Polaskies

In my 32 years of this life time I have never met a Polish person, at least I don’t remember one. I know nothing about the culture, stereotypes (other then the American jokes about Poles being dumb), food, geography, etc. Nothing! It has never occurred to me to visit Poland, I have never heard the language being spoken, and I had no idea who its neighbours are. I was bluntly honest about all this with Nisarga. I was also honest with him that I thought it was too early, way too early to meet anyone in his family, and that I was nervous about it. After all, I was only the second girlfriend of his they have met. We stayed at his brother’s apartment in Nice, his brother’s girlfriend was in Poland visiting family, and Nisarga’s father also stayed over sometimes. So here I am meeting his brother and father for the first time AND we are all staying in the same apartment. I was horrified at the thought. I felt embarrassed! This is no exaggeration, on the first night when they came home from work I couldn’t find it in me to leave the bedroom and walk to the living room to meet them. I tried a few times, opening the door and taking a few steps and then turned right back around and went into the bedroom and shut the door behind me. Nisarga finally picked me up and carried me to the living room planting me on the couch, while I kicked and screamed and turned tomato red even more horrified and embarrassed. I guess it had to be done or I might not have left the room at all.

On top of that, they don’t speak English, obviously I don’t speak Polish. The way it worked out was they would speak to me in French, I would get the idea, I would respond in English, and Nisarga would translate my response in Polish since neither one of us speaks French although I understand some.

I was worried that the cultural difference between the Polish and myself would be huge, but it wasn’t! It wasn’t at all! They are loud, bossy, overly hospitable, chivalrous, show-offish, love to eat and drink, laid back and casual, humorous, gossipy. My Greek and Latin background more than prepared me for this. With the exception of the language, I felt quite at home. I fell in love with Nisarga’s father soon after I met him. He is like a big teddy bear of a man. A huge man, who may feel at times like an elephant in a porcelain shop, afraid of hurting others and by now very used to conforming to others’ expectations of him to match his size with his demeanour. But he is quite emotional, touchy-feely, funny, charming, talkative, intelligent, eager to please. Our energy clicked right away. I’m very glad to have met him.

Overall, meeting Dominik and Wiesiek went not only smoothly but I actually enjoyed it. One night we all went out to dinner, including a couple of other Polish guys, friends of theirs, and Wiesiek noticed my earrings. Nisarga explained that they were a present he gave me, from Poland. His father immediately took such pride in that these beautiful earrings were from Poland. It was so cute. Then he made a comment that in his days men used to give the present of a ring, not earrings, and that times must have changed. Wiesiek: let me get the earrings, necklace, bracelets and all before we finalize the deal with the ring ok? Dominik is now asking when Nisarga and I are going to have kids, since he already had one. Dominik: we are busy, not now! This is exactly what my family would be saying by now, hilarious!