Thoughts, reports and insights connected to our life and relationships in Poland.
A Slovak, a Brit, and an Albertan walk into an apartment – this might sound like the start of a joke, but it was actually a visit we had this summer with dear friends we made in Slovakia. It was wonderful and life-giving to have friends from one chapter of our lives be present in… Read More First Love | Second Love
We’ve been away from Europe for over a year now. We miss her. We think about her daily. She’s often on our lips. With our recent move, there’s been a lot of explaining about the world we left behind. We get to talk contextual adaptations, cuisine, cross-cultural blunders, and language acquisition. It’s reminded us of… Read More Slavic Things
We moved to Poland in September, 2010 expecting to build a community centre, demonstrate our faith by tackling civic needs, and bridging the gap (perceived and actual) between the church and the community. Three years later there is no community centre and no civic programs. Our move to Włocławek was part of a pilot project,… Read More Stopping Before the Finish Line you Expected
In just a few weeks, we will no longer call Europe home. We’ll not only have an address in Canada, but we’ll actually reside there – something we have not been able to say for the last 6 years. As with any transition, there are pluses and minuses. There are things that will leave a… Read More The Will / Won’t Miss List
We like the flare that tradition brings to everyday life. As Canadians we are a hodgepodge of many traditions, but there are few prevailing national traditions. Enter Poland – where tradition and pageantry assert themselves in the everyday, almost every day. With the Easter season not too far behind us (that pesky spring snow is… Read More Śmigus-Dyngus and Other Easter Frivolity
It’s Palm Sunday and Poles don’t mess around when it comes to palms. So as our friend Jeremiah Raible says – it’s time to get on our palm palms on. Before we go any further, this is the point where you abandon that mental image of large, green fronds. Polish palms have less leaf and… Read More Palm palms in Poland
Canadians may claim to be without a distinct culture, but there are a few core elements that comprise Canadian cultural DNA. Political correctness is one of those elements of GATTACA-esque significance. Though being PC and Canadian seem to be synonymous, that’s not so much the case in Poland. We’re now experienced at maintaining a neutral… Read More PC is not a Term in Poland
“I know what your bathroom looks like” is never an okay statement coming from someone who has never been in your flat. Seeing as our bathroom is windowless, we instantly started to wonder where the camera is hidden. It turns out that this person is friends with the man who checks our water meters (the… Read More Living in Facebook
The French saying “je ne c’est quoi” has come to the aid of many travelers as they try to convey an experience or location to listeners in their home culture. Similes start flying and the phrase “it’s like this, but different” is leaned on in crutch like fashion. This hits another level when you move… Read More The Angry Woman and The Corner Store
“Countless” has been the descriptor of choice for our paperwork saga to be in Poland. The amount of time, money, travel and energy expended is truly countless (or rather we prefer not to tally at this point). Yesterday, we traveled to Urząd Wojewódzki in Bydgoszcz hopefully for the last time for a while. All three of… Read More If at First you Don’t Succeed…Try, Try, Try Again…Get Told to Leave…Hire a Lawyer
the price post 