Bernie's Taste of Poland
By Bernie Sadowski
Reference: My visit to Poland in June 2001.
"Inside Poland"
Hi Friends,
Responsibilities of each gender are pretty well defined in the daily life of
Poles. I did not observe the men in the homes do any washing of dishes. And,
I was a tad surprised to be told that the man does not go shopping for the
food either.
In Mlawa I went to the market with the wife of the home and I needed
her 18-year-old son to accompany me because I needed a translator with me.
This young man refused to carry a sack saying to me that this is not a man's
work! He was distinctly embarrassed to be walking along side of me and his
mother.
With respect to education and gender - I noted that the
females in my family were studying for the university academics while the
young men were on a plan for the trades. My 20-year-old female cousin in
Mlawa is in her 2nd year of 5 for studies toward her Masters in Polish
Philology. Her brother will pursue a four year program in construction.
Marzenka, a ten-year female cousin demonstrated Polish love to me -- here's
how. One Sunday after Mass, I wanted her to accompany me to the "sklep" so I
could purchase assorted drinks for the family. I had observed that folks
liked a select assortment of fruit juices and waters. When I walked into the
store, Marzenka handed me a fistful of Polish coins. I asked her mother why
her daughter did that and I was told that she did not think I had any Polish
money with me and she did not wish me to be embarrassed in the store if I had
try to pay with US dollars! Isn't that great?
Most of the world has heard of Las Vegas, Nevada, but did you know that a
"Las Vegas Disco" exists about a football field length from the Catholic
Church in Zdziary? The disco is open to all ages -- primarily teens and young
adults. On teen disco nights only non-alcoholic beverages are allowed.
But....on weekends when adults drive in from the region then it has liquor
and male and female strippers as entertainment. Yup, in this tiny village of
500 farmers. The priest was not happy and on one Sunday I heard his sermon
about the possible evils of such a place!
The Holocaust Site in Lublin:
The most emotional non-genealogical site visited was the Holocaust
Memorial at Lublin, "Majdanek" Bishop Karpinski, prelate of Lublin was our
personal guide on this soul-moving place. The Bishop, a longtime friend of my
cousin Helen Suchara, was a teenager living in the town during WWII and saw
first-hand the horrors of war. Another priest-friend of my cousin, Professor
Jozef Krukowski, was present and who coincidentally was a classmate of the
Bishop. The Bishop not only guided us through the maze erected by the Nazis
but he showed us the mass graves where 17,000 people were murdered and
buried. The collected remains left behind when the Nazis hurriedly evacuated
at the end were burned and their bones placed in one mass site now covered
with a massive cement edifice. It was very, very heart moving to stand and
view this Majdanek site.
__________
Czesc,
Bernie
Bernie's Menu:
Introduction: Hi, I'm Bernie
Decision and Planning
Setting Foot on the Homeland
Polish Hospitality and Cuisine
Inside Poland
I'm Glad I Went
To Bernie, from Poland
Related links:
Family biographies:
Louis SADOWSKI
Emily URBANIC
This story is presented here with permission of the author. -
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