Cultural Exchange in Poland

There is no more rewarding experience in studying abroad than to be able to enter into the culture of the host country and share friendships with the people.

Two years ago, I came to Gdansk Industrial University in Poland. Gdansk had been a major European port city and was the cradle of the trade union rallies that brought on the breakup of Eastern European communism. However, there are almost no Asians here; of the few that are here, most are Vietnamese, and I was the only person from Taiwan in the entire city. When I first arrived, people looked at me curiously when I walked out on the streets. It may have been because of that "curiosity" that I was able to make so many friends and broaden my cultural exchange.

It wasn't easy living alone in a foreign country, but in order to participate more fully in life there, I always accepted invitations and actively participated in events whenever I could. At times I was at a disadvantage due to the language barrier. But my friends felt that I was nothing like their imagined conception of the shy Asian, and they were extremely interested in me because I came from so far away. After a while, I was invited to the homes of more and more friends, where I shared Taiwan's Chinese culture.

I was well-prepared for these forays. Not only did I have a rich collection of photos to share, but I also showed them my own Chinese knotwork and calligraphy, sang Taiwanese folk songs and even did taijiquan. There were more and more opportunities, and for several months I didn't even have to touch a pot, because there was always a place where I could enjoy a wonderful dinner. At times, people would even brag to their friends about how they knew me. My circle of friends snowballed, and my network became even closer and tighter. I had friends of every description, from four- or five-year old children to graybeards of 80 or 90, professors, doctors, lawyers, artists, musicians, government workers and ordinary people.

Because I enjoyed this kind of cultural exchange so much, I also went to various schools to lecture, in order to supplement the textbooks' lack of information about Taiwan-there was only a single line! In recent years, there have been many chances to share with other countries, and my friends always happily allowed me to participate. I felt a special bond with the youth of these nations, although there was always a separation because of language. Despite this, the young people were always very eager to learn about Taiwanese culture. As a result of these exchanges, to this day I can go all over Poland and Eastern Europe and always find friends to visit. In two short years, I visited 20 or 30 towns and villages and stayed in a dozen-odd Polish homes. At holidays, people actually competed to invite me to their homes!

What moved me the most was one family, with whom I initially spent practically every weekend. Afterwards, because they lived in the country more than an hour from my home, and I was very busy with my classes, I couldn't get there to visit. We weren't able to phone, either, because neither of us had a telephone, so we lost touch. After six months, we met at a church function, and the whole family threw their arms around me and cried, asking me how I was and why I didn't come to their house. I reflected on this, thinking that this kind of genuine emotion was not weakened by time, but rather made stronger. How fortunate I am to have experienced this kind of pure friendship!

I remember one time when I wanted to participate in an information exhibition in a town about 300 kilometers from my home. I couldn't find a place to stay, but I called a person I had met only casually-I could hardly even picture her face-and she wholeheartedly invited me to stay with her, making me feel entirely at home. When she dropped me off at the train station, I looked out through the window of the train, waving, and saw real tears in her eyes at parting from me. She waved goodbye, looking as if she were leaving a priceless friendship.

Although I am still the only Taiwanese person in the city today, and I have to repeat the same explanations about Chinese culture over and over again, I have learned a lot from these people about their culture and customs, and observed the lives of different levels of society. But more important is the true "cultural friendship" which has been the major factor supporting and encouraging me during my study abroad.

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I never thought that in a middle school in a small town in faraway Poland, lecturing about Taiwanese culture, I could turn into the much-loved "Teacher Tseng"!