An experience of hospitality

Upon the initiative of a parish priest I know, at the end of the 1980s a small group of young students from Cracow came to stay in Cham, Germany. On that occasion, they came to visit Regensburg. That is where I met 5 young cheerful Christians who also happened to be talented musicians.

A year later, the same parish priest and some young people, including myself, went to Poland with a minibus. At the time you still needed a visa to get into the country and at the Czech border there were long lines and meticulous checks. Once we reached Cracow we received a very warm welcome. We were put up by various families. The hospitality we received when we arrived and all throughout our stay was deeply moving and truly unforgettable. Some families had prepared a room especially for us, sending off some members of the family in order to make room for us and make us feel comfortable. Every family gave us the best they had to offer, in terms of food and accommodation. Sometimes the food was a bit unusual, but always abundant, and we were always encouraged to help ourselves to more. We later discovered that for months the families had been saving their meat vouchers (which at the time were still customary) in order to serve us their rations. They emptied their fruit pantries so that we would always have fresh fruit juice. We were almost ashamed to accept all that warm and moving hospitality.

I still smile when I remember an episode that occurred upon our arrival. We had obviously brought some presents for our Polish friends: clothes, perfumes and exotic fruits, a delicacy at the time. We had barely arrived – they were still greeting and hugging us – and already a little boy had devoured two bananas.