#because i yearn for the experiences i dont get to have on a daily basis on my doorstep. but if i actually lived there my whole life

[cemeterything]

hi! i mean this genuinely and i hope it isnt rude to ask, totally feel free to ignore if you prefer not to answer! but ive been wondering, what makes you seemingly so attached to your polish heritage? as a polish person myself, who has lived in poland their whole life, i just find it interesting, because i find that im almost... ashamed of my own nationality. im sure you are aware that poland isnt the most progressive, especially with the current government, and it is in many ways far behind many other european countries. again, i mean no disrespect to you and also im literally polish myself so its just a lot of conflicting feelings, and it makes me curious to see an immigrant who seems to talk about the country mostly positively. (also im sorry about the situation with your family, i hope you get to come here on your own at some point! <3)

oh yeah no i totally get you, i feel ashamed of how backwards and bigoted the country can be and i'm not some kind of proud nationalist who'll defend its ugliness. and i worry sometimes that i'll make people feel unsafe or uncomfortable by mentioning my heritage because of that. i suppose i'm just attached to the way i feel like i'm home when i'm there, in the town i was born in and the places i've visited. i'm attached to the good memories i have of the food and culture and scenery and people i've encountered who made it a beautiful place to live. and a lot of my family were wiped out during ww2, so i guess i'm attached to being alive and proof that they failed to destroy us completely? but i definitely don't think it's all sunshine and roses and pretty stereotypes.