It's 6:30 AM on August 9th and I've just woken up to the sound of roof tiles being thrown to the pavement below as workers renovate the building next door to our hotel. Our room is decorated with hand painted wooden furniture, three single beds with iron rails, two dressing tables, and several small chairs. There are two large windows dressed with draperies and window shears that let in the breeze as the temperature cools off during the night from the unseasonably hot and humid weather during the day.
When I went down to the front desk at 11 PM two nights ago to inquire about a fan for our room, the young woman stationed there gave us her own little fan from her work area and only asked that we return it by morning. Her generosity surprised and delighted me and the fan helped with the heat exchange in our room immensely. The next day I was amazed once again when we returned to the hotel after our morning outing to Castle Ksiaz and there was a much larger fan on a stand waiting at the front desk for us.
Another sign of Polish hospitality are the words "Prosze" (prosh-eh) and "Dziekuje" (Jen KOO yeh) for "Please/Here you are" and "Thank you" which we've heard throughout each and every day. Since we are here during August we are visiting the attractions along with the Polish people who traditionally take their own vacations at this time of the year. At the castles and gardens and churches and towns that we've ventured into, we've been able to see signs in English. Items for purchase, like coffee table books for instance, are almost exclusively offered in Polish. But menus in "Angielski" or "English" at restaurants are usually produced once we begin to speak and are identified as Amerykanin/Amerykanka citizens.
Our conversations with Symeon's extended family have helped us to know that the Polish people regard their relationship as allies with America throughout the years very highly. As a result many are fascinated with our lives in America and welcome foreign travelers to their cities and towns and even their homes with legendary hospitality.
We have been overwhelmed with the wonderful meals full of traditional dishes prepared for us by Symeon's family, their constant encouragement to eat and to eat and to
try everything, their hours of conversation with us as we sit around large and welcoming tables talking back and forth and laughing, their interest in us as people and their willingness to share their lives with us as well, their gracious acceptance of the small gifts that we brought with us from America, and their surprising offering of personal gifts to us and to my husband at home in thanks for our coming to visit.
Yes, we have been warmly welcomed not only by our host Father Symeon, his parents and sister and aunts and cousins, but also by the people of the country itself. And now we too can speak with appreciation and amazement of the hospitality often offered with this expression of good will, "Na zdrowi!" (Naz-droh-vee-ay!)
When I went down to the front desk at 11 PM two nights ago to inquire about a fan for our room, the young woman stationed there gave us her own little fan from her work area and only asked that we return it by morning. Her generosity surprised and delighted me and the fan helped with the heat exchange in our room immensely. The next day I was amazed once again when we returned to the hotel after our morning outing to Castle Ksiaz and there was a much larger fan on a stand waiting at the front desk for us.
Another sign of Polish hospitality are the words "Prosze" (prosh-eh) and "Dziekuje" (Jen KOO yeh) for "Please/Here you are" and "Thank you" which we've heard throughout each and every day. Since we are here during August we are visiting the attractions along with the Polish people who traditionally take their own vacations at this time of the year. At the castles and gardens and churches and towns that we've ventured into, we've been able to see signs in English. Items for purchase, like coffee table books for instance, are almost exclusively offered in Polish. But menus in "Angielski" or "English" at restaurants are usually produced once we begin to speak and are identified as Amerykanin/Amerykanka citizens.
Our conversations with Symeon's extended family have helped us to know that the Polish people regard their relationship as allies with America throughout the years very highly. As a result many are fascinated with our lives in America and welcome foreign travelers to their cities and towns and even their homes with legendary hospitality.
We have been overwhelmed with the wonderful meals full of traditional dishes prepared for us by Symeon's family, their constant encouragement to eat and to eat and to
try everything, their hours of conversation with us as we sit around large and welcoming tables talking back and forth and laughing, their interest in us as people and their willingness to share their lives with us as well, their gracious acceptance of the small gifts that we brought with us from America, and their surprising offering of personal gifts to us and to my husband at home in thanks for our coming to visit.
Yes, we have been warmly welcomed not only by our host Father Symeon, his parents and sister and aunts and cousins, but also by the people of the country itself. And now we too can speak with appreciation and amazement of the hospitality often offered with this expression of good will, "Na zdrowi!" (Naz-droh-vee-ay!)
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