City of Boston

Leaving Brant Lake Camp was one of the happiest and saddest day of the summer. Finally I could start traveling and wake up what time I wanted :) And spending money for pleasures, not just saving all the time. People were crying, promising that we will see again one day, yeah it was very emotional! But I couldn't wait any longer to see what I always wanted to see!

 My first stop was Boston, I think the city which I liked the most and I regret that I had just 2 days there. I went there completely alone, long trip by bus from Warrensburg to Albany and then to Boston. I was expecting my friend to travel the next day.  I didn't want to be alone at a hotel, I wanted to meet someone and see a little bit of the city, so I decided to hire a bed in Friend Street Hostel. 

When I arrived at the South Station Bus Terminal, the weather was very beautiful and I decided not to take a taxi to the hostel, just walk by feet with my baggage. It was about 15 minutes and very pleasant to see the streets. When I had came to the hostel, the girl told me that there is no free bed in room, which I hired :D I was like: 'noo I don't want to spend night in MacDonald's or bus station, heeelp' :D Luckily, she found one bed for me, I was very tired after long trip so I breathed a sigh of relief. 

The hostel was very nice, comfortable and I met amazing people there. Girls from Korea, Australia and boys from Boston and Germany :) This night we went to the nearest restaurant to eat and drink something and get to know each other. I bought there the most expensive beer ever :D (7 dollars for the smallest one, do you believe??) We were exchanging our travel memories and experiences, we are still in touch, I really appreciate that. The next day I meet finally my friend and we headed to Logan International Airport. 

To where?? 

To Los Angeles, baby!!! 

It's all about PEOPLE

I couldn't survive working so many hours without incredible kitchen staff. As I said before, they were coming from all around the world and that was a good thing because firstly, everyone felt shy and incertain.

 But theeen the party began :D I do appreciate those moments, when we had even just half an hour of break and we were sitting on the staires or stones and just talking without phones and internet. I didn't even feel the need to log on facebook every day (unbelievable, right?:D) I didn't write so often to my parents also, once my mom asked me if I am still alive haha. 

People were fighting of course, when we were very tired, even one thing could make us angry. But after all, everyone was very helpful, when I was standing 10 hours and I knew, that I won't be able to finish desserts, I could always count on people. 

How weird is that we spent 2 months together and spend another 10 months just passing time until the summer... Through good times and bad, I'm so moved by my time with all of them.

Water fights, cake fights, social games, campfires, watching films together and travelling during our day off's made a bond between us, which I really appreciate. Right now I know that I can travel to Mexico, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic etc. and I always find support from them.

This summer has flown by way definitely too fast. I would be even more blessed to come back again and again. 

USA ≠ PARADISE

Although I consider being in the US as a unforgettible adventure, I cannot call this paradise, mainly because of the food (and their prices :D) When it comes to people, it is completely different, it was much easier to live with them, cooperate and go through the problems than with polish people. Although first impression is very important and most of the Americans are very stubborn and then is almost impossible to convince them :) 

I learn how to live much slower, not to take care about everything too much, I understood that we are just humans and sometimes it is good to make mistakes. At work I was trying to be a perfectionist that's why I was satisfied to work alone, without messy kitchen staff :D Grils were cutting their fingers, burning their hands and food :D It was a nice feeling to be the only one who survived 2 months without any cuts.

My mom is an amazing cook and partially I was glad that I won't eat so much, I wanted to loose weight finally and eat less. But my plans have foundered. I've ate even less than at home and after all I put on weight almost 6 kilogramms :D At first two weeks I tried to eat only salads with tomato and cucumbers (that was the only healthy thing on camp) but come on, I am definitely not a rabbit. 

And then the fun has started :D Breakfast doughnuts (sometimes children even ate salad with chips and dip bleeeeh), lunch - cheese with pasta and fries (+dessert), dinner - hamburgers, pizza, chicken wings (+dessert of course). Kitchen staff have always eaten after the kinds, we must did it very quickly because we wanted to clean fast and take a rest finally. But the kids didn't help us at all, they were very messy during meals, especially when I've baked brownies, dough were all over the tables, chairs and floors. I regret that I did not take a photo of this art haha. 

Happily, during the travelling I was buying food very rarely, camp gave us meals so then I ate just once a day. I was not hungry because of the heat and food prices :D And I've lost everything what I put on weight, yesss! Maybe It will sounds very stupid and shallow but I'd rather to buy some shoes ands clothes and spend it on museums and tourist attractions then waste my money on food haha :D 

Good decisions make good stories.

It was the best decision in my life to choose the United States as my next travel destination. But before, I had to work hard to earn for this pleasure :) I truly recommend to everyone to take part in Work & Travel program. Of course, I had lots of doubts because I was travelling completely alone, I was not sure if I can achieve it. In this post I will tell you about my work and place, where I lived during this summer. 

My destination was Brant Lake Camp, one of the oldest privately owned camps in the US, enjoying nearly 100 years of single family ownership as a camp for boys ages 7 to 15. It is located in the most beautiful area, crystal clear lake and mountains in the background. Mostly we hang out near private waterfront and beaches to take a rest and just admire the nature. 

I've worked as a baker - for me it was a dream job, I thought that I would be a toilet cleaner but ufff so far so good :D I love baking, decorations are one of the things that give me a lot of happiness. I used to work 9-10 hours per day, sometimes it was very difficult because of the heat of two huge ovens, but I cannot complain. I had my own kitchen for baking so no one disturbed me. I wouldn'd be myself if I didn't break both of the ovens in the first week haha :( Nevertheless, having the best chef in the world made my job no stress and anger. 

Sometimes I was very mad about the fact that everyone liked my cookies and cakes so much :D They ate it a lot... like 1200 chocolate cookies per day :P each of them should get only one, but of course they were cheating, sneaky and I've always baked more than I had to. 

The best part of being at the camp was getting to know people. They came from around the world, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Mexico, Jamaica, UK, Turkey and of course US. I already miss them so much, joking and playing in water fights.

How to get out of an akward situation?

Everybody makes mistakes, often we feel embarrassed and hide that nothing happened. Afterwards, we laught about it or cry a lot :) So how to get out of awkwards situations and minimize their consequences?

Nosy questions

There are always those who want to know every little detail of your life - and not only personal, but also professional. They don't embarrassed to ask how much you earn, what salary has your partner or if you have a good relationship with your boss. To get out of this awkward situation, find some ready answers that will satisfy the curiosity of the people and at the same time discourage them to further questions. If someone asks you how much you earn, just answer: enough to pay the bills, but not enough to buy a Lamborghini.

Forgetting someone's name (yeah definitely me)

Very often it happens that after the first meeting we forget someone's name. What to do if you met this person again? Give your hand and say: Hello, I'm not sure if you remember me, I'm XY. The other person probably understands the message and will do the same. If not, continue the conversation, with the hope that you will remember her name. You can also say that you have a short memory for names. Most people will be very understanding, because they also have the same problem.

Committing blunders

Each of us made once in our life a huge blunder. When you do this, give yourself a moment to calm down and quickly fix it by saying something nice. So when you ask a friend who recently took a lot on weight when she will have a baby and she replied that she is not pregnant, tell her: You have such a radiant face as pregnant women. That's why I thought you are expecting a child.

Crispy cupcakes with redcurrant

This is one of my favourites summer recipies for cupcakes, they're very refreshing, a little bit sour but the end result is incredible! If you're not a fan of acidity, you can put more sugar, but I don't like killing the natural taste of currant. This recipe is a little laborious but the faces of my friends when they saw it - priceless! :) 

Ingredients for shortcrust pastry:

• 450 g of flour
• 150 g of butter, cold
• one yolk
• 100 g of powdered sugar
• 3 spoons of milk, cold

Stift the flour, add butter, yolk, sugar, milk, then knead it fast, wrap with the foil and put into the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Prepare a classic mold for cupcakes, butter it and sprinkle with flour. 

 Filling: 

• 500 g of redcurrant
• 3 spoons of potato flour
• 150 g of sugar

Additionally: 1 egg mixed with 1 spoon of milk to spread the cupcakes.

Redcurrant mix with potato flour and sugar. Remove the pastry from the fridge. Sprinkle lightly with flour, roll it out to a thickness of about 3 mm. With wide cup cut the wheel and put the on a muffin form, pushing the sides to the form. Put the filling inside. Of the remaining pastry cut short strips and place them on the cupcakes. Spread with bitten egg. 

Bake at 190° C for about 25 minutes (at the nd of the cooking, the filling of currant starts to boil inside over muffins). Remove, cool in forms. At the end you can sprinkle the cupcakes with powdered sugar.

Good luck!

Makeup as a hobby

Today I'd like to tell you a little about my passion. Makeup has existed for a thousands of years... In ancient times, women have been using products which we wouldn't dare put on our skin today. 

Now we're much conscious about it, but as ingredients have changed and trends evolved throughout history, one thing has stayed consistent - women just love how wearing makeup allows them to feel gorgeous, powerful or like a chameleon. 

Since I was younger, I have always loved playing with makeup, I felt great, being an amateur and a little bit artistic. I do my makeup mostly for fun and because it is very relaxing. For other people's sometimes, it's the best feeling, when somebody appreciate it and like it.

 Makeup gives me a lot of fun, to experiment with and to play with. Who wouldn't love to transform themselves into someone else for a few hours via makeup and gain more confidence? I love playing with colours and shading/conturing, for me it is a possibility to show my creativity. Also, it is not monotonous - there are always new products, brands, limited edition items to try...