Christmas & Moving

It was a different kind of Christmas this year. It is hard to try to establish traditions when so much is always changing. This year was very much a Polmerican Christmas. I went to a Wigilia (Christmas Eve) dinner. It was a traditional Polish Christmas Eve, we gathered as a family, all of us Americans and Polish that work in the shop. One of the girl’s mothers hosted it. The night started with sharing oplatic. We ate beet soup, cabbage dishes, and carp. We enjoyed poppy seed noodles and dried fruit punch. Dessert was ginger or lemon cookies, ginger bread cake, and poppy seed cake. After stuffing ourselves and opening presents we loaded into the cars and headed to the Rondo. Once again this year we served coffee and cookies at the Wigilia Pod Rondem and we also sang some American Christmas carols. This event is set up as Wigilia for those who have nowhere to go. The majority of the crowd it attracts is homeless. We thoroughly enjoyed passing out coffee. I had an interesting moment there. A homeless man came up and offered me a peace of his oplatic. He said merry Christmas in Polish. I felt bad because I had no oplatic to offer him (since I was backstage when it was passed out, I missed it). He still offered it, so I broke and piece off and responded merry Christmas in Polish. He shook his head and said merry Christmas in Polish again. So I responded Merry Christmas in English and his face just lit up. I was blown away that he wanted to share with me (an American he did not know) and he wanted me to respond to him in English because usually people are nervous when we use English. I was trying to use the Polish that I know and this man wanted me to offer him blessings in English. It was a neat experience to not only share the oplatic wishes with a stranger but to do it in our own languages.

Christmas Day was great! A group of us gathered in the upstairs apartment. The other volunteers here had some family in town and so I spent Christmas with them. We started the morning with breakfast and stockings. We moved into presents and were blessed with unexpected gifts. We spent the rest of the day playing, cooking, and eating. We enjoyed a walk in the snow. I am finding that no matter where I end up I some how become the one that is getting picked on. I came back a very snow covered girl! But, it was a time in the snow I actually enjoyed! I got to spend some time on skype watching my family open Christmas gifts, it was hard to see everyone there and not be there too. Christmas dinner was a collaboration of what was traditional in our families. It was a good day, with friends that have become family.

During all of this celebration I have been also facing a time of change. My apartment looked a little sad this Christmas because it went pretty much undecorated. That was because I am moving. I am in my last few minutes of living in my apartment. It looks very sad and empty now. I will be staying with the other volunteers until I move to Krakow. It will be interesting!