have one of the biggest military powers in the world, why would you worry?"

And i'm ashamed to say i honestly had no response.  I mean, i still don't.  I know that the stereotype of americans is lazy/ignorant/privledged, but i work really hard NOT to be like that.  And i know i'm not very good.  If i didn't find the news so depressing, i could know more about the world than i do, but still.  even if i'm ignorant, i try not to be disrespectful.  and i suck ass at not being loud, but i'm super good at least being open and friendly.

so for this guy to be frustrated over the fact that I DO care confused me.  It kind of struck a nerve.  And i guess if i was smart i would just write it off as one more dude who doesn't like a chick that talks back, but it's a fucking bummer, you know?  

Adding pictures from my phone in a second of a pretty building i saw while i was lost, and of the main Jagiellonian administrative building.