Aniela Comes to Visit

So, Friday, Aniela took the Polskibus to Warsaw from Lublin. So, I picked her up. We made some grilled cheese and chatted. After a while, we headed to Plac Konstytucji (which I can never seem to say, so I always just say Constitution) for some coffee. Then we met up with Dara and headed to her adviser's house for pizza and conversation. Dara's adviser and her husband were hilarious and super sweet.

We toasted with champagne, ate some pizza, and talked about the play we were all going to see that night. We also talked about this phenomenon in Poland (and other parts of Europe/the World) in which women go to malls, pick out clothes they want, then offer men various sexual favors for the clothes. Evidently it can't be classified as prostitution, so it's in this awkward gray area...

The play was really cool. They had English subtitles. So, I was able to follow for the most part. The entire play was fascinating. It, as much Polish literature is, was about the search for the Polish identity. It was rife with witty word play. Some of the word play, I have no doubt, would be much better in Polish than in translation. Overall, the play wasn't a comedy, but it kept the audience laughing. The ending was very emotional, with a twist.

Basically, the play focuses around a family. At the end, you find out that the family never existed because the grandma died in the bombings at the beginning of World War II. It ends with the granddaughter yelling out for bread, a very symbolic part of any culture, but especially in Poland. Earlier in the play it had been distinguished from baguettes and fancy breads of other cultures.

The best part of the play was this long monologue about Polishness. It began with something like "in the beginning, everything was Poland." The entire play was mocking of the predominant Polish attitudes towards the world, but it was a self-referential mocking that seemed more kind than mean. There was also a great part in the play when the woman said something like "There's no point in going to Italy now that the Pope is dead." It was wittier than that, but it basically said that there was no current Pope since JPII is gone.

After the play, the group of us went to Cafe Kulturalny for some drinks. We had a nice chat for the most part. Lots of gossip and good stuff. Nothing too special happened. Then we ended the night at Fridas for some food. At that point I was starving, so that was nice. The great part of the menu was...

AMERICA NIGHT!

The next morning, Aniela and I met Sarah for some delicious brunch at Charlotte. This is by far my favorite institution in all of Poland. Such bread and jam and deliciousness I've never tasted anywhere else before.

Sadly, Aniela shortly had to leave to return to Lublin.