Romana Ingardena 6 is the address of Instytut Psychologii, the psychology department where Zofia’s lab is located. I got there by taking the tram number 20, getting off on the third stop. The building was surprisingly easy to find and identify. (A note about the Jagiellonian University campus: the buildings aren’t located in the same place, rather, they are spread out all over, woven in the city.) And what a beautiful building it is! Modern, state of the art, sophisticated, fun.
I started the day with Jonas, a PhD student in the lab who has been working with me on my research project. We’ve skyped before to discuss the study, but it was great to finally meet in person. He had a class that morning, and invited me to come along, which I was happy to do, especially since the lecture directly related to my research interests: Bilingualism in Adult Learners. The classroom was in the same building, on the top floor. The dynamics seemed similar to an American class: students quietly coming into the room, saying hello to their friends and acquaintances, and sitting down in the lecture hall in small groups or by themselves. The lecture was in English, so I could easily follow along (apart from the Polish words that were used for English-Polish examples and comparisons). It felt strange, only a week after finishing up the semester, to be sitting in lecture once again. Despite still being both overwhelmed and very excited to be in a completely new environment, this felt strangely familiar and thus comforting. I know this. I know how to be a student.
Afterward, I was introduced to the lecturer, Marta, who is a postdoc who also works closely with Zofia. The introductions continued for the rest of the day as I was taken all over the building. I got to meet almost everyone working in the lab or associated with it in any way, and everyone was so, so welcoming. I was constantly being asked about my flights and how I’m adjusting and offered a lot of tea. Agata, another student at the lab, took me to a cute little cafeteria nearby and we grabbed lunch together. With all the attention and care, I immediately felt like a part of the group. They even prepared a desk for me!
My desk <3
I think I got the bestest spot in the room: it’s right by the window, which overlooks a green park. I love it! If I ever get stressed out by my work, I can take a moment to gaze out into nature and feel more grounded. When the window is open, you can hear the birds singing and the occasional conversation of people strolling through the park. It’s nice to feel more in touch with the outside world, or at least get some natural sunlight. I’m definitely going to miss this when I do back to our windowless lab at Penn State.
Another important room, or a number of rooms: the testing area. This is also a lovely area (with windows!) that contains two testing booths, the control room for the researchers, a kitchenette, a “waiting area” with a couch, and the door to Zofia’s office.
In the second half of the day, with the introductions done and me settled in at my desk, I had some time to roam around the building. The first thing I noticed were all the students: since there are classes in this building, there are always students around, chatting in groups, studying, snacking—as all students do. This felt different from our Psychology building at Penn State though, which only contains laboratories and offices and has a more somber atmosphere.
But possibly my favorite thing about the building are the stairs. And this is not something I would commonly say, I, a person who never goes to the gym and generally much prefers elevators. But these stairs are amazing. They are centrally located, so quite literally everything revolves around them. There are plants lining the railing. And on each floor, there are stripes made out of tiles of the landing indicating which floor you are on. It’s very subtle, and I didn’t notice it at first, but now I think it’s a brilliant idea!
“Floor 2”
I’m really excited to be working at Instytut Psychologii for the next two months. Certainly, the beautiful facilities are a great perk, but they would be nothing without the wonderful people working here. And if there are tea lovers, I can already tell we’ll get along. 🙂