Poland
A Coding Degree and the Baltic Sea
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Pondering life in Świnoujście, Poland
Do you write about the times you'll never forget, or about the ones you're afraid you won't remember?
This morning I boarded a train from the very northwest corner of Poland along the Baltic, to the very southeast (about a twelve hour ride). So, as you can imagine, seven hours in, I’ve had quite a bit of time to pause and ponder, and potentially make some progress on a long overdue update. So much has happened in the past 3 months of my adventure in Poland that it’s hard to know where to begin. The big question that crossed my mind – and has likely crossed the mind of every writer, amateur to experienced – was should I write about experiences I’ll never forget or those I’m afraid I will? The latter is clearly a much more practical approach.
But then again, I’m not writing to strategize, I’m writing to share… Hence, here are some of the highlights:
- Lessons from life with my 94-year-old roommate (and uncle)
- Weekend in the Tatra Mountains
- I’m officially a coding bootcamp graduate. It’s really incredible how much you can learn in just a few months time. Not only did I up my data viz game through deeper understanding of the JavaScript fundamentals behind D3 — the data viz library that was generally my go-to — but I also now have a solid React (JS framework), HTML, and CSS/Sass foundation. The best part though? Being able to take in all the info alongside some truly incredible people. I enjoyed the conversations over lunch, cooking Indian food, and along the Wisła River, as much as those during “official” school hours.
- First time by the Baltic. To be completely honest, I thought walking along the beach for 6+ hours/day, everyday might get a bit boring. It didn’t. I have the best mom in the history of the world and my two incredible aunts to thank for that! Nothing makes you feel more like a kid again than ice-cream, picnics on the beach, and jumping through waves (albeit freezing cold waves).
AND NOW THAT YOU KNOW A BIT OF WHAT WAS, HERE’S A LITTLE OF WHAT’S NEXT:
- In about a week I fly to South East Asia for a month of exploring Thailand and Indonesia with one of my best-friends, Rachel. Right now, the plan is Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai, and Bali (and nearby islands). If you have any recommendations, gladly accepting any and all!
- And after that? It’d probably be good to find a job… ideally as a React developer! I’m having a lot of fun working through the challenges of my latest project, an app to create an interactive family tree built using React and D3 (will share the final product later).
- What side of the Atlantic that job will be located in, is still up in the air for the moment. I think I know which way I’m leaning, but I also know, I have a little while to see if the wind blows me in the other direction. I’ll keep you updated!
But before all that, there’s a few more things on my life to-do/”to-learn” list:
- How to drive a car stick-shift
- How to bake szarlotka + Polish grammar lessons with Aunt Hania
- Prep our apple trees/black current bushes for the summer bloom
- Make my friend and former neighbor, Pierre, a new site so he can share his incredible woodworking talent with the world!