Polonia /
Ever been to Sweden? [185]
My first trip to Sweden was at dearly age of 15 and it was a school trip, back under communists. My school class wychowawca, Mrs Rychter was wife to high ranked SB officer and had used her influence to organize school trip to the West and got all the permits, passports etc.
Some weeks before taking ferry we had spent all school classes with this teacher to prepare. All was carefully planned...we had learnt a song we were to perform (went really badly), we all had to buy/dress in white long sleeved shirt and were given 50 usd cash on great official rate. On one of the school classes it was decided one pupil wouldn't go as he was overweight and ugly - kind of reminds me current China Olimpic paranoia.
Anyway I had fallen in love with Anna on Swinoujscie Ystad ferry and had tried my first luck on gambling machines. In Sweden I bought myself a pair of blue jeans and a jacket.
As a kid I was impressed with the school they had there in Ystad and all those neon advertisements and parking meters and trendy, shiny cars.
At swidish school I was picked by Swedish journalist with interpretor and remember had been asked a question whether polish communist leader was popular in Poland.
I understood "popular" as 'well known" and therefore answered properly that indeed he WAS popular. Second question was if I wanted to stay in Sweden forever - that made me puzzled as I had never - age 15! - been outside home for longer then 2 weeks....I remember trying hardly understand what was meaning of this question...can't remember now what my answer was.
Anyway after visiting school premises, performing our song and listening to Swedish kids songs we all jumped into shopping. Then remember we were asking everywhere for more plastic bags as they were salable in Poland. One store they gave me plenty in another we were refused as apparently other kids were there before us already lol
Back trip ..we all were wasted as it was one day trip. Remember one kid won some money in gambling machine ...another got from his Swedish pal a box of Beatles and Abba LP ( huge treasure )
On the way out of Poland our passports were carefully inspected....guy looking veeery carefully into passport picture. When we were entering Sweden they had just collected our group passport and counted us and let go in.. :)
I had been dating Anna for some time later on ..having my first movie date with her..
Back home mom praised me for spending money wisely and dad complained that I am being brainwashed at school. Before taking that trip to Sweden whole class had joined Poland-Russia Frienship Society...yeah, then we went to Sweden lol
