Dr. Ivona Kaminska-Bowlby was born in Warsaw into a life shaped early by loss and resilience. Her mother passed away before seeing her graduate from high school, and her father—himself a figure of remarkable strength—left behind a legacy forged in history. A member of the “Kolumbowie” generation and a soldier of the Armia Krajowa, he fought in the Warsaw Uprising, was wounded, captured, and ultimately escaped. From these beginnings, Ivona inherited not only endurance, but
Marzena Lilian Szlaga, born and educated in Poland, holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance and pedagogy from the School of Music at Uniwersytet Wrocławski. She continued her studies in the United States, earning a Master of Music degree from the Chicago Musical College at Roosevelt University in 1995. Among her distinguished teachers were renowned pianists Włodzimierz Obidowicz, Halina Czerny-Stefańska, Barbara Hesse-Bukowska, Victor Mierzhanov, Paweł Chęciński, and Lidia Grychtołówna—who remains an active and
Michal Pietrzyk was born in Poland and emigrated to the United States at age two after his father was imprisoned as a member of the anti-communist movement Solidarity. His upbringing as an immigrant navigating two different cultures has strongly shaped his worldview and filmmaking voice. He has produced over 130 hours of documentary television for networks like Nat Geo and Netflix and continues working as a producer in his day job. His award-winning short documentary All on
Wendy Rader-Konofalski is an artist based in Kirkland, Washington. She regularly shows her work at venues in Seattle and the Eastside. She has twice shown her work at the Polish Home Association Art wall. Her medium is acrylic on canvas often using collage and mixed media materials. She paints abstract works and landscapes as well as mixed media works with inks and collage on paper. Recently she has begun to experiment with water colors on
Dla poprawy humorów, wiersz a raczej piosenka Wojciecha Młynarskiego.
Co rano, proszę pań, proszę panów
Nowych problemów spotykam gąszcz
I tyle moich pragnień i planów
Ambiwalencja przenika wciąż
W miejskiego ranka smutnej szarości
W miejskiego ranka leciutkiej mgle
Tyle ogarnia mnie wątpliwości
Ale na pewno wiem jedno, że
Like in the Marek Grechuta song, we love spring with its warmer breeze, new leaves and colorful flowers. After long winter hibernation we feel new energy and are ready to get rid of old stuff. We pack warm winter coats, clean the house and garden. We feel tireless, run the stairs up and down, carry heavy loads, endlessly bend our backs – just overuse our bodies in every possible way. The next day we wake up sore, weak and stiff. And here comes the rescue! A wonderful homeopathic remedy - Rhus toxicodendron, Rhus tox for shorter.
„Biedroneczko leć do nieba, przynieś mi kawałek chleba”
As a child, I whispered this gentle, magical plea to a ladybug whenever I saw one. I counted dots on the red wings to check my luck – seven were the most desired number. If possible, I carefully lifted boża krówka (“God’s little cow”) onto my hand with a blade of grass or a leaf, marveling at the soft tickle of her tiny feet on my palm. I observed her, and when the moment felt right, I raised my hand and blew lightly to encourage her to fly to heaven and bring me a piece of bread.
Few things evoke the essence of Polish home cooking like the rich aroma of freshly baked rye sourdough bread, or chleb żytni na zakwasie. This dense, tangy bread has nourished generations, carrying with it the deep flavors of tradition, patience, and natural fermentation. Unlike modern yeast-based breads, this one requires time, a living starter, and a touch of rustic spirit.
May 3 is one of the most important holidays in the Polish calendar. The Constitution Day of May 3 commemorates the adoption of the first constitution in Europe and the second in the world in 1791. More about the history of this holiday in this article.
The national flag of Poland (Polish: flaga Polski) consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width: white on the top and red on the bottom in 5:8 proportion. These two colors, formally recognized in the Polish constitution as the national colors, have a long and storied history tied deeply to Polish identity and heritage.
May is coming, and with it, fond memories of “majówka” — May picnics that have become a symbol of spring in full bloom, wonderful relaxation, and a preview of summer holidays. The long May weekend is one of the most anticipated times of the year in Poland. It’s usually the first opportunity in the calendar year for a vacation getaway.
Recently, my son began a unit on dystopian literature at school and chose to read 1984 by George Orwell. When I mentioned that it is one of the most frequently banned and challenged books, his immediate reaction was: “Why?”
It was a great question—”Why was this book banned?”
But to answer that, we must first ask a broader question: “Why are books banned at all?”
Last week was an amazing day—summer-like, warm, and sunny. I went for a long walk with my family through the forest to the park, enjoying the sun’s golden beams. We were not alone. The park was full of people playing, walking, and biking, all appreciating the warmth granted by the sun.
I am currently reading Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, where the sun’s nourishment plays a significant role in the story. It made me reflect on how the sun is represented in language—how it is perceived and which of its characteristics have been used to express emotions and daily life experiences. To explore this, I turned to idioms and proverbs, which serve as linguistic fossils preserving the worldview of our ancestors.
First of all, I want to point out that vulgarisms are not words I am fond of. On the contrary, I dislike hearing and using them. They are intense and jarring. Swear words are not neutral; therefore, they cannot be used as meaningless sentence fillers or decorative additions to make speech sound more expressive. My professor, Jan Miodek, used to say that excessive swearing is a sign of linguistic poverty—language offers plenty of ways to express emotions without resorting to vulgarity. Swear words have their place, but they should remain silent until they are truly needed.
Moving abroad brings a lot of “new”: new landscapes, new language, new people, new jobs, new living space, new shops, new food, etc. It is good to look into the future and the bright sides of these changes. Yet, alongside the “new,” there are “lacks” that cannot be replaced. One of them is the traditions celebrated in our homelands. They used to be so common and natural that we often only notice their absence when we can no longer observe them.
Living abroad comes with many challenges, some predictable, others unexpected. When my husband and I decided to leave Poland, I was excited for the new adventure: to see new places, meet new people, and gain new experiences. I knew I would miss my people and my familiar places. I understood the logistics and knew I would have to use English. However, I did not anticipate the unsettling feeling of no longer being surrounded by my
Although history books highlight mostly well-known individuals whose names are etched onto pages, it is important to recognize the countless forgotten names without whom these prominent figures would not be who they were. Just as every architectural marvel requires architects, builders, suppliers, and craftsmen, every king relies on their subjects, and every tradition depends on the individuals who nurture it.
Each one of us has a personal history that intertwines with the broader narratives of society, nation, culture, and civilization. We carry the legacy of our ancestors while simultaneously contributing to the ongoing creation of history for our descendants. Consciously or not, actively or passively, we all weave a tapestry of history.
False friends in language, much like in life, can lead to misunderstandings. These are words in two languages that look or sound similar but have different meanings. For instance, the Polish “konfident” means an informant or betrayer, while the English “confident” refers to someone who is self-assured. Being aware of such false friends helps avoid miscommunication, ensuring that we use words correctly in different contexts, whether in everyday conversation or professional settings, and makes cross-language exchanges smoother. Read the article and turn false friands to your conversational companions.
Anyone who learns a foreign language will sooner or later come across expressions whose meaning does not derive literally from the individual words. Their meaning is metaphorical, established, and understood only within that particular language. These are idioms, fascinating word combinations that, for me, are the colorful embellishments of language, cultural codes, and at the same time, a record of how our ancestors viewed the world. Idioms literally translated into a foreign language can also
Każdy, kto uczy się języka obcego, prędzej czy później natrafi na wyrażenia, których znaczenie nie wynika dosłownie z poszczególnych słów. Ich znaczenie jest metaforyczne, ustalone i zrozumiane tylko w danym języku. Są to idiomy, niezwykle fascynujące związki wyrazowe. Dla mnie są barwną ozdobą języka, kodem kulturowym i jednocześnie zapisem, w jaki sposób nasi przodkowie postrzegali świat. Idiomy dosłownie tłumaczone na język obcy dostarczają także dobrej zabawy. Nie jednego Amerykanina można wprawić w osłupienie twierdząc, że