Nowa Dziewczyna {Part Two}

Over the last few months though, I’ve been getting to know the girl from Poland even more as we navigate a new sort of foreign world -college. She knew a grand total of three people back in August, so it’s been interesting to watch and see what she has done with her new start -how she chose to present herself to people, what she said about who she was, and how many of the lessons she learned this summer made their way into who she is. As the semester has gone on, I have learned more and more about her and have really enjoyed having the time and opportunity to do so. I’ve learned that…

She loves practically any place that is small, eclectic, or otherwise hole-in-the-wall-ish. She enjoys the quiet, the charm, the uniqueness of these establishments and the way that they almost feel like hers -a secret of sorts that most other people in the busy city miss. Some of the most worthwhile places in her opinion are those that take a little bit of effort to stumble upon. 

She is an absolute wimp when it comes to the cold weather. Like a full on jacket, gloves, hat, scarf, long sleeves and still miserable wimp. I often wonder how she makes it between classes. 

She keeps a journal of quotes with her almost all the time. It is filled with the words of historic figures, musicians, novels, and bloggers and is one of her favorite things to add to. As a result, she can typically come up with a quote [or four] whenever she's asked [and often when she’s not as well]

She loves hiking and bouldering and anything that puts her outdoors. The view from atop Birmingham’s hills and the calm away from the city are some of her favorite things.

She has mastered the art of conversation with strangers because after all, if you can small-talk your way over a language barrier, doing so exclusively in english is a piece of cake. As a result, she has met a host of interesting people in coffeeshops, elevators, and the cafeteria whose stories she never would have heard otherwise.

She enjoys chemistry, psychology, and reading and has no issue admitting to this or that she actually enjoyed the assigned article from the night before. She knows she’s a dork and she’s pretty okay with it.

She still cannot handle a great deal of “girl talk” which she blames on too many years spent as a die-hard tomboy. She leaves most of this to her roommate and much prefers the skimmed down, drama-free synopsis she typically brings back.

She loves thrift stores and used book stores and could spend hours getting lost in each. She loves weathered postcards and vintage photography equipment especially and occasionally wonders if she was born in the wrong era because of it. While there is something to be said for the fresh, pristine clean of a new novel, she has learned to appreciate the well-worn, well-loved text as well. Her favorite finds are often ones that have been extensively underlined, doodled-in, and commented upon because she loves seeing the little pieces of themselves that people before her have left behind. She loves the city’s book exchanges for the same reason. 

She can, in fact, sing in front of people and actually really enjoys karaoke nights at the BCM or singing along [where people can actually hear her] with one of the guy's guitars.The people from her old youth band would be shocked.

She has only a very vague idea of her future career path, but she is determined not to worry about it for now. She is taking her classes, learning, and exploring the world around her. As nervous as it makes her advisors, she is taking a break from worrying about who she should become and is loving every minute of it. 

She is still single. For her polish girls, it has not changed since the last time you asked. Or the time before that. Or the time before that.

It only takes a few meetings with her to see she has a decent list of flaws, but as the semester has progressed, I’ve learned she has her fair share of strengths as well. She is far from the most interesting person in the world or even the most interesting I’ve met, but the more I get to know her, the more I think, 

I kind of like her.

Nowa Dziewczyna {Part One}

I met a girl this summer, in Poland. 

She was visibly exhausted from a long day of flying and far from anything that even remotely resembled her comfort zone. She was happy to be there and excited for the week that lied ahead but intimidated by almost everything and everyone she met at the camp. She assumed that each of them was completely prepared and ready to begin and that it was only a matter of time before they all realized she had no clue. She was constantly wondering how she wound up in the midst of the people she did, with their warmth and depth and magnetic confidence. She was struck all throughout training by her smallness and insecurity and constantly doubted her ability to teach english, to lead worship, to even teach the silly camp dance to the students. She spent most of the first days at H2O enchanted and smiling, but scared out of her mind.

But then she did something I didn't expect and certainly would never have done myself…

She decided she didn't care.

Around the third day of training she gave it up. She decided that sooner or later everyone would figure out her secret -they would find out how little she knew about what she was doing and how insecure it made her feel. So, she embraced it. 

She learned to ignore her insecurity and begin conversations with people before confirming that they liked her. She held talks for hours in two broken languages about nothing more than favorite foods, music, and the fact that no, for the eighth time, she still didn't have a boyfriend.

She memorized the interns' creed: Be infinitely flexible and constantly amazed, doodled it into her binder, and followed their lead as they all found new ways to live it out. 

She admitted to her co-teacher and later to her class that this was completely new to her and that while she would try as hard as she could to do her best, she was still learning at this too. So she would down another cup of spark, open up her binder, and rework her lesson plan…again. She learned the art of creative explanations and that sometimes it’s okay to scrap a lesson and play "ninja" or “singing in the rain” instead.

She played guitar in front of a music major and stopped wincing each time her fingers missed a fret. 

She faced her inability to dance and did it anyways, matching her partner step for step as they moved through each verse of the camp song with the excitement and grace of two four year-olds. She filmed a Disco-Polo music video and joined in the impromptu dance parties between English sessions and traded in her reserve for the chance to be part of something bigger and more important than herself. She didn't even flinch as the Polish school teachers began pulling out camera phones to record the crazy groups of dancing students and volunteers.

She learned to open up. That vulnerability and honesty are sometimes painful but often essential. To not only accept her awkwardness and her quirks, but to embrace them. And she learned this from some of the best. 

She memorized quickly the word przepraszam -polish for sorry or excuse me- and used it liberally as she waded through a new culture and language, always with a smile, a quick laugh at herself, and the resolve to get it right next time. 

And because of all this, she found herself at the thresholds of many new doors. She gained a greater appreciation for the people and stories that surround her and a better idea of just how many people are waiting to be spoken to and cared about and loved. She mastered ‘two-ball’, nearly woke up the campus in a 2 a.m. foosbol match, and fought off swarms of mosquitos the size of South Dakota on the outdoor volleyball court. She learned honesty and openness are far more appealing than perfection could ever be and because of this, found a confidence she never knew she had. She climbed towers in the Czech Republic, wandered the square in Krakow, and ’backpacked’ across Europe with one of her best friends. She finally discovered how to both spell and pronounce Jastrzebie-Zdroj, the town she was living in and made her share of friendships, mistakes, and memories while she was there. 5,133 miles away from her home, she learned a new language, culture, and a few new dance moves, tried the best stuffed dumplings and ice cream she had ever eaten, and had the time of her life in the few weeks she was there.