I might burst from emotion. Jane and I just returned from a day-trip to Warsaw, where we met up with a friend of mine from 23 years ago. When I lived/worked in Spain after college, I made many friends through an international organization (UCB-based) called AIESEC. I was very close to a girl from Gdansk, Poland, who invited me to come to her country at the end of my time in Spain. So, naturally, I accepted her kind offer and moved to Poland for six weeks and met many crazy Polish college students (maybe you met Ela & Ryszard at our wedding?). Anyway, today I was reunited with Eva. It was so fantastic. Truly a reminder of how important it is to keep in contact with people that you think you may never see again. She shared thoughts about the "new" Poland we all see today. While she acknowledged that many good things have resulted from the lifting of the Iron Curtain, she also said that life was very good before they knew any 'better'. Sure, there was a scarcity of meat & clothing, it was difficult to travel, and lines were long for groceries, but without all of the westernization, families were closer. There weren't as many options for people, so communities were tighter. Just like the Internet ~ you recognize the pros & cons of "progress". And tonight, we were hit with the consequences of traveling abroad. When we exposed our kids to people in new lands, we risked the possibility of them becoming very attached. Well, here you see it ~ Chase & Mary both got 'married' at camp. :)
One of my students proposed to Mary. and Chase was brave enough to ask one of the Polish counselors to get married ... and Jane was the maid of honor for another couple! Any camper who wanted to participate in the evening activity went through the motions of proposing, making a bouquet, a ring, or using the lacy curtains from their window for a veil. The camp was all aflutter.
Lots of festivity, tradition, and laughter. Of course no event here would be complete without dancing and singing. One of the campers is particularly gifted -- you can hear his voice on YouTube if you have a minute... he's 11 years old.
1 comment:
good to see old good friends reunited, I wish I were there Ela
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