Krakow is a beautiful old city that seems to be thriving. We have not detected any sense of fear associated with a shared border with Ukraine. This may in part be due to the fact that the shared border is on western Ukraine – far from the war activity. Ukraine is a very large country with a series of lakes running north to south pretty much in the middle of the country.
My rash decision to color my hair did not take into consideration the possibility that all of the Polish people were “behind” the Ukrainian refugees. As in the US, there is a spectrum of feelings about the influx of refugees that are being supported by the their government. I have been mistaken for a Ukrainian which is clearly dispelled the minute I open my mouth. I have not noted any overt hostility but there may be comments that I cannot understand.
While I am at the stage of my life that I am downsizing and do not want to accumulate any more things, I realized that it is important for us to support the Polish economy while I am here. Amber is a very BIG deal here. The yellow/gold/brown of amber is not anywhere in the colors I wear so I was in a quandary until I found some red amber in a uniquely designed earrings. They do not take up much space.
Today we will do our first visit to one of the refugee centers. We will see if the hair color brings smiles to the faces of the refugees which is the hope.
Tamara Unleashed 