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My Journal
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Thursday, 10/3/2002: Mission Possible
I did it. I have really good RNA and a lot of it from both varieties. Now, on to mRNA isolation and cDNA synthesis.
In the evening, I got together with some of my coworkers in one of their dorm rooms. It was a nice, relaxing time. I had this apple juice/vodka drink…it is actually quite foofy so I enjoyed it. Also, I had a coke which was even better.
I have written a lot about alcohol in these journals, but it doesn’t mean that I’m out drinking every day. I tried new things for the sake of it and in the process, I’ve ruled out what I definitely don’t like.
Friday, 10/4/2002: Lousy mRNA
After I have RNA, the next step is to isolate only messenger RNA which is the substrate upon which protein can be synthesized. The procedure is not terribly difficult, but it is expensive ($100 per kit). I have only 2 kits to isolate mRNA with and I have already used 1 of them today. A major problem for me is the lack of a Dry-Vac over here. This machine can evaporate solutions and therefore reduce volume and increase concentration of the solute. For example, if 10 grams of salt in 1000 ml of solution is evaporated to 100 ml of solution, now the concentration of salt is 10x higher. I need to do the same for my mRNA to make it more concentrated. Without a Dry Vac, the only other option is to precipitate it overnight which is more risky because you can lose the mRNA.
Anyways, I also played ball this evening. Again, burning people and being on fire makes me happy.
Saturday, 10/5/2002: Lousy mRNA Part 2
I went to work today, hoping to start the next phase of my project. But, as I suspected, the precipitation didn’t work out very well and I don’t have good mRNA or enough of it. There must be a Dry Vac in Poland somewhere. I will travel wherever I need to go to find a Dry Vac. It is so crucial for this to work out.
After work, I went to Iwona’s house and had some tasty beet soup and Polish pancakes. Mmmm.
Sunday, 10/6/2002: Relaxing, Rainy Day
If my mRNA isolation had gone well, I was planning on working today and finishing the next phase of the project, making cDNA from the mRNA. But now, I am delayed until I find a Dry Vac. I have only 1 mRNA kit left and I’m not going to waste it without having a Dry Vac first.
Anyways, it’s raining outside and I’m stuck in my dorm room. But, it’s not too bad…yet. As long as I get a few sunny days per week, I think I will stay sane and undepressed.
Monday, 10/7/2002: Dry Vac
It turns out that Elwira has some connections with another university here that has a Dry Vac. So, we went there so I could use it. This lab was completely decked out with all the latest equipment! They even have a DNA sequencer of their own. Moreover, I was treated like a king. While my samples were drying, I was served coffee and chocolates. I will need the Dry Vac again so I will be paying another visit to this lab in the near future.
After work, I went to Iwona’s house with Dorota to have some coffee and sweets. I felt really sick though. Last night, I went to a dorm party for a girl who finished 7 years of study. So, everyone was served vodka. It was mixed with orange juice so I thought, “Hey, why not?” Big mistake! I think that stuff is like 50% or more.
Tuesday, 10/8/2002: Just Work
Do you really expect the “work” journal entries to be long, intricate, and interesting?
Wednesday, 10/9/2002: Just work
See above.
Thursday, 10/10/2002: Marijuana Train
Well, today I took a train to Warsaw to pick up my mother who is visiting for 10 days. I met some
English-speaking students and we talked about various topics. The biggest impression left on me, though, was that these students really cared about their country and had pride in it. I think I got the impression before from my Polish student co-workers that national pride is low in this country due to government corruption among other things. However, these students on the train told me that they felt strongly that they wanted to “pay back” their country for giving them a good education. They don’t want to go work abroad in the US or in any other country; they want to give it all back to Poland. It was good for me to see students who do have pride in the country. It’s so easy to make judgments without thinking; I had already previously assumed for myself that Polish students who did not grow up in the communistic period didn’t have as strong a pride in the country as the older people.
Also, I was offered marijuana on the train by another student. It was the first time for me. Now I can say that the first time I was offered drugs was in Poland.
Anyways, I saw Warsaw for a brief moment when I drove from the airport on the first day; however, today, I got a much bigger view of it. It is so modern; it reminded me of an American city. Warsaw was destroyed in WWII, so most of the buildings are rebuilt. Some of the older monuments that were destroyed were re-created with the original architecture in mind. Nevertheless, the rebuilding process has made Warsaw look very modern.
I’m really thankful for my friend Gosia who picked me up from the railway station, booked the hotel, and took me to the hotel. I have such great friends here who are going out of their way to help out.
This weekend, I will take my mother to Gdansk. I’ve already been here, but there are a few things that I didn’t get to see, like Hel. I’m gonna go to Hel (it’s a peninsula on the Baltic Sea that you can take a ferry to)! I will also show my mother the old town in Gdansk (perhaps purchase some amber jewelry which Gdansk is famous for), Oliva, and the Solidarity museum.
Then, on Sunday, Dorota and her husband graciously offered to come to Gdansk and take us to Malbork where there is a castle we will see. Then, we will go back to Bydgoszcz on Sunday evening. Next week is open, but I want my mom to at least see Torun and all the neat stuff in Bydgoszcz. All this wouldn’t be possible, though, without the help of Iwona, Jacek, Dorota, Gosia, and all the other people who are arranging this stuff for me and my mom. What great friends! J
Friday 10/11/2002 to Sunday 10/20/2002: Mother’s Visit
I have to admit that I didn’t keep up with my journals during this time. When my mother came, I didn’t really take my laptop along on trips so that I could write about what happened. At this point, I don’t remember the dates but I remember the events so I will just write about those.
On Friday, we went in the morning on a train to Gdansk. It was only 4 hours and the countryside was nice to see. It’s autumn now so the leaves are turning color, so it is beautiful. We arrived in Sopot and stayed at the Grand Hotel. Check out the pictures. This is the classiest hotel I’ve ever stayed at. It is very expensive by Polish standards (400 zlotys, $100) but moderate in US dollars. The hotel is also right on the beach next to the Baltic Sea. I had plans of waking up early to catch the sunrise and see the reflection on the water; unfortunately, it was cloudy the whole time.
Anyways, after putting down our things in the hotel, I took my mother to Oliwa to go on that same hiking trail that has a look out point with a view of the whole city. It was really really cold. The temperature was around 5 C. But, with wind, it feels a lot colder.
On Saturday, we went to the main town of Gdansk to see the old town. I’ve already been here also so now I was a tour guide for my mother. We did a lot of shopping. I won’t write what I bought because that will give away the surprise in December. There was a wonderful restaurant called Sphinx which we really enjoyed. It wasn’t Polish food but the atmosphere and service were great.
On Sunday, Dorota and Adam drove all the way to Sopot to pick us up and take us to Hel. That’s right, we went to Hel ! Hel is a small town on the tip of a peninsula on the Baltic sea (see the map). There was a small museum with information on the first settlers here who basically relied on the sea. There were many exhibits with fishing nets and carved boats. I just don’t know how they survived the cold weather. It was around 2 C and windy; I can’t imagine what winter is like.
On our drive back to Bydgoszcz, we saw two more things. First, on the Baltic Sea coast, there is this place with rocky cliffs and good views; I took a lot of nice pictures. Second, there is a major castle called Malbork. It was too cold so we took a 5 minute tour from the outside. It was dark and cloudy so my pictures didn’t turn out too great. I’ll have to go to Malbork again sometime.
Back in Bydgoszcz, we saw the major attractions like the town center. Every night, we were honored guests at someone’s house for dinner. We ate really nice Polish food at Iwona’s, Dorota’s, and Elwira’s houses. We also saw Torun on Wednesday because Jacek took time off his work to show us. I felt really guilty about that. I am so grateful to all these people who have put aside their priorities to show us around and take care of us.
On Thursday, I stayed up all night because I had a seminar to present the next day. My internet wasn’t working so I had to make a power point presentation with original graphics. That was not fun. I was so tired! On Friday, a former technician in the lab, Marianna, who now lives in Denmark visited us and the lab had a big party for her. I wish we did things like this in our labs in the US. In the night we went to a Mexican restaurant. The owner knew Marianna and ordered the food for us. Basically, 10 identical platters were served which we all shared. What a big surprise it was though at the end when we paid the bill. The price was outrageous for the food that we got. I paid 120 zloty! The food wasn’t really Mexican-tasting either. At the grand hotel, for a very high class meal, I paid about 80 zloty; it was worth it. But, to pay 120 zloty for this crap was really messed up especially when the owner ordered for us and didn’t let us choose our own things from the menu. Usually when I go to a restaurant where I know the owner and he/she orders for me, it means the meal is free. Anyways, oh well.
On Saturday, Jacek took us to Warsaw. We saw the cultural tower and the old town. The cultural tower was a gift from Russia. It has typical communistic statues in front of it. For example, there is this statue of a woman with muscular arms, which implies how both men and women can do labor for the good of communism. Anyways, from the top of the tower, there is a great view of Warsaw. I took a lot of pictures. The old town in Warsaw is actually not that old; it was rebuilt after WWII since almost everything in Warsaw was destroyed in that time. However, it was rebuilt with the same architecture so it still looks authentic and charmingly European. In the evening, we had dinner in a really good Indian restaurant with Jacek and Gosia. Finally, good Indian food in Poland; of course, the owners were from India. Warsaw is much more ethnically diverse; I saw a lot of non-indigenous people. It’s nice to not be stared at like in the rest of Poland.
Oh, Jacek also took me to an outdoor computer market. They have all kinds of software and hardware at reduced prices. Most of the software, of course, is illegal. I had a conversation with Jacek about this. Yes, it’s illegal but how can a student in Poland afford Microsoft Window for $100? Or, Autocad for a few thousand dollars? Businesses are required by law to have licensed software, but how can they test software to make sure it is what they want?
Well, that’s about it. My mother had a good stay here. She wouldn’t have ever thought of visiting Poland if I wasn’t here. So, we have both expanded our experiences.
My mind has been opened by seeing things from a different viewpoint in Poland. I think I tend to analyze global affairs by relating them to how the US is involved in the matter. While I’ve been here, however, I see things more from the Polish point of view.
At the same time, however, even though I appreciate the culture and atmosphere in Poland, being here has renewed my sense of pride in the United States and the University of Arizona. Being able to represent my country and university abroad has been quite an experience. I take those things for granted too often. I don’t know how to say this without sounding arrogant but, I live in the greatest country in the world.
Monday 10/21/2002 to Friday 10/25/2002: Rock Music Seminar
This week has been stressful. I had to catch up on all my schoolwork and resume experiments. I have progressed to 2nd strand cDNA. Pretty soon, I can ligate that into a vector and if all goes well, I can have a cDNA library.
I’ve gone two times this week to Bydgoszcz University to use their Dry Vac to dry my samples. Some people would think this is a hassle to take 1-2 hours just to use a simple piece of equipment but I really enjoy it. It is a very small, but powerful lab. They have the latest equipment, like a DNA sequencer. Moreover, there are only 4 people. They are working on genetics in forest science, specifically genetic diversities and analysis in different kinds of trees to help with reforestation which is important for obvious reasons. I forgot how to spell the PI’s name but he is a very friendly guy. Also, the technician Magdalena always offers me coffee and things to eat and talks with me about Poland and the US. Another guy, Arturo, has been to Texas A&M before so we talked about the US. I would have never thought that I would meet such interesting, new people just because of this Dry Vac problem which has turned into a blessing.
On Thursday, there was this conference in the evening to promote a European study abroad program called Socrates Eramus. People here do things differently. At the UA, if Carol Bender wanted to present the BRAVO program, she would organize a meeting where she would talk about the program and use food as a reinforcer (there may be other mind control techniques which I am not yet aware of). This Socrates Eramus meeting had all of those elements; however, in between each major topic, there was this popular TV Polish band that would play music. They had a huge repertoire of modern and classic Polish and American music like Pretty Woman, Beatles stuff like Twist and Shout, and Polish stuff I didn’t know. Moreover, when I looked around, there were all these older professors moving to the beat and mouthing the words (even to the English songs). I was so surprised. I just didn’t expect this from a simple informative meeting about a study abroad program. Maybe Carol can try this technique in the future. We could hire the Beach Boys or something.
On Friday, I played ball in the evening on the outside courts. These pavement courts have bad rims. The only usable rim is bent into an oval shape. I told the other students that we should all get together and install a new rim. Hopefully we can do that soon although an oval shaped rim definitely makes things more interesting.
10/26/2002 to 11/01/2002: Same ol, but still enjoying myself
Nothing terribly “exciting” has been happening over here in the last week. I haven’t really visited any new places or seen new things. I have been pretty much in the same routine each day. I have been quite disciplined, not only with work, but also with other things. I have set aside time each day to shoot hoops, do dumbbell exercises in my room, read, study, and reflect on myself. It has been quite refreshing actually to have this routine. I feel like I am accomplishing what needs to be done and making progress.
The weather here has been like the night time in Tucson in the winter…about 30-50 F. So, its not too bad. Only when it rains and it is windy does it become unpleasant. Usually, I just wear pants, a long sleeve shirt, and my trench coat and I’m pretty warm in that. I have gloves, a scarf, and hat ready for when it gets really cold. I can’t believe it is November already.
Halloween is not celebrated here at all, but people know of it. The day after Halloween is a major holiday. It’s a day where people remember their deceased loved ones and visit the cemetery with flowers/candles etc. Everything is closed on this day, including the university. So, we have a 3 day weekend this week. However, I think I’ll be working anyways during this weekend. I’m not bummed out about it either. I really enjoy what I am doing and I want it to succeed. Besides, I will be going next week to the mountains with Jacek to meet his parents and learn to ski. I’ve never skied in my life, so it will be interesting.
11/01/2002 to 11/13/2002: Jelenia Gora
I have been really frustrated with experiments at work. There is this one procedure I have to do which separates cDNA into various sizes; it’s called size fractionation. I use this 1 mL pipet tube and load it with buffer and then a specific gel medium on top of that. Then, I load it with cDNA and elute it based on size. However, the laws of physics work against me. When I load the buffer in the pipet, it naturally flows out too rapidly for me to add the gel on top. The logical thing to do would be to plug the bottom of the pipet but the protocol doesn’t say to do that. It’s so strange. I brought only 3 of these pipets along with me. 1 of them broke and I’ve already used the other 2 with no success. I have to wait now to get some more and keep trying. It seems so impossible sometimes to get this to work. I spent a whole day a few times last week just trying to load this column with buffer. Sheesh.
On a more positive note, I went to Jelenia Gora this last weekend with Jacek and saw my first Polish snow. Jelenia Gora is a small town about 50 km north of the Czech Republic in the south of Poland. It took about 8 hours by train to get there, about the same as to Krakow. However, this time was much worse because we had a long weekend here and so lots of students were going places. Jelenia Gora is actually a very popular tourist place to go for hiking in the mountains.
I stayed with Jacek’s parents and it was really nice. His father speaks English and travels a lot because of his job. His father is a mechanical engineer at a paper mill company and showed me his designs of a huge machine his company was going to construct. It spits out about 500 tons of paper per day. And I thought paper comes from Walmart. Anyways, they were very hospitable and so I really enjoyed my stay with them.
The town itself isn’t much different from other Polish towns except it is much colder. It snowed quite frequently, but the snow didn’t really stick for too long and it wasn’t so bad because snow doesn’t make you wet like rain does. There is even a McDonald’s and Pizza hut there. True signs of progress.
The mountains are not that tall (maybe 2000 m or so?) but because of the climate, they are practically covered with snow. I was scared of driving on the mountain roads but it isn’t too bad if you just drive slowly and carefully. At the end of one of the roads, there was a 10 km hiking trail that a lot of the students were going on; at the top, there is a hostel where you can stay the night and then hike back the next day.
There is also a flood basin here since flooding is a problem when the mountain snow melts. This floods that were shown on the news this last year actually were a major problem in Jelenia Gora. But, Jacek’s parents live far enough away that they weren’t affected.
Lastly, we went hiking to a historic castle called Chojnik which has a history that goes back to the 1200s; it was actually struck by lightning in 1675 and had to be rebuilt. The castle was situated at the top of a “hill”. I put hill in quotes because it was a very big hill, around 600 m. Nevertheless, the scenery was just beautiful and I took many pictures. Check out the pictures because I can’t do justice for the true beauty of this area. There is also an old story surrounding the castle. There was a princess who agreed to marry the man who …
Visiting Jelenia Gora was a wonderful experience. I can’t believe that I was only a few hours away from Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. I don’t think I’ll get a chance to go there in the remaining 4 weeks I have here. Time sure passes by quickly! I won’t be doing any more traveling in these 4 weeks except maybe to Wroclaw over a weekend. But I’m not complaining because I’ve already had the chance to see so many interesting places that I never imagined I would see. Now all I’m really looking forward to see is some results in lab!
11/13/2002 to 11/17/2002: Waiting
One of the most difficult parts of doing research over here is getting supplies. This whole week I have had to put my project on hold to wait for some 1 mL pipets. In the US, I could order something as simple as this and get it the very next day. It really makes things inconvenient. I did finally figure out how to do the size fractionation procedure which at first seemed to violate the laws of physics. Improvisation. I really think that Stratagene, who wrote the protocols for their kit that I'm using, should consider revising them and making them clearer. Research itself is a big question in that there is a lot of reasoning and inquiry involved; it is a huge hassle to have to deal with basic procedural questions on top of that. But anyways, I suppose it's all a part of the experience.
In the meanwhile, I made a presentation about various gene expression technologies. I will present this in a few weeks to Elwira's molecular biology class. She will translate for me since I don't know how to say "gene" or "restriction length polymorphism" in Polish.
11/18/2002 to 11/22/2002: Thinking of titles is not an easy task
Earlier this week, there was a graduation ceremony for all the people who have gotten their phD in the last year. So, I got to see Iwona and Dorota graduate. The dean and administrative people made some really long speeches in Polish which of course I didn't understand. And, I encountered yet another surprise. I was surprised the last time I attended the informational meeting about research abroad and they had a live band there that played in between the lectures. This wasn't as entertaining as a live band but still quite odd to me. At the end of the graduation ceremony, a researcher from a Polish medical school gave a presentation about how the brain processes visual images. This was really an awkward thing to put at the end of a graduation ceremony. Iwona was also surprised and thought it was really strange. There is a time for everything. I don't want to jump to conclusions too quickly, but it seems that people want to make the most out of large gatherings and so they will squeeze whatever is possible in the time frame, even if it has nothing to do with the main purpose of the gathering.
11/23/2002 to 11/26/2002: I used to have such great titles. Now I can only write about how I used to have such great titles
I had a good conversation with Christophe and Adam. Adam is a Polish student who is studying biotechnology and he vented out his frustrations about the Polish job market. Unemployment here is very high. Even a person with a college degree can have a very difficult time getting a job. Often, people end up working as a shop assistant or other menial jobs. We discussed what will happen when Poland joins the Union. The benefits will be that Poland could get some financial aid and be a part of a larger market which has the ability to compete with the US market and sustain itself well. However, there are downsides. I think people in Poland want their own domestic products and companies to be the foundation for their economy. However, in joining the Union, Poland will be even more open to foreign corporations coming in and beating the local competition. Ok, so Poles can work for foreign companies then and the employment rate will go up. That may be true for some industries but not for agriculture. If a Polish computer company goes out of business, its employees are still qualified to apply for other jobs with the foreign companies. But, when a farmer can't compete with the food imports coming at a cheaper price, greater diversity, and better quality, then what will the farmer do? This is why many people are against joining the Union. It may lead to overall economic success, but at the price of losing the domestic agriculture products. It will be interesting to see what will happen. The government will have to allow a free market but with some restrictions so that the local products can still stand a chance. Perhaps farmers will need to specialize in a few select crops which are grown dominantly in Poland and can be exported.
Another thing, it is popular for Polish students to go abroad during the summer, like to England, to work in a farm or other odd jobs in order to get cash to support themselves for the following school year. For example, if you earned $3000 dollars or so in a summer, that would be more than enough in Poland to survive for the following school year. Of course, college here is free (at least for the public colleges) but there are still other expenses like buying books and food etc. It makes me think of the living standards in the US versus Poland. Even a lower-class salary in the US, let's say $20k, allows you to live in a decent place, buy a car, go on a plane trip for vacation somewhere, and still have money left over for personal use. This kind of lifestyle would be considered rich by Polish standards.
On Sunday, I went to a charity event to support a new activity center for children. It was sponsored by a catholic organization. It was quite a good show with everything from music to a pantomime presentation. The priest in charge of this event is the one who married Jacek and Iwona; he is a student priest. He is an amazing person. He is not only genuine and devoted, but he also has a business mind to get things accomplished. It seemed like this show was marketed well. The host was a popular TV anchor and the president of Bydgoszcz along with owners of the major banks were all there. I was surprised to see so many people show up. There was also an auction on a few artistic pieces, one which was done by a little girl. It was a picture of the virgin mary with macaroni used for the hair. It sold for 1600 zlotys!
11/26/2002 to 11/30/2002: Thanksgiving
Iwona and Jacek took me to a nice restaurant for Thanksgiving. Iwona remembered Thanksgiving; I was surprised because I don't know any Polish holidays or their dates. However, most Poles don't know what Thanksgiving is and it is not celebrated here. There wasn't any turkey on the menu but it was really nice food nevertheless. I had a salad, soup, and salmon. This was a really good treat for me because I haven't been eating a lot lately because I put my energy into my project instead of cooking something special.
On Saturday, Iwona and Jacek had a little gathering at their home with a few friends. My mother's package finally arrived (I asked her to send some ingredients for indian food because I was missing home...she sent it in September and now it finally arrived) so we had egg curry, tandoori chicken, and galub jamun. Mmm.
12/01/2002 to 12/06/2002: Skating on the Sidewalk
I got up on the 1st of December, expecting it to be just like any other day. Sure, it is cold (about 5-10 C usually) but it is just about that cold in the morning in Arizona during January and February. Well, I looked out the window and the whole earth is covered with some kind of white substance. This substance is cold to the touch and melts at over 0 degrees C. When it re-freezes again, it doesn't turn back into the white substance but now into a clear, glassy substance which is slippery and almost made me fall over. Students have been making sculptures with the white substance; these sculptures are all of fat people because they all have a round bodies.
12/06/2002 to 12/10/2002: Reflection on my Research Experience
It is really cold now, about -10 C. Occasionally, the sky will be blue and I am reminded of Arizona but a quick look at the white stuff on the ground stops my dream short. Interestingly, when the sky is clear it is actually colder because the clouds end up trapping heat. I can't win. Fortunately, I only have to walk a few hundred yards to work. It's almost no different than the early morning in January in Arizona. The big difference is that the coldness lasts all day here whereas in Arizona it can get quite warm during a winter day.
I gave a seminar about microarrays and also other gene expression technologies. I've uploaded both of the powerpoint presentations that I have given in Poland to the "Links" section. They contain all the information about my project.
There isn't much else to say. My project was a half-success. We can still keep working on it in Arizona as I will bring back some of my RNA in dry ice.
All in all, the research project turned out to be much more complicated than I anticipated. In Arizona, I practiced the techniques for this project and got excellent results. However, there are a few factors which led to complications here:
1) Difficulty in ordering reagents: Because of this, what I ordered initially is all I had to work with. I could really have used another mRNA isolation column but it would have taken a month to ship along with really frustrating dealings with Customs.
2) Determining plants of right variety: I came here expecting to start my project the first week of September but ended up waiting 3 extra weeks until the plant material was available. Moreover, this plant material had to be tested to ensure it was really the correct variety. Of the 20 plants we harvested of both varieties, only 5 of each type ended up being the "true" plants we needed.
3) Plant material: These plants weren't grown in control conditions in a greenhouse. They were grown outdoors in a regular garden. This meant tissue damage from insects, drought, and the environment.
4) 5 of each: Instead of just doing an isolation from 1 sample, I had to do it from 5 of each variety of sugar beet. Because of limited reagents, I had to pool together the leaf material instead of isolating RNA individually from each sample. These tissues have to be kept frozen in liquid nitrogen while this is being done and it nearly froze my hands off.
5) mRNA columns: Instead of obtaining the typical 23 micrograms of mRNA from total RNA, I got only 3 micrograms. This goes back to the "5 of each" complication. I had to load the mRNA column with a minimum of 5 samples from each variety to keep a good representation of the tissue. Unfortunately, not all the samples were pure. I think that because of this, the impurities from one sample could have degraded another and resulted in overall lower yield.
But, I'm not complaining. Despite some of the failures, this entire experience has been a blessing. I was able to see a different country, learn its history and the attitudes of the people, find out about the status of Poland in world affairs, view research from a different perspective, undertake a challenging project on my own, renew a strong sense of pride in the USA and UofA, and make new friendships.
12/11/2002 to 12/16/2002: The End
Tomorrow evening I leave to Warsaw. The next morning, I have a flight early in the morning. It's already over. Things go by really quickly.
Earlier this week, I had an "interview" with Elwira. She wanted to know my thoughts on Poland because I will have an article appearing about me in the university magazine. She read some of my journals and Polish history and pointed out some mistakes. I had written that Poland is composed of Poles AND Germans. But, Poles far outweigh the Germans. Also, the inflation rate isn't 8.5%. And, referring to "communism" in Poland's past is a bad thing to do; we should use the term "socialism". I don't know the difference still but I suppose socialism is not as despotic.
This last weekend, I visited Szechein to see Arek and Aciek again. It was really cold and there isn't much to see in Szechein anyways. But, it was fun to hang around all of Aciek's friends. I had a bad experience, my first one in Poland. I was walking on the crosswalk and I looked ahead and saw a young guy with a shaved head who was looking at me as if he really did not want me there. As he walked past me, he very intentionally gave me a deliberate shoulder check. Arek didn't even notice and thought I was joking around, but I was quite shaken up by this. Szechein is on the border of Poland and Germany and so there are a lot of Germans.
I know I shouldn't form judgments and generalizations but after being in Frankfurt's dirty airport, seeing Aushwitz, and now this experience, I have a very poor image of Germany. It all depends on who you meet and the events which shape you. In my case, especially after this encounter with the neo-nazi skinhead, I hold a grudge and some hatred inside of me. I will eventually forgive and forget this matter altogether, but it is just so fresh right now that I can't help but vent my frustration.
Although the same kind of things probably happen on our own streets, I still feel a tremendous pride in the US of A. Usually, I listen to patriotic songs only around the 4th of July and some national holidays. Lately, I have listened to them every day. Sometimes we have some preposterous things happen in the US (ie lawsuits over petty things) and we become the laughing stock of the world. I have heard these jokes over and over from Polish students. I usually just smile and let it go because arguing would do no good. I believe these criticisms are an expression of jealousy and negative thinking. In spite of all the "Only in America" tidbits, we live in a great nation with unparalleled freedoms and a lifestyle that other people only dream of. I know this research experience is supposed to open my mind to other cultures and perspectives; it most certainly has. But at the same time, it has reinforced some existing principles and values, namely national pride. If I was standing right now on the sandy soil of the Arizona desert, I would consider it treachery if I did not get down on my knees and kiss the US soil. I'm being a bit dramatic but I want myself to remember this feeling months from now when things go back to normal and I start taking red, white, and blue for granted once again.
I am ready to return home. I know I will miss this place but it is getting really really cold now and sometimes I feel depressed that I can't go outside and play basketball or something. I have been going to work and back to my room for the last month, with a few outings in between. It has really exhausted me. I need a few days to unwind under the hot Arizona sun with a bottomless pina colada.
