iNTERNATiONAL iNTERViEW pROJECT: pOLAND
On April 1st , 2008, Katrina sat and chatted with us living and government in Poland. Walking into the room, I was very nervous about asking the questions I came up with. I didn’t know if I would be able to understand her accent well enough when she answered the questions for me. Our interview was at the school in room 212. The topic I researched was health in Poland and how the health system in Poland was different from the health system in the United States. Katrina was not just able to tell us about health but also about women’s issues, religion, and education.
Coming to America for the first time, Katrina missed many things from her country. She only came out here to visit her friends, but unfortunately over stayed three full years. “What are some things that you miss leaving Poland?” She replied, “I miss the organic food because in Poland all food is grown organically. Food there doesn’t have pesticides, so we normally don’t get sick. I also miss the pretty white Christmas’, with all the snow falling down”. Wow! That’s different because in the United Sates, not much food is grown naturally. It’s all processed and comes form some sick cows. Now, I see why a lot of people here are obese and people there are thinner. This reminds me of the time I went to Oklahoma, and in certain cities, food is grown naturally.
Health was a big problem in Poland because at first not everyone was provided health care and now it’s mandatory for them to have. Hospitals took anyone who needed the care but if it was detrimental it wasn’t provided. “Katrina, if there was a detrimental problem in your family; would your family have insurance to cover the medical cost?” “Yes. It is a big thing in my family to have insurance so just in cast something happens we will be covered. Another big issue is Aids and HIV. Research says that the percentage of Aida is about 69%, but Katrina said Aids was stopped when they where governed. The good fact that I liked was when she told us that Poland is not polluted, so the environment doesn’t affect the life of the people.
My other classmate Nancy studied women’s issues in Poland, and how different the women get treated out there than in United States. If a woman was to get pregnant in Poland, she would have to have her baby because abortion is illegal. Even if the matter was a teen getting pregnant; she would to have her baby as well. In the United States, if a teen was to get pregnant she could have the option to have an abortion or keep the baby. I don’t think that’s its fair government has to make decisions for someone. All teens make mistakes and if she chooses to not have her baby then she shouldn’t have too. “How do women get treated based on in public and in the home?” “The women in Poland are to be dependent on men for them to do everything. For example, if a women needs to go to the grocery store or go to the mall, she needs to ask her husband and if he says no then she can not go until he says she can. But the women in the United States are not dependent on men at all! Women don’t need to be told when to go to the store or not. They can go on their own”. Katrina told us when she had a moment when she was in a bar and a man walked up to her and made an inappropriate joke toward her. She wouldn’t necessarily tell us what was said, but the way she told us in her calm voice, felt like it was bad. “Do you think women get treated equal in Poland and in the U.S.?” She said, “NO. NO. NO. Polish men are rude and drunks. Ha-ha.” I puzzled that she said all she did was walk away.
Through the interview I gained more information on Poland than I never knew before. Before doing the research I thought Poland was boring country with no activities or things to do. I really enjoyed the interview with Katrina.