In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.
As I have said before, full immersion is our favorite way to experience a culture.
When Camden and I were presented with an opportunity to live with a family in Poland and teach English, we couldn’t have said yes faster!
We became Facebook friends with our new “polish mom” and got to know her and her family before we arrived. It was a nice way to ease everyones nerves before living together for eight days.
Once we finally arrived at the correct train station, we were picked up by Kasia and Marco, our new parents for the next week or so. From the minute we met them, we knew this would be a great experience! They were so friendly and welcoming to us! We drove back to their house and settled in.
Their house had many aspects that were special to us. One, It was in the forest. Two, It had a lake. Three, there were horses, dogs and a cat. And lastly, it was covered in snow!! Coming from San Diego, and then a big city like London, this was a biiiiig change from what we were used to.
After a long day of travel we prepared for bed. Our new schedules were given to us and the next day we would begin our english lessons!
I admit, I was a bit nervous. I do not know a single word of Polish and had no idea what I had gotten myself into. But, Kasia and Marco’s calm demeanor eased my nerves and I was ready for whatever was in store.
The next morning, we heard rustling and baby babble. Julian!! The two year old that would steal our hearts! He was absolutely adorable and full of energy! I was very excited I would be able to play with kids again (as I was beginning to miss that aspect of home). Lili, 12, would not be back at the house until Monday. I was very eager to meet her as well!
After breakfast, we began with our lessons. We were both assigned people based on personality, and who Kasia thought would be most appropriate per client. Camden had most the men, and I, the women and children.
The first lesson went amazing!! We were given the necessary tools going into the lesson, which made things comfortable for everyone. Lesson by lesson, things went more and more smoothly. It became natural very quickly.
Once we were done with the lessons, we had the rest of the day to roam the forest, walk the dogs, hang out….do whatever we pleased! It was nice to have that homey feeling. A place we could unpack our bags and not worry about leaving the next day. I think this was definitely needed. So we relaxed, unpacked, and just stayed around the house.
The next day, Sunday, we had off! Woooo!!! So we decided to visit Warsaw. Marco had a meeting, so we tagged along for the ride and would meet up with him much later to go home. We decided to visit the Old City of Warsaw. About a 2 mile walk from central Warsaw. As we began to walk, we noticed hundreds of people with polish flags and signs. Granted we can not read polish, so I asked someone what was going on. He explained that this was an anti-government demonstration. There was an outcry from the public because the government was gaining too much power again, and the people of Poland were concerned. And rightfully so. They did not want to reverse back into communism and wanted to take a stand to see that would not happen again! We decided it was best if we stayed clear of the demonstration, not wanting to get caught up in any unwanted attention. So we kept on towards our destination.
On the way to the old city, there were plaques on city corners, on walls, anywhere and everywhere. Camden had previously explained to me, that when he first came to Poland eight years ago, these plaques were one thing that blew his mind. They were memorials for innocent people who had been executed during the Nazi regime. The plaques marked the exact spot that hundreds and thousands of people who were killed. It was an eerie feeling and humbling moment. I realized the Polish people, held onto this sadness to never forget what happened. To always carry this history from generation to generation.
We were met with colorful buildings, with intricate designs on the faces of buildings. Children running around the main square chasing after gigantic bubbles. Music and singing from street performers, ricocheted off the colorful walls. There were large, tall buildings that looked quite old. I am not sure what they were, but they were beautiful. We had arrived to the old city. We wandered around the markets and streets. We saw the president’s house, as Warsaw is the capital of Poland. Looked at all the trinkets and nicknacks. As the time grew late and the temperature dropped, Camden and I found a place for some tea. Our new addiction. We warmed up, and headed back to central Warsaw where we would meet Marco and make our way back home.
We had dinner, talked about about the week’s activities and went off to bed!
From Monday to Friday, we had a general routine. We would wake up, have breakfast and begin our lessons for the day. The schedule was not always the same but we would always find a way to keep ourselves busy. We played with Julian. We took the dogs on a walk. I rode a horse (once)! We watched some Game of Thrones (THANK YOU MARCO!!). We planned out where to go next.. You get the picture. We slowed down for once!!
As we were very interesting to the clients, Kasia asked us to make a powerpoint, to use as material to teach english and to help direct conversations. What a great idea! We were able to share our travels and what San Diego life was like! Everyone LOVED it!
As we shared, they shared. We were able to see life from a Polish point of view. We learned so much history about Poland and Ukraine. Both very interesting and I learned so much! We were given some Polish recipes and advice on where to go next in Europe. I love when that happens! When two people from totally different backgrounds can come together, share what they know and learn from one another. I believe that makes the world a more united place. I was so happy to experience that!
Lili came back home and she was so fun! We sang, played “cups”, painted nails and did makeup. She was such a bundle of joy. Camden and I both really enjoyed meeting her and hopes she will visit us in San Diego one day!
Camden and I both had incredible opportunities to go to Kindergarten with Marco and teach with larger groups of children. They were all so excited to meet us and ask us questions about where we were from! All the ladies swooned over Camden and his American accent ;) It was great fun!
I was also lucky enough to play with Julian a lot! Whether it be at a play place or playground we always had a great time! I can still hear his giggle! He began calling me “Cho-Cha” or auntie. We became good buddes and I will miss him dearly! Camden and Julian were great friends as well! I know he loved Camden being silly with him!
On our last full day, we had our lessons, picked up the new English teacher Robin, showed him the ropes and walked around the town center a bit. Lili came into our room that night and gave us a present! I couldn’t believe it! HOW ADORABLE! We were given two lollipops that say “I love you” in Polish and a box of truffles. She knows us too well! I couldn’t believe how sweet and generous that was of her! We will always hold that special in our hearts!
We had dinner, per usual and we were all a bit sad that we would be leaving for Krakow in the morning. We had grown so close over the past eight days and it was coming to an end. As we had an early train to catch, we headed off to bed early in preparation for the next day. It is always nice to be rested before a travel day, they are so unexpected!
Saturday morning came, the day we had to leave. We woke up around 6:45am to have breakfast with Kasia, Marco, Robin and Julian. Marco gave Camden and I amazing books, which, again, was so generous and unexpected! We are so grateful! We will always hold onto these as a remembrance of our time spent with them! And because they are seriously amazing.
We hugged Kasia, Julian kissed me on the cheek and we said goodbye! It was such a bittersweet moment. I was sad to leave our new family, but excited for what was ahead. Marco drove us to the train station and helped us get situated. Much appreciated!
The train pulled up and we hopped on, waving goodbye to Marco.
We were headed to Krakow…where our next adventure would begin.
We hope one day we will meet again. They were lovely people, and one day we hope to accommodate them as we were so well taken care of!
Much love!
And here we go……