The following day, I was met early in the morning by Dorota, another teacher that has taken a special interest in including me into the Polish experience. She arrived with the Polish version of a donut and flowers she had picked from her garden earlier that day. We began a tour of Chełm, stopping at a local cafe where I ate apple pie, and ending at her husband’s place of work. Her husband spent a semester abroad in Wisconsin during college so he was very excited to meet another American and talk about his time there. He drove me back to their house to meet their two wonderful children and eat some ruskie pierogi. They were very curious to hear about Boston, my family, the weather and the cities that I have visited in the U.S. This particular family has often become a part of my weekly schedule, having many meals with them and even planning some day trips to see the area around Chełm in the coming months.
Despite all the hospitality I have received, there are some significant differences in living in Poland instead of the United States. One of the biggest differences is where people live. I grew up in a suburb outside of Boston. In Poland, suburbs are not a real thing. Most people either live in apartments in town, or they live in the country where houses are very far apart from one another. Another major difference that I have noticed is everyone seems to have a dog. They are everywhere when you walk outside, often without leashes since there are no laws that require they are harnessed. Finally, on a whole in Poland, dryers are not a thing for clothes. Most people hang-dry their clothing in their bathroom. I lucked out and my dormitory has many newer amenities, including a dryer, but no one else in my program does.
