(From Warsaw): where Oscar and B experience Poland from within

My traveling companions are fantastic listeners! I am so indulged that I will probably never say another word about my past once I return to Madison. The other day, as we walked past the slummy Warsaw apartment building that used to be my childhood home, I thought about how much easier it is to confront certain realities about then and now when you are in the company of caring people.

Oscar and B push for the detail. They are contemplative travelers, taking detours and long pauses, creating mental chronicles and written texts, precious documents from these amazing bright sunny days.

On a walk past the University of Warsaw they ask if we can wander around campus some and as I open doors for them to buildings and auditoriums that were once my stomping ground some 35 years ago, I am reminded of how little has changed: not only do the rooms look the same, but I feel the same within them. It’s deeply disturbing to know that adolescent angst never quite resolves itself, but instead comes back again and again to remind you how small and imperfect you are in the scheme of things.