Day 4: Polish Generosity

Saturday Evening, March 9, 2013

            After another full day in Poland, it is once again time (or past time, really) for bed.  But first, I will give a “quick” overview of the day.  I will try to be brief.  We’ll pick up where I left off: breakfast.  Our host mom made us a lovely breakfast.  I had never had hot milk with cereal before, but it was really yummy!  My host mom gave me a nice box of chocolates AND a giant chocolate bar for our group.  AND she gave me a hug and a cheek *kisskisskiss*, traditional polish greeting.  So much love.  Again, I was floored and humbled by Polish hospitality.  She and one of the other host moms dropped us off at the station.  They gave their winter hats to me and the other people who didn’t bring hats.  The son of one of our host moms came with us to show us how to get to the train station.  Again, so kind!!

Sporting the gifted hat, holding the gifted chocolate

            We got on the train and began the two-hour journey to Czestochowa (pronounced chest-a-hoe-va).  The train cars were like the ones in Harry Potter!  We were practically on the Hogwarts Express.  It was very exciting.  Conveniently, there were eights seats to a car, so we all fit in one cabin!  Let the fun times begin!  While on the train, we realized how much we missed our host families already, so we decided to make up our own Polish family.  It was then that the Polski family was born!  Meet the family: Papa Maple (grandpa), Bobska (grandma), Shna Shna (mom), Nishcola aka Kremumfki (big sister, this is me), Stanislaus aka Rogi (big brother), Baby Maurishka (baby), Aunt Maurisha, and Uncle Sergi aka Slorgak.  We spent the train ride inadvertently developing our characters in speaking in what probably weren’t actually Polish accents.  It was so funny…and stuck for the rest of the trip.  You had to be there.

All of us (except me, behind the camera) in our train car!

            Ok, it’s late, so I’m going to go to bed now.  Tomorrow morning, I will finish this, tell you about the shrine, the train ride to Krakow, grocery shopping, and our arrival/dinner in Krakow.  Buona notte!...oh wait, that doesn’t work here, I’m not in Italy anymore!