Parting Thoughts on Warsaw and Poland

Bryan

It has been an incredible and at times unbelievable nine months here in Warsaw, partly due to our travels around Europe, but mostly due to the abundant hospitality of Poles and the impressive quality of life offered in Warsaw. We have seen so many amazing things, met so many wonderful people, and had innumerable experiences that will continue to shape us for the rest of our lives.

It was so fascinating to live in a place where so so often the cultural norms could be so different, but in the end it was the idiosyncrasies of Poland that made the biggest impact on us - the attention to detail, the reluctance to rush, the formulaic politeness, the enthusiastic friendliness hiding just beneath the stoic surface, and the passionate faith (how nice not running into contempt for God around every corner). These elements of our daily life will be sorely missed.

We've had to say goodbye to a lot of wonderful people - Fulbright colleagues, fellow Dantiscus-ophiles at the University of Warsaw, Parish friends, Polish friends, and generally some of the nicest people we've ever met. It has been sad but we're comforted by the knowledge that we will be trying especially hard to reunite with many of them in the future, perhaps even back here in Warsaw someday!

Warsaw was a wonderful, stimulating, and comforting home during the first nine months of our marriage, and we wouldn't trade this experience for anything. We're happy to be returning to the US, but sad to be leaving our briefly-adopted home in Poland, where we've learned so much and have been forever changed for the better.

Do zobaczenia, Polsko! Cię kochamy a będziemy wracali, kiedy najpierw to możliwość!
(Until we meet again, Poland! We love you and we will be returning, when first we can!)

Emily
Looking back, we've come a long way since arriving here last September - freshly married (both), freshly Catholic (one), and clueless about what to expect of life in Poland (both). Navigating the city and the language started out as a scary thing but has become second nature and even comfortable. We made our first house (well, Polish mieskanie) here. We took our first trips as a married couple (and second and third and fourth and...) and learned how we travel best (and selfie best). We entered fully into the "Polish spirituality", made pilgrimages, went to Mass in seven different languages, adopted new traditions. We got ourselves into impossible situations in non-native tongues and got ourselves out again. We tried to open Poland to our friends and family and share the goodness! We've seen much and learned more, from our interactions with friends and surprises with strangers. And through it all, most of all, we have changed our landscape here and been changed ourselves. A little bit of our individual selves and our couple self will always be from this time in our life, and for that we are grateful.