1st Genner
I took a week off from work last week and accompanied one of my close friends to the Guggenheim, which, for a regular New Yorker, is not a huge deal. In most cases, you are excited to see a specific show or have a reason to leave an outer borough and go into the city. In this case, my friend and I were on a mission for a postcard featuring the actual Guggenheim building, and we thought we’d be cultured by seeing the current exhibit. Our museum visit followed a session of exploring family photos. I mentioned in my previous recipe post the photos of my grandparents, but I also came across numerous pictures of my mom in her 20’s.
She came to the US in 1980, just before Martial Law was enacted in Poland. The process of obtaining permission to leave the country at that time was difficult. You needed to be sponsored by family, possess credentials, provide proof that you could support yourself, and have a return flight booked. An interview was required, and while you were in the US, the Polish government retained your passport.
My mom hails from a super small town, but that has never hindered her from dreaming big. Graduating from an arts high school, which she attended in a larger city, she left her family at the young age of 14. Throughout her time at school, she always yearned to see the paintings from her textbooks in real life.
Fast forward to my mom’s interview, which would determine whether she would be allowed to leave the country. Her interviewer posed a series of serious questions about her intentions, and the final query was, “Why should we grant you permission to leave without all the prerequisites?” My mom picked up a bag she had filled with presents and confidently said, “Because I've already bought all the souvenirs for my family.”
I believe a combination of luck, fate, the interviewer's kindness, and my mom’s incredible charm and innocence led to her being granted permission to visit. However, that visit soon turned permanent as Martial Law was invoked, and my mom had to figure out how to make a life in the US. She eventually obtained a green card and then citizenship, moving from Bayonne, NJ to Greenpoint, NY. Like many Polish immigrants, she worked tirelessly, and down the line, she became a single mother, raising me.
During her time in New Jersey, she used to spend her weekends traveling with her best friend at the time to the city, immersing herself in different museums. She absorbed all the artwork she had learned about from her history textbooks. Sometimes, my mom thinks she hasn't achieved much, but in my eyes, she truly has. She has embarked on various careers, is an incredible artist, and raised a child on her own in an intense and fast paced city.
Decades later, I find myself strolling through the same museum quite nonchalantly. The realization of growing up in the city with access to so much didn't truly hit me until recently. As I write this, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Thanks, Mamunia.