Here I was waiting in my beautiful hotel lobby, just off the busy historic square of Poznan, Poland, a city I had never heard of only weeks before, to meet father/daughter Jozan and Karina. When my boss had suggested that I visit Poland after my conference in Russia, I was excited. It was one of those places I had never really thought to visit before. The original plan was only to go to Warsaw since it housed the main Polish agencies in the language travel industry but a few days later he passed by my office and mentioned that I should go to Poznan as well. Poznan, sure, no problem. I quickly google it to find a small city about 2 hours directly west of Warsaw by train.
As much as I “loved” my work, I was always pretty quick to leave the office at 5pm sharp to take a deep big breath of the fresh air of freedom (or as fresh as the air can be in Florida) and resume what I call ‘real life’, my life. Out of the stuffy office clothes and away from the blinding computer screen that I stared at all day long. But for some reason on this one particular evening I happened to be caught finishing a project and I still hadn’t managed to leave when the phone rang around 5:30pm. Since I was the only one still around, I went ahead and answered it reluctantly and at the end of the line was a very proper sounding gentleman inquiring about information for our high school summer language program. Sure, I start rattling off with generic answers that had become monotonous in my sales speeches about what our school offered, blah blah blah. Finally I ask him, “And where are you calling from?” and my jaw dropped as he answered, “Poznan, Poland” What?! I had only heard of this place maybe 3 hours before!
So, low and behold, about 4 weeks later I’m here, waiting for my fated meeting with Jozan and his 15 year old daughter to discuss the possibility of her studying with our school in the upcoming summer months. Jozan had suggested the hotel that I was staying at. It was old, with classic dark wood floors and paneling. The bedroom had heavy linens, sturdy furniture and beautiful drapes with the view of the main square peaking behind. It was in these moments that I would do a quick “Thank you work!” for letting me stay in such luxurious places.
Finally, a few minutes late, the two wiry figures appeared, a definite father/daughter combo and they whisked me off for a city tour, a brief history of their town and then to a cute café nearby for dinner. We chatted the whole time, a very respectable neurologist and his modest teenage daughter. At the dinner table I told them how after my few days in Warsaw that I quickly learned not to say with a large smile, “Oh, I just been in Moscow!” as it was met with hostile looks of suspicion. I knew there had been wars and occupation but I didn’t really know the extent of it all.
Jozan, a kind man, slowly gave way to a few family stories. He described how his grandfather had been in the hospital in Poznan, recovering from a wound, when they gave word that the Russians were coming. He quickly hopped out of his bed and through a bottom floor window to wait in the safety of some nearby bushes. Everyone was taken that evening and shipped off to Soviet concentration camps in Siberia where they most likely died but he was spared. Wow. From there he spoke a bit about the soviet occupation in Poland, the Russian block housing that sprung up everywhere and the food rations they received; never seeing butter or jam until late in his life.
I asked why he sent his daughter to so many language programs? At 15 she had already spent summers in France, Spain and England. And his answer to that is why I write this little story today. He said, “Because knowledge is something that no one can ever take away from you.”
"Cooking influences from some of the great California classic chefs like Julia Childs, Alice Water, and my own dear aunts Julie and Jeanne have all shaped my desire to learn to cook in one way or another. Growing up with so much fresh produce in California you can’t help but appreciate the celebration of food. As a young student studying in the French Alps this desire continued to take shape as I fell in love with the perfect displays of the patisseries, the pride of the boulangeries and the strong regional history of French cuisine. Traveling across France and much of Europe became a discovery of stories, architecture and food. The precise combination of flavors and dishes was an art which was given the utmost attention. While living with a French family a few years later in Normandy, I laughed as I asked, “Why do you eat the salad at the end of the meal?” and their response was, “But of course, because it compliments the cheese!” Why hadn’t I thought of that!?
So, here goes nothing! Wish me luck !! xo
I have seen a transformation in my life as I reflect on the past six months working on Kismet. Crease lines that were furrowed between my eyebrows from stress have now become laugh lines around my mouth from so many good times. Sore wrists from too much typing have now been replaced with sore knees from squatting down to wipe the floor or dust base boards. There is something quite liberating when all of your essential needs are provided for. I have found that with all of these fundamental needs met, I am free to just relax, chill out and enjoy life without having to stress to get these things done in my free time like I would in normal life. So when I think about this transformation I realize that it isn’t really a transformation of the inside out but rather the opposite, a change of my environment, influences and responsibilities and my body's reaction to these changes.
However, even in the midst of my contentment of the present moment somehow I’m still overtaken by the curiosity of the unknown. So alas, I’m hopping ship (literally) and packing up all my belongings and heading off to a little place that they like to call “the land down under” or also as my friend Matt calls it, “the land under the land down under”. On Nov 2nd I’ll be flying out to Tasmania to kick off the start of 4 months traveling around Australia, New Zealand and wherever else strikes my fancy. I’m a little scared because I’m leaving such a place of comfort, simplicity and security to manage in the big old world all by myself again but the allure and discovery of unseen beauty, stories, cultures, and people keeps me trucking along and certain that I’ve made a good decision. How will I ever know what is there if I never go there myself? A discovery channel special can only show you so much and I want to see it and experience it all for myself.
And as much as these last 6 months have influence me, I know that this next trip will bring an entirely new transformation of its own as I adjust to my new surroundings. Is it change that I want? I don’t know but we’ll just have to see to find out.
And yachts, yachts will always be there. This is an industry that is not going out of style any time soon; if anything it just keeps on growing. I definitely want to work on yachts a bit more in the future, but I always want to keep in mind that it isn’t reality. It’s a little pseudo reality. It’s fun, it’s provides financial means in reaching other goals, it allows you to travel and see the world…but I also want to be there for one of my niece’s birthday parties, have a house of my own and develop roots in a community. So I’ll ride this wave a little bit longer and with open heart receive all the good lessons that I’m learning that I can bring to real life like how to get stains out of shirts, how to make a bellini cocktail and how to make a perfect bed!
So that is where my heart is at and I’m just as curious as you all on how this next chapter of my life will span out. Stayed tuned for more stories and photos of the adventures that lie ahead! Love to you all!! xo
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