Poland- Stories from the Ancestors Homeland

I love hearing stories from my Ancestors homeland. but there stories from
everyone to share. does anyone have some stories about Poland , or family
that had a impact on their lives?

And it doesnt have to be Old stories Either, anyone whos visited Poland or
living there or In UK and Usa. Basically everyone

come on ppl, lets try to get some positive action going on the board for a change
instead

One day when I was 8 years old my mother sent me to the warzywniak ( vegetable store) to buy pory (leeks). I never heard of "pory" before and by the time I got there I forgot what it was I was suppose to buy, so I tell the lady I came here to buy "parówki" (hot dogs).
She started laughing that they don't sell "parówki" there. I got home and told my mom. She and my aunt started laughing so hard and later they told me it was "pory".

Krysia I know you have more, and so do others. lets hear emm people!!

One day I went to the store with my dad. I was holding on to the basket and the isles were so narrow and I accidentally broke a jar of pickles with my basket. Immediately the sales lady came very upset because she had to clean it up and then ordered my dad to pay for it.
He was mad at me too at first but after we left he thought it was funny.
When you break a jar in the US store, they will come and clean it and appologize and make sure you didn't get hurt and wont charge you for breaking it.

I guess that's all I did in Poland is go shopping.....started early....

hope you didn't put your dad too far into debt

krysia, I am sure your family has stories too. Old Country stories.



my Grandmother told my uncle that they were Wealthy, by having many cattle
in Poland this was considered rich I guess. (I am not sure) I am sure someone
could add to that but he would ask my grandmother to tell him stories about
poland, so she would comb his hair while telling these stories and he would sit
and listen . I asked him what she told him, he said, you know I only remember
some of it, cause I was enjoying the hair combing!!

Ya know, I really enjoy it when someone brushes my hair! [hint, hint to someone]

I can't wait till I get to do that....I'm already getting goose bumps...

One day in Poland it was really, really foggy and the buses weren't operating. My parents had a "nysa" van and saw people waiting for hours needing to get home so they stopped to get a few in to give them a ride and before you know it was so full, but these poor people needed to get home really badly so we drove them home and they were very thankful. Next day they brought us meat, kiełbasa, bread to thank us.
When you do something nice to Polish people they will never forget it and be forever thankful and will go out of their way to appreciate what you have done for them. They have big hearts.

Bringing this back up to the top so more can contribute to the story section
everyone can share

My uncle told me about someone who was very important came to see my grandmother back during the war. he said he wasnt even allowed to come near
his home as it was surrounded by police, and streets were blocked till this person
who came to visit her left. cant remember if he said he was a boy or coming from
work, but I know he wasnt even allowed to go home.
he said he was watching and the man who left, looked like hitler with a short mustache and was wearing what looked like a uniform, but he said it could have even been
that he was famous,but from Poland.

I know he said this man was related to his mom , but he couldnt remember how, and the only thoughts that crossed my mind were that our uncle Frank who was in
phillipines serving the war had died, and maybe this was a higher ranking officer
who was family that came to tell her about it, he said no, I remember when my brother died, that was horrible day for the family. because he was the first casualty of
our city of the war which started in 1941 he died january 4th 1942.

so to this day I do not know who this person was with all the police escorts and
was here on a visa from poland to see my Grandmother .

ok story from the American homeland.

my dad had retired from fords, and he used to "go junking" is what i called it.
but he would pick up scrap metal and take it to the scrap yard to be melted and
course metals can bring you in some nice income if you bring in enough on the side.

well during my dads excurions, he along the way had found other items of use, like
chairs, to which he brought home.
my mom who always said I want new kitchen set, liked on of the chairs so she put
it in the kitchen to sit on while she was cooking, my mom was not skinny, but not
obese, anyway, she was cooking and she had been for couple hours, making
good dinners as always, she decided to rest on this chair that my dad had brought
home, my two brothers were sitting at the table playing cards, I was watching mom
and when she sat down, she sat hard and the whole chair flattened!! like what
you see on TV just splatted flat with all four legs outward!

her response to this was Son of a B**CH!!

MY two brothers couldnt contain themselfs so they started bellowing, and my dad
came out to see what happened and immediately turned back around to go back in
another room because the look on moms face was obvious that he was going to
get supper alright , but not the way he wanted it!!

moral of this story, dont trust dads chairs!!! lol.

we all still laugh about that one, at the time I had cried because I thought mom
was hurt I still had my heart on my sleeve then as I do now

my mom told me a story about my grandmother who was very superstitous <~spelling
and she said she was told to go to the local market, but had to pass thru a area where a old cemetary was. she said she was walking past the cemetary and she saw a pair of
red eyes and thought it was the devil so she ran her fanny off to get home and she was so scared. she said she begged her father to not send her anymore.

one of my great aunts had never been exposed to technology, and when the kids
went out to buy a radio (when they were first made) they brought it home to show
her that it picked up stations from all over. she grabbed it and threw it after she heard the announcer and screamed devils!!! in Polish.

Whilst walking back from work one evening in the middle of winter in Warsaw there was an old lady who slipped on the ice just outside my apartment block. In falling, the contents of her shopping bags were strewn across the pavement and she was pretty shaken up. I took her to the hut that the block security guard used and after he confirmed that she was OK. I went and fetched some bags and put her shopping in. Through the guard I found out she was only going a few hundred metres down the road so I carried her bags for her and got her back home. Nothing special in that really. When I got home the next evening she was waiting for me drinking tea with the guard. She had been there for two hours (I was later home that night) just to present me with the cake she had made for me. People can make you feel pretty humble sometimes.

helping someone in need is more then special. very nice post

No, a very nice lady in a very nice country

TY,

I hope some more post stories. I know there's more out there. we just need to lure
them in so they will join in and feel comfortable

back on topic

Thats because of the good old Polish hospitality and generosity. Why do you think we set an extra place at the dinner table during Xmas? (Well hopefully most people still do, my family does even in the US)

We really surprise people in the US. They don't expect a complete stranger to be so nice. Every time someone comes over my mom forces them to have coffee, some tort cake, and then stay for dinner. They won't be able to leave on an empty stomach. Against the family laws.

My mom is Polish, but my dad isn't, but we still do (We live in Oklahoma)

A wild life story...sniffed by a fox.
I was 11 or 12 years old and walked to school about 1km (less than a mile). My walk was throughout a real nice, thick pine forest. My father was a forest ranger and we lived in a beautiful house called 'lesniczowka'. There were no houses between our home and the school. It was a winter, February or March, and there was still a lot of snow. I followed a path made by people walking to cut across going to the next village over.( It was much shorter walk than using the road.) As I walked, I suddenly heard a strange noise behind me. I looked back and there were two wild, red faxes running on the path straight at me. My heart skipped a beat and I moved slightly to the side. The first one passed me by running, the beautiful fluffy tail brushed my long, winter coat...but the second one slowed down and then stopped. I froze and I did not look at him, just observed him from the corner of my eye. I did not move. (My father always said not make sudden moves, if we (kids) come across a wild animal). The fax stood there and I was just imagining the moment he will bare his teeth and bite me...then I get rabies and die before anybody can save me...
Well, it did not happen. He just sniffed my coat...hasitated a little and off he went after the first one. My knees were shaking a little and I was not sure, if I should turn around and go back home or keep on going ahead. However, being a brav, forest girl and not wanting to miss my class I followed the foxes. I did not see them again.
When I told my parents about my adventure, my father jokingly said that after sniffing me the fox realized that I was "a wrong female" so he went after the one he was chasing already...

Cute story eurola

My grandma was from Poland, She was probably the sweetist person in my life, ever! Everyone was welcome in her home. She would feed anyone and everyone, if you left the table hungry it was your own fault. Her home was your home. I am from Florida in the USA. When I was younger things were so easy, life was easy. People cared about each other. Today the world is full of hate and anger. Only until a crisis arises do people come together. When someone is hurt people care. My grandma told us how hard she had it when she was a young girl, life in Poland was hard for everyone in the early 1900's, she had to work at 9 years old to help get the family food. I am proud to be her granddaughter, proud to be of polish decent. I know this isn't a story about the homeland, but I just wanted everyone to know about my grandma, and what a wonderful person she was.

its ok, I will agree with you, I think all grandmas have had a struggle to get to
where we are today, I could not imagine spending so much time on a boat travelling
to the united states like they did for a better life. and it was not better at first, it
was hell for so many, because it was a new place with no family. only until family
came they were truely alone, and had to make a living, and prepare for family to
come . being called names, payed low wages , etc. language barriers etc.

mostly the men would do this, but the women also had to travel like this, and
how they did it is beyond me. truely amazing.

ok back on topic.

my grandma used to come over to help my mother with laundry and housework
and just spend the weekend with my mom and her son in law!

my grandma and my father didnt get along, and so everything he did was wrong
in grandmas eyes.

one weekened my mom invited her over to stay and help, during this time, her and
my mom would buy a bottle of wine and have a glass while doing these chores.
well, before they knew it, the wine was low, so my mom put it away, and ran
downstairs to get some more laundry which was hanging up drying.

when she got back upstairs, she seen the bottle sitting empty on the counter
and grandma sitting looking smug.

she asked who drank the rest of the wine?

My grandma decided to blame my dad who was sleeping drank it.

She finally fessed up to the crime later on.

..........