Deszcz. Polish for “rain.” If you don’t speak consonants, say “desh” and add a little soft “ch” that trails off at the end. It’s like the cycle of a shower. Heavy, then steady, then soft at the end, so to speak.
I sit here in the dark of my fifth floor flat with the French (or [...]

“You can’t drink the water,” she said.
“Why not. Krakow’s a modern city?” I said.
“The water isn’t good,” my soon to be sister-in-law said. “There’s a bottle there for drinking.”
“It’s almost empty,” I said staring at the 1.5 liter bottle. That’s about my half-day ration. In Poland, that could last for three days I was told. [...]