Chicago is not the only American city with a sizeable Polish population. Seattle also has a significant Polish presence, which I've now experienced twice in one week! Last Saturday night I was invited to join some new Polish and Czech and American friends here at the monthly Polish Disco night at Dom Polski (Polish House). Dom Polski is a community center sponsored by Poles in town...once a month they have an AWESOME Polish disco (citila som ako 'doma' na skolsky ples) and every Friday night they serve Polish food (see the menu here...Pierogies/Pirohy--meat/cabbage and potato/cheese and Pickle Soup--uhorkova polievka...very tasty!). My friend who I met in Slovak language class 5 years ago--Elizabeth and I decided to try the menu last night. We were very pleased. And of course we confused the regulars by trying to speak Slovak with them :)
Elizabeth picked up a Polish guy who works in the horse industry here in Washington and I got to talk with a guy who came over to the States in 1983 after causing a ruckus in Poland with the Solidarity movement. He is from northern Poland near Gdansk (Sczeczin) and was a young man in the 1970s and 80s. He says he knows Lech Walesa personally. I believe him. I asked how he was able to escape Communist Poland in 1983 and he said that since he was involved in the Solidarity movement and was one of the loud young people protesting against Communism, the Communists were glad to let him go.
Interestingly, he said he thinks the year that literally changed the world was 1976 when the students, workers and common Polish citizens started working together to fight the Communist system. He says the protests earlier in the 1970s were not as successful because the students or workers would protest, but then a large part of the population would just stand by and watch. Finally, in 1976 they all started working together (with the Catholic Church) to successfully bring down the regime in Poland, which spread to the rest of E. Europe and finally to Russia itself.
I just finished a great book about this very subject this week for my course at the university in "East European HIstory since 1939." It's called "The Power of Symbols against Symbols of Power" by Jan Kubik. It was nice to meet a real person here in Seattle who had participated in changing the world.
WOooow Marty,
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how you felt talking to someone like that (the guy from Poland). Last summer I worked in the summer camp and I met one man who told me about his times being a hippie in Slovakia, his rebelling against communism and 1989. I was so ovewhelmed of it.
I wish you would keep taking your life positively and I hope to see you again...
BTW: Seattle seems to be very interesting city (this healtyness...I don't know if I spell it correctly) maybe, once, I will get to visit you:)
Keep yourself fine
Love
ZUza
thanks, Zuzi, yes Seattle is a very 'healthy' city. not many people overweight here and everyone exercises at all times of day, often riding bikes or jogging next to the highway!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had a great time! For some reason I was reminded of being in Kosice with you and walking away from that cafe and hearing 'Rocky Top' being sung at a disco/karaoke. Your story of meeting the guy who escaped communist Poland is great too. Some day you'll have to write a book, Marty.
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