People mostly speak Polish in my region, although since we are so close to the Ukranian border that language can also be heard when walking through the streets. Very few people speak English and those that do go through the program that I am teaching at the State School of Higher Education in Chełm. Across Poland, English is spoken in most major cities, but I am located in a more rural area.
Polish currency is called the złoty (pronounced zwatee). One złoty is equal to about a quarter in U.S. currency. Despite being an EU country, Poland has made no movement towards switching to the euro.
A bottle of water costs 1 złoty or 25 cents in U.S. currency.
The best meal that I had this week was, of course, pierogis. While they can be made with a variety of substances, the pierogi that I had was very traditional with cheese and potatoes filling the dumpling shape. It is very common that they are served with yogurt to dip them in, although the family that I stay with does not normally like to eat them that way.
