Family Ties in Poland

About 4 months ago I was in Kraków, Poland and my e-mail stopped working. When I finally was able to log on I found a message from my Polish cousin saying that she had some business to take care of in another part of the country. She asked if I could come the week after I had planned to do so. I had reserved a trip to the Western Balkans for that week, so I was not able to. Everything still worked out. We picked a week in mid-November for my visit, and I kept my self busy visiting a friend in Slovakia during the week we had originally discussed.

A few months went buy. As the time of my visit neared I realized that this would be the first time that I would be going to the region where my ancestors actually came from. I also knew that this would be the first time I would be visiting Poland in the winter. My mother had worked as a correspondent in the country during marshal law. She always repeated a saying that winter life there was "gray, sad and hard," so I was curious but also felt some trepidation.

My plane departed Budapest's Franz Liszt Airport for Warsaw's Chopin air terminal. Then a bus 6 hours northeast to to the town of Suwałki near the Lithuanian border. My cousin(I call her this for simplicity's sake) Marzanna, her husband and brother met me at the station and drove me along dark road to the family's deary farm in Kowale Olekice.

I met Marzanna and her husband the year before in Lubliń, but this was my first time meeting her entire family. I was immediately welcomed by all of them. It was late so I quickly went to sleep.

The following morning we returned to Suwałki to search for my ancestors in the local archives. Marzanna's mother explained to me that this is no easy task. When my great-grandfather left for America, Poland was still partitioned between Austria,Germany and Russia. The former

border ran through the area and my ancestors apparently lived on both sides of it. While they have found many of my his brothers and sisters, my great grandfather has yet to turn up in the records. Next we traveled to Sidory Zapolne, where my elusive ancestor had been born. It was amazing to stand on the exact spot where an important part of my American family's history had begun. During my time in Suwalszczyzna I also visited the monastery at Wigry, where the Pope used to enjoy visiting.

Over the next few days I got to meet many of my Polish family's other members. There were so many that it would be impossible to mention them all in this post, so here are some of the highlights. Each meeting was accompanied by what I only define as a feast. "Andrew, Jedz!"(Eat, Andrew!) became a pleasant refrain for much of the trip. Almost all of the food and drink was homemade. During my five days in the area I began to gain an appreciation for the wisdom of a product being 'swojej roboty', or from your own work.

I Especially enjoyed discussing the differences of the U.S. and Polish educational systems with Marzanna's sister's daughter, and gaining a new perspective on history of the region from My

cousin's Lithuanian grandfather -- over homemade vodka.

During five day visit with my family in Mazury, I felt truly welcomed. When it was time to go, I was given a bag full of homemade sandwiches, and told that they wanted me to return. While the sky was a bit gray, life is no longer hard and anything but sad. I was truly impressed by the beauty of the land my forebarers came from. All that is left to say is thanks again to all who made my time there so amazing. As we discussed, Next summer, I shall return.

The Road I'm On

It was already dark when my bus from Kowale Oleckie arrived in Warsaw. I checked into my hotel near the airport and was honored when the receptionist complemented my Polish. A bit later I set about looking for the local grocery store. There was nothing in the area, so I decided that if I was going to walk around in the cold, it would be better to do so in the old town square.

The bus back into town took about 45 minutes. We passed by the Palace of Culture and Science, and then continued up the Nowy Świat. I had planed to alight at the beginning of the old town. However the bus made a left turn and ended up in Victory Square, where I decided to get off. Ironically, this was the place where my feet had first touched Polish soil six years ago.

My gaze immediately turned to the large hotel complex at the far end of the square. In communist times this was the government travel agency's sanctioned hotel. My mother stayed here as a journalist during marshal law. It was about this hotel that I heard some of my first stories of Poland. In the present day, it is no longer owned by Orbis but instead is a Softel.

I realized that I needed to find my way back to the old town. My parents had always called the nearest main street to the square the K.P. because they could not pronounce it. There was a main bulovard near to the square and I walked along it, wondering where I was. After a while I came to a sign post with the name Krakowskie Przedmieście imprinted on it. Slowly, It dawned on me that this street was the K.P. I had walked on long ago.

As I continued up this street, it was as if I was taking a journey back in time. In the Plac Zamkowy I remembered a boy on one of his first trips to Europe, curious about a heritage he had never known first hand. When I finally reached the old town square I was reminded why I had spent years learning Polish and became dedicated to pursuing a career in eastern Europe.

Beyond the old city walls the new town awaited me. I crossed onto its cobbled streets reflecting on the past few years. Since my first trip to Warsaw I have seen many more impressive sights, from the old town square of Brussels, to the canyon perched shanties near Machu Picchu. The teeming metropolis of Male is an environment I will always treasure. But Warsaw will always hold a special place in my heart.

Most people I have known are unimpressed by Warsaw. I simply cannot agree with them. This small post-war reconstruction of an historic center symbolizes more then any other place my hopes and dreams for the future. Having just returned from Warsaw's stare miasto, I cannot help but feel that it always will.

I headed back to my hotel with renewed determination. While I may have a few years to go before I can start my career in eastern Europe, this short walk reminded me of why I was doing it, and of how far I had come. I returned down what I had come to know as the Krakowskie Przedmieście. Not only did I know where it led, but more importantly, I could pronounce it!

Success in Slovenia

I am in my final year of undergraduate studies at my university in America. However, this was the first time that in which I have taken a quick business trip anywhere. I can safely say that it went well.

On my first morning in Slovenia, I got up early and headed out of the city center for my admissions interview at the University of Ljubljana's Faculty of Economics with the director of the Master's program in international business, Prof. Prasnikar. I arrived early and was greeted by Maja Knehtl, another of the program's administrators. She was very helpful in explaining some of the specifics of the program and student life.

When it came time for the actual interview, the professor greeted me, and then proceed to explain that, in his experience, Americans do not take studies in Europe seriously. I responded by telling him that many Americans hold a problematic of view studying in Europe as a once in a life time opportunity to travel. I assured him that it not an attitude which I share and he seemed to relax. We passed the rest of the time discussing Slovenia's rating of competitiveness in the E.U. At the end, I was informed that I was accepted to the program based on the interview and my GPA, and that I would be formally enrolled next September.

That afternoon I met with Maja Jeranko, a family friend in the center of Ljubljana. She was very well traveled in both Europe and the U.S. I found refreshing to discuss future career opportunities with some one who has experiential knowledge of life and economy on both continents.

On the second day, I had a productive meeting with, to clarify my case of claiming Slovene citizenship through ancestry. This was the first time that I have had to make a hiring decision, or engage price negotiations. So, while I was a bit nervous I am glad I got the experience. I now understand how employment interviews can also be stressful for the interviewer.

That evening I went with Maja and some current students from the master's program to Slovenia's national art gallery, which was small but nice. This was followed by a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

While was lucky to see the major sights of Slovenia on a previous trip, I can see how business travelers sometimes do not get to see much of the countries to which they travel.I returned to Budapest feeling rather tired. A lot had happened in the space of only two days and I slept for the rest of the weekend.

Travel, Perspective, and a Train

Just a few decades ago Europe was divided. These divisions ran not only between East and West, but also between individual countries. People often had more distorted perceptions of other nationalities who only lived a few kilometers away.

During my journey to Ljubljana in the second class compartment of the Citadella express, I sat with Hungarian families Nigerian immigrants, and pair of Slovene collage students, who had never taken the train to their capital. The fields of Hungary gave way to dusk as we entered Slovenia. To my surprise the the train stopped. The Slovenian police boarded and began checking passports and ID cards. Both Hungary and Slovenia are members of the Schengen area, so I almost had left my passport in Budapest. As I handed over my documents for inspection it occurred to me how much greater freedom to travel is reshaping European attitudes and economics.

Before the fall of the iron curtain, passage between western Europe and the former eastern bloc was not an easy matter. Even in the satalite states of the USSR passage between countries was heavily restricted. Many residents of the DDR could only obtain authorization to go to Bulgaria on holiday, and few Poles could gain clearance for travel to what they referred to as the 'demoludy' or other Warsaw Pact countries.

Today, maintaining open borders is a nessesity for economic success. Even countries which do not participate in the Schengen area make crossing the border a simple task. Only Belarus and Russia still have serious visa requirements for entry by EU or American citizens.

This opening up of national borders has had the effect of allowing the free of exchange of knowledge and goods across national borders. It has also provided for the free exchange of human capital. Migration between Europe and other parts of the world has also become much more frequent. Despite this, many have elected to stay in their own countries, on the basis of national identity. Crossing a border in Schengen may have become easier, but Europe fortunately continues to be a union of individual, and independent countries.

As I sat on the train, I realized that I also had this ease of movement to thank for the broader perspective which I have gained through my own travels. Relaxation of travel and trade policy has not only spurred cultural and economic exchange, but also allowed me to see the potential for opportunity which these conditions have created in central-eastern Europe. I can only hope that more Americans choose to travel abroad, not to brashly visit an exotic locale, but instead to derive their own deeper meaning from the global environment in which the U.S. is situated.

On the way back from Slovenia it was light as the train passed through the Sava river gorge where my great-grandparents were born. I had been to the area before but had never seen it like this. Sheer forested hillsides of changing leaves sharply descended to a fast flowing emerald river. It was something I had only seen in landscape paintings. I stared in fascination at the latest gift my travels had given me until the train crossed into Hungary.

Ties of History and Faith

I barely ever went to church in California. Only on Christmas and Easter would I attend mass, hear the priest give a sermon on why most of the congregation should come the rest of the year, and then wait until the next of these holidays to return. However, while in Poland I began going to mass regularly and discovered that I actually liked it.

Once I got to Budapest, I saw a sign for the city’s Polish church. Since then I have made it a point to take the metro out to Budapest’s 10^th district every Sunday to attend Polish mass.

A few Sundays ago, the priest announced that this day was not only the first day of Blessed Pope John Paul II, but also was the 55^th anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 uprising against the Soviet regime. Understandably, this was a rather important day for both nations. The church had even planned the first communion of it’s Sunday school to coincide with it.

The mass began by blessing an image of the former Polish pope, and appealing to the the recently beatified pontiff. This only served to underscore to me the fact that while John Paul II is not yet a Saint, to many poles he might as well be already.

Of even more interest was the almost equal respect that the Polish speaking mass paid to the Hungarian October uprising. Like the Gdańsk shipyard uprising of the early 1970’s are regarded in Poland, this Budapest insurrection of similar import to the Hungarians. Throughout the mass the priest spoke of the importance of these events in building a good national foundation, and of the pope’s example in fostering solidarity between Christian and other peoples.

Judging by my experiences in America, mass was always about what people are doing wrong, but this one was an affirmation of what we have done right. Although it was about the past, it showed that their message still has relevance in the present day, and meaning for the future.

This experience exemplifies the sense of friendship between Poles and Magyars. While their cultures may be different, the journeys of faith and freedom that they have had to travel are strikingly similar. On that morning in mass it occurred to me that this manifestation would have been in keeping with the pope’s wishes. As one of my Friends from Kaliningrad put it: “Polak i Węgier, dwa bratanki.” Pole and Magyar, brothers in arms – and in faith.