Jelly Filled Surprises

I saw the Dunkin Donuts across the street. I texted Kyle "I am having a donut for dinner, I see a Dunkin Donut." I walked into the store and see a display case of colorful donuts unlike the ones back home. These were donuts of green iced faces, pink hearts, and bright yellow sunshine. These donuts were beautiful, but unlike at home they didn't have holes in the middle. I realized much to my chagrin all of these donuts were jelly filled.

Jelly filling has been a common theme in Poland. Cookies are jelly filled, bread is jelly filled, and at a Dunkin Donuts in Warsaw I confirmed that they did not sell any empty donuts. They were all injected with some filling be it custard or jams. At first I would meticulously eat around the jelly blobbed in the middle of the chocolate covered cookies and discard the jelly. Three weeks into my Poland trip though the realization that all the donuts were filled didn't irritate me quite as much. I figured I would find food elsewhere and carried on. While walking towards Old Town (the new Old Town as it had to be rebuilt after WW2) a young man, probably 20 and handsome, approached me speaking in Polish. He was doing some charity for children. He had a badge and a collection box and a folder. It seemed legit enough. I immediately said English only as I continued to walk. He seemed shocked, I assumed because I only spoke English, but I don't think he realized I was American.

Throughout my trip many people have not realized I am American. Poland has not been outwardly friendly like you get at home. When I see a cute dog I instinctively smile. Sometimes I ask to pet the dog and the owners are generally thrilled you have taken an interest in what they agree to be the bestest doggie in the whole world. Americans can be assholes, that is beyond a fact, but we are also known for talking to random people, striking up conversations in lines, on trains, and making comments to ourselves and hoping others will hear. In Poland when you speak to people for a purpose they are very friendly but there are fewer smiling invitations to mingle for just a few shared moments. I told Ky I felt like a spy. Silently walking home from work each day without a cell phone to entertain me. No maps to guide me since at the time my Sim card wasn't working properly, and no one to smile back at me when I would awkwardly grin at their dogs. Ky said I was spying and getting Polish intel, I said I was the most useless spy to ever exist as I can't speak even a word of the language except zloty (their currency), don't understand the culture, and while I can assimilate into the crowd because I look more European than American it's not like I am walking anywhere a spy would go. My biggest spy intel gathered is that I really love the prices of food here, all bathrooms need a bidet, I know where three Sephoras are, and they have neat underground shops under the roads. Also when I get lost I immediately step into a shop saying 'Uh HIII' order a brownie which has been disappointing every time then I stare at my maps on my phone in hope of figuring my shit out. Clearly the CIA will be contacting me any moment. 

Anyways Victor the street solicitor asked where I was from. I told him and he seemed confused. We kept talking. I told him I was here for work and I was going to a Chopin concert for the evening. He got excited and pointed to a bench. I was at the location of the concert and where Chopin performed as a child. The street bench played Chopin music which he pointed out to me and implored me to sit. We talked more and he finally realized I was from America. He excitedly asked me how can he go, I told him flights were not that expensive and he should go. He wouldn't need a visa. He was enjoying talking to me. He then said "meet up." I said oh no I have the concert now. And he said no meet up again. I smiled with full out awkwardness. We had reached a language barrier. I said again I had the concert. He said "no this weekend." I realized he was asking me out. It was adorable and he was a good deal younger than me, which he wouldn't have realized based on how I dress. I told him I was off to Amsterdam and unfortunately was done with my work trip. We high-fived and I carried on happily. Maybe he wanted a green card but I took the compliment all the same. I then went to a bar before the concert to get food. It was clear they weren't serving food so I just ordered a cider. They gave it to me for free and happily I went on thrilled at my luck. I walked around Old Town which was very cute for a bit then went to the lovely little Chopin concert. I needed to pee badly and waited at the single bathroom. Upon saying "oh for fucks sake" out loud after waiting several minutes and worrying I would miss the concert, the pianist walked out of the bathroom having just shit. Whoops. 

I walked back to my hotel having had a delightful night in Old Town. The way to my heart may just be flattery, but having not been asked out in person and not through an app in over a year it was just nice. It made me think of the jelly filled donuts. Nothing in Poland was what I expected. I have felt isolated in my lack of language skills, and I am consistently surprised that when people don't speak English here that my words must sound as much like gibberish as they sound to me. Sounding foreign is somewhat exciting as it turns out. Finally I am fluent in a language! I just have a distinct advantage at it. It is vastly different from America, but the soup is delicious, the women embrace natural beauty here far more than at home and its so refreshing, and all the food is shoved full of jelly. And that's ok. It's different than I expected and wanted, but its delightful in it's own way. I have stopped eating around the jelly.