Where have you been?

One day over Christmas break my girlfriend and I walked around downtown Warsaw looking at the different buildings. This building, the Palace of Culture and Science, is the center piece of the city center built in the 1950s. It was a gift from the Soviet Union to the 'People of Poland' (undoubtedly to remind the Poles who their master was). It was originally called the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science but for some reason after the break up of the Soviet Union they changed the name. There are many huge Soviet style statues of muscular workers, the corner stone of Soviet life, as well as many scholarly gentlemen holding books by Marx, Engels, and Lenin. It is also coincidentally the tallest building in Poland.


Here is a photo of my girlfriend on the day we were walking around. I include this photo because yesterday, January 21st, was her Name Day. What the hell is a Name Day you ask? Well, its the same thing as a Saint's Day. Still not clear? In Poland people not only have birthdays but also, if they share the name of a Saint, can celebrate their Saint's Name Day. For the name Agnieszka, for example, there are up to four different Name Days per year. I was told that the first Saint Agnieszka was a very important person (more then the other Saint Agnieszkas) and this is the most popular Name Day for ladies named Agnieszka. Everyday there are at least two names listed for Saint's Day but I have yet to find a Saint Ruben...