Yesterday
was a perfect introduction to Polish history and culture. During our first
lecture with Marta Shaw, we walked through some important moments in Poland's
history, giving us a good base of knowledge for topics to come. We learned some
interesting facts, such as Jadwiga was a female king of Poland in the 1300's
(girl power!) and that Poland had the first Democracy in Europe in the 1700's.
What I found most interesting was the discussion on Polish culture. We learned the saying "the nail that sticks out gets hit" which exemplifies the tendency toward sameness, an easy juxtaposition to the American sense of individualism.
Also interesting was that there is an abundance of rules and laws within the country, but an aversion to strictly following them. This mindset was evident in stories we heard from our tour guide, who discussed jay walking and public drinking laws, and how people tended to get around them.
After a pieroji lunch (fun fact, that is the plural, pierojis is not a word), a walking tour, and a traditional dinner, a few of us ended the day with a nice little vodka tasting. Na zdrowie!
What I found most interesting was the discussion on Polish culture. We learned the saying "the nail that sticks out gets hit" which exemplifies the tendency toward sameness, an easy juxtaposition to the American sense of individualism.
Also interesting was that there is an abundance of rules and laws within the country, but an aversion to strictly following them. This mindset was evident in stories we heard from our tour guide, who discussed jay walking and public drinking laws, and how people tended to get around them.
After a pieroji lunch (fun fact, that is the plural, pierojis is not a word), a walking tour, and a traditional dinner, a few of us ended the day with a nice little vodka tasting. Na zdrowie!
No comments:
Post a Comment