Thoughts on Poland

Well, I have about 10 mintues before for I leave for a super-long day in Lubin and surrounding areas. We are to visit a university and a beautiful city called Kazimierz Dolny. I'm warming up my shutter finger as we speak.

There are only a few more days for us in Poland. Less than a week. Last night my hosts and their twentysomething son sat down with me in their living room and asked me the million dollar question. All the Poles want to know what YOU think of Poland and, though this question was hard to answer in the beginning, it is getting much easier at the end of the journey. Not only do I have the experience of the month with which to form my opinion, I also have the experience of answering this question for the 30 billionth time.

But I enjoy answering it. And I am sincere in my opinion of Poland.

It is a beautiful country, rich in spirit. The theme for this land is perserverance. You may not be up to speed with the long and sometimes tragic history of Poland. The only other country who has an older constitution than the US is Poland and despite their intense love of freedom and democracy, they have be ravaged in the game of world politics. From the time that Germans were invading, to when the country was completely divided among three nations and there was NO Polan, to the times when Nazis were invading and mass-killing 6 million of its citizens, the spirit of Poland remained strong. And even after WW 2, when Russia "liberated" Poland and gifted them with 50 years of communisim, they stayed strong.

When communism fell, the Poles flourished and I am so thankful to be here not only in the spring of 2008, but the "Spring" of Poland. They are blooming and I can't see how much more growing they will do.