Williams 1

Elle Williams

COM 1350

Simpson

Interview: Ola Jackowska

In the summer of last year, Ola Jackowska, a native of Otwock, Poland, came to the

United States for a change of pace. She enrolled in a study abroad program her school counselor

suggested and started on a path to new adventures. Olas parents believed the trip would be

beneficial personally and professionally. It is not out of the ordinary for European students to

study in the U.S. In fact, Olas host, Monique Graham, has hosted mostly Europeans for the past

decade; her last guests include a boy from Italy, and a girl from France. Monique is also the local

exchange coordinator for native students and foreign students, and has provided many with the

opportunity to study abroad. Ola was put into contact with Monique when she requested to come

to the U.S. She was placed here so she could live in a small town but be near the capital city,

Washington, D.C.

Upon arrival, Ola was met with many strange looks from the other airport passengers.

Her 6 foot stature stood out among the crowd. A common stereotype Polish girls encounter when

they travel is comments about their height, We are not all bigger, Ola claims, I am just very

tall. Not only is Ola tall, her hair is really long. It falls to her waist, which is impressive

considering the length of her torso. She often has her hair styled in an array of braids. Her

hairstyles are a cultural norm between her and other girls from her hometown, She told me,

Many grow their hair long, it is pretty this way. Her height didnt prove to hold her back as

she tried out for La Plata High Schools junior varsity field hockey team. Some resentment could

be seen in her teammates, who were jealous of her skills, but Ola has proven an asset to the team.
The coaches soon referred to her as their secret weapon. Being a part of a team has helped shape

her group membership identity. She sits with her teammates at lunch and has them over after

practice. After field hockey season was over she joined the basketball team in the winter. Back

home, Ola is very active and plays many sports outside of school. Her institution doesnt have

sports teams to participate in. If a student wants to play a sport they have to pay to join a local

league. Ola is very satisfied with the amount of extracurricular offered at her new school. She

isnt interested in girly things like being prim, she would rather go outside and be sweaty. This

is another example of a cultural norm among Polish youth. A majority of them often go outside

to hang out with their friends. Ola was surprised how in the U.S. most of her peers stay indoors

on sunny days.

Attending American high school has come with some trials. Ola has had to prove herself

not only on the field but also in the classroom. Other students have doubted her ability to speak

English, and question her education of History. Along with English, Ola speaks German fluently.

In her hometown high school, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian are taught

as language courses. In this area of America the main languages taught are French and Spanish.

Ola opted out of the two since she is still getting the hang of English. Ola would be completing

her senior year of high school back home. Since she cant essentially graduate here she was

placed in the junior class at La Plata High School. Education has always been a priority to Ola

because it is something she believes will take her far in life. In her country, academics is very

competitive. She noted that in the U.S. youth compete more to be the best in sports and arts. In

addition most students here have goals that would seem unrealistic in Poland. When she returns

to Otwock, she will have to take the matura or high school exit exam in order to progress. She

then plans on applying to higher education in the capital city of Warsaw. Studying abroad has
made her interested in possibly pursuing a college in the UK as many Poles have immigrated

there over the years. Shes also considering returning to the U.S.

Being a teenage girl is universal. Assimilation has been easier for Ola than most

exchange students because she was already socialized with girls her age. Before the school year

started, she befriended a girl who lives in the house next to hers. She was quickly introduced to

this girls friends and became part of the ingroup. Fitting in was a constant source of anxiety for

Ola, but entering her new school with a group of friends really helped soothe those qualms. Ola

followed a normal pattern on the adjustment model. During her first couple days of the

honeymoon stage, she was excited to be in a new country and went on a tour of D.C. She did not

experience the hostility stage until her first day of American high school in which she had to

learn social norms quickly and rely on non-verbals such as gestures and paralanguage to

understand her peers. Ola was soon able to laugh at her own mistakes while in the humorous

stage. She often mixed up syntactic rules and semantic rules, switching between English and

Polish. After a few months in school, Ola was finally in the in -sync stage. She had developed a

routine and was feeling right at home. This is the stage Ola will continue to be in until her year

abroad comes to an end. Ola exhibits signs of acculturation as well as enculturation. While she

has found ways to blend together American and Polish culture. She regularly eats kielbasa and

pierogis, a staple in her homeland. She also honors holiday traditions. For example, in Poland,

Santa Claus (whom she calls Mikolaj) generally does not come on Christmas Eve. Instead he

appears on December 6, the feast of St Nicholas. Christmas festivities focus on religious aspects

of the holiday and is a time of reverence rather than indulgence in material items. While on

Christmas break, Ola enjoyed American traditions because they pull from other cultures around
the world. Ola has also adopted many American slang terms and watches only American movies

and television shows.

The cultural values dimensions of Poland are different than that of the United States.

According to Hofstedes cultural dimensions, Polands uncertainty avoidance level is 93. This

shows in Olas personality as she prefers structure clear directions and she constantly asks for

feedback.She prefers to stay busy and productive. Poland is an individualistic country and Ola

has no shame celebrating her independent accomplishments. Coming to study in America was an

opportunity she gladly accepted even though her twin sister, Zuza wasnt extended the same

chance. Ola is very formal with her teachers which reflects Polands large power distance at 68.

Poland leans toward masculinity; hard work and personal accomplishments are valued. Although

highly Individualist, the Polish need a hierarchy. This combination of high power distance and

high individualism creates a specific tension in this culture. Ola is boastful but respectful to

those above her.

Back home Ola does not have a job. Ola is only seventeen and because of Polands

differing labor laws, the age policy is different. If you are under eighteen, you can only work on

the weekends. Getting a decent job could be difficult. Most Polish students wait until they are in

college to get jobs in restaurants or stores. Things tend to be expensive in Poland; the cost of

living is higher than the wages made by workers. Unemployment rate among the youth ages 15-

24 is 23.9% according to the world factbook. Since joining the EU in 2004, Poland has seen

economic growth even when the rest of Europe was in trouble financially. This is due to the

countrys heavy agricultural trade. When you get outside of the cities in Poland, extensive

pastures and farm land expand in every direction. Fruits and vegetables are fairly cheap when

bought directly from farms. Working in the agricultural job field is very common among the
Polish people and its youth. This isnt ideal for Ola, who would rather work in the city. Her goal

is to work at a pet store or with animals. She wants to go into the medical or science field and

possibly be a personal tennis coach. Tennis is taken more seriously in Europe.

Poland has little diversity when referring to its ethnic groups. The world factbook states

that Poles make up almost 97% of the population demographic. Ola says that outside of the

major cities, you dont see blacks, asians, or other ethnic groups.Ola believes that racism is more

prevalent in her homeland, most people are on the defense of difference according to Bennetts

model of intercultural sensitivity. Although she was not exposed to more other ethnic cultures

prior to coming to the U.S., she knew that other cultures existed. Coming to America, she has

become comfortable of being in a multicultural environment. Olas ethnic identity is Polish but

she also has a strong cultural identity salience to being Slavic. Identifying as a person of the

ethnolinguistic group Slav, or person of a nation that speaks a Slavic language, can be met with

discrimination in Western Europe. Thousands of Polish people have immigrated to the United

Kingdom. Currently, 850,000 Poles live in the UK, making them the largest foreign-born group

in the country and over half contribute to Britains economy. Even so, as political tensions rise,

Anti-Polish sentiment urge Poles to go home. Hate crimes against Poles are not uncommon.

These sentiments stem from the history Western Europe has in their relations with Eastern

Europe. Poland has a history when it comes to racial wars and anti-semitism.

When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, Great Britain declared World War II. Shortly

after this, the Soviet Union invaded from the east. Germany and the Soviet Union then divided

Poland between them and treated Polish citizens with extreme brutality. As Nazi Germany

carried out a systematic persecution of the Jews in Poland, they built concentration camps:

Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Majdanek. These camps in Poland became sites of the most horrific
events of the Holocaust. Soviet forces soon captured Poland to drive out German forces but the

effect of Nazi occupation still lingered. The events of World War II dramatically changed the

culture of Poland. The country had been turned into a reserve for slave work and a land of

oppression. BBC reported in their profile of Poland that under Soviet governing, Poland became

a Communist Peoples Republic. In 1989 communism ended in Poland and Soviet troops left the

country. After holding parliamentary elections, a government Republic took its place. The United

States has established amicable relations with Poland since this occurred. Today Poland is run by

a president and prime minister and has one of the most conservative governments in the world.

The people remain strong in upholding their culture and often hold cultural demonstrations

primarily for tourists.

This year, Ola got to see the nations democratic system in action as two candidates held

competing campaigns. Ola told me that her friends would ask her if the statements President

Donald Trump made were true. Seeing as the prime minister of Poland is a woman, Ola

pondered how the U.S could benefit from a woman leader. As the drama of the election unfolded,

and Trump was victor, Ola was comforted in knowing that no matter the outcome she would be

returning home. Her and I discussed the Trumps possible effects on international relations

between the U.S and Poland. Specifically if she will be welcomed as an immigrant.

Appreciating Polish culture is essential to understanding Polish people. Poles offer a

unique perspective of the world that comes from their values, traditions, and background. The

socio-economic factors of her country may differ from mine but getting to know Ola, I learned

what is important to a Polish girl is pretty much the same to American girls. The similarities and

differences between our cultures only make for engaging conversation. Ola has become

intercultural flexible in her time here. She has gained communication skills that will help her
progress personally and professionally. Her positive experience here has inspired her to return to

the United States one day. I look forward to learning more about her intercultural endeavors.
 Works Cited

Hofstede, Geert. "Cultural Dimensions." Poland - Geert Hofstede. ITIM International,

n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Jackowski, Ola. Personal Interview. 27 Apr 2017.

News, BBC. "Poland Country Profile." BBC News. The British Broadcasting

Corporation, 18 Nov. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Taylor, Adam. "Britains 850,000 Polish Citizens Face Backlash after Brexit Vote." The

Washington Post. WP Company, 28 June 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

The World Factbook: POLAND." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence

Agency, 10 Nov. 2016. Web. 30 Apr 2017.