pav

National Lampoon's Eastern European Vacation is finally over.

Have you ever had a book that you read at different points in your life? Say in middle school, then in highschool, then in your 20s. And each time you read it it seems completely different, right? But really, it's just an indicator of how much you've changed.

And so it is with visiting your distant roots. I've gone back to Poland roughly every four years, and everytime it's different. While things hadn't changed terribly much in the last 10 years, my eyes did. This is the only time I almost wept for joy upon my return to the States like a misty-eyed immigrant gazing upon the Statue of Liberty for the first time.

To be fair, things have changed other than just in my head. I remember my first trip back in '88. Things were still looking communist and gulag archipelaghetto-fabulous. While everything was crummy, poor and gray, there were a lot of benefits to being collectively oppressed.

First of all, there was practically no crime (I mean what are you going to steal from an empty store?). Not having much also seemed to equate with not worrying about things much. And perhaps most importantly, there's the sense of hope that you can only have when living on the verge of total governmental collapse.

Now, 16 years later, things seem to be getting worse. No jobs. Lots of crime. Everything is still crummy and gray (except for the occasional golden arches, yey). And for the most part, there's still not much to do besides drink heavily. Everyone under 35 is learning English and eagerly awaiting the day they can leave.

Sadly, after just two weeks, I couldn't agree with them more.