FENCINGGG!

OH MY GOSH TODAY WAS THE DAY WE GOT TO TRY FENCING!

I'm pretty sure this was the girls' favorite activity because we all wanted to be Lindsey Lohan from The Parent Trap.  Sadly, only Natalie ended up being that good!

We all arrived at the fencing class and they were not messing around!  We had to run a few laps for warm-ups and then do some more intense leg workouts.  I sat out for about 10 minutes due to the pain in my leg.  After the warmup, we began learning how to pose and move around in proper fencing ways.  It was a lot harder than it looked!  I thought most of the moves were free formed, but you really must think about what you are going to do before you do it!   After a few practices, we watched two Polish students fence.  After that, it was our turn.  Natalie and Sebastian volunteered and the showdown started!  To everyone's surprise, Natalie kicked Sebastian's butt!  Normally Sebastian is good at EVERYTHING, so it was funny to see him lose!  He really tried hard and fought well, but Natalie was just very good.  I give a lot of props to both of them because I know I would not have done well at all.

The is the Polish teacher showing Sebastian how to hold his sword.  The outfit for the sport looks a little uncomfortable, but it is very protective!

 
When we were done with our fencing class, it was time to try Goalball.  This is a Polish sport for people with disabilities.  When I saw this, I immediately thought of an injury or someone in a wheelchair.  Instead, these sports were for those who were visually impaired!


Our first step in this lesson was an obstacle course.  We had to do many normal tasks like walking on a balance beam, hula hooping, and a somersault without vision.  Once this course was over, we had to run to people who were clapping without looking.  This was scary because the people were standing close to walls and poles.  The last step was to chase a ball that had bells in it and grab it as soon as possible.  Tyler was my partner during the whole thing and he was great!  I was so scared because I couldn't see but he was a great leader!

Even when she can't see, Brooke still manages to pose for the camera! :)


After these activities, we went to play the real Goalball sport.  it was a big court, like a basketball court but there were lines that you couldn't cross.  There was a defense line you couldn't cross which was about five feet away from the goals and there was a offense line you couldn't cross about three feet in front of the other line.  It was hard to catch the ball because the other team would throw it so hard.  The ball did have the bells in it so it helped us in hearing where it was.


Lastly, we went to the rehabilitation and tourist center in Kamien.  This center was a beautiful spa like place with areas for massages, warm baths and other items to help with circulation, injuries and other issues with one's body.  I found this center to be very relaxing and inviting.  

 Pictured above is a very cold pool that goes a little above the knees.  It helps with blood circulation in the legs.  It was shocking at first, but I really enjoyed being in the pool for a few minutes.
 

After the tour of the center, we had a BBQ in the forest behind it.  It wasn't a traditional American BBQ of course, but it was delicious!  I still can't believe the hospitality we witness in Poland.  This whole meal was free for us and the experience will last a lifetime!