Grandmother’s Day and Grandfather’s Day are upcoming here in Poland (January 21 & 22) and along with that, various Grandparent’s Day celebrations in school complete with shows, skits, songs, and homemade cards. After a couple of years in pre-school and a couple of years in primary school I’ve gotten to recognize not only the parents of my children’s peers, but also some of the grandparents. Sometimes it easy to figure it out, you know, genetics and all that. Sometimes it is just a cross-generational affinity for big hair and leopard print leggings that gives the family relations away.
The other parents have got no chance to try to figure out if our Lizzie and Rosie take after their mother’s side or their father’s.This year for us will be the same – which one of us is going to stand in for the missing grandparents? You know because my parents aren’t likely to make it and the other grandparents, well, you know. Last year I stood in so I do believe that I am exempt this year.
Around this time of the year, I often get unsolicited advice about our grandparent (or should I say grandmother) problem. The latest from our neighbor in the village who advised me to do what he did when he had a huge conflict with his mother-in-law – buy a bouquet of flowers and apologize. Well, I suppose that might work if my violation were anything like his – getting his teenaged girlfriend pregnant (now his wife of many years) and later getting a bit rough with her in an argument. That I could apologize for. But the point of our argument is the fact that I exist. What am I supposed to do? Buy a bouquet of flowers and say, “Przepraszam, że żyje”?
And to think it all started because of something like this…
To all you grandparents out there, have a very joyful Grandparent’s Day hopefully spent with your loving grandchildren.
6 comments:
Smutna historia . Czasem tak bywa , że można się pokłócić z głupiego powodu i nie dojść do porozumienia.
Co do dnia babci i dziadka. Ja nie mam co obchodzić bo nie mam babci i dziadków. Nie da się wskrzesić zmarłych :( a szkoda
Wojtek - You are right - it is a sad story, and it is getting sadder by the day. We are all getting older, growing apart and soon the children will not even remember who their grandparents are.
I don't have any grandparents either anymore, and I was close to only one grandmother. I don't celebrate her memory on Grandmother's Day because she's not around anymore, and we never celebrated this day in the States. I celebrate her often and in many unexpected ways - for example when I was making pancakes Saturday morning and I told the kids that you have to wait until there are bubbles and then flip. They asked me how I knew that and I told them that my grandmother taught me when I was a little girl. That's how I remember her and keep her close.
co do babci i dziadków to nie to miałem na myśli. Gdy ja się urodziłem to nie miałem już dziadków, a gdy miałem 4 latka to umarła pierwsza babcia . Nie pamiętam więc pierwszej babci a z 2 babcią miałem kontakt 2 razy w roku przez 3-4 dni bo mieszkała daleko. Z tego powodu nie miałem bliższych relacji z żadną babcią i dziadkiem :(
Otóż dlatego nie mam powodu do obchodzenia dnia babci i dziadka
Wojtek - I'm sorry that you didn't get to enjoy your grandparents and that they didn't get to enjoy you. I don't know about you, but I'm a pretty awesome mom and I plan to be a fantastic grandmother as well, if I get the opportunity. Ok, I re-read that sentence and it sounds like I am suggesting that you may be an awesome mother. I mean parent, of course.
Hello, I have just found your blog! What qualifications do you need to teach English in Poland, I am just wondering?? Thanks!
Hi Anon- Ideally you should have either a university degree in teaching English as a second language or a CELTA or DELTA certificate. There are a few places in Poland where teachers can take the CELTA/DELTA courses and then the exam for the certificate. Otherwise, I look for someone with a teaching degree in any subject and the willingness to learn how to teach English as a second language. Just because we can speak our own language doesn't guarantee that we can effectively explain when to use past simple and when to use present perfect, but with some preparation and practice, most people can catch on and develop their own teaching style. I hope that gives you an idea of what to expect. Feel free to ask me anything else you'd like to know about teaching English in Poland.
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