May in Review

If there was one word that summed up the month of May it would probably be intertwine. May was, for me, a month of combining the old and new, the past, present and future, worlds and languages. It was a month when I celebrated with new friends and spoke to old, when I hugged my parents at the airport and laughed with my Polish family, when I considered the past and looked toward the future.

There are two important Polish holidays the first week of May - Święto Państwowe/Święto Pracy (Labor Day) and Święto Narodowe Trzeciego Maja/Święto Konstytucji Trzeciego Maja (Constitution Day). Labor Day is pretty self-explanitory, and while Consitution Day is clear too, it's important to note a couple of facts about the holiday. First, the this holiday celebrates the signing of the Polish Constitution in the year 1791. This makes Poland the 2nd country in the world, following the U.S., to have established a country under constitution rule. Poles' are very proud of this fact and often speak of it! While this document didn't survive long, Poland was soon partitioned and erased off the map, the Constitution stood and still stands as a symbol of Poles' earning for freedom and independence, despite many years of dictatorship and war.



On May 1st - 3rd I, along with the other Rotary exchange students in Poland, took part in an annual march at Oświęcim, or as it is known in English, Aushwitz. The march is called the March of the Living and it is held every spring to commemorate those who were killed at Aushwitz. It was a very moving event, made-up of thousands of students (mostly Jewish) from around the world. After touring Aushwitz in the morning and learning about the attrocities that were committed there, the March began. We slowly crossed through Aushwitz, under the imfamous Arbeit Macht Frei sign and walked the 3 km to Birkenau, the second part of the concentration camp. At Birkenau a ceremony dedicated to celebrating and remembering the lives of those who died in the camps was held. While a sobering event, it was tinted with the hope of thousands and left me believing in a better world to come.



After the March of Life I headed to the north of Poland, to the city of Gdańsk. There I spent a few days enjoying the sea breeze, seeing the sights (including Westerplatte, the site of the beginning of WWII) and having some amazing adventures with one of my closest exchange friends!



I returned to Kielce for one week and then headed to Warsaw, where on Monday, May 16th I picked my parents up at the airport! It's hard to describe the feelings of excitement and joy upon throwing myself into their arms after 10 months away. Incredible.



The next two weeks were a blur of activity, as I lead them on an across country tour of Poland. We started in Kraków, where our rented apartment looked out at the Wawel Castle, we made the journy down to the Tatra mountains and ascended Kasprowy Wierch for an incredible view! On the way to Kielce we stopped at Jasna Góra and viewed the Queen of Poland in all her glory (surrounded by hundreds of 1st communicants!)



For me, the most amazing part of having Mom and Dad in Poland was being able to show them what my life is like here. And of course, most of my life centers around my Polish family. From the moment of intertwinement the experience was wonderful! I did more translating than I've ever done in my life, but it was worth it. We all laughed, chatted and ate more food than I think Mom and Dad every thought was possible! I felt more at home during that weekend than I've felt in a long time and I am so gratful that it was possible.

After our fantastic weekend in Kielce Mom, Dad and I continued on. We headed to the capital of Poland, Warsaw, then to Poznań, where the Jankowski ancestors are from, and to northern coast. While Mom and Dad explored Gdańsk, I was in Mielno for the last Rotary meeting of my exchange year. It was bittersweet (as are most days now). We had a great time, hanging out on the beach (no, I did not go swimming, the Baltic Sea is about the temperature of the Artic Ocean...) and relaxing together. The bond between exchange students is special, there really is no other people in the world who can completely understand what a year abroad in Poland is like, except those who have been here with you. I've made incredible memories and amazing friends from all over the world. It's hard to say goodbye, but since we've decided to meet up in Mexico next winter...



Saying goodbye to Mom and Dad was almost as hard as the first goodbye in August, though this time I could say, "See you in a month and half!" And, the surprise arrival of Babcia (Grandma), Dziadek (Grandpa) and my host mom made it much more better. I was saying goodbye to my incredible parents, but I had the support of my Polish family right there. To be supported on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, now that's an amazing feeling.