Below is wining Essay:
Essay: As a child of Polish immigrants, my Polish heritage has been an integral part of my whole life. My whole life has been influenced by me being Polish, from literally learning Polish before English to grocery trips to the Polish store with my parents. Being Polish is just who I am, it is always in my life.
Starting very early on in my life, I already had extra Polish influence in my life. I had a Polish nanny as a toddler. Her name was Patrycja, and I absolutely adored her. Naturally, having two Polish parents, and a Polish nanny, my first language was Polish, not English, even though I lived in America.
During elementary school, I attended Polish school every Saturday. After one summer in Poland, I came back and told my mom I wanted to know even more Polish. I wanted to learn how to read and write in Polish, just like I was learning to read and write in English in elementary school. Through Polish school, I met one of my best friends, Michelle. Michelle and I would see who could complete the crossword puzzles faster, and who could memorize the wojwództwa and their capitals faster. One of my favorite parts of Polish school was the Christmas show that was put on at the end of the fall semester. I loved learning how to dance the Krakowiak, and getting all dressed up in my strój Krakowski made me feel even more connected to my heritage. My mom was the one who made all of the costumes for the kids, and I remember helping her embroider beads onto the vests for the girls. In addition to helping my mom make the costumes, Michelle and I would play the kolędy on the piano. We would play the kolędy, sing the kolędy, and then also say our lines in the play. Polish school was truly an immersive experience, and it made me feel more connected to my heritage because I could share and love it with other people.
In high school, I came back to Polish school, but as a teacher. I started out as a teaching assistant for the youngest class for a semester, then was a teacher for 7-8 year olds for a semester, and then I was a teacher for the youngest class for a whole year, however due to COVID that whole year was on Zoom. Teaching was a wonderful experience, and it made me feel proud that despite living in America and attending schools taught in English, I am proficient enough in my reading and writing in Polish that I could teach it to other kids.
I dressed up in my strój krakowski for the International Festival in Raleigh that I enjoyed so much. I would walk around the Raleigh convention center in my strój krakowski, going to the other country booths to fill up my passport, and people would always ask me where I was from and I would proudly say that I am from Poland, and that my own mom made this outfit. People would also ask to take pictures of the beautiful outfit, and it made me very happy that people were appreciating the beauty of all things Polish. My mom was very involved with the PAC club at the international festival, and I would go with her to help her set up the booths, and then during the festival I would be at the booths helping out as well. I would be at the food booth where various Polish foods were sold such as pierogi, kiełbasa, and placki ziemniaczane. The Polish food booth was quite popular, and for good reason because polskie jedzenie to najlepsze jedzenie. The culture booths taught me more about Polish history, which I sadly do not know as much as I want about. At my college, UNC- Chapel Hill, they offer various Polish classes and at some point I wish to take a class that will teach me more about the history of Poland.
All my life I have grown up eating Polish food. My favorites include bigos, ruskie pierogi, kotlet schabowy, żurek, and so many more delicious dishes. Now being in college and living in the dorms and eating underwhelming dining hall food, it has made me realize just how much Polish food I ate, and how much I miss it. I went home one weekend, and I had a delicious bowl of rosól for dinner one night, I had ruskie pierogi z bekonem for lunch, and then I had smażona kiełbasa, buraki z chrzanem, i czerwona kapusta for another dinner. Eating that food made me so happy and filled a piece of me that had been missing while in college.
In college I have been able to eat some Polish food though, but only sweets that were bought w “polskim sklepie.” For my whole life, I have been going to the Polish store with my mom or my dad to get all kinds of things. We stock up on various maki, przyprawy, pasztety, ogórki, buraki, wędliny, sery, słodycze, and so many more things. The pantry and fridge has always been stocked with goods from the Polish store. When I was younger, the man at Halgo’s European Deli would always give me some sweets as we were leaving the store, and now at Polonez market the lady gives my mom and I something for free as well. This shows how caring the Polish community is here and I am so glad that I am part of it. Now, whenever I have a lot of some sort of Polish treat, I will share it with the girls that live in my suite at the dorm.
Some of my best summers were the summers that I spent in Poland. When I was in elementary school I would go to Poland with my parents, but once in middle and high school, my parents would send me to Poland for the summer alone. From the Dulles airport in Washington D.C to the Balice airport w Krakowie, I flew as an unaccompanied minor. My grandpa would pick me up in Krakow, and then we would drive to my grandma's house w Gliwicach. The feeling when you first step out of the airport is one of the best feelings in the world. I am just so excited to be in Poland, and cannot wait to see my grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousins and everything else that is in Poland. W Gliwicach, I have memories of going to the market and butcher with my grandma, going on walks in the woods with her dogs, driving to my aunt's house to play with my younger cousins, and going to the mall with my grandpa for him to spoil his favorite granddaughter. From Gliwice, I would go to Kraków and Nowy Targ to see my dad's side of the family. W Krakowie, I would just tag along with my cousins to wherever they went. With my cousins and their friends, we would take the tramwaj to various parks, restaurants, and other attractions in Kraków. Then, my aunt and uncle would send my cousins and I to Nowy Targ to stay with our grandparents. Everytime I go to my grandma's house she has a delicious szarlotka waiting for us. Babcia would also make us pierogi, and kompot. I have very fond memories of drinking kompot outside on the deck, and playing cards with everyone. While writing this, I am very nostalgic and am wanting to buy a ticket to Poland right now to go visit my family.
I have very fond memories of all things Polish. I have done even more things that relate to my Polish heritage too such as nanny for a family that wanted their toddler (who was born in Poland) to remember her Polish, and nanny for a Polish family that wanted their child to start learning English. The second family actually found me because I was their daughter’s teacher in Polish school. I wish to continue spreading my Polish knowledge, and immerse myself in more opportunities where I can learn more about my heritage and share my heritage with other people.
