(From Krakow): so ends my first ever trip back home with friends from across the ocean

I’m not leaving Poland just yet. Tomorrow I head for the mountains. My father is not well and he is staying there at least until the end of the month. It is the only way I can see him while I am in this country.

But Oscar and B are leaving for Germany tomorrow and with their departure, my time with Madisonians in Poland comes to end.

It has been a transformative experience for me to be with all these guys here, that’s for sure. It would be almost too personal for me to write at length about it, but I do want to note here my most general thoughts about these days of black currant juice and lilies of the valley:

- a revelation for me: yes, yes, an outsider can appreciate what an insider may be feeling. And, they can understand and have a greater tolerance than you for malfunctions and indelicacies, and they can take a greater delight and show a finer appreciation than you for the intricate fabric of your homeland.

- Poland is not for the fainthearted. The often violent and sometimes tender past are part of every cobblestone. But Poland is discoverable. I didn’t think it could be done well, and yet, all four travelers faced her squarely and with compassion.

- The language is not impossible. It’s not it’s not, it’s not! Right Oscar?

- You can eat a whole poppyseed cake and walk away with clean teeth.

- A café latte here can be superb: better than at any number of places in Madison. And it often comes with a view.