1/28/2019
Running Culture in PolandI have been running around Lębork here and there since my arrival here. I am not training for a marathon or anything like that, and I probably go for a run at least three times a week. I try and change my running route from time to time, so that I can see more of the town. This has been a good idea because I am able to see more and more of Lębork. I certainly have not lived here for a long time, but thanks to my runs I feel that I have gotten to know more of the town. Very rarely do I see other runners out on the streets while I am running. However, the few times that I do, I am always surprised. Mainly because I usually run at strange times of the day, and I am surprised to see other runners at these times, but also because of what the runners do when they see me. Every runner with whom I have crossed paths as acknowledged me in some fashion. Sometimes it is a slight nod of the head. Other times it is a wave. On more rarer occasions I have received both a wave and a hello. Each time that a fellow runner acknowledges me, I find it rather nice and pleasant. I had no idea that there was this type of solidarity among runners in Poland. I like it, and I enjoy passing by other runners while I am running in Lębork. The slight acknowledgement that this community gives to one another is a small but meaningful gesture. It is as if they want to say: 'I see that you are out here, yes running sucks, but I recognize that you are here running with the rest of us'. At least that is how I interpret their small gestures While I was in Warsaw working as an intern, I had a similar experience with runners there as well. I was just as surprised as I am in Lębork. Most of my surprise comes from the fact that I never experienced something like this while running in America. Most American runners keep their heads down and tend not to acknowledge other runners if they happen to meet them while running. Maybe this is because they are more competitive in nature and don't want to acknowledge someone who may be just as good a runner as themselves, if not better. I am not sure about the American running mind-set, America is after all a big and diverse country. However, I can say that I have been pleasantly surprised with the running culture here in Poland. I can definitively say that when I go out running I look forward to passing by other runners, because running can suck, but it is nice to acknowledge and be acknowledged by fellow runners.
I was lucky enough to meet with some fellow Americans over the Christmas holidays. They are working in Spain as teaching assistants, so we decided that we would see some of Europe together. We met in Prague the day after Christmas, went to Vienna, and flew to Gdańsk for New Year's Eve. I could of course talk about Prague and Vienna, but I would much rather talk about my favorite of those three cities: Gdańsk. I am happy to say that the fellow Americans enjoyed Poland. It was their first time in Poland, so I was curious what they might think. Of course, if you read this blog frequently, you already know that I really like Poland. We flew into Gdańsk late in the night and took a taxi to our hostel. We started the next day with a climb to the top of the bell tower in St. Mary's Church. We enjoyed the view of the city from there. Next, we went to the Hala Targowa and shopped around. I made sure that they tried some sweets such as: Michałki, plums in chocolate, krówki, and szarlotka. They enjoyed them all, but I believe their favorites were the plums in chocolate. After this we tried to go to both the Museum of the Second World War and the European Center for Solidarity,co both were closed. We made due with walking around these areas and I told them as much of the history of Gdańsk as I could remember. It certainly would have been better if they had been able to see the museums, but what to do. We started New Year's Eve night at a very nice brewery near St. Mary's Church. From there we went to the gate at the beginning of Długi Targ, because we wanted to see the concert there. There were many people and a few bazaar stalls as well. We wanted something to drink and so got some 'hot Christmas beer'. Turns out this was a mistake, because none of us really liked it and we had to force ourselves to drink it. We counted down to Midnight with everyone else and enjoyed the fireworks there. After the crowd dispersed from the concert area one of my colleagues forced us to go to a small bar/club. I did not want to pay the cover to get into the place, but my colleague insisted, so we went. I hope my colleague never reads this, but I did actually enjoy myself there. After the bar we went to bed and had sweet dreams of a rather good and memorable New Year's Eve. The next day we walked to the Baltic Sea. There we had a late lunch at a fish restaurant and then we walked on the beach for a while. We stopped at a bar for one last drink and then I had to say goodbye to my travel companions. I took the train back to Lębork, and they had one more night in Gdańsk before they flew off to Helsinki. I believe they really enjoyed Poland and Gdańsk and I hope they tell more people how great Poland and the Pomorskie voivodeship really are.
For better or for worse, I was unable to go home for the Christmas break. In reality, this may have been for the best because I was able to spend both Christmas Eve (24th of December) and Christmas day (25th of December) with some very kind and gracious people. I was also able to see the customs and traditions that are typical of these days in Poland. I generally believe that in our modern times the best part of Christmas is the fact that it is an opportunity for spending time with family and friends and appreciating all that we have. We try to do this in America, even though many times capitalism and commercialism get in the way of this. I was very happy to see that in Poland Christmas time is largely a time for being with friends and family. The tradition of opłatki (Christmas wafers) is a very nice piece of this sentiment, and I think it is a great way to appreciate what you have and also share your best wishes with those who are close to you. Most families don't have anything similar to this tradition in America, and I wish we did because it is a great way to tell those close to you that you care about them. In my family, we did always keep a spot open at our table, and when we asked our Grandma about this, she would often say that it was for a weary traveler who might happen to come by, or else that it was for Jesus himself. As a child, I never really understood this tradition, but I was happy to hear that many families in Poland also keep an open table-setting at their table for Christmas Eve dinner. Besides the feelings and meanings of Christmas, there was, of course, new and different food to try! Barszcz or beetroot soup is without a doubt very good. Pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms are also delicious. The many styles and types of fish that different families eat was also interesting. Greek-style fish seemed to be the most common and was what I ate on Christmas Eve. In America, we generally eat meat on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but this, of course, varies greatly and depends on the individual families and their traditions. I will say that most families in America have their larger meal on Christmas Day instead of Christmas Eve and most times the main dish is either a large ham or a large turkey, but again this depends on the family. There are many dishes in America that are typical for Christmas dinner, but most families don't have the tradition of twelve dishes, as some families have in Poland. This sounds very tasty as the more dishes, the better, however, it seems like a lot of work for whoever has to cook and prepare the meal! Of course, we can't talk about Christmas time without talking about Santa and Mikołaj! I was surprised that Santa comes after Christmas Eve dinner in Poland because in America he usually comes in the middle of the night on the 24th of December. I had different opinions about these different times, and I am still uncertain which time is best for Santa to come to the home. For example, in Poland, I do like that Santa comes right after dinner. However, this seems like a logistical problem for the parents because they must send the kids upstairs or outside or somewhere and then quickly have Santa appear. This leaves little time to have things fully prepared and ready to go it seems. On the other hand, in America Santa comes during the middle of the night. So, that the kids are all sleeping and parents have all night to place the presents under the Christmas Tree and get things arranged just right. However, a negative of this American way is that many times children don't sleep at all on Christmas Eve and also wake everyone up in the house very early. So, in America, parents have more time to get everything arranged and all the presents prepared, but then they usually have to wake up very early on Christmas day. In Poland, it seems to be the opposite; parents have less time to have Santa appear and get the presents prepared, but then they are able to sleep in on Christmas Day. I am not certain if I can say definitively that one system is better than the other. I can only say that they are different. Regardless of when Santa appears the family with whom I spent Christmas Eve made sure that I had a good time. They were very welcoming and hospitable, but they declined to tell me that someone at their dinner would have to dress up as Santa. I tried my best to argue that I am not a good actor and that I could not fill the role of Santa, but they would not hear any of my complaints and forced me to dress up as Santa/Mikołaj! In all honesty, I was at first not very happy about this, but they were very nice and made sure that I looked the part of a real Mikołaj. After getting over my nervousness about having to be Santa, it was actually quite a lot of fun. I was able to hand out the presents to everyone, listen to carols, and even got some tasty cake as a reward for my 'service' of being Santa. It was my first time ever dressing up as Santa and I dare say that I might like to do it again. So, I spent my Christmas Eve and Christmas day without my own family, but I still felt very welcome here in Poland. There are many good traditions surrounding these days that I was able to observe. I was slightly sad that I was not with my own family, but everyone here made sure that I had a good time and I thank everyone who was gracious enough to welcome me into their homes during this special time of the year.
1/4/2019
Teenagers in Poland and America One could assume that there are many differences between people in one country and those in another. It could be safe to think that due to the differences in culture, geographical location, and many other factors that people across the globe should be entirely and uniquely different. This may be the case for some people, but I believe that we all have more in common than we think. This thought has been proved by my observations of young people in Lębork. These young people or teenagers, if you will, seem to be very similar to their counterparts in America. I have noticed that many styles which are popular or prevalent in America are also popular here. While walking down the street I could forget entirely that I was in Poland because everyone wears very similar styles of clothing. In fact, I would say that the average young Pole is much more fashionable than the average young American Joe/Jane. I don't quite understand the trends in fashion, as I have never been too fashionable myself, but I have noticed that there are many similarities between the young people in Poland and the young people in America. Besides having similar styles and clothing another thing that I have noticed is music. I have noticed that many teenagers here have some sort of wireless speaker in their bags or backpacks. These speakers play their music for everyone to hear. While this may be better because then they don't need ear-buds/headphones, I will say it is quite different from when I was young. Back in my day, we were not allowed to walk around with our speakers blaring and to be honest I am not sure we even had speakers like the ones that exist today. Gaming also seems to be tremendously popular with the young crowd here in Lębork. Most of the young kids I have talked to have some sort of gaming console or computer. With these things they play games that I have only heard of, but I know they are also wildly popular in America. For example, many of my students talk about their love for Fortnite or the Sims. I know what these games are, but I have never played them. I believe I have some friends who play Fortnite, but I had no idea that it was such a global phenomenon as it seems to be. Unfortunately, I have concluded that my lack of understanding of Polish teenagers is not because they are different from teenagers in America. In fact, they are more similar to American teens than I ever would have thought. No, what I have concluded is that I am just getting older. I am 'out of touch' with the young people. I should just accept my new place in life and start calling the kids I teach 'sonny', maybe I can also convince my boss to get me an old wooden rocking-chair so that I can sit there during my lessons and regal the students with my stories of 'when I was young'. So, there you have it. Teenagers are relatively similar across the globe and now I feel like an older man more than ever before, for better or for worse.
|
AuthorBorn and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan David was raised by his parents with his two sisters and brother. Archives
June 2019
Categories |