Cultural Interview
TSL 3080
Kelley Lackore
9-18-2011
Section 1:
Lidia Karwowski is a 31 year old female who, with her family, sought refuge in the US from a communist controlled Poland at the age of 8. Prior to her family’s departure, her father had previously been arrested for his anticommunist activities. She had an uncle living in Florida at the time, and they were able to find a sponsor to help bring them over, after a brief stay in an American camp in West Germany. When they arrived, they spoke only Polish and were taken aback not only by the heavy humidity of the Florida climate, but also by the isles and isles of food available in the grocery store. This was a stark contrast to the rations of communism they had been used to. In Poland Lidia’s father had worked as an engineer, but because of a language barrier, he was only able to find work in a factory. Twenty four years later, Lidia’s parents still speak with a heavy Polish accent. Lidia and her older brother have no detectable accents. At home only Polish was spoken, as is still the case. Lidia and her brother were enrolled in English speaking public schools and were given aid through pull-out ESOL programs. Lidia became a straight A student and both she and her brother graduated from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. She now works for Coca Cola as a finance manager, and has just moved back to Atlanta after traveling internationally with Coke for 4 years. I have known Lidia for almost 20 years now and she is one of my best friends.
Section 2:
In Polish culture punctuality is a must, starting as early as the first grade. Students at the elementary level had class schedules similar to a college schedule, and the students were expected to know their schedules and be on time to class. In general, being more than ten minutes late is considered to be very rude. However if the event is a casual affair, a party or something of that nature, it is acceptable to be half an hour late.
Professional jobs such as doctors, lawyers, scientists, and engineers, are considered prestigious. Acceptable jobs for boys included engineer, politician, policeman, and business manager. Girls tended to hold jobs as teachers, cashiers/clerks, and other roles of that nature.
Children are expected to show respect for their elders. When addressing someone older, it is appropriate to use either Ms. or Mr.
It is expected that children go to school at least through high school. Most students go on to college, and college isn’t really considered to be complete until a master’s degree has been achieved. At the end of high school, students take an entrance exam which determines their eligibility for college. Those whose grades are sufficient receive government funded college educations.
Around the house, boys usually mow the lawn and fix things, while girls would typically tend to childcare, laundry, groceries, cooking, etc. School was the main place where boys and girls would interact. They were also able to interact while playing in the neighborhood as well. The expectations were largely the same for both boys and girls; finish school, including going to college and receiving a master’s, then find a job and get married. It was common during the first years of marriage for the newlyweds to live with one of their parents. This was because apartments had to be applied for through the government and there could be a lengthy waiting period.
The nuclear family is the most common living arrangement in Poland.
As for acceptable occupations, pretty much anything legal is acceptable. Being a clerk isn’t prestigious, but it’s a respectable job none the less.
A master’s degree is the desired level of education and this applies to pretty much everyone. Since college is state funded, it is accessible to all; therefore just about everyone is on the college track as long as they make good enough grades.
Catholic names were the most common names used in Poland. These names were so important that they were often celebrated in lieu of birthdays. Each name has a name day and everyone with that name would celebrate on that day. For last names ending in a vowel, the feminine form would end with an ‘a’ and the masculine form would end with an ‘i’. For instance, Lidia’s last name Karwowski was originally Karwowska. After becoming American citizens, Lidia and her mom changed their last name from Karwowska to Karwowski to reflect their new citizenship.
People are generally addressed using Ms. or Mr. The actual words used in Polish are more directly translated as ‘lady’ and ‘gentleman’.
In Poland, as with much of Western Europe, women are often granted almost a full year of maternity leave. This is to encourage moms to be able to stay at home with their little ones, which is where most children are until they are school aged. Additionally, most families had the support of grandparents to help rear the children, as daycares were not as widespread as they are in the US. As a result, parents were very involved with their children. Children often went wherever Mom and Dad were going. Most social events were set up with the expectation that children would be present, as it was not common to leave them with a babysitter. Dining out was also not very popular. Most families cooked and ate at home together. Dinner is usually the biggest meal and is eaten earlier in the day, between 2-3 or 3-4. This meal would often consist of soup, followed by meat, potatoes, and veggies. Supper was later in the day and was more of a snack.
Parents were also involved in their children’s education i.e. checking homework to make sure it’s done properly.
Concerning courtship and marriage, people don’t tend to date around as much in Poland as they do in the US. It’s common for the parents to meet prospective girlfriends/boyfriends early on in a relationship. People also tend to date for several years before getting married. This is often due to the emphasis that is placed on earning a master’s degree.
Family ties are very strong in Polish culture. Family serves as the primary social outlet.
Folk myths mainly consist of Christian based stories from the old country. These would be equivalent to old wives tales.
Modern medicine is used as the main source of treatment, although the use of antibiotics is much less than in the US. It is also common practice for doctors to prescribe herbal remedies. During the time of socialized state funded welfare, there was a good deal of corruption. For example, if you wanted to be seen by the doctor in a timely manner, it was common practice to pay a fee in cash. This type of practice has largely gone by the wayside now that there are independent healthcare options available.
Grooming is very important in Polish culture. On the whole, Polish people dress a lot nicer than people in the US. They put more effort into looking put-together whenever going out in public. This is in contrast to the often sloppy and skimpy apparel that can be seen in American malls and grocery stores. One deficit however would be the lack of deodorant use. Older folks tend not to use it as much, and there are those that don’t use it because they feel it isn’t good to put chemicals into your body.
Privileges and rewards are merit based; however this has not always been the case. During communist rule, who you knew was far more important than how you performed. For this reason, customer service was nonexistent during that time.
Religion is a big part of Polish culture. Catholicism was historically the predominant religion, especially during communist rule. People staunchly clung to their religion, although it was considered by the government to be an opiate for the masses. Presently, there is more of a mix of religions, but Catholicism remains the most widely practiced.
Section 3:
There wasn’t anything particularly shocking to me about Polish culture. The emphasis on attaining a master’s degree was interesting to me, since I have not experienced that level of emphasis here in the US. I appreciate the fact that people tend to put more effort into their attire when going out in public. That’s something I definitely wish happened in the US. Having lived here all my life, it’s hard to imagine how different things would be living in a communist society. Much has changed since those years, but the effects can still be seen in some areas.
It’s always good practice to be sensitive to the varying needs of ELL students. Lidia mentioned that her father would check her math homework, but he couldn’t really help her with any of the other subjects because of the language barrier. I’m sure there were times when it may have been perceived that her parents were not involved in her education, but this was merely an effect of the language barrier. As a teacher, I will endeavor be sensitive not only to the language needs of my ELLs, but also to their cultural needs. And I will reach out to the parents in a meaningful way that will let them know that I genuinely care.