Kyle in Poland: Days 62-63
Mini shopping trip around town, Practice, Bird Disaster, and more, Photos at the end
On the final day of May, I woke up around 9 a.m., eager to get my morning started.
I got ready and edited a story until I became hungry and made a couple sandwiches for lunch. Around the same time, Greg arrived and took two of my big suitcases to the garage since there was no longer enough space for them in my tiny room.
After I finished eating, I walked to the outlet mall for a quick shopping trip. On the way there, I stopped for a second to take in the beauty of the day.
It was incredibly nice outside, mid 60s with a cool summer breeze. There were birds chirping, and a strong aroma of fresh cut grass and flowers filled the air. I almost felt like I was in a movie, the conditions were that nice. Compared to a typical Oklahoma summer, this was a perfect change of pace.
A few minutes later, I made it to the outlet mall and went through all the usual stores.
That day, my main focus was on Martes Sport, with the intent of finding new shorts or sweatpants. After searching the store and deliberating my options, I chose a nice pair of black shorts.
When I went to checkout, it was a funny moment because the cashier already knew who I was. Since I have been to the store a handful of times, and the man has cashed me out on each occasion, he immediately recognized me and knew to speak English.
I completed the purchase, thanked the man, and left.
On the way back, I stopped by Captain Mike’s. There, I grabbed a couple more souvenirs for my family and friends before wrapping up the mini shopping trip and heading back to the apartment.
An hour or so later, I stretched, got my equipment ready, and went to practice.
This time, we played catch, hit two rounds of BP, and worked on fielding. It was a normal, productive practice.
Unfortunately, toward the very end, I felt something hit my arm. It happened just after I threw a ball, so I didn’t think anything about it, assuming it was simply a bug that bumped into me.
Practice concluded and I sat in the dugout. I glanced at my arm and my jaw dropped. Completely, utterly, thoroughly disgusted, I realized what felt like simply a bug was far, far worse than I imagined. I was, in fact, a victim of bird poop.
Immediately, I jumped up and my disgust was noticeable. I showed a couple of my teammates who all laughed, understandably so, and told me that in Poland, it was a sign of good luck.
Sadly, it did not feel that way.
I went to the bathroom and spent a good amount of time thoroughly washing my sleeve with soap, using tissues and towels to make sure my hand never made contact with the nastiness.
Finally, when I felt slightly cleaner, I left the bathroom, and gathered up my equipment.
We got back to the apartment, and I immediately showered, which finally got rid of the disgusting feeling I had.
Later, once I was able to get an appetite, I made pierogis and kielbasa for dinner.
After eating, I cleaned up and watched the Sevilla and AS Roma Europa League Final. It was a solid game that went on for a long time, ultimately decided by penalty kicks in which Sevilla came out on top.
Once the game concluded, I watched a tv show and went to sleep.
I ended up snoozing off and on throughout the night and woke up around noon. Then, I got ready for the day, ate a few sandwiches, and waited around for kid’s practice.
That day, the kids played a game and afterward, Greg passed out baseball cards as a gift to everyone.
Originally, the plan was for him to order the cards to the U.S., I would pick them up, and bring them with me to Poland. Obviously, this did not work out.
The cards came in several weeks late after I left home and when my mom shipped them back overseas, that took a few weeks as well. So, the cards finally made it, and the kids were able to enjoy them, even though none of them knew a single player.
Once they finished opening cards, we went back to the apartment.
I hung out in my room for a while until I showered and made chicken wings for dinner. After eating, I cleaned up, and then worked on a story for a while.
Still awake in the middle of the night, of course, I watched the first half of the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. The game was solid, but once halftime rolled around, it was incredibly late, so I made myself go to sleep.
Thank you all for following along, and if you learn one thing from this, always beware the birds!
Stay tuned for the next story, where we will be discussing another baseball road trip.
Yes! I have always heard that it is good luck to be pooped on by a bird! But I must agree with you-doesn’t seem like it when it happens 😂