EDITORIAL Traveling the World. Traveling Poland. Responsibly.

It’s not our fault. Words that we should ban from our mind, even if there is truth in the statement. I’ve been living in Poland for the last seven months, and I’ve managed to clash with Polish authorities twice already. The result? I’ve discovered injustice, machismo and many imperfections in the infrastructure. I’ve lost many dreamy illusions about this country, which came from spending about a dozen summers eating organic berries in the company of loving grandparents, tanning on the glistening shores of the Baltic sea, going to the theatre in Warsaw and exploring the wild Bieszczady mountains on horseback.

NEWS The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America Congratulates CR

"Please accept my congratulations and best wishes on the appearance of "the cosmopolitan review ." It is indeed an impressive and ambitious project which I hope will endure and be a great success. The Polish Institute will be glad to promote your publication and hopefully you will do the same for our academic quarterly journal "The Polish Review". You and your young colleagues will determine the future of Polish studies and culture in North America." - Dr. Thaddeus Gromada, president, PIASA.

FEATURE From the Snows of Kilimanjaro to the Snows of Siberia

cr2_tengeru_painting ... The distinguished Canadian guest met the children, smartly outfitted boys in crisp white cotton shirts and khaki shorts, and girls in perfectly pressed white dresses with navy sailor collars. The children treated him to a concert, the settlement’s leaders to a banquet. Some of them, according to a horrified Mr. Sharrar, actually wore evening dress. What was he to make of this strange European matriarchy living in mud huts set in European gardens with trimmed hedges -- in equatorial Africa? Irene Tomaszewski, who grew up with her eyes on Mount Kilimanjaro, relates this untold story.

EVENTS The Importance of Being Lech Walesa

Gdansk

Is world peace possible? Will Europe be a source of stability or will it endanger peaceful development in the 21st century world? How can we confront the imminent economic crisis?The Gdansk shipyards basked in a golden glow as world opinion leaders tackled these questions at the "Solidarity for the Future" conference, which commemorated the 25th anniversary of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Lech Walesa. A photoreportage and analysis by Kinia Adamczyk.

HISTORY A Few Words about Lustration with ... Georges Mink, historian

georges_mink_smaller The long separation of Eastern Europe from Western Europe created, among other things, some language that is not always understood by the other. Two such words come to mind immediately because of their importance in the history of the former Soviet Bloc: nomenklatura and lustration.Noora Valkonen discusses the moral and practical implications of using historical memory for political ends, score-settling and transitions into democracy and market economy with Central and Eastern European history specialist Georges Mink.

FEATURE On Coal and Kinship

CR once again welcomes an article by Vince Chesney in which he writes about a new book and about Slavic hospitality. Pennsylvania coal country, a rural enclave dotted by small towns is distant enough from major centres -- two hours from Philadelpia and Baltimore, three hours from DC, and four hours from Pittsburgh – to have retained its own identity. Says the author: "I am pleased to share this area's heritage with you…"

CONTENT

* Spring 2009 issue *

EVENTS

Remembering Bronislaw Geremek by Aleksandra Stys

"A Pole among Europeans and a European among Poles”, a historian, politician and much-loved professor: Bronislaw Geremek, commemorated by a student that never was...

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CR brings you the hip Gdansk event in photos and quotes. Click HERE for the photoreportage, and read our analysis. By Kinia Adamczyk

MUSINGS

Your House Must be Dirty by Patrycja Romanowska

On floor number eight, in the first apartment to the left of the elevator lives a beautiful little girl from India. Charmed by her stunning smile and friendly manner, I invited her over for an afternoon...

Let's Ban the European Union, and the Month of December too by David Judson

...I concluded, looking back from the Sopot pier upon the "Grand Hotel" dating to the 1920s that was the venue for a meeting called the "Europe-Turkey Forum," that this project to get Turkey into the European Union is really an empty exercise... The American-born editor-in-chief of a major Turkish daily recalls his first visit to Poland.

How European Citizenship Saved me from a Fine

... I repeated yet again I wouldn’t sign the fine and the controller threatened to call some security forces at the next stop. Even the waiter got involved. By Kinia Adamczyk

POETRY *new section*

Poems in Transit by Judith Browne

Poezja Naszego Wieku by Marta Dabros

REVIEWS

Tricky Polish Love: Sztuczki, a (film) review by David French

sztuczki I was charmed by it, and wiped away more than one tear. I want to describe the film and what I liked about it, but also to place it in its Polish context.

My Two Polish Grandfathers and Other Essays on the Imaginative Life

“I should have been a true Pole rather than a make-believe Scot” writes Witold Rybczynski in his latest book, the beautifully written My Two Polish Grandfathers... Anna Kisielewska reviews Rybczynski's latest chef d'oeuvre.

A History of Polish Americans ... Revisited

Those of us who read John Bukowczyk’s And My Children Did Not Know Me are delighted to see the 2008 edition by Transaction Press, A History of the Polish Americans.

FEATURES

From the Snows of Kilimanjaro to the Snows of Siberia by Irene Tomaszewski

On Coal and Kinship by Vincent Chesney

biPOLar *new section*

Sensing my Childhood: Crossing the Oder River

The smell of the wet football pitch, the wetness of a tongue and the taste of homemade zurek take Krzysztof Rutkowski back to his Polish childhood in Germany.

HISTORY

From 1683 to 2009: the (Secret) Link between the Battle of Vienna and Poland's "Lack of Positive Spirit" by Kinia Adamczyk

Return from Vienna Poles have been accused of "selling their soul to the devil" to join the EU and then of making no efforts while finally in. Is this accurate? The author probes Marc Maresceau, a lawyer and Gorbachev-era specialist.

A Few Words about Lustration and Nomenklatura with ... Georges Mink, historian by Noora Valkonen

TRAVEL *new section*

Rome by Self by Justine Jablonska

When in Rome, drink like a Roman. Drink as much espresso, caffe e latte, and cappuccino as you can manage. The smooth elixir is best drunk standing at cafe bars rather than sitting at tables...

Sudan (photoreportage) by Piotr Zalewski

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Baku is ... just plain rich by Kinia Adamczyk

Baku, if one believes the locals and the foreign oil investors, has seen an unprecedented economic boom in the last four years transforming Azerbaijan's capital into a construction field, with apartment building skeletons waiting to be dressed and filled with life lining up on every piece of free land.

Moving Europe ... Brandenburg-style by Krzysztof Rutkowski

Why is Europamobil worth mentioning? It brings together people from different spheres – different cultures, different age groups, different professional backgrounds. This diversity creates a basis for productive tension, for thought-provoking impulses, for creative ideas. GET INVOLVED

CR RECOMMENDS *new section*

House, Home, Community: writer Witold Rybczynski in Montreal and Ottawa

Witold Rybczynski will read and discuss his latest book, My Two Polish Grandfathers and Other Essays on the Imaginative Life at the Canadian Center for Architecture, Montreal, on Thursday, March 26 and at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, Ottawa.

Spotlight on the Polish-Canadian Youth Leadership Challenge

Quo Vadis Polish Canadian Youth Challenge The May 1-3 conference in Ottawa will comprise workshops and discussions, and feature distinguished speakers including the Polish Ambassador, Dr. Piotr Ogrodzinski, the Minister of Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, and Officer of the Order of Canada, Tom Brzustowski. Get involved!

in brief Obama in Canada -- We expats -- Canadian and American alike -- followed President Obama's visit to Canada closely and were not surprised by Canada's enthusiastic welcome. We also note with pleasure Newsweek's February 16 article about Canada. We agree. Canada and the US could do well working together.

Poland in the Rockies through the eyes of a dreamer (photoreportage)

By Katarzyna Gajewska, 2008 PitR alumna

The Polish money myth: contrary to UK and US claims, Poland is well-placed to weather the economic storm

Polish finance minister Jacek Rostowski, who was born, raised and educated in London, said Poland's "best remedy" for the crisis now is to join the euro. With the political will in place, the EU should answer prime minister Donald Tusk's call to streamline that process, and make convergence as painless as possible. Kamil Tchorek for guardian.co.uk (Feb. 26)

is a European cultural network which targets open-minded viewers curious about Europe and especially France and Germany (in French and German).

SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI

2008 alumnus Ian Wojtowicz: artistxxxxxxxx

More than one Way to Fold Flag

the_oracle The Oracle of Elsewhere

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cosmopolitan review

The Polish money myth: contrary to UK and US claims, Poland is well-placed to weather the economic storm

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