This past weekend, I flew to Paris to visit a fellow AU student and take in the City of Lights. After three months of being away from home, the two of us chatted excitedly about the challenges we faced and the journeys we took, giving me an opportunity to reflect on the highs and lows of studying in Krakow.
In three months, the medieval city of Krakow has, at times, become almost invisible to me. Earlier this week, I looked past the snow and slush and saw for the first time in a long time the beautiful sights that surrounded me. The Cloth Hall, St. Mary's Church-I walk by them almost every day, and it's hard to believe I'll be saying goodbye to them, perhaps forever.
The steps I've taken from who I was before going abroad have been unnoticeable up to this point, as I have gradually become acclimated to my surroundings. Arriving here with no language proficiency to speak of, I now utter the Polish words for "thank you," "please" and "excuse me" without thinking. Words with four consonants followed by one vowel and another four consonants no longer horrify me.
The fact that cabbage is served with pretty much everything has become a fact of life. Coleslaw with Chinese food? I still don't get it, but it doesn't surprise me. Cabbage in a burrito? Of course there is. No longer do I give a second thought to the fact that I can get a kebab every five feet, but I have to scour the city for Mexican cuisine.
Similarly, I expect stores to be closed on Sunday and don't expect late-night hours like I do in the U.S. I think it will seem like a novelty to be able to stop at CVS at 3 a.m. on the way back to my apartment. Or maybe I'll just realize that it's not necessary.
Some of the things that I've grown accustomed to are less tangible. This semester, I've never once had to explain to someone how to pronounce my last name. Look at my byline and tell me that's not a feat. However, I have had to explain multiple times that, despite my last name, I don't speak Polish, nor am I Catholic, despite being Christian.
In turn, my view of Europe as a progressive continent has been brought back down to earth. While I realize Poland is one of the most conservative countries in the European Union, students from all over the EU have expressed sentiments I never would have expected - proving there is more to be done to form a European identity and a "closer union."
Furthermore, my own perspectives on life have changed. These are somewhat harder to express, but I guess some major changes in viewpoint can be expected when one is pulled out of her culture for a time.
Looking back on this semester, I realize this experience will not stop affecting my life once I get off the plane and say goodbye to the daily use of the Polish language, the omnipresence of cabbage and the Erasmus students down the hall. Its significance and meaning to me will be clearest as I move on and continue to apply the lessons I've learned, in culture and self-awareness, to the rest of my time at AU, my future travels abroad and my life as a whole.
