It’s my last night in Krakow, and I’m certainly ready for what’s next. I’ll be glad to say goodbye to my homestay family, I’m incredibly grateful for their kindness, and also for the opportunity to see a very different part of Polish life than I would have under normal study abroad circumstances, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it was tiresome at times. The class issue always made me nervous/conscious about using my laptop, or my ipod, or talking about my experiences traveling, etc. Oftentimes I felt isolated because Ania and Agata spoke exclusively Polish to one another, so it was nearly impossible for me to join the conversation unless they asked me a direct question, or I did the same to them, which made conversations seem shallow and forced at times. I think sometimes when people don’t understand each other it’s more of a communication barrier than strictly a language barrier- it has to do with shared values, experiences, norms and expectations. One of the reasons I’m glad, in the end, that I had this homestay experience is because I’d like to become better at communicating with people who don’t necessarily “speak my language,” even if they’re native English-speakers. I mean, recognizing when someone is coming from a different place in life than I am and still being able to carry on a conversation with them, to try to learn from them.
Today Kate’s host Zina invited me and Agata to join the two of them and her son Michael and his wife Katia on a day trip to the Pieskowa Skala, a 14th century castle about 45 minutes outside of Krakow. Both Micheal and Katia are in their late 20s, he works as a computer programmer and she teaches English to Polish adults, so they both speak perfect English. After a week of sign language awkward silence, I have to say it was definitely a relief. The castle looked just like something out of Shakespeare. In fact, Agata mentioned that she’s performed Othello there years ago, and showed me the spot on the terrace where she stood as Ophelia when the curtain rose. I was surprised and impressed, Agata is so soft-spoken and inconspicuous, and it’s difficult for me to picture her onstage. It reminded me to be careful and think twice when I think I’ve pegged someone’s personality or character. There’s always so much I don’t know.
After looking around the castle’s exterior (the inside was closed for the winter), we drove about 10 minutes up the road to the village of Ocjow, to see the ruins of an even older castle. Unfortunately, it was closed for the winter as well, so Michael, Katia, Kate and I went for a hike while Zina and Agata had some tea in town. It was so relaxing to just walk in the woods- al this time in Krakow has made me forget how refreshing it feels to be out in nature. The forest was beautiful, all tall skinny trees, second-growth I suppose. I spotted three different types of fungi growing on fallen tree trunks. The air was damp and fresh, like cool water trickling down my throat. We got a little lost, but found our way to another tiny village that was connected to Ocjow via a main road. I could have sworn we were in Switzerland by the architecture of the houses, they all looked like cottages on an alpine lake. I noticed a number of small, makeshift alters outside some of the houses: stone pillars with a painting of the Virgin Mary and some flowers and candles. One was next to the keypad for an expensive security system. Kind of like Poland itself, marching excitedly towards the future but always with one eye looking back to its religious roots.
