Intergenerational, international understanding – immersion is the way to go

Lifelong learning, intergenerational dialogue, historical awareness, and?understanding: these abstract concepts were to enter my reality in 2019/2020. In my late 50s, I fulfilled a dream and became an ERASMUS student in Krakow/Poland.

"Are you the new professor?" a woman of about 40 years kindly asks me during my first week at the Ignatianum, the Jesuit university in Krakow. Smiling back, I reply, "No, I'm the new Erasmus student." I like to cause astonishment ... At my age of 58, I am probably the oldest student here. At least I don’t meet anyone that age – except for the professors.

In everyday life, I’m situated in Munich/Germany, working as a communications manager in a large corporation. Now, in September 2020, I am actually a student of philosophy in Krakow. I had reduced my job to half-time for the duration of my studies, and switched completely to remote working in order to have enough time for myself and for encounters with people.

My mentor is younger than my daughter

Beforehand, us students had been asked whether we would like to have a mentor to help us settle in and answer any questions during our studies. I gladly signed up for this offer.

On the very first day I meet my mentor, Malgorzata Gut, nicknamed Gosia. “Oh, my God, she is even younger than my daughter!” I confess that I'm a bit excited, and resolve to show my best behavior. Gosia will later report, "I was quite surprised to find out that my mentee is almost at the age of my parents! The first thing I did was ask whether the secretary had made a mistake regarding the date of birth. It was not a mistake." Our first shared days are extremely intense. We take part in the Integration Days simply having fun and spending time with other ERASMUS and Polish students as well.?With Gosia's help, I quickly settle into this new life. I had chosen my new living quarters very carefully. I live in Kazimirs, the Jewish quarter of Krakow, on the fifth floor of a vintage house.

Settling in – in an inspiring environment

My impressions are, from the first day: Krakow is a beautiful city steeped in history; its inhabitants are open and friendly. The city is very much geared towards tourism. World War II still has an explicit presence. Everyone surely knows "Schindler's List", the 1993 film by Steven Spielberg. Based on true events, it tells, against the background of the Holocaust, the story of German-Moravian entrepreneur and NSDAP party member Oskar Schindler. He employed more than 1,000 Jews in his factories during World War II, thus saving them from being murdered in Auschwitz. Some of the filming locations are a stone's throw from my apartment, and I can reach the remains of the ghetto and Schindler's factory on foot in 20 minutes.

Poland – a country between two superpowers

I want to learn more about the history of this country that enables me, the student from Germany, to have such a wonderful time. I learn that, under the Nazi occupation, the Polish government in exile organized military resistance in their homeland from England. Until the end of World War II, the Armia Krajowa, the Polish Home Army, led the partisan struggle against the German occupation. The Warsaw Uprising in 1944 brought excessive losses, and now it gets exciting: the Soviet troops would have had merely to cross the Vistula river at that time – which they did not do. Moscow-trained cadres of Polish communists took over power in Poland after the liberation and proceeded with ruthlessness against any opposition. The fighters of the Home Army, led by the London government-in-exile, were now considered enemies of the state, subject to repression which included bans from taking on jobs, imprisonment, or assassination.

Why am I writing all this down in such detail? I do that because it is important for understanding my visit to Gosia’s parents. One Saturday in December, Gosia invites me to her home town of Nowy Wi?nicz.

Joint Generations - an exciting afternoon in Nowy Wi?nicz?

Gosia's family lives in a large house. Her father, Andrzej, aged 65, is an IT and biology teacher;?her mother Teresa, aged 60, works as a pharmacist in the local pharmacy. Gosia's parents greet me with great cordiality and invite me to take a seat on the grey sofa in the living room. I look around furtively – I have never been in a Polish living room before: it comes with warm wood, dignified upholstered furniture, and a design for the life of a family of six.

We communicate in simple English. When things get difficult, Gosia translates. She tells me later that her parents were very excited. Gosia says “because they were impressed how brave Gerda-Marie is, to live and study in another country at such an age. Moreover, she was extremely interested in Polish history, especially in World War II. As we all know the relationship between Poland and Germany was full of cruelty especially in the previous century, hence talking about Germans’ repressions towards Poles wasn’t exactly what my parents expected as a topic to discuss with coffee or tea." We are leading a good conversation this afternoon, telling each other about each other. On a sideboard, I see a photograph with the portrait of a woman; in front of it, there is a vase with fresh flowers. I ask about the woman’s name. It is Gosia's grandmother Irena, the mother of Gosia's father Andrzej.

Heroes become victims

Irena, born on 21 June 1926, had served during the Second World War as a member of the Armia Krajowa. Later, in Wolno?? i Niezawis?o?? she was imprisoned by the Polish Communists in 1946, and only in 1952 released into freedom. Gosia says: “However, at the very beginning she was sentenced to ten years imprisonment! She was judged by a Russian committee. Overall, she spent six years in prison including one year in total isolation.” That afternoon, I ask a lot of questions. Gosia and her family are pleased with my historical background knowledge. Because they sense my honest interest, they tell me more about Irena, and once started, we find almost no end.

Intergenerational dialog and international understanding

In the evening I return to my orange room in Krakow. I am full of impressions, stories, and thoughts. It doesn't take much for generational dialog and international understanding to happen – that's what I felt very clearly this afternoon in this Polish living room: all that’s required are curiosity, empathy, openness, and acceptance. For me, at least, that day in Nowy Wi?nicz was one of the most memorable and sustainable encounters of three generations: Gosia, her parents and me, and her grandmother Irena.?

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