I Went to Poland. It Changed Me More Than I Expected
I came home questioning things I’d believed for years.
I thought I was going to Poland for a weekend.
I came home questioning things I’d believed for years.
In just four days...
I realized I didn’t hate clubs.
I misunderstood strangers.
And I remembered why I work so hard.
Oh no, my friends want to go to the club…
I really don’t want to, I’ve gone to a night club previously in Prague.
It was fully packed, the whole place smelled like weed. The music blasting my ears didn’t help either.
…
We are walking into this club, and there isn’t too many people. I’ve only drank a little bit of red bull.
But the music is nice and my friends start to dance.
Actually, let me just dance a little bit.
…
I’m on the main stage up and I’m dancing my heart out. The people there are all cheering for me.
This drunk guy grabs me.
So I just start dancing with him.
He’s really laughing, so I end up laughing too.
When I walked out, most of the people smiled and shook my hand.
…
The next morning…
I could barely walk through the airport.
My legs were cramping from dancing all night.
I never drank a single drop of alcohol.
Looking back…
I didn’t hate clubs.
I hated thinking I had to enjoy them the same way as everyone else.
And that wasn’t the only thing I realized I’d been wrong about.
I’m eating at this restaurant right after arriving in Poland.
A group of boys walks by.
I didn’t notice them looking at me until they almost walked past.
Then I looked at them for a second, and then they yell…
Lamine Yamal!
Everyone looks at them…
then at me.
For a split second…
I think they’re making fun of me.
I'd heard stories about Poland.
Then I look at them.
They’re smiling.
So I smile back.
Yeah… I won the World Cup with Spain.
…
They burst out laughing.
I shake every one of their hands.
Then everyone goes back to their dinner.
Looking back…
I almost let someone else’s story become my own.
But there was one place I still carried another stereotype...
I thought strip clubs were just about partying.
Then my friend took me into a few in Poland.
Every night we were approached by like ten strip club promoters…
Every place offered free entry.
Then they tried to sell us drinks.
My friend predicted every tactic before it happened.
It was like watching a script.
Even knowing the script...
I still ended up buying one of the dancers a €60 drink.
…
It was fascinating.
The last price was for €4000, to make “Dreams Come True”
…
But something surprised me.
When I actually spoke to most of the dancers…
We didn’t talk about anything sexual.
We talked like normal people.
We talked about ordinary life.
About the world.
About normal things.
That’s when I realized…
Behind every business…
Behind every uniform…
Behind every stereotype…
There’s still a human being.
Walking through Gdansk, it’s so beautiful. The architecture, knowing it was mostly destroyed during World War 2.
The food was amazing, I had the best ramen and tried some Pierogi.
The streets…
Were safe at 3 am…
The freedom I feel, as I’m able to do this…
I realized...
I could build a life where this isn’t a vacation.
It’s just Monday.
…
I went to Poland expecting a holiday.
I came home questioning assumptions.
About places.
About people.
About myself.
Every time I travel...
my world gets a little bigger.
And every time my world gets bigger...
I come home wanting to build a life...
where I never stop exploring it.