Polish Hospitality

There's a saying in Poland: "A guest in the house is like God in the house", and I would have to agree. I have definitely enjoyed experiencing Polish hospitality and have learned much from many gracious hostesses and hosts. Any time we visit someone's home, we are immediately warmly welcomed and offered tea or coffee and typically treated to some type of cookie, cake, chocolate, or other goody. At times there is even the offer of different foods. When we head out to the villages, we typically stop at Marcin and Monika's home (which is a small apartment in the church building) at some point. Yesterday, Amber and I travelled out and arrived shortly before our first class. So, Marcin suggested we start the class early in order to finish early and be able to go to his home for coffee and tea. We also were treated to some homemade pancake type things that Marcin whipped up for us! When we go to Jemiolowo to teach english, the Soltys (village leader) has coffee, tea, and some type of goody for us, and yesterday was no exception (for the record, that was cup of coffee number two for the afternoon). After our lessons in Jemiolowo, Amber, Marcin, and I headed to the home of some of our students to visit with the family. And, as we sat down at the kitchen table, the tea, coffee, and cookies came out! (cup number three---four years of teaching has somewhat trained my bladder to be patient, but after three cups of caffeine, I was shot!).
And, in case you're wondering, this isn't something the Poles do only for us Americans, this is how they treat everyone! I really like it and have enjoyed having opportunities to practice hospitality to our friends here in in our flat.

This is a photo from Marcin's birthday party last week. Here you can get an idea of the "spread" put out. The Poles don't typically use plasticware, so it's always fun (well, except for the dish-washer!) to drink tea from pretty cups!

Ok, yes, I know there's an arm reaching right through the middle of this picture, but it's actually a telling picture. I was trying to just get a shot of the table, but it was so hard to snap one, as Marcin or Monika were in constant motion making sure that everyone was served and happy. This is Marcin's hand reaching for a spoon to serve someone some of his birthday cake...the birthday boy/girl is the one to serve on his/her birthday! And, they usually provide their own cake!

One thing is for sure: when you leave a Polish home, you definitely feel special and as though you were a welcomed guest...even if your bladder is about to explode!