August 20, 2023:

Hello! My name is Margaret Hotopp and I am currently living in Warsaw, Poland and will be serving as a U.S. ambassador for 10 months as a high school student! I will be taking notes surrounding my observations, experiences, embarrassing stories (I am expect a lot haha), lessons, challenges, and all of the adventures to come in the following 10 months. I am thrilled that you have chosen to follow me along through this experience!

I have already learned so much, and I have been in Poland for less than 48 hours! Here are a few things that I have noticed already:

1. The majority of people here drink water mixed with lemon juice and pulp! This is also common in the U.S., but not to the extent that it is in Poland. Lemon water is viewed as more refreshing, and healthier than plain water (although nobody knows why haha), and because it can get so hot during the Summer day, they say that the added lemon makes drinking large amounts of water more enjoyable.

2. The Police here have much fewer weapons than the police in America. For example, they will be equipped with a gun on their waste, but nothing else for the most part. I mentioned it to my host dad, Daniel and he explained that it just wasn't necessary to have any more weapons than that in Poland, which I found interesting.

3. Warsaw is so quiet! Almost shocking silent. I got off the bus when my host family and I went into town on the first day, and the first thing I noticed was how peaceful it was. There is barely any litter or garbage at all, zero car honking, and nobody is yelling, but just walking and talking with a relaxed tone. Despite having this peaceful mood, there are still plenty of musicians around the city, which is nice. There are also close to zero billboards or advertisements through technology, as I have only seen one billboard-tv screen, which I think also contributes to the peaceful state of Warsaw. 

4. The City is SO CLEAN. I briefly mentioned this in my last note, but it deserves a separate one as well. When my host family and I walked down the subway, I was shocked. There was not a single piece of trash anywhere and it lacked the New York City subway sent, which was very nice haha. My host family shared how everyone in the community cares about the state of the City, so they view it as their responsibility to take care of it.

5. It is much warmer than I expected it to be. Multiple people have mentioned how climate change has dramatically impacted Poland and a few other European countries like Greece over recent years. Poland has no air conditioning, mainly because it has never been necessary until recently. However, quite a few people have said that Poland will need air conditioning, especially for the years to come because of the effect Global Warming has had on the country.

It is also worth noting the people and the strong sense of community in Poland. I think the stereotype of Eastern Europeans is viewed as stern and unfriendly, which I can say after my whole 2 days here, most certainly is not the reality of most Polish people. My host family is lighthearted, friendly, kind, enjoys laughing, and is incredibly welcoming and warm. I met a few of my neighbors today and we started with a handshake, followed by a formal introduction, and ended with hugs and jokes! 

Thank you so much for reading and please let me know if there are any curiosities you might have about anything! 

-Margaret

After over 15 hours of being on a plane throughout our travel day to Poland, including one stop in DC and another in Frankfurt, Germany, we finally landed in Poland in the afternoon! We got our bags, but then had no idea where to go to find our local coordinators and host families. We decided that we should just exit the baggage claim area and follow the sign that said "into town." Immediately after we left, there were signs, balloons, and lots of smiling faces being the first to welcome us to Poland! It was a moment of pure joy, especially after such a draining and emotional day. My host brother gifted me a stuffed bar from a famous Polish cartoon and we all exchanged hugs and smiles!