Xenophobia／my love for Poland

Today is the 106th Independence Day in Poland

The 100th, in 2018
I was living in Warsaw

That day
the Japanese Embassy in Poland wrote a warning in their website;

"Be cautious with your safety today. A few parades are planned. Some are organised by nationalistic groups and..........."

6 years later today
no such warnings in their website

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Safety

is clearly the significant element
regarding visiting/staying/living in other country

in particular
for those who are
physically, apparently, embarrassingly
outsiders

They naturally stand out
for better or worse

---

Before moving to Poland in 2018
"xenophobia" was my slight concern

Warsaw or Poland was
much less multicultural than London & Amsterdam where I'd previously lived

---

Then, 2 years later

June in 2020

I was in Cafe Nero in Plac Narutowicza in Warsaw

And I was vaguely remembering

"...........Before coming here 2 years ago
discrimination was kinda my concern...........E"

And I realised something

This was the moment
my liking for this country became one step, or several steps, deeper

"...........EFor this 2 years
I didn't get into any troubles, regarding my nationality or race"

"...........Probably
for this 2 years
I came across someone somewhere who was against something about me. But at least, none of them expressed or directed it towards me"

"...........Even during the early Covid period,
...........it was when Asians in Europe, such as France, had a difficult time...........
none of them here treated me differently"

---

When realising "this fact" from my 2 years in Poland,
an almost childish sentiment was emerging in my mind;

"Poland is such a nice country!"

---

Perhaps, maybe, possibly
I was just lucky

Yet, I can talk only about my subjective reality