Zosia!

A handful of Polish people of Starkville got together to celebrate Mikolajki, or St. Nick's day. The actual date is December 6, and I have written about this tradition before. I cannot link to my post right now due to blipficculties, but will do so later.

It was a potluck, the food was great, and I had a blast talking Polish all night long... :-)

My observation about the party was of a realistic kind: just because we all came from Poland, doesn't mean we're destined to make the best of friends. Don't get me wrong, I did have a great time. However, I detected some very significant differences among us which may make true friendships hard to forge, namely religion. I am not sure my new Polish crowd would appreciate knowing just how NOT religious I am. Not just not Catholic; not religious at all. One of the Polish women was a Hindu, and spoke of her disappointment in Hinduism, because it lacked structure and organization (at least in Starkville). I listened, and empathized, but couldn't really offer any words of encouragement based on personal experience.

I will be curious to see whether I will become close with any of them, despite our religious differences.

And sleeping peacefully above on her father's broad chest is Zosia, the daughter of the party hosts.