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Z okazji Bożego Narodzenia życzę Wam wszystkiego dobrego, dużo radości, miłości, spokoju i szczęścia,

WESOŁYCH SWIĄT!!

News + Opinion

First, something for Erin. Here is a Polish view about Donald Tusk's decision not to sign the EU Human Rights Treaty. It appeared as the cover story for the latest issue of a English-language newspaper in Krakow. To summarize:

Tusk is afraid that if Poland signs the rights charter, which Kaczynski opposes, the president will use his influence to prevent the reform treaty from becoming law. Ratification of treaties requires a two-thirds vote of Poland's lower house. Tusk's ruling coalition, consisting of his Civic Platform party and the Polish Peoples' Party, has only a 10-seat majority in the 460-seat lower house. Kaczynski's Law and Justice party, the lower house's second-largest, has 166 seats. Many members of the conservative Law and Justice party oppose provisions in the rights treaty dealing with families, including language that gives tacit approval to homosexual marriages.

Tusk decided to capitulate on that issue so he could obtain ratification of the Reform Treaty - the first political defeat of his young prime ministership, observers say. TTusk said discussions with Lech Kaczynski indicated that if the government pressed for charter ratification, Reform Treaty ratification will be in danger. He said he needed Law and Justice's support to obtain the two-thirds majority required to ratify the Reform Treaty. Poland cannot become president of the EU in 2011, as scheduled, unless it ratifies the treaty.

[Tusk's] capitulation on the charter suggests that, once more, Poland is isolating itself from the rest of Europe - an allegation often level against the more conservative Law and Justice government.

You can read the full text of the article here.

On a different note (but one that might be tangentially related), here is the latest article that I have submitted to the Winona Daily News:

'Tis the Season

This year is the first time I will be spending Christmas away from my family, and to miss out on a celebration that is typically centered on family has given me some mixed emotions. Given that the holidays involve various time-honored traditions, I have been doing a lot of thinking about what those traditions mean to me. On Christmas Eve, I will to go to a church service and sing carols like I always have, but it will feel drastically different.

Some traditions are ancient, passed along from one generation to the next and difficult to pinpoint where they began. Others can be formed merely by saying so. Some traditions can be restricting and oppressive, depending on which side you are. Some traditions are so important that people are willing to lay down their lives to defend them.

Contemplating the significance of traditions brings to mind Tevye’s lines from “Fiddler on the Roof,” “And because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is.” Separated now from the culture and the traditions that have formed me, I have time to think about how I fit into all of the cultural puzzles to which I belong.

It is inevitable that when I sit down for coffee with a table of my friends here in Poland our conversations always include a discourse on certain customs that exist in our respective countries. We, who come from so many different places and backgrounds, are endlessly fascinated by these differences among us. Of course it is a cliché to say that our differences are what bind us together, but I have to admit that to a certain extent it is true. Besides, I bet you didn’t know that in Iceland they have 13 different Santa Clauses.

Differences in traditions can have repercussions in the political arena and affect more than just those in our immediate circles. Traditions confront politics especially when it comes to religion. Remember that our country was created for the right to practice a religious tradition without fear of persecution. Trying to protect that tradition in our contemporary world can be problematic. Take, for example, the polemic over the phrase “One Nation under God” in our Pledge of Allegiance.

The clash between Eastern and Western religious traditions is the basis for many a conflict, although it is not the only thing. The news we hear from the Middle East every single day is a result from our intention to promote the American tradition of democracy in Iraq. However, we can also look at France who is also riddled with social unrest even through it tries to smooth over the wrinkles of the religion question with a national policy of secularism.

During the 123 years when Poland was partitioned and didn’t exist as a sovereign nation, the spirit of the people and the staunch preservation of their culture was what enabled the country to come back once it regained its statehood. They kept their songs, their literature, and their traditions all in tact. I’ve heard it said that “Culture WAS Poland,” meaning that borders are arbitrary when it comes to defining a people.

That issue brings me back to the question of how I am living my life outside of my country. In this foreign place, all of the small traditions and cultural practices really stand out to me. I cannot rightfully call this culture “mine.” Yet, Poland is the land of my ancestors. So when I celebrate Christmas here, will I be breaking new ground by spending the day in a way I never have before, or am I picking up on the trail that was left behind when the Merchlewitzs and the Kukowskis crossed the ocean?

One thing I know for sure: when it comes to major holidays, it is not that the date is marked in red ink on the calendar which makes a day special. It is how and with whom we celebrate. Traditions –like eating my grandma’s kolaczkis or ringing a Swiss cowbell at midnight– are what make the season special.

However you enjoy your holidays this season, whether with menorah, eggnog, or not at all, there is a larger scheme, a pattern of concentric and intersecting circles, that you are a part of. Just like Tevye also sings, tradition is what helps us keep our balance in a world increasingly full of changes and insecurities. It helps remind us who we are, wherever we might be.

The Great Czech Republic Adventure

[Note] Blogger would not let me fill in as much as I wanted to in the title space (not enough room), so here is what the official title of this post should be: "The Great Czech Republic Adventure; OR Thank Goodness for Long Underwear; OR I've Never (fill-in-the-blank) in the Czech Republic Before; OR It Is Established Once Again that Annie and Sarah Make A Powerful Team, So Maybe ONE More Person Should Ask If We Are Sisters" There.



The only word that can accurately describe the weekend I spent in Valašské Klobouky –a small town in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains– is "magical". (I don't think it is a coincidence that the the sun came out to shine over the freshly fallen snow once Tomi and I crossed the Czech-Polish border on our way there.) It was truly a change of scenery and a breath of fresh air. The most important thing to me was that I saw Annie in a place where she felt really at home. The entire weekend she had stars in her eyes and love shown out of her heart for everything and everyone. And it was easy to see why. Words are utterly inadequate to convey my feelings towards the hospitality of the kind, worldly souls of Kosenka, Valašské's environmental NGO and organizers of the St. Nicholas jarmek (market). I had to make an effort to hold back my tears as we were saying our goodbyes at their building on Sunday afternoon. And I had known these people for only about 36 hours! I'll do my best to recount the highlights here for better or worse and in more or less in chronological order:

- Tomi and I had to negotiate in Russian for our train ticket to Klobouky and then paid the 22 crown fare with a king size Kit-Kat bar. A good start.
- ANNIE!
- Czech beer
- Bowling at the "Amerikan" bar. Just wait - Cosmic Bowling will take take the country by storm. It's only a matter of time.
- Kosenka
- Attending an art opening with local artists, food, and live folk music at Klobouky's high school. It was the beginning of a lot of hammer dulcimer music.
- A youth choir concert in the town church that included various popular religious songs translated into Czech AND a stirring rendition of "Oh, Happy Day!" in English
- Baking periniki (gingerbread) at Mirek's home with a recipe that has been passed down for at least 4 generations. I use the term "baking" very loosely here since basically my role consisted of sitting at the dining room table to drink and eat while all the women of the house laughed and fell in love with Tomi. (Pretzliki are my new favorite snack.) However, I did give the mortar and pestle a few turns to grind the spices.
- As we were about to leave Mirek's house, we were surprised with the return of Martin, Mirek's son, from Norway and who has another soul full of light and love. I am honored to say that I met the entire family.
- Sleeping on a gym floor. Here are where my long underwear came in handy - it was cold!!
- The next morning, Annie woke Tomi and I, acting like a Dad on vacation at Disney World who wants to see absolutely everything. My breakfast was a glass of hot honey wine. I think I made it until about 2 o'clock before I had something non-alcoholic to drink.
- I spent the rest of Saturday without hardly ever being without food or drink in my hand: kolaczki, frgali, kyselica (oh, spelling...), kielbasa, potato pancakes weighing about 1 kilo each, boiled potatoes and cream from the old people's house, chicken, breads, apple cider, apple and beet juice, kofola cola, and of course, slivovice!!!!

- Dancing devils (that resemble yetis than they red devils we know) with bells on their backs and swatting passers-by with pine branches
- I bought some new red shoes! Actually, they are Vallachian slippers of the same kind that Annie wore all throughout the Powerhouse. My attempts at speaking Polish the Czech actually didn't work to my dismay, so I communicated my size with the shoe vendor in rudimentary German. It turns out that this was the same guy that Annie had bought her slippers from two years ago! And hey, at the end of it all, all three of had a round of slivovice from the shoe vendor.
- Annie's eyes when she met someone from the town whom she knew
- Taking a hike in the White Carpathians and seeing the sky's colors at sunset
- Tons of traditional dancing and people in beautiful traditional outfits
- Getting to try my hand at traditional dancing. ("Take that, Slowianki!")
- Watching Annie tap dance on the table :)
- The late-night jam session of Czech folk songs in Kosenka's horse stable. From this point on, whenever I will want to think about how the Czech language sounds, I will have to think of it in song because that is how I heard it the most.
- Getting too many kisses from old Czech men who thought I could understand them
- Vallachian yogurt
- Conversing with Mirek and feeling his kindness, intelligence, and wisdom
- Attending evening mass for the First Sunday of Advent in Czech, walking by Fredric Smetana's house, and meeting a helpful local who was almost too good to be true in Hranice na Moravia. See? Even good things can happen when you have seven-hour layover at the border because you missed your train...
- Coming back to Krakow at sunrise

I know what I wrote is a lot to take in, but in my own mind I am still trying to put this experience into perspective. Everything was in complete contrast from the style of life that I am living now, and I wish I could incorporate more of that peace here. Even though it was a whirlwind of a trip, (in Annie's words "an act of love"), a revelation came to me: when you live a small life, every single thing you have or experience takes on a grand importance. It wasn't as if when we were grinding the spices for baking, for example, that someone made an announcement that quieted the room and gathered everyone's attention to the ritual that was about to happen. No, it was just life. No ceremony to force the weight of the moment upon us. The festival was about celebrating culture, celebrating who these people are and all of their uncomplicated traditions. Each and every act there was an act of love. The cleanliness and simplicity of the traditions only serve to concentrate their potency. I think each person involved needed this weekend for a different reason. Now the time is ripe for me to think about what is important in my life. Before I leave off, I invite any questions about this post's title that remain unanswered. Finally, I have to include a photo of my new red shoes. :) Ahoj!