More and more frequently we choose to spend our holiday at distant destinations. We are not only driven by the fashion for trips to exotic, isolated islands or unexplored lands, but also by the desire to get to know other cultures, languages and people. As the Polish saying goes podróże kształcą, i.e. travel broadens the mind (and you can enrol on a course of Polish during the holiday )
Distant, unknown countries may surprise us in many ways. It might turn out that while being a few thousand kilometres away we will come across some streets named after Polish people, or monuments erected to commemorate them by the inhabitans of those distant countries, or even species of animals and plants having the names of the Poles who discovered them.
POLISH BOTANIST IN THE CAUCASUS
If you go to Georgia and visit Lagodekhi National Park, right at the entrance you’ll see a plaque commemorating Ludwik Młokosiewicz. He was a Polish botanist known for exploring the fauna and flora of the Caucasus, who found himself in the region of today’s Kakheti. He was the first one to notice that many species inhabiting the area were unique, indigentous to that particular region. He spared no effort and as a result it was decided that those species would be protected and a national park was created. If you tell the museum employees that you come from Poland, they will definitely treat you with great respect and encourage you to visit the local Polish community. While there you should also try to spot the Caucasian grouse (Tetrao mlokosiewiczi) and Caucasian peony (Paeonia mlokosewitschii).
A CHILEAN CITIZEN SPEAKING POLISH
If one day you are in the streets of a Chilean city, walking and speaking Polish, don’t be surprised when smiling Chileans approach to speak to you. Why? We owe it to Ignacy Domeyko. In almost every city you can find a street, square or school named after him. He was a Polish engineer and geologist, born in the early 19th century. Not only did he discover rich deposits of copper in Chile and teach the people of Chile how to benefit from that, but also reformed the local education system. Moreover, Domeyko started the struggle against illiteracy and thanks to him the University of Santiago became one of the leading universities in the country. Ignacy was granted Chilean citizenship for his contribution. He lived there until he died, but he never forgot his mother tongue.
HEADING FOR THE MOUNTAINS
While staying in Peru you’ll find out that a Pole, Enrest Malinowski, is one of their national heroes. He was the one who brought sailors…to work in the mountains. Sounds ridiculous? Only at first. He was an engineer who designed Ferrocarril Central del Perú (one of the Trans-Andean Railways) and oversaw the construction process. The railway linked the two parts of Peru that had been separated before. The sailors could climb ropes easily, which was an invaluable skill under the circumstances, since the tracks were put high in the mountains. Malinowski personally helped the workmen, he worked with them all the time and endured the same hardships as they did, despite the fact that he had a fancy apartment in the capital city and could have stayed there.
Thanks to him, the highest railway in the world was built (the highest bridge is as high as 80m!), and it’s used to transport goods and raw materials.
As you can see, even very far from Poland, a Pole does not necessarily need to feel like a foreigner at all:)
