1. Your mail sometimes fed you for a month.
WHEN BABCIA SENDS PACKAGES FROM POLAND #growinguppolish #polishgrandmas
2. And you lucked out when most of it was treats.
#GrowingUpPolish baes of your childhood
3. You cringed knowing your name was next alphabetically.
#GrowingUpPolish *teachers calls everyone by their first and last name during attendance, stops at your name and only says your first name*
4. And had to explain how your name is short for something that looks completely different.
#GrowingUpPolish when someone from other country ask for your name and u say 'Ola', they are like 'Ola? Like HOLA SENIORITA?'
Ola = Aleksandra, Kasia = Katarzyna, and so on.
5. Once it was revealed you were Polish, you heard a lot of a certain curse word.
#GrowingUpPolish all them people that figure out I'm polish be like: "kurwa, kurwa, kurwa.."
6. But had to clear up this important distinction.
#GrowingUpPolish everyone thinking you're calling you're parent a "bitch" but you're really saying "być"
And wanted to correct anyone who said "pierogis" because "pierogi" is already plural.
7. Your grandma plastered the Pope everywhere.
#GrowingUpPolish when Babcia has more pictures of Jan Paweł then she does of you
8. And your parents' friends or distant relatives were somehow your aunts and uncles.
#growinguppolish everyone's your Ciocia.
9. And you got used to turning up the TV over the grown-ups in the other room.
#GrowingUpPolish all the adults are already hammered an hour into the family function
10. You had to avoid getting mystery illnesses from cold surfaces.
old polish lady: "don't sit on the grass you'll get a cold in your kidneys" me: "I'm in med school that's not a thing..." #GrowingUpPolish
11. And were required to wear slippers on any non-carpeted surface.
#GrowingUpPolish what are those? pantofle😂
(Tucking in your shirt to ensure none of your back was exposed was also mandatory.)
12. You even had extra pairs for visitors.
#growinguppolish finding it appalling when people wear shoes inside their house
13. A member of your family always faintly smelled of Amol.
This heals everything #growinguppolish
14. You dreaded weekends...
#GrowingUpPolish every Saturday/Sunday was a "clean the whole house" day
15. ...for more reasons than one.
#growinguppolish GOING to polish school and religia classes every Saturday while everyone else slept in 😓
16. And even with classes, you still struggled with a basic rule.
#GrowingUpPolish not knowing if it's "u" or "ó"
17. Every Polish window gently billowed with the same exact firanki.
#GrowingUpPolish firanki ... not curtains.
18. And "no" meant "yes" when it came to food.
When your babcia offers you food, but you're full, yet she still gives you a plate full of food and forces you to eat it #GrowingupPolish
19. You ate hot soup regardless of the temperature.
Eating zupa whether it's 90 or -20 degrees outside #GrowingUpPolish
20. Luckily nothing is better than pickle soup with some buttered rye.
#GrowingUpPolish having people say "ew" when you tell them you like pickle soup
21. But you hated when dinnertime hinged on those damn potatoes boiling.
When you ask your mom 'kiedy będzie obiad?' and she answers 'jak sie ziemniaki ugotują' #GrowingUpPolish 😂😂😂😂
22. You made sure to stock up on goodies during any summer in Poland.
#growinguppolish all you need in life
23. Because your family only really had one vacation spot.
#growinguppolish "No, I have plans over the summer." "Oh Cool! Where you going?" "Poland."
24. There you got intimate with the Smurfs (and Pszczółka Maja).
watching smerfy and brothers koala #GrowingUpPolish
25. And dreaded going to any wedding in case that one uncle asked you to dance.
that one weird "wujek marian" who dances with all young girls on wedding #GrowingUpPolish
26. But at least you knew the playlist by heart.
#growinguppolish when you go to any polish wedding they always play disco polo and it's always the same songs.
27. And when you flew a non-Polish airline, you were the only person who clapped after landing.
#growinguppolish applauding the captain for at least ten minutes when the plane lands
28. You got to celebrate Christmas before all of your friends.
#growinguppolish when you open your Christmas presents on Christmas Eve
29. And slightly dreaded the face-to-face wishes of opłatki.
#growinguppolish you know it got real when babcia handed these out at Christmas
30. Your parents always managed to round up time by several hours.
When you rodzice said "wstawaj, bo już 12" you patrzysz on komórkę and see 10:20 #GrowingUpPolish
31. And told you to stop slouching.
#growinguppolish constantly getting told "nie garb się"
32. But it was OK, because you got gifts when others didn't.
#growinguppolish explaining to everyone what name day is
33. But when you got older, any homemade meal became a gift.
#GrowingUpPolish rosół every sunday
34. Once you were far from family, you realized what you're missing.
#GrowingUpPolish you fought over these with your siblings and cousins at Christmas.
35. Because nothing is better than Babcia's cooking.
#growinguppolish Babcia: are you hungry Me: no i just ate 5 minutes ago Babcia: ok ill make a 4 course meal