Ewa, Ania and Aneta - Three Friends Together

Aneta and I cleaned the apartment today and I made my famous cabbage soup. We are anticipating a visit from Ewa Pawlczyk, Aneta's little red haired friend whom we met in 2007 and who served as our guide in Krakow. Ewa is a professional woman, living and working in Krakow now that she has completed her master's degree and her two internships in Bulgaria and France. She is the Public Relations and Marketing Manager for a non-profit organization that connects people in need with the resources they need to survive. I am very fond of Ewa and have been looking forward to a visit with her. She has the nicest smile and the warmest disposition of any young woman I have met.

Late in the day we learned that Ewa wouldn't arrive until after 4 PM. In the meantime Aneta talked to her friend Ania Burska and learned that she had a kitchen accident and severely burned her foot and leg and has been off work for almost two weeks. As the three women have been friends for many years Aneta decided that when Ewa arrived we would all go together to visit Ania. Ania is a Mechanical Engineer working for a large company that designs ventilation systems. She has a 9 month old son, Tymon and a husband, Marek, who were both home when we arrived. Ania's father Eugeniusz (Eugene) stopped by for a short visit while we were there as well. Ania and Marek have a lovely large home in a rural suburb of Knurow. They are the only friends of Aneta who seem to have a house on a piece of property.

Fot: From left Ania, Aneta, Ewa; Linda

The three women enjoyed visiting with each other and catching up on all the latest news among themselves and their friends. Marek tried to keep me entertained with his limited English. He had just made an ascent of Mt. Blanc recently and was very pleased with his achievement.

We enjoyed a variety of cakes and tea and visited for three hours. It was fun watching Aneta's two-year-old gather up all of Tymon's toys and put them where he couldn't get them. Children at this age have the attitude, "everything you see here is mine. Everything I am touching is mine. Everything you are touching is mine. I am the center of the Universe."

When little Ania began to show signs of fatigue we gathered up our belongings and headed home. Ewa came in for a short visit and another cup of tea while Aneta and I ate our cabbage soup and then headed home for dinner with her mother. Tomorrow is Memorial Day in Poland and it is a national holiday and a really big deal. Everyone is excited. I think it is sort of like our Thanksgiving only the activity of choice is different.

Linda