Lately I´ve been nagging about NOT having internet in my apartment, but I didn´t realise how desperate you can get when the internet is your only connection to your ”old” world, family, news and friends. Ok, my mobile phone is working, but it´s not for free… I realised I missed a few important mails lately hmm… Internet café is a solution, but I really had bad luck last weekend becuase 2 out of 4 internet café had no room for me and the other 2 was closed on Sundays. I went home to my lovely but quiet apartment.

Last Saturday I took a city walk for 4 hours. The old town was very nice but crowded! The controversial culture house in the middle of the city had a great 360 degree´s view from the roof top, beautiful but ice cold! I passed the former jewish ghetto and discovered interesting historic buildings and views. Warsaw is a city of contrasts!

Honestly, I love the polish language even though I dont understand. But as  I mentioned before I like the sound of it. Of course some misunderstandings has occured (in english as well, it´s not the mother tongue for none of us at the agency) like putting the right address to the agency in my name….  ”zaraz wracam” does NOT mean c/o, attention or anything similar, it means ”I´ll be back in minute”.. don´t write that on the envelope (but Agata who delivered the mail to me had a good laugh).

Finally I figured it out, the messages on the chat, about the ”Pan Kanapka” that appears twice a day.  It means that two different ”sandwich men” (or the ”moustache man”) is coming to the office and bring salads and stuff for you to buy. There is one food shop around the corner but people are so busy so it’s a nice thing with deliverance.

Shake hands
I noticed a very nice, not Swedish ”thing” at work. The sign of a familiar atmosphere, politness or a combination I’m not sure, but in the mornings or after a working day your collegues always shake hands and say hello/bye to each other. Also if somebody enter a room from another department or floor, where other people are working they go around and shake your hands (ok not always but most of the time). The first time it happened I thought they were joking, you know when two friends who really know each other suddenly shake hands, but I like it, gives a personal feeling J

2008-09-14
Two weeks have passed and it feels like a month. The ”feeling of a month” is in a positive meaning though. The first week was partly about getting to know a new culture, routines, being the new person around and to speak english all the time was new to me (To find your way to the work was a victory as well…).

The first week on Client service I read a lot to understand the agency and the project I was given, attend meetings and the movie shooting in the weekend was fun. This week I worked at the creative dep with the creative director and made research and benchmarking. A new (to me) and interesting area within the bank sector. I like writing reports J so I hope they were satisfied with the result. Next week I will meet the R&D team! The culture of the agency (or the Polish working climate in general) To observe people, small things and behaviours is so interesting and I definitely enjoy being here. I guess it will take a while to get used to the tempo though. I have no references to the business, but my collegues told me they are overloaded by work at the moment so a ”normal” working day is around 9-10 hours with no lunch- or breaks, it takes a while to get used to.

2008-09-07 Sunday

Today I had the possibility to join a production team for a video shooting. A viral for a hair care product, 4 stories based on 4 different charactars. I have never been on a movie shooting before so my eyes were quite big in the studio… I joined the team basically to learn and to meet the crew. I´m not working with this hair care brand myself, but to experience every step from a brief to the making of a movie is useful I think. Between the shots there were a long time waiting meanwhile they changed the properties. This project started in May when the idea and concept was made and this upcoming week the client is getting examples of the videos, but not the final examples though, the post production will take some time (Like the background and music for example). This is one of the most extensive project at the moment for the agency and the launch is planned during the next year.

PS. By the way, the weather is so hot! Summer in the beginning of September was not my expectations of Warsaw..

I had the warmest welcome to Warsaw yesterday! Then I spent most of my time in IKEA, buying things for the lovely apartment I got. So far I had a nice experience of both the city and friendly people on the street. But as soon as I get internet on my computer life will be much easier :-) (Time pass by much faster on internet cafe)…

2008-09-02
Swedish Polkagrisar and IKEA 
It feels like I have been here for a long time, the things that happened yesterday feels like a week ago. All the impressions every hour and every minute. Everything is fine, the apartment, the area (I found out yesterday that I live in the former Jewish ghetto) is calm but very close to the city centre and the old town. 

The agency
My first impression of the agency was of course the two white buildings, two-storied house across each other in a green calm area. If it wasn´t for the Isobar logo on the outside you could imagine a family living there. (As you understand we are not talking about the city centre of Warsaw..)

Hard working people (who is eating lunch fast and late) and a warm atmosphere is my second impression. This week I´m working on the Client side in an interesting project for Procter & Gamble so I´ve been reading a lot to learn about the project. I´ve been introduced to many of my collegues but I have a hard time to remember their names. Sorry!

People are really making an effort in taking care of me! I was picked up by car the first day at work and one of my collegues even joined me to the grocery store during lunch to make sure I found the way. The question is which time I will be at work tomorrow since Im´ going by tram for the first time…. The names of the stations is somehow difficult to remember.

The Swedish greeting!
Today I also introduced my collegues to polkagrisar (the polkagris”poles” was appreciated) and the ”Swedish Clogs” (tack Malin för det tipset!). Of course I served them in a bowl of wood signed IKEA…

Hi!

After one year of studying web strategy in Stockholm (Berghs Soc), I´m looking forward to my internship at Hypermedia in Warsaw for 4 months. Tomorrow, at 8 AM I´m leaving Stockholm. It´s my first time in Poland as well so, beside of my experiences on the agency, you can expect my blog to include the impressions from a “first-time visitor” in the country. Soon I can add the title blogger to my attributes… and if you have any feedback don´t hesitate to drop me a line!