Bratislava and a Lesson To-Go

Dzień dobry all the way from Cieszyn, Poland!

It has been three weeks since arriving in Cieszyn, and four since returning to Europe.

The Beginning: Bratislava
August 17^th seems so long ago already.  I was very jet-lagged, but I do recall going to intern Kyle and Anna’s “halfway” flat for dinner, a meal which was largely headed by Miriam and Jeremy, pastor/wife and husband, who were living just a few floors below them. Dinner was great and the chit chat went on for a long time -long enough that Arden was able to go to the Vienna airport, pick up more volunteers and bring them back for a late dinner.

That same evening Claudia and her husband joined us for dinner as well. As it turns out Kyle and Anna (a married couple) as well as Claudia and her husband, plus me, are all Concordia College graduates!!

Kyle is near completing his studies at Luther Seminary in St. Paul to become a pastor, and is in Bratislava to intern with Pastor Miriam at the Bratislava International Church. Claudia’s role was to train all of the volunteers in what it is like to be a teacher of English Language Learners. She had participated directly in the development of the program from the beginning of the school’s existence after the Velvet Revolution took place and Communism fell. I think it’s quite phenomenal to have so many Cobbers being engaged in the global community so willingly in this part of the world.

And perhaps one day, when my computer isn't being stupid, I will post a picture of us Cobbers on my blog. Some day.

Anyways, a week later on August 23rd all us volunteers ate our last breakfast together, said our goodbyes, and loaded our things to be taken away. Rather unfortunately Shirley and I, both going to Cieszyn, had quite a bit of luggage between us and had to get it onto our first train, get it all off at our transfer in Žilina (thankfully with help from another volunteer), then had to bring it all over to the next platform by heaving it down the stairs to the main hallway below, then back up another flight to get to the other platform.

Needless to say, by the time we got it all into the right car, we were drenched despite that we even received help from locals. One local was a young woman in 4 inch heels trying to heave one of my 55 lb suitcases up the stairs, which I took from her afraid she was going to fall and break something.

But, you know what, that’s why I love this area. If someone sees you struggling, they will go out of their way to help you regardless of their age, what they’re in the middle of doing, or almost any limitation they may have. They find a way to help. Plus we’re foreigners, and it doesn’t matter to them. You don’t notice how deprived our world is of good people until you’re in the middle of it. In fact, I think the term “Minnesota nice” implies more than what many Minnesotans actually offer to the common stranger; it’s more like “Minnesota polite”. It’s not that people wouldn’t help; it’s just not so common.

We often think that the people who need help are the ones in homeless shelters, who go to soup kitchens for dinner, who never have enough money to buy school supplies, or who are elderly and use walkers.

Too often we limit our help to a selection of people instead of always being ready and willing to help whomever we come across, plain and simple. These Central European societies are far from perfect. Many people wish they would do more to help the Roma people, for example. We all must learn to help without defining a limit of who is in need of it, and I include myself in that as well.

I often desire to help the people I see, but I allow fear to hold me back. My lack of Polish I have used as an excuse. Like the time I saw a man with one leg in a wheelchair kicking his way up the steep sidewalk backwards with an aim to get to the top. I struggled with that. I had seen him in the store, made eye contact, then encountered him again going up the hill. I almost turned around but told myself I didn't have enough Polish to be able to understand where he would want to go if he were to accept my help. It seems like a good enough excuse, but I'm also the one who tells myself and others not to let fear get in the way of anything. So in that moment I was all hypocrite.

I think it's time I tackle some of my fears and be a better person for it.


Well, here's til tomorrow!