Dzien dobry! Jak sie masz? Uczę się języka polskiego. (Good morning! How are you? I am learning the Polish language.) And boy is it ever tough. I decided I wanted to learn a little bit of conversational Polish so that I could practice with and talk to my mom, Babcia, in Polish. I am using an app called Duolingo, and it seems to be very helpful. It is slow going though. The Polish language is complicated and tedious, or at least it seems that way to me as someone who grew up speaking English.

When we were small, my brother and I, Babcia used to try to teach us Polish now and then. I remember sitting at the kitchen table and fussing about it because our friends were outside playing and we were inside trying to count to ten in Polish so we could be done with it and join our playmates outside. Eventually Babcia would give up and turn us loose. Of all those times, I remember how to count to 2… jeden, dwa. I’ve thought many times over the years how I’d like to know at least a little Polish, to learn my mother’s language. Many of my Polish cousins grew up hearing the language spoken in their homes and I envy them. My mother would use Polish words at times, but there was no one for her to converse with so we never experienced that. It’s true, hillbillies do not speak Polish. The only exception was when we would go to Chicago to visit family. I remember every visit being enthralled while listening to my mother ramble off words in a language foreign to me; I thought she was so wordly and interesting. When my mother and her sisters and brothers gathered in a room together and spoke to each other – and let’s be honest, over each other – my head would spin. Still does. I’d try so hard to listen and perhaps pick up on a few words here and there. I learned a few words but not enough to put together a sentence. Mleko, chleb, jablko, maslo (milk, bread, apple, butter)…. wait, those are all words for food. Of course I know beer as well, piwo… go figure. I know a few other words, but this isn’t the proper place to tell you about those, maybe some other time… in a dark alley.

As I said, hillbillies don’t speak Polish. My dad would try to mimic something my mother said and of course he would completely butcher it. Then he’d laugh and tease her about HER ‘accent’ while his southern twang hung on everything that fell out of his mouth. Me, I can imitate either. I guess that’s natural since I grew up hearing both. I can sound like Dr. Ruth or Dwight Yoakam depending upon the situation and what is called for. At this point in my life, I’ve pretty much mastered hillbilly. I’m proud when my twang shows up in conversation. It’s part of who I am and it’s part of something rich in history, sturdy, and strong.

Now, I’d like to learn more Polish and delve into that side of my family history. If anyone out there has any useful phrases or tips on learning the language, please comment on this post or shoot me an email. I’d love to hear from you! I don’t know if I’ll ever speak Polish fluently like Babcia does, but I would love to sit with her and talk for a few moments without using any English, using only her language. Both sides of my family are equally important and I’d like to honor my Polish heritage by acknowledging that I am as much Polski as I am hillbilly… and that’s a pretty cool combination.