An American in Europe

21 November

More from the Polish guy

Sometimes it takes a foreigner to help you appreciate your own country.

Click "read more" to er . . . read more.

After church this morning I continued my conversation with my Pro-G.W. Bush Polish friend.

His story is fascinating.

He is 60 years old, and has lived through Poland’s long struggle for independence from Communism.

When he was a boy, the government came in and took away his father’s shop. His father had been running it his entire life before it was taken over by the state.

His family never let go of their resentment.

He wasn’t allowed to learn English in school – the only languages that were taught were Polish and Russian. He recalls reading smuggled Polish books from England, books that were banned by the Communist government.

And he recalled listening to Voice of America on the radio, broadcast in Polish from a nearby country. “The Americans were free,” he said. It gave him hope.

He opposed the Communist regime as a young adult, and was put in an internment camp for six months.

Since Poland joined the European Union in May, he’s seen his freedoms go from nil to almost unlimited. He harbors a strong affection for the United States, and thinks the country can do no wrong.

He’s been to Chicago a number of times, which is second only to Warsaw in the number of Poles.

And he loves Americans, whom he says are “friendly” like the Polish people.

“Not like here,” he said, referring to England. “If you go to a Polish person’s house, they will give you dinner, everything. Here, they will give you tea and two biscuits.”

Times like these, I wish I had a journalistic outlet to tell his story.
posted at 08:30:33 on 11/21/04 by ajluvsu - Category: General

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