Saturday, June 04, 2005

Green is good...

After spending many an hour playing with template codes, I think I'm finally happy with the green shade of this blog. It's definitely tons better than the pink of last week and zillions of times better than the original beige-gray of the template. Can I finally be at peace???

Speaking of being at peace, I just returned from a Polish festival at Our Lady of Czestochowa. Being 100% Polish, I am a rarity among second and third generation Americans these days. Both sides of my family are straight from Poland, we have a very strong ethnic identity, we eat Polish food at least twice a week, we give to Polish charities, and some family members are still a bit shaky with English. When I go to Polish Market (which I refer to as Po Mar) or to festivals, I instantly feel much more comfortable, relaxed and at peace. It's strange--everyone around looks slightly familiar and oddly non-threatening. Listening to people speak Polish or English with an accent takes me back to my childhood and parties with my great-grandparents.

I love living where I do: next door to the right are Ukrainians, to the left are Poles, in back are Italians and the all-Americans are across the street. Sterling Heights is a HUGE pastiche of cultures and ethnic groups and it's always interesting and educational (plus it's walking distance from both Thai and Macedonian restaurants,) but it's nice to see someone who looks like a great-aunt or distant cousin at the market.

I've pretty much abandoned my search for Mr. Wonderful, or a boyfriend, or a boy who's a friend, or even a crappy guy who'll acknowledge my presence on occasion, but I've come to realize that a nice Polish boy would be perfect for me--and I can hopefully keep the Polish legacy alive...but if my Mongolian soul mate arrives, I won't shoo him away!

Reading: Moby Dick

Seeing: Newsradio on DVD

Hearing: Kraftwerk, who were in Detroit last night

Wearing: Old Navy low cut jeans that fit oh-so-nicely

1 comment:

Osbasso said...

My dad's family was 100% Czech--sounding very much like your family. Though being in Montana, there wasn't much of an ethnic crowd. He married a wonderful Irish/German girl (Mom). Unfortunately, all the food/smells/stories/language that we got as kids visiting my dad's parents were lost on our household. Then my grandmother passed away suddenly, and I think my mother regrets to this day not spending more time at least learning some of her kitchen secrets.

Kraftwerk?!? I didn't know they were still around!