I discovered many things about myself – aside from the neurosis
Firstly – I don’t like damp weather… and Scotland has plenty of it
Secondly – I crave for ‘belonging’. Let me explain
My friend Sheila shares a flat with 2 Polish guys. Because she was busy with her dissertation, I spent most of my time with them. It was quite a full house as there were a couple of other guests staying over too, and in the evenings, other friends would drop by. They were almost like a close knit family– but not insular or cliquey at all
The first day, as they congregated in one of the rooms I hovered awkwardly in the kitchen. They called out to me to join them were careful to speak only English around me (a courtesy my Ugandan relatives should note) but I also urged them to teach me a few more Polish words and now my vocabulary has extended to
Djienkuye - Thank you
A prosha – You’re welcome
Ala chad – That’s cool
Zaiye bische- That is great
Nie- No
Tak – Yes
Gen Dobre – good day
Dobre Nos – good night
The spelling is way out but doesn’t matter as long as I can say them correctly!
In turn, they were genuinely interested in me, asking questions about my life, interests, religion. We had a long discussion about Buddhism and Christianity.
Before I knew it, a beer was pressed into my hands; we were laughing; out came the guitar, ukulele and harmonica; we composed a silly song and recorded ourselves singing it – collapsing into hysterical laughter at the end of it.
IT WAS FANTASTIC!!
That set the trend for the rest of my stay- hanging out and really bonding with them. On my last evening, we went out on the town together, joined by a Scotsman and Spaniard. These guys aren’t exactly earning a lot of money- I earn more - but they insisted on paying for all my drinks and generally looked after me.
It made me realise how I miss being part of a community. In London, we just don’t take the time. There is a distinct lack of spontaneity which is necessary to forge close friendships. I’ve only ever felt this kind of community with non-Christian friends – why is that I wonder?
So now, I’m on a mission to discover more Polish friends because I admire their way.
