I have returned to my previous solitary existence inside my Polish bachelor pad. My family is somewhere high above the Atlantic enjoying unlimited helpings of mini-pretzels, Sutter Home wine, and the English language. At least I think they are. Rogue cabbies in Warsaw are notorious for kidnapping American tourists, stealing all their valuables, and dumping them across the Ukranian border. Kidding Grandma, only kidding!
I never thought being responsible would be so exhausting. It was a great experience to have Mom, Dad, and Dave hop across the pond to see where I work and live. They will definitely have a newfound perspective on things when I make my weekly call over the computer. Showing them around Warsaw was the easy part. Being able to retreat to the friendly confines of 40 Wielicka #64 after a day of sightseeing was definitely really nice for them.
The last week has been the most interesting travel experience I've had over here. The four of us traveled to the motherland, Slovenia, the country my grandmother left back in 1924 at the tender age of 16. Okay, it was part of a larger country called Yugoslavia back then, but the powderkeg of warring ethnicities has since fractured it into 5 smaller nations. But I digress, since this is not a forum for the politics of Eastern Europe.
Anyhow, if you're still reading, I'll give you a little background to help you understand the history behind the visit. Back in 1977, when I was just a 3 year old little hellion, my parents went to Yugoslavia with my grandmother. My father has
cousins living in the same tiny village called Zemostac, and my grandmother hadn't been back in over 50 years. As you can see, my parents were quite the groovy couple back then.
When they said goodbye in 1977, they didn't think they would ever see each other again for some odd reason. Fortunately, I was able to make a visit in 2005 to see the family, and meet all of my second cousins. It was a journey that had a profound effect on me moving to my present location.
It was an emotional experience for all of us, but especially for my parents. Memories of their previous trip came flooding back and there wasn't a dry eye in the house, so to speak. Andreja and Tomaz translated the feelings of happiness between all of us. Dad was still pretty savvy with his knowledge of Slovenian much to the surprise of the older folks.
It was wonderful to just sit back and play trip photographer while everyone bonded over heaping plates of potica, prosciutto, and cheese. I wish I could post all of the photos here, but to save space I will get them uploaded to my Photobucket account in the near future.
Okay, so posting this entry has taken a few days. I had a severe case of writer's block / laziness but have decided to give you my musings on the craziness of the Italian capital in a later entry.
I want to thank all of you who have provided me positive feedback on the blog. It's great to hear from some old friends and family that drop by the KC site from time to time.
I'm really looking forward to coming back to the U.S. in a few weeks. Highlights include the Boise H3's 1000th hash which I'll get to be a part of if the airline gods bestow a delay-free day on me. The chance to be an "Ironfan" watching 25 friends do the race in Coeur D'Alene is going to be an epic experience as well. And getting to hold my newly arrived niece, Lauren, should give me some serenity in between play times with Griffin, my nephew. And of course, I reserved plenty of time for sitting on a boat with my Dad, fishing and speaking in Polish.
I will leave you with a few pics showing my mom experiencing the power of creative Polish advertising, my brother witnessing the artistry of one of my favorite street performers, and two guys learning about the history of the Catholic Church. Thanks for reading!
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