Gość: Goodey
IP: *.tmns.net.au
23.01.02, 23:47
Nie, to nie moje osobiste doswiadczenia lecz warto uwazam spojrzec na odczucia
ludzi (turystow) ktorzy patrza na nas "swiezym" okiem, dzielac sie swoimi
spostrzezeniami na swiatowym forum Internetu.
My Trip To Poland, April 1998
My trip to Poland was the most extraordinary part of my travels through Europe.
I had read all the information on the internet and even talked to several
people who had been there recently. With all of that I was not prepared for my
reaction.
As we crossed the border in Görlitz I felt we had stepped back in time. We were
traveling in a rented car which we had rented in West Germany with special
permission to go into Poland. (Green card and all of that) There were lots of
people on the streets,walking and standing around talking. They certainly had a
slower lifestyle than the Germans. Most houses were in ill repair and it became
apparent that they had very little money to fix anything.
We arrived in Jelenia Gora around 4pm. The city was very crowded and we were
lost trying to find out where we could legally park. That was the first
realization that we should have learned some Polish. My sister-in-law was
worried about leaving the car so she stayed in it while we searched for a hotel
and an opportunity to get money. The Hotel Europa was a rather run down and I
knew a stay overnight there would color my memory of Poland negatively. After
trying to communicate with several people another realization hit. No one spoke
much English and their German was only slightly better. We found that changing
money at a "Kantor" was cheaper than a bank but they would only change currency
so on the next trip I would take some dollars to change into Zlotys. We were
there three days and two nights and got by easily with $300 Zlotys which is
about $94.00. There was an ATM in Jelenia Gora but I wouldn't expect one in a
smaller town. We found a better hotel farther south for $40.00 a person and
they did take Visa so I didn't use my Polish currency for lodging. In general
the people were not interested in us as tourists. The other tourists were
Polish or German. The rented car was an issue and we used valuable time in
trying to secure it. We ended up having it vandalized, nothing too serious, but
it required a trip to the Polish police which would have been extremely
difficult had we not had a translator. That translator was a blessing and we
really appreciated her. We met her at the museum. I had been given her name as
someone who could help me with German history in Jelenia Gora. We enjoyed our
interchange with her very much and she did give me much info and books and most
important she seemed to care that I was looking for my heritage in a foreign
environment.
One good thing about slow growth in Poland is that all the homes my family
lived in were still there. They were not in good repair but they were easy to
find and I was able to put together a visual image of what life was like 100
years ago. I was so glad we had a car when it came to finding the villages of
my ancestry. The valley where my father came from was beautiful and untouched.
The farmers were plowing with horses and whole families were out planting in
the fields. I took a panoramic disposable camera which gave me wide pictures of
the landscape.
As I look back now I wish I had pursued some of my other goals. I had wanted to
go to the Standesamt (Courthouse) and locate some records. I know without a
translator that would have been difficult. It was always a fight against time.
They move very slowly in Poland and searching records would have been a chore.
I have done most of my research through the Family History Centers in the US.
I am very happy I went into Poland. Because my German relatives have such a
prejudice against the Poles I had hoped to break through that feeling and bring
goodwill. I am still uncomfortable with the fact that there is a rich German
heritage there and it is totally ignored and even erased. It was exciting to
find a German plaque in the wall of the church where my ancestors worshiped.
Even more exciting was the fact that it was a family name and I knew that I was
indeed in the right place.
Before and after my trip into Poland I traveled through Germany. I was able to
visit in the town where I was born and see my birth house. My family went to
Werdohl, Westfahlen as refugees from Silesia after WWII. They emigrated to
America, with me as a two year old, in 1955.
I visited with my aunt in Hannover who was very emotional that she would see me
once again. She offered me her old pictures which was a treasure of family
photos as far back as 1900. I suffered a tinge of guilt as I thought how little
I had communicated with her during all the years we had been gone. It meant so
much to her to hear about my family and I know she collected pictures from my
life which my mother sent to her.
My cousin invited us to spend time with her in Berlin. Berlin is an interesting
city. It is so huge and with so much varied history. I visualized the parade of
tanks and soldiers marching down the long avenue "Unter den Linden" with Hitler
shouting in the background. I thought of the great destruction to this city and
the years of rebuilding. My cousin and I talked of the events leading up to the
fall of the wall and of the problems uniting East and West Germany.
This trip was so very important to me and I appreciate my memories already.
Taking along a small cassette recorder was a great idea. I not only recorded my
relatives stories but I used the time on the flight back to record my own
memories which I intend to transcribe.
