“So What Exactly Happened in Poland?”
“Everything…”
Ten months.
What can happen in ten months? Sure, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring fly by, and most kids my age can tell you about the school year, the friendships they’ve made or lost or even talk about all of the wonderful formals and proms they attended. We exchange students can tell you the same things, but the one major difference is that we’ve experienced everything in a whole new culture; different from everyone else back home.
My New Life.
When my parents came to visit me here in Poland in April I truly didn’t feel comfortable with them here. I was really excited to see them for the first time in seven months and I really couldn’t put a finger on why I didn’t feel at ease with them here, but everything just seemed really awkward. I just couldn’t seem to act like myself around them. Once I told my Dad what I was thinking he knew exactly what I meant. He had gone on an exchange through Rotary to Brazil when he was 15, so he knows some of what I’ve been going through this year. He told me my uneasiness with them there might be because they were entering MY “new” world. BINGO! That is exactly what an exchange is. It’s a whole new world. I learned to live without my parents here. I had families, friends, routines and experiences, which didn’t include them. When it all comes down to it, I’m leaving behind my new world.
Same Experiences. Different Situations.
I remember having a nerve racking first day of school. Back home I would have been nervous because of the new school year but this year it was just because I didn’t understand any of the language being spoken. I’ve done and been through so much this year. My life here has been tweaked to become the life of an exchange student. I have true friends to last a lifetime, not from my childhood and not because I’ve grown up with them. They are from Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Taiwan, the United States, and especially Poland. They are friends to last forever because we have been through this emotional journey with each other. I learned how to dance, but not at school or at a studio but in a hostel while traveling with exchange students. I learned a whole new language not online nor taking classes at school but by living within the language, being immersed right into the culture, lifestyle and language of Poland.
The Little Things to You Aren’t So Little to Me.
Since arriving here, I now carry tissues in my pocket everywhere I go. I wear slippers in my house all of the time. I use more coins here than I ever have back home. I learned to not hate anything I eat but to just not enjoy it. I also learned to have very simple conversations. You might not think anything of all these examples, but behind each is a story.
I carry tissue everywhere now because my first day in Poland I entered three toilets that didn’t contain toilet paper. Some bathrooms don’t supply toilet paper.
I wear slippers in the house now because that’s customary here. Most houses have hardwood floors so slippers keep your feet (and the floors) cleaner.
I use a lot more coins here because most places don’t like to take bills. You can really purchase most of what you need with the coins here in Poland. There have been many times when people would not break my bills.
I ate a lot while I was here in Poland! I mean a lot! Before I came to Poland I had a fear of certain vegetables and fruits as well as fish and I would never try anything that didn’t look pleasant to me back home. Because I didn’t know most of the food here and the fact that I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings I tried everything and I can honestly say that there were a few dishes that didn’t please my taste buds, but the more I tried things the easier it was to tolerate certain foods I didn’t like. I have also grown to enjoy certain foods and really love others that I would never touch back home like tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, cottage cheese, as well as many types of fish.
I’ve learned to make small talk with the elderly on the buses. There are many elderly in my city and sometimes they just start a random conversation. It made me a little uncomfortable at first having these total strangers talk to me but over time I became really interested to see what they would say to me. I found out that a lot of the elderly here speak Russian because while in high school it was mandatory to take Russian. Nowadays Russian has been replaced with German lessons.
What I Will Miss.
Everything. Simple and cheesy, but so true. When I left the US there were some things I wouldn’t miss so much because I was so used to them or I wanted a break from certain things for a year. Just a year! However, Poland I haven’t had enough of anything! It has only been a year, and it will be too long before I return. Yes, I will miss the food. Oscypek (Mountain cheese), Zupa Ogórek (Pickle Soup), and Żurek (Polish Traditional Soup).
I will truly miss my families. My mothers, my sisters and my big brothers. I feel like my mother’s have known me my whole life. It was so comfortable to enter their homes and take on the role as their daughter. They were their for all of my needs and they also took care of me like one of their own children. My sisters have always been there for me during my rough times and have been there to also make my stay here in Koszalin more enjoyable. And my brothers? Well, they have defiantly never let me forget that I’m the baby sister that’s for sure! They we’re always very concerned about me and took care of me like bigger brothers do. They also did make this year more humorous for me. And the one thing that I will miss dearly is my home. Poland. This will always be my second home. I’ve only lived here for 10 months but those 10 months were the most life changing months in my life and all of my experiences and changes took place here, in Poland.
What I’ve Missed Out on This Year.
It is a bit painful that did not have the chance to experience a junior year with my friends and family back home in the United States, but I still feel blessed that I had an entirely different experience in Poland with my new friends and family.
My now three year old brother has been growing up. For me, I’ve only been able to experience it through photos, phone calls and recently video chats. I’ve missed his vocabulary tripling in size as well as himself sprouting into a little toddler. I’ve missed his excitement of trick or treating, him during Christmas, opening birthday presents, and Easter egg hunting. I could say that I’m fine with missing my first year of Prom or missing one year with friends but my brother growing up without me is one of the hardest things for me to miss. I can’t wait to see a boy in front of me (instead of the baby I left), a mature middle school boy (my about to be 11 year old brother Dodge) and I can’t wait to celebrate my Senior year with my sister Aubrey.
Goodbye Poland.
As I am anxiously preparing to see my family, my friends and my home again, I am also going through the worst pain ever, in saying my goodbyes to the one place that has changed my life forever. Poland.
Right now, I don’t know if I should leave with my head held high with a smile on my face because this exchange was the best year of my life, or cry because it has finally reached an end. I’ve come to live with the fact that there are just some times in life that you just have to hold your head up high, wipe away your tears and say goodbye to everything you know. That’s exactly what I had to do when I left home just ten months ago. Now, I once again, have to do the same for my life here. I currently have two weeks left and the heartbreak has already begun. I recently had to say my last goodbyes to all of the exchange students that went through this roller coaster journey with me. They are some of the people that I’ve grown to care about and love this year. All of my families have truly become apart of my life and leaving they will honestly be like leaving my family back home just ten months ago. I find it hard to sleep at night because my mind wanders in thought about my year here. Not one memory I have in Poland could ever slip my mind.
When I finally leave Poland, the most important things I’ll take with me are my memories. The time my Dad left me at the airport and 14 hours I spent bonding with my new sister Karolina on the bus my first full day in Poland. I’ll never forget my first train ride through Poland or the very first time I met all of the exchange students in Tórun. I will always remember camping with my Polish friends and learning the words to the “Happy Birthday” song in Polish. I’ll miss learning to snowboard in Zakopane with all of my friends and the beautiful city of Kraków will forever have a place in my heart. The tastes of the Polish foods will stay on my tongue for years to come. My new found sister, Karolina, is the one person I have to thank for almost everything. Whenever there was a slow week here in Koszalin she would be here to spend time with me. We’ve had this year to bond, which was so easy because we shared our love for the same music, movies, and leisure activities. I will always remember all of the trips we would take with each other because that is the one love we both had in common, traveling. I’ll also never forget all of my memories with my two best friends Katelyn and Esteban. The first moments that brought us together, all of our good times with each other and when we pulled through the bad moments will always be treasured by me. I just wish I had more time with all of the people I love here in Poland.
Before I began this journey, Poland was just a word and I was told it was part of my familyheritage, but now I understand it is more than people or a place on the world map, it is part of my life. Forever.
Rotary was a group that helped me with this exchange program. I now see that it has allowed me connections with friends and places I never would have known. They are a group of people who selflessly give of their time to make us all better citizens. Rotary has helped us all understand other cultures and hopefully we will mature to assist in growing a better world.
When I return, I do hope I can thank all of you that have read my articles and have written me offering suggestions on where to go, or what to see or experience while here. You may know me from my photos, but I will not know you, so please come up to me and tell me who you are. Yes, I am still a bit shy, but I look forward to meeting you all in person. Thank you all.
Kirsten Rafinski,
Rotary Youth Exchange