Photos of New Friends

	While in Krosno, I had about three hours to spend exploring the city before my lecture to the American Cultures class on American World Policing. Wladek and Alicja managed for two students to show me around the town, while they taught their classes. This is Magda Zieba on the left and Evelina Pausz on the right. They are both advanced students of English. They were wonderful guides and company. I took them out for lunch for showing me around, where I was able to answer their questions about America and English, while they answered mine about Poland and the Poles. I always ask nonnative speakers who I get to know, what their favorite word in English is to speak, based solely on the way the word sounds (regardless of what the word means). Magda was not sure she had one in particular, while Evelina's favorite word to say in English was "nightingale". At the time, my favorite word in Polish was "Bialystok," a city in the North of Poland. "Bialystok" means "white hill," and is pronounced "biawy-stog". By the time I left, my favorite city to say was "Wroclaw," which is pronounced "vrats-swav".

	While I was in Krakow, I spent some time with Jay Lees and his students from the University of Northern Iowa, who were there studying Polish for the summer. They were great, letting me tag along on their group events while I was in the city. This picture is taken in Michael's Cafe on Florianska St. in just off the Rynek (city square) in Krakow. Jay is on the far left, followed by Nichole Anders, Jessica Young, Kacie Callaway, Kaitlin Lloyd, and Jessica Vande Zandschulp. Just past Jessica on the right, and not in the picture are: Zach Born, Brian Hayworth, and Kory Koger.
	The banquet the first evening of the conference. These were my table mates. From the left are: Camila Loew from Spain, Barbara Kacer and John Kiraly from Kentucky, Ria van den Brandt, from the Netherlands, and Elena Lamberti from Bologna. Camilla just had her first baby: Bruno, who stayed with her husband in the same hotel as me. Barbara and John were my tour buddies for the Krakow Ghetto tour with Bernhard Offen. The two nights, following the conference, Ria and Elena, along with some other folks in later pictures were my dinner and drink buddies.
	This is a picture of the Klezmer Quartet Trio (from left: Oscar Gut on Accordion, Madga Brudzinska on violin and singing, and Michal Siudyszewski on Bass). They are all graduates of the Krakow Academy of Music. They were simply the best Klezmer music I have ever heard, and being a professor Jewish Studies, I have heard a lot. They call themselves the Quartet Trio because the violinist also sings all of the songs. Ria and I seemed to be the two who were most struck by their music. We stayed later and bought their CD, which is excellent. They can be booked for performances in Poland. Check out their website: www.qkiezmer.pl or email them at trio@qkiezmer.pl. I would highly recommend them.
	Camilla, Ria, and Elena (with Rita Monticelli of ACUME presiding in the background) were presenters on the ACUME sponsored panel. ACUME is an EU funded Thematic Network based in the University of Bologna dedicated to preserving and studying cultural memory. Not pictured is also Monica Notari, who recorded the session for ACUME. Monica and Rita were also part of my dinner and drinks group.
	My penultimate night there, a group of us went our for Italian food and drinks in an outdoor cafe. Pictured here are Todd Armstrong from Grinnell College, Alicja Witalisz, and Rita Monticelli. Todd is a professor of Russian, but he speaks almost perfect Polish as well. Wladek described it as Polish with a slight Czech accent. This is one of the few pictures I have with Alicja in it, partially because she stayed behind when Wladek and I made our tour of Poland (she had to teach). She was my guide in Kazimierz, and she and I really became good friends. She explained the Polish political system to me, and she is a sucker for A1 Steak Sauce--something they cannot get in Poland.
	This is a picture from the same night at the cafe. Ria was showing us the souvenir dragon she purchased in the Cloth Building in the Rynek--a long, open building in the center of the Rynek where medieval merchants used to sell bolts of cloth. Today, this building houses many souvenir stands. Beside her is Wladek Witalisz, who was my guide and friend while I was in Poland. As you can see, he is drinking one of the three major beers of Poland, Okocim. While I was there, I tried Zywiec, Okocim, Tyskie, and Lech. Zywiec (pronounced Zhiv-i-ets) is the most popular beer by far, and can be purchased in most liquor stores in America (for ridiculous prices, by the way). I found that it made me sad. Okocim was my favorite: a simple lager. Tyskie is the oldest beer made in Poland, while Lech tasted just like it sounds.
	This is my only shot of Monica Notari from Bologna. Too bad her eyes are closed.
	This was a small family of musicians who were playing outside the Cloth Building on my last day in Poland. They are dressed in the traditional clothing.
	These kids were break dancing beside the Adam Mieskowitz statue in the Rynek.
	They were able to do amazing things with their bodies. This young man completed over ten consecutive spins on his head. He wore a sock hat to protect his scalp from the harsh cobblestones.
	This is a better picture of Todd and Alicja.
	This is a picture of Wladek with Jay Lees, the night before I left.

Poland Photos: Aushwitz | Belzec | Birkenau | Chelmno | Gross-Rosen | Kazimierz | Krakow | Krakow Ghetto | Lublin | Majdanek | Plaszow | Sobibor | Treblinka | New Friends