Imagine that the whole world is just one street. On this street there are a few buildings, just like multi-family-houses. Each house is one continent. So Europe is one of seven houses on this street. It’s not too big, it’s not too small. Just as big as you need to move in with so many families as we have countries in Europe. And each country is one family.
We moved in very long, long time ago. We had bigger and little disputes between the neighbors. It’s obvious that there was once a flood (example: Swedish Flood), sometimes for a short period somebody tried to throw out the others (example: World Wars). But overall our life here isn’t so bad. Sometimes we visited ourselves and drunk tee and share our gossip news (example: kings and queens and princes from the Middle Ages until the Age of Enlightenment) and we tried to fix our neighbor strategy. We borrowed our money each other and shared our discoveries (example: process of the industrial revolution). For some years we try to live in peace and we even plant our flowers together on the verandas. In the meantime we don’t need to visit each other personally, we just call (there are so many packages on good terms now!) or we send an e-mail.
Some of us founded even a union, a living community. Every now and then one of our neighbors assumes a leadership and tells us what we should do and motivates us to do it.
And this is a task for you:
Imagine you want to have one of your neighbors as your guest. Which one of us would it be? Everybody knows that you have to act a host well, but what does it mean to you? There is a Polish idiom „A guest at home is like God would be at home”. What would you serve to eat? What would you discuss with your visitor? Which room of your apartment would you show him and why? What would you try to hide under the rug swept or what would you have placed for these days in your basement? How would you introduce your family and which members of your family would you like to have on your side?
And if you were a guest? How do you imagine that? What are you expecting from your neighbour? What should he show you? What are you looking particularly at? Is it the family situation or emancipation of your neighbor’s wife? Or is it the trophies from the whole world collected by your neighbor?
Which advices would you give to your neighbor anyway?
Cogito ergo sum (I think, so I am). Share your opinion with us! Write your comment below!
PL:
#2 | Maciej K. - 02.03.2009 23:21
That’s an interesting settlement. That’s maybe for kids, but you can touch it and imagine it. I laughed because of this Swedish Flood: Swedish people didn’t flood the whole Europe, I think not every of us know about it much, but this is a very cute settlement!
PL:
#3 | Alina - 02.03.2009 23:32
These were real evictions, f. e. divisions of Poland, Anschluß of Austria or the situations in the Balkan region. In such short sentences you described almost the whole picture of Europe through the centuries. Bravo!
The Swedish Flood was the funniest element of this story. I agree with Maciej here.
For the breakfast I would invite a German, for a lunch – an Italian person and for a dinner my neighbors from the east side of Wisła.
PL:
#4 | Partyk - 03.03.2009 00:05
And I would invite the whole Polish Animal Farm. It is so colorful that I don’t need anyone else. And the evening would be interesting, very interesting.
PL:
#5 | Anna Brakoniecka - 03.03.2009 00:31
Let me decide to avoid a house meeting in the kitchen or making a party on the other side of the street, ok? That causes that your opinions will be limited to the main subject “which host I would like to be?” and “to whom I would like to be invited?”
Alina, why did you choose these foreigners to invite to? Does the order play a role?
DE:
#2 | Florian 03-03-2009 00:48:32
I would invite the East-Europeans. I don’t know them yet. Is it bad, if I invite the new federal states of Germany too?
DE:
#3 | Ulrike 03-03-2009 01 :24:01
It’s mean!
DE:
#4 | CozyRockets 03-03-2009 01:24:42
Florian, it wasn’t nice.
PL:
#7 | Alina - 03.03.2009 20:25
The order plays a role, of course. At first is the duty – the Germans. If you were my translator I would ask them some questions.
Than a pleasure – a delicious risotto or a real Italian pizza.
And at the end the party with people I know. A part of my family comes from the East. My Grandma (unfortunately she’s already dead) was from Vilnus [Lithuania]. I know these people and their spirit. And I don’t want to learn on the evening. I want to sit down then after work and relax.
PL:
#8 | Justa - 03.03.2009 20:32
I know the English people a little, because I live with them. In Italy I was once with my class on a trip. Furthermore I was with my Mom on a pilgrim trip once and we saw our pope Johannes Paul II. I don’t know any foreign languages (except English). It is hard to communicate with the Germans. They disagree even because of things that I don’t know. Is is bad to be from the East or West? They did unite themselves, right?
PL:
#9 | Martyna_86 - 03.03.2009 23:27
Unia jest wielonarodowa, wielokolorowa i wielokulturowa. I chiałabym poznać wszystkich jej przedstawicieli.
The Union is international, colourful and multicultural. I would like to know all of its representatives.
PL:
#10 | Paszczak - 04.03.2009 01:44
Martyna, do we travel togehter? Because I would like to know them all too!
DE:
#6 | Maraike am 03-03-2009 23:43
For my study-abroad-residence I chose England and I went to London. I was a half a year in Italy, too. I’ve learned a lot of it: openness and tolerance. There are all over good and bad people. What I would like to know is Spain. I wouldn’t so willingly go in the East direction, because I don’t know these languages. And this is already a border for me.
DE:
#7 | Petra am 03-03-2009 23:57
In the last year I visited an exhibition “Europe’s pictures: inside and outside views” in Essen. There were various subjects that should let to take a look at Europe and to show some perceptions of Europe. I checked the www-address of it:
http://idw-online.de/pages/de/news289175
PL:
#12 | Ewelina dnia 04.03.2009 16:06
I met and I know some German people and I think they’re more open and tolerant than Poland. The originality is there more promoted. Every dissidence is here basically wrong. Without taking a look whether it’s good or bad for us.
PL:
#13 | Bardddek dnia 04.03.2009 16:26
Ewelina – keep on going! I think that the Hollanders are the most open-minded. But I don’t want to live in Holland. It is something different to work there for a while and to live there seriously. And Berlin had a party named Love Parade under the angel. And in our village you cannot even not to go to the church, because your neighbors will be annoyed. Fortunately has the church such incidents as these with the suspicious priests. They talked about Holocaust. Remarkable whether they were interested to see how a life in a concentration camp looked like. I don’t think that they would go there voluntary. And that they would change their point of view quickly, hahahaha. What the German people had written down here convinces me that they are not as bad as I thought. Sometimes they write something very clever.
Cool page.
PL:
#14 | Jolka dnia 04.03.2009 16:59
I will go with you!
DE:
#9 | Alex am 04-03-2009 16:53
So I’ll go with you. Do we start in the East?
DE:
#11 | Lukas am 04-03-2009 23:36
@ Justa: „Is is bad to be from the East or West? They did unite themselves, right?”
You can think about it like a normal European, but the differences between East and West [Germany] are still there. Not just artificial, but real mental. I feel sometimes like a foreigner in my own country, because I don’t always understand the West Germans.
PL:
#16 | PoTomek dnia 04.03.2009 23:57
And then write down how it was. And send us some post cards. And come on the way to us, we’ll make an international party in London, ok? My neighbor nodes with her head already - she agrees.
PL:
#17 | Pola Raksa dnia 05.03.2009 00:04
Maraike, I think that the language border the one site and the attitude the other site are. You’re open for the West, because you know some standards, but I think that if you would come to Poland, you would see that it isn’t so bad after all here. Really! I invite you, come and convince yourself.
PL:
#18 | Kasia dnia 05.03.2009 00:04
cool, that such page is here. So multi-culti
PL:
#19 | PoTomek dnia 05.03.2009 00:35
Not olny multi-culti, but multi-lingual too.
I have a Polish roommate and she's very nice and friendly. And smart. And educated. And she laughs a lot! Gosia is her name and she tells me sometimes stories about Poland. Maybe we'll go to Krakow together? We'll see.
PL
#22 | Pola Raksa dnia 06.03.2009 22:21
Like a foreigner in your own country? Maybe I China Town I can’t imagine that there are two nations in one country. How is it?
PL:
#23 | Paszczak dnia 06.03.2009 22:47
So we start to collect you on the journey’s list. Who is going with us on a trip through Europe?
1. I write me on the top of the list, Paszczak.
2. ....?
PL:
#24 | Alina dnia 06.03.2009 22:48
And I feel myself strange sometimes in Poland. F .e. as you say there is a freedom of speech. And if somebody starts a politically inconvenience topic, than you’ll be yelled at, you’re a criminal (topic abortion), you’re infidel (topic church), that you’re generally different, bad, horrible (other topics). I see some differences between east and west Poland. But there are not so big that we can’t understand each other.
PL:
#25 | Pajacyk dnia 06.03.2009 23:03
I’ll take the 2nd.
PL:
#26 | Paszczak dnia 06.03.2009 23:26
Alina, I understand it. But it’s so. It is how it is.
DE:
#13 | Caroline am 06-03-2009 19:10
Multi-lingual – absolutely! And it is good so!
Be Lovefool is a very nice idea! I liked the book and I will participa in the summer campain for lovefools
Helena
13-06-2010 18:59
Anna, this is a great project! You are a truely interesting and creative person! Don't stop integrationg Europe!
Peter
07-06-2010 21:51
Ich beneide Scholar Online, da das Team stets so viel erlebt! Ihr seid überall! Weiter so! Verunsichere Europa!
BK
22-05-2010 17:51
Flutwelle in Mittel- und Osteuropa. Mein Mitleid für alle Betroffenen aus Tcheschien, Polen und anderen Ländern!
Jule
15-05-2010 18:27
Polen und Russen setzten den Versöhnungskurs bei der 65. Siegesparade in Moskau fort. Scholar fördert die europäische Freundschaft. Mach weiter so!
Marie
14-04-2010 18:17
10th April Smoleńsk was tragic. But much more tragic is what is happening in Poland right now. RIP was yesterday. Now, it's fight club!
Luise
11-04-2010 23:17
Lech Kaczynski wird uns auch in Deutschland fehlen. Der tödlich verunglückte Präsident war mehr als die eine Hälfte eines Zwillingsduos an Polens Spitze.
Chrissi
11-04-2010 12:27
I'm sending my love, prayers, and DEEPEST sympathies to the people of Poland. May God be with you through this tragic time.
Peter
10-04-2010 20:11
Es wird vermutet, dass das Flugzeug von Kaczynski beim Landeanflug im dichten Nebel Baumkronen gestreift hatte. Mein Beileid an Polen.
Tom
10-04-2010 18:23
Polish president killed in plane crash in Russia..... This is just tragic. My prayers go out to the entire country.
alan
10-04-2010 17:09
ich bin kein Fanatiker der PIS, dennoch der Zusammenhang mit Katyn ist schockierend für mich.
Yaro
10-04-2010 16:47
President Lech Kaczynski wanted to revisit the past. He did it unwillingly. I am sorry for Poland for loss of the President and much of the nation's ruling elite.
Joline
10-04-2010 16:45
Tragedy in Russia: President of Poland and many important politics are dead in plane crush. Poland, we pray with you!
CLX
10-04-2010 13:04
I still can't belive. Polish president Lech Kaczynski and other important people died in crush plane near Smolensk. It's Polish tragedy.
Raik
10-04-2010 12:56
#RIPLechKaczynski My condolences for families of Lech Kaczynski and other victims of the plane crash near Smolensk, Russia. Poland, we pray with you!
