Poland

My host's living hood is very peaceful and quite, surrounded by a forest and lots of grassy areas. There are no hills to block the sunlight from morning till late afternoon, making the house more thermo-efficient. The house itself has 4 floors with wooden interior and a gently sloping roof. On the outside, you can see two balconies, each in different floor, a big backyard and a garage in the back. The cars they are driving are maybe not as modern as ours, but meet the requirements. The grass and the trees are trimmed regularly, so the surrounding looks really tidy. The umbrella outside throws a large shade on the table and the chairs underneath, making it a comfortable place to lounge, or to have a warm Sunday meal in the open air. The space in the house is well occupied and the furniture well arranged to face the sun.
The bathroom perhaps shouldn’t be next to the kitchen as in most of the houses, but at least it uses the same pipe-line as the kitchen does, which is easier to build.

Łukas’s grandmother and grandfather live under the same roof. They have their own floor (bottom floor), whereas Łukas, his sister, mother and father live in the floor above.

Łukas and his sister have to walk o the nearest bus station, which is approximately 20 minutes away, where the bus takes them to school and back.

Their mother works in shifts, so her schedule is prone to change. The kids need to adjust and be dynamic, as with the car, which Łukas often borrows from her, when she is not home and has to bring it back when she comes.

Their lifestyle is more easygoing as ours and the atmosphere is less tense. They do not argue as much and are overall very nice people, hospitable and friendly.

By Uroš Križman