Along with sending down the Holy Spirit, God decreed that all Polish grocery stores should be closed as part of the Pentacost experience

Wydarzenia (Events)

So very much has been going on in recent weeks, beginning even before the epic Lwów adventure.

First: Kraków had a gay rights march. That's pretty impressive for a city that is a hot-seat for Catholicism (i.e. conservatism). I mean, it was officially called a "Tolerance March," I guess so as not to push the envelope too far. [I heard that the march was even canceled in Warsaw in years past, to give you an illustration of the opposing side's influence.] But I was really surprised with how many people turned out for this march and equally surprised with the festive atmosphere surrounding it. The organizers passed out balloons, stickers, and whistles. Of course there were scary police guys with scary guns and in full riot gear, who escorted us all along the Planty and into the Rynek. And of course there were scary neo-Nazi-types waiting for us and shouting things at us once in the Rynek. Yeah, they were pretty lame, but like I said, there was no large-scale violence or out-of-control protests from either side. I'd call it a success, but I'm sure that no equal rights legislation or anything will come out of it. It was still a nice, socially-aware way to spend a Saturday morning.

Second: I'm gettin' around. The day after the tolerance march, I went to visit a friend in Tarnów - a British guy who used to study with me in Kraków before he decided that the 1.5 hour one-way commute wasn't really worth it. Tarnów is a nice little city, charming even, worth a walk around if you get bit by the travel bug and just need to get out of town for an afternoon. One of Tarnów's biggest attractions is that it is the final resting place of Hungarian and Polish freedom fighter, Józef Bem. It always comes back to those Hungarians...

Third: Ukraine. Enough said.

Fourth: I have a new roommate. Timea is an ethnic Hungarian (again - see!) who lives in Romania. This is an interesting situation specific to Eastern Europe. Hungary used to be a HUGE empire, and their people lived all over. Now that the country is slightly larger than the state of Maine, it's legacy is bigger than it's area. Anyway, enough Hungarian history; I can certainly tell you more when I see you. It's enough to say that Timea is a complete 180º turn from Isabelle.

Fifth: Juwenalia. Ojej. All across Poland in the spring there is a festival for students. In Kraków, there are concerts, parties, and revelry of all kinds during an entire week. But the major event was the parade on Friday morning from the student village (near where I live) to the main square, where then the keys of the city are symbolically handed over to a student government for the day. Sounds like a nice tradition, right? Costumes, nice spring weather, everyone good spirits, etc... But really, like any real student celebration, it's about the booze. Combine any American college homecoming with Mardis Gras and have it sponsored by one of Poland's largest breweries, and there you have Juwenalia.

Large, drunken crowds of twentysomethings generally don't interest me, so I stayed clear of much of it. The overall festive mood was nice, and my friends and I celebrated in our own small ways (booze was inevitably included). My only real regret though is that I missed witnessing the parade first-hand. I went out on Thursday night, staggered home at 3, woke up late and had to rush to a choir performance at 10:00, and then went back to bed to keep sleeping off the night. Therefore, I was out of commission for most of Friday. Good one, Sarah.

Sixth: As this post's title mentions, Pentecost is a big deal in Poland. At first I had only heard the name of this holy day in Polish, "Ziolone Świąt", and it didn't ring any bells. (Even when I called my mother and asked what feast day it was, she didn't know. We're good Catholics...) Anyway, there's always a big procession, where all the nuns and monks come out to play in their different team colors: The Paulinites in white, the Benedictines in black, the Franciscans in brown, some sisters in blue, etc.

I later learned that the reason for extending the hullabaloo into the economic sector (meaning store closings) was that France gave its shop assistants the day off, and if such a secular country like France recognizes Pentacost Sunday, then Poland should get on that boat as well. The American restaurant inside the Galeria Kazimierz (big shopping mall) was still open, though. God Bless America.

Seventh: I am already checked out of school. It always seems to happen at this time of year no matter where you are. It probably doesn't help any feelings of studiousness when your class keeps going on field trips away from Kraków. That you can't get everywhere. ;)

Lastly: My ancestry search will happen next week, thanks to Corpus Christi, which gives us yet another long weekend. Kashubia here I come!

Over and out for now.