Pola wears whimsical eyeglass frames and loves spending time in the mountains, walking and skiing.  She is a forty-year-old, mid-career Polish professional who earned degrees in journalism and cultural studies.  Pola is a recipient of both ERASMUS and Leonardo da Vinci Scholarships from the European Union, supporting graduate studies and career internships.  She works in guest services at home and abroad, often in mountainous areas where she can hike and ski.  Her deepest aspiration is to become a writer.  Pola agreed to share her perspective on recent events in and near her homeland.

Talk about the COVID-19 Pandemic:  This is a very complex question to consider.  Polish society is very divided, politically and in mentality.  Responses to the virus and lockdowns were highly individualized.  It depended on personality.  Some people did not believe there was a threat.  There is a sentiment among some Poles, given recent past history with an authoritarian communist regime, that “If the government tells us to do something, we still do it our way.”  I lived in Germany and view Germans as more “rule followers.”  People who could, worked from home, creating “home offices” that many continue to work from.  My close friend is a physician and she was super careful about avoiding the risk of infecting others given her place of work.  This meant we could not meet for a beer or a cup of coffee.  Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has proven more traumatic for Poles than the pandemic.  

Talk about Poland’s Membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):  Poland’s membership in NATO is a good thing; it makes me feel a little safer.  I’m not sure, if something happens, that NATO will come help us.  Poland held mutual aid treaties with Great Britain and France on the eve of World War II.  These two western allies declared war on Germany in response to their September 1939 invasion, but did not send troops to help Poland.  One thing is certain, if Russia and NATO engage directly in combat, Poland will be a battlefield again—as in WWI and WWII–between powerful, external forces.  Our geography is not helpful.  

Talk about Poland’s Membership in the European Union (EU):  I have benefited greatly from Poland’s membership in the EU as have many Poles.  I no longer need a visa to travel, study or work with the EU’s twenty-eight member countries.  I’m fortunate to have received EU scholarships.  The concept of a fully integrated body of nations, working collaboratively, is a beautiful idea.  We are learning that national interests are often stronger than communal interests.  France and Germany were early proponents of the EU.  Poland joined later.  Poland received a lot of EU money—for economic, cultural, environmental, etc. improvements.  Our government grew used to being on the “receiving end” of EU funds; they seem less willing to be on the “giving end” as needs arise.  In my view, some Poles have a bit of a “victim syndrome.”

Talk about Women’s Rights in Poland:  There are no rights for women in Poland at this time.  Right now, we are in the middle of Europe and it feels like we are living in the Middle Ages.  It is terrible.  Our government, controlled by the conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS), is in the Middle Ages, closely aligned with a highly political Roman Catholic Church. If you become pregnant in Poland today, you essentially have to give birth.  Doctors are required to register if women are pregnant. Protections for victims of rape and incest of women whose health is endangered by carrying a birth to term, though technically legal, are, in practice, eroded. Some women are afraid to go to the doctor if they suspect they are pregnant.  Doctors who do not abide by the government’s anti-choice laws face prosecution as do private citizens who help women obtain abortions.  Many Polish women travel abroad to obtain abortions as soon as they learn they are pregnant.  I am so angry.  Thousands of women, and their allies, took to the streets to protest—aka “Black Monday” or “Black Protest” on October 3, 2018 following a supreme court ruling severely limiting access to abortion.

Talk about Refugees in Poland:  Different Constituencies, Different VoicesOur government uses fear to control its citizens.  Our government actively searches for “enemies”, demonizing feminists, migrants, the EU, and members of the LGBTQ community.  To me, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the PiS Party, is similar to Putin; he rules via manipulation and fear mongering.  Kaczynski promotes a narrative that “Poles are white, Roman Catholic and hetero and that everything that is ‘different’ is bad.  God, Honor and Fatherland are very important words for PiS.  If a populace is steered to focus on imagined “enemies”, they are less likely to challenge and/or notice the failings of their government.

• Crisis on Belarusian Border: Background:  Poland forms part of the Eastern border of the EU and NATO.  Belarusian President Alexander Lukaschenko manufactured a migrant crisis by inviting desperate migrants, largely from Afghanistan and Syria, to fly to Minsk and then bussing them to the Polish and Lithuanian borders where conflicts arose with border personnel.  Some Poles helped migrants who managed to cross; they traveled to the border to provide humanitarian aid.  Some placed Green Lights in the windows, indicating their willingness to help.  Lukaszhenko’s weaponizing of refugees is similar to the governors of Texas and Florida in the U.S.  bussing and flying migrants to New York and Massachusette.  Pola’s thoughts:   In the beginning, very little was written about this in the Polish press.  The border crisis was not present in mainstream conversation.  NGOs shined a light on the humanitarian crisis; unfortunately, these NGOs are not supported by government subsidies. The government rhetoric beat that fearmongering drum with echoes of “Terrorists are coming.”  

• Refugees entering Poland following Russia’s invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022: Background:  An estimated 7.4 million Ukrainian refugees have crossed Poland’s border since Russia launched an invasion on February 24, 2022. Ukrainians and Poles share cultural similarities, and shared histories of experiencing Russian “influence”, and shared fear of Russian aggression.   Pola’s thoughts:  When Ukrainians first began arriving, Poland showed its big heart.  Many people opened their homes to Ukrainians.   As inflation soars, the war drags on, and Putin speaks of expanding threats to its former satellite nations (e.g., Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, etc.), people are genuinely frightened of what the future holds as winter approaches.  These conditions play into the hands of Kaczynski’s efforts to stoke the embers of ksenofobia—xenophobia. 

Talk about LGBTQ Rights in Poland:  It feels the same as women’s rights in Poland:  members of the LGBTQ community do not have rights.  This follows the government’s narrative of  “Everything that is ‘different’ is bad and, somehow, a threat to society.”  

Talk about Poland’s response to the Climate Crisis:  There is a bit of dichotomy here.  Many Poles see the value of and are embracing practices to reduce their environmental footprint.  People are moving towards vegan and vegetarian diets; some avoid leather products.  Municipalities are launching large-scale recycling efforts.  On the other hand, Poland’s national government doesn’t seem to care. Russia has threatened to cut off natural gas supplies and Kaczynski said, “It’s going to be a difficult winter.” Efforts to reduce coal use and woodburning are being suspended at this time.

Talk about Poland’s 2023 Parliamentary Elections:  I hope the current government will lose.  I’m going to vote against PiS.  I support the opposition—even if I feel they are not pushing for reforms as quickly as I feel they are needed.  There will be a big mess to clean up.  In my view, the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy meddles in politics, exerting too much influence on the government. 

What do you feel Americans should know about Poland and the Polish people?  We have wonderful mountains, a strong sense of hospitality, and our cuisine is very good.   Our language is very difficult for foreigners to speak.  We love foreigners as tourists; we are not, however, as welcoming to people who are ‘different.’  More seriously, we are a small nation in the middle of Europe, wedged between powerful nations and, therefore, subject to their whims.  We have had a hard history with centuries of invasions and partitions.  We love our country.  We are also able to leave Poland and live abroad while still carrying Poland in our heart.  Understanding the Polish mentality takes time, given our unique history.  I think one needs to visit Poland and live here for a while to truly understand.  

What makes you hopeful about Poland?  Many Polish people now have the opportunity to travel and live abroad.  They return to Poland with new ideas and fresh perspectives.  I am not speaking of Poles who live abroad in insular communities as I saw in Reykjavik in what I call “Polish ghettos.”  The young generation grew up with access to a world of ideas via the Internet.  Broadened perspectives are less easily manipulated by authoritarian-leaning leaders.  We are living in uncertain times—with the pandemic and war just over the border in Ukraine.  Hope is still there.

Our history is burdened with ups and downs, but somehow, we still manage to pull ourselves together.  I think also that these uncertain times will pass and the sun will shine again.  There is a Polish proverb, nadzieja umiera ostatnia – hope dies last.  Hope remains, even when times are difficult.

This Time, This Place interviews capture perspectives from Poles and non-Poles, living in Poland today.  Views expressed are those of the interviewees and not necessarily those of the interviewer.

Note:  Pola is a pseudonym selected by the interviewee.