Dinner with Friends

Michael (Me-how) and Angnieska (Agnes) have invited us to dinner this beautiful Sunday afternoon. I am looking forward to going to their place as I rely do enjoy them a lot. The photo of me pecking a cute guy on the cheek is Michael when they came for dinner here.

Ela was still here when the time came to go to dinner and she joined us. I walked over ahead of the rest of the group because Ania was having a difficult day and I got tired of waiting for her to agree to put on her shoes and decide which hatshe would wear and which toys she would bring, etc., etc. Aneta thinks I am not very patient and she is right. When I've had my fill of tantrums and "ah wahs!" I am a danger to myself and others. But the weather was absolutely perfect for a walk and I enjoyed the alone time. Then I couldn't find the apartment in the maze of look alike buildings so I just hung out and waited for them to come along, which they did in due time.

Agnes had dinner on the table when we arrived and it was just superb. She started with a traditional Silesian soup broth with pasta and herbs. It was very delicious. Next she put Silesian Dumplings and roast pork in mushroom sauce on the table. That was followed by red cabbage salad and fried chicken. We ate our fill, drank some nice California Rose and had a lovely visit. There was dessert, of course, and herbata (tea), juice and kawa (coffee). Agnes is a tax accountant and Michael is studying for the law. They have a young son, Conrad, who is just a sweetheart at age 12. As we were leaving it dawned on me that there were no doors in this flat I hadn't been in and I hadn't identified a bedroom anywhere. I stupidly said, "where do people sleep in this apartment?"

Agnes laughed and said, "here and here," pointing to living/dining room we had just vacated and the small office that Conrad hangs out in to use the computer. I puzzled over where and how for quite awhile but finally figured out that the sofa in the living/dining room must fold down into a bed for the adults and the fold up foam chair (Ikea probably) in the office must become a single bed for Conrad. It is truly amazing what these people do to get along and how nonchalant they are about everything.

In the US, a woman who worked for us at the Inn had three children, two living with her, was receiving assistance for public housing and lived in a small two bedroom apartment with a kitchen, living room, bathroom and two bedrooms, a patio and a large play area for the kids. Her third child was going to be coming for extended stays in the near future and she had to find a larger place because two of the children were girls and one was a boy and they weren't allowed to share a room. See what I mean about the distinction in "middle Class" between the US and Poland? These are two well educated professionals living in a one bedroom apartment with a 12 year old son. But they do have a nice car - a Honda four door sedan that it really quite luxurious. In any case they seem unfazed by their circumstances and entertain as if they lived in the lap of luxury. It is really quite refreshing to be around people who do so much with so little and don't even seem to realize anything is missing. Maybe because nothing is.

Witek has to return to school tonight and Ela is heading back to her home in the Beskidy Mountains. We will see her again on Wednesday as we are going for a three day visit.

Linda