Dear students,

This message is written mostly to those who came from far away countries with climates different from the one here. As you might have seen, winter is coming! It can be snowy, freezing and slippery as well (though not necessarily). Real winter can be super exciting with skiing, sledding and playing snowballs, and I hope we’ll be able to do all that, but unfortunately, local people warned me it probably wouldn’t be possible here, in Opole.

Anyway, don’t get upset. Just look into Google Maps – we’re lucky to have mountains close enough. For example, five hours in PolskiBus (www.polskibus.com) and you’re in Zakopane. Moreover, there are a lot of snowy mountain spots much closer, see information here http://jeseniky.net/mapy.php?lang=en or here http://mountain-snezka.czech-mountains.eu/

So, as you can see, winter might be fun, but only if you’ve gotten ready for it. I advise you to buy some warm clothes and suitable shoes (if you haven’t done it yet). Nobody wants you to freeze here. There are a lot of shops in Opole: in Karolinka shopping centre (http://www.ch-karolinka.pl), for instance, you can find whatever you want or need. You have to take a bus to get there, unless you like long walks (which I don’t recommend if you still have no warm clothes).