For the nine months prior to entering Poland territory I was residing in
multiple homes and cities throughout Germany. I started in Marburg, Germany
where I studied the German language with another UWSP Study Abroad group. In
Marburg I met a great mix of friends that became my new family. My German
language skills improved a lot during my stay, although I still have a long way
to go. In addition to Marburg, I spent a long period of time in Tübingen, where
I lived with the father of a close German friend of mine (One who I met years
back). And also I lived in Frankfurt at the family home of a girlfriend I met
in Marburg. During my time in Germany I had the chance to speak with various
people I met about Poland. I received a number of different responses. One
person I spoke too, who is a Political Science major in Marburg and has a great
knowledge of history, gave me an hour-long history lesson about the way early
Poland developed and broke apart. Many of both polish and german people I spoke
with quickly warned me to take care of my things while I am here; they claimed
that Poland is well known to be full of thieves. One of the most extreme
statements I heard in Germany about Poland is that I could be kidnapped and
then sold into sex slavery! So maybe I won't get kidnapped, but overall I was
advised not to walk anywhere alone at night. In mid summer I spoke (in German)
with Beata, a woman who grew up in Poland. She taught me a number of small
tips, like the grocery stores and mannerisms of sorts. From her I also learned
that about 95% of the Polish are catholic. This was a little concerning to me
because I don't have a religious background and also felt that I would not fit
in with the strong religious beliefs. I was nervous that the conservative
values would possibly be still strongly instilled in many of the Polish today.
In all, I did not receive the most positive reviews on Poland as a country. After
having a tearful goodbye to the loved ones I met in Germany, all I could hope
on the plane was that Poland would paint out to become a more colorful and
positive place than the fearful images that had instilled itself into my
imagination.
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