I recently came across an article in a Polish newspaper based on an interview with a national Internet personality who argued that Poles are much more similar to Latinos than to their neighbours with whom they share a border on the map. His argument was based on his experience of living in both worlds – South America and Western European countries like the Netherlands or Belgium (which, although not bordering on Poland, are definitely closer to it than, for example, Peru). And even though I have never visited Latin America, my views are very much the same.
Lately, it seems as though fate has wanted me to cross paths with Brazilians and Brazilians only. I am genuinely surprised by how many character traits and mindset elements we have in common. Everyone thinks that Slavs are quite cold and do not like to show emotion. And while the “Slavic stare” is real, Polish people are far warmer than the Dutch and Germans – something that can be seen in our ability to be good hosts. Our culture of celebrating with enormous amounts of food is extremely important. The attitude dynamics might differ a bit, as Poles initially wear a kind of mask that can make them seem unwelcoming and extremely judgemental, but once we become a bit more confident, we can fully open our hearts to someone. The mask comes off and we unlock the same level of openness that Latinos inherently possess. Obviously, religion is a fundamental part of both cultures. Almost everything we do, and much of the vocabulary we use, is connected in some way to God, which shapes and guides our behaviour. Speaking of vocabulary, I have also realised that Portuguese, despite being a Roman language, is very similar to Polish, mainly because of the way both languages are pronounced. This makes it easy for Brazilians to pronounce Polish words without a strong foreign accent, as we share a lot of vowel sounds.
And the last thing worth mentioning is the ability to think in a street-smart way, which I sometimes miss when communicating with Western Europeans. When a German says that something cannot be done, a Brazilian and a Pole have already figured out a way to do it. And have already done it. Twice.
Rita Wiśniewska, a third-year European Law student.