Thanks to my friend Sergey I have been listening to this incredible song all week! After it getting passed around via Twitter, Facebook, and email people started wondering what it was all about. I took a stab at translating it, though I don't consider myself a good songwriter or translator by any means. Nevertheless, here it is. I tried to be literal where it worked and changed the English lyrics to keep the "feel" of the phrases when appropriate.

The original Polish song by Stanisław Grzesiuk was written in the '50s '40s. Lyrics were altered somewhat to make them more contemporary in this rendition:

Projekt Warszawiak
Lyrics by Albert Harris

Alejami wycackany szedl se jakis gosc,
Facjata niby owszem, moze byc.
Nagle potknal sie o kamien ryczac "O, psiakosc!
Jak oni moga w tej stolicy zyc!"
I w tedy zalala mnie zla krew,
Wiec go na perlowo w tenze spiew.

Nie badz za cwany w skorke odziany,
To moze miec dla ciebie skutek oplakany.
Na warszawiaka nie ma cwaniaka,
Który by mógl go wziazc na bajer lub pod pic.

Mozesz mnie chamem zwac, mozesz mnie w morde dac
Lecz od stolicy won, bo krew sie bedzie lac.
Wiec znakiem tego, nie badz lebiega
Przyhamuj morde, i nie gadaj wiecej nic.

Jeden byl specjalnie na Warszawe straszny pies.
Juz mówil nawet : "Warschawa kaputt!"
Lecz pomylil sie lachudra, rozczarowal fest,
I prózny byl majchrowy jego trud.
Slyszec nawet nie potrafie jak
Dzisiaj my spiewamy jemu tak:

Chciales byc cwany, w zabek czesany,
To teraz gnijesz, draniu, w blocie pochowany.
My, warszawiacy, jestesmy tacy,
Kto nam na odcisk wejdzie, Hiszpan* - zimny trup.

I niechaj kazdy wie: kto na nas szarpnie sie,
To zara bokiem mu to wyjdzie - moze nie?
Na warszawiaka nie ma cwaniaka.
Chcesz z nami zaczac to se trumne w czesniej kup.

Mozesz mnie chamem zwac, mozesz mnie w morde dac
Lecz od stolicy won, bo krew sie bedzie lac.
Wiec znakiem tego, nie badz lebiega
Przyhamuj morde, i nie gadaj wiecej nic.

I niechaj kazdy wie: kto na nas szarpnie sie,
To zara bokiem mu to wyjdzie - moze nie?
Na warszawiaka nie ma cwaniaka.
Chcesz z nami zaczac to se trumne w czesniej kup.

The essence of the song has to do with Warsaw during the post-transformation period (a.k.a. the fall of communism in 1989). Since Warsaw is Poland's largest airline hub, much of the money and business came there first and the city has remained the center of the country's commerce since. This created a nouveau-riche class which was not thought of well within Warsaw but especially throughout the rest of Poland. People from Warsaw have long had a similar reputation in the country as the stereotypical New Yorker might have in the US.

Update: This interpretation of what the song is about applies perhaps more to the current version as the song has been appropriated by my generation.  It would seems that the original song by Grzesiuk, as noted by Alan in the comments, was actually about the post-war Warsaw of his time:

This is important, as the bad feelings from the rest of Poland towards Warsaw refer not just to the fact that it's the capital, but that so much money and building materials were diverted to rebuilding Warsaw after it had been completely destroyed (apart from the Praga district) in WWII.  [...]  The general message of the song is, therefore, not only one of local patriotism, but one of survival: our city might still lie in ruins, but our spirit is still alive, and we can take on anyone.

I found it challenging to come up with a translation due to some of the older-style phrasing in the song. Nevertheless here is what I have thus far:

"Project Warsaw Guy"

In the Aleje*, all dressed up, some character walked by.
Admittedly he didn't look half bad.
Suddenly he trips on a stone and yells "Goddamn!
How can they live in this capital!"
That is when my blood began to boil.
So at him loud and clear I sang:

Don't be so clever, all dressed in leather,
This could be for you an end in tears
There is no cheating, a guy from Warsaw,
None that could scam him or defraud.

You can call me an ass, you can beat in my face,
But get the hell out of the capital or there will be blood.
Take the hint, don't be a moron,
Shut your mouth, and don't say another word.

This one had it out for Warsaw like a dog.
He even said that "Warsaw is kaput."
Didn't know how wrong he was, the son-of-a-bitch,
His disrespecting efforts all in vain.
Now he can't hear a thing,
And today for him we sing:

You wanted to be clever, ever the jester,
Well now you're rotting, asshole, in the mud.
Us Warsaw guys, we are the kind of guys
who will make a Spaniard** out of you - a cold corpse.

And let to all be known, that those who mess with us,
Will soon regret their choice - wanna bet?
There is no cheating, a guy from Warsaw.
You want to start something? Better dig an early grave.

You can call me an ass, you can beat in my face,
But get the hell out of the capital or there will be blood.
Take the hint, don't be a moron.
Shut your mouth, and don't say another word.

And let to all be known, that those who mess with us,
Will soon regret their choice - wanna bet?
There is no cheating, a guy from Warsaw.
You want to start something? Better dig an early grave.

* As Alan pointed out in the comments, "the 'Alejami' does not refer to an 'alley', but to the 'Aleje', that is, the main thoroughfares in the centre (Aleje Jerozolimskie etc.) [of Warsaw]. The rock the well-dressed mister trips on is a reference to the fact that Warsaw was still basically a pile of rubble."

** The phrase "dead as a Spaniard" was very popular in pre-war Warsaw and was referencing the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918. During this time about 50 million people across Europe died from what was then named the "Spanish flu."

Every scene is of course filmed in Warsaw, with a lot of buildings and places in the background that I remember personally. The most notable probably being the Palace of Culture and the interior of the Golden Terraces shopping center.

The character in the wig and tights with the cardboard sword and shield is a reference to Warsaw's iconic mermaid, a symbol of the city since the mid 14th century. It is most likely a statement about he nature of the city itself or what it has become in recent decades.

Towards the end there is a scene with a green car. The car is a Polonez, by the company FSO which was Warsaw based until going out of business in 2002.

On a final note, if you have any suggestions for improving the translation feel free to let me know in the comments.

While purchasing some more anime on Amazon, I ran across a little gem that I had never heard of before. Sky Crawlers comes to us directed by Mamoru Oshii of Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh, and Avalon fame, and the two hour long feature includes some stunning animation. The aerial combat scenes are beautifully and very realistically rendered.

The story focuses on a group of young fighter pilots in an alternate historical setting. The meat of this film truly lies in the story of its characters however. In light of this, I think some may find themselves wanting more action scenes and not getting their fill. Again, as with so many war related anime, I find that Sky Crawlers really questions the purpose of war. This becomes evident when the secrets of the story are revealed.

Throughout the film I felt a sense of familiarity with the aesthetics. I couldn't quite put my finger on it until the latter portion of the film where the characters visit another town. The buildings immediately jumped out at me as being remarkably like those in Poland. Sure enough, signs in Polish and even characters speaking in Polish appeared shortly thereafter. I had no idea that this was the case when I order the film, and I was very pleasantly surprised!



One of the most recognizable Polish buildings is the tower like structure in the film. It is actually the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. Shown above is a comparison between the building in the anime, and a photo I took of the actual building last year. As it turns out upon viewing the "Animation Research" featurette, Mamoru Oshii took his staff to Poland in order to experience the culture and take a slew of photos and video in order to base the film's designs on them. I am thrilled that an anime director of his caliber has taken such great interest in my home country.

I am rather excited to have found this film, by chance really. I highly recommend it as a more serious film to watch, but also for it's incredible visual quality. Of course if you are an Oshii fan, then you probably already know about it. Either way, don't pass this one up!

One day, while using Google Maps, I got nostalgic and started looking up old places we used to live in Germany and Poland. One thing lead to another, and the miracles of technology filled me with nostalgia as I became a voyeur via satellite. I then began making custom maps, while marking places where my memories were triggered.

Of course it's kind of a narcissistic endeavor, but I thought maybe if I shared these it wouldn't be quite so selfish of me. I made several maps, starting with the locations of refugee camps that we stayed in while fleeing Poland during the '80s. They are spread over four countries, beginning in Austria, then moving on to Denmark and Norway, before ending in Germany.

My next map took a lot longer to put together, and consists of the several places that we lived in over an approximate eight year period in the German state of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony in English). This includes the towns of Gnarrenburg, Nieder Ochtenhausen, and Bremervoerde. We lived in each town in that order, and all of them were quite small. While the northern German countryside was quite beautiful, encounters with people there have left me with many sad memories.

On a happier note, I put together a final map of the places we visited on our most recent trip to Poland in 2008. The map includes all the towns, cities, and tourist attractions we visited, generally located in the Southern half of Poland. Photos of our trip can also be viewed in a rather large album here.

To view the photo album for this post click here.
Or view all Polska trip photos.

It's hard to believe that I had to wait thirteen years for this journey. And now that it's over, it seems even more hard to believe. To say that I was nervous or anxious about it would probably be an understatement, but I still wanted to go, more than anything at the time, and to have this experience that I had waited half my life for. That in itself didn't occur to me until I came back either: that thirteen years was half of my life up till now. Well, almost half anyway.

We have been very fortunate to have made some wonderful friends in the Triangle while living there. Joe and Misty put us up for a couple nights before flying out of the RDU airport. Our flight took us from Raleigh to New York, and then over the Atlantic to Helsinki. I must say that out of all the airports I have been to in the world, and I can honestly say that I've been to more than a few, Helsinki-Vantaa has got to be the most inviting and well designed of them all. The spaces felt cozy and inviting, as if the whole interior had been designed by IKEA. My only regret is that I hardly took any pictures of the place. Probably because of being worn out after a nine-or-so hour flight.

From Helsinki we flew into Warszawa (Warsaw in non-Polish), where my childhood friend Paweł and his wife Iwona greeted us. This was surreal enough already, to see him after all those years. But to stand on the soil of my home country was even more bewildering. We went for a short walk in the brisk spring weather and found a place to grab a quick dinner. Unfortunately we didn't have much time, as our flight to Wrocław was leaving that same evening. Paweł took us back to the airport and made sure we were safely checked in.

The little airplane took us on a short flight into Wrocław's small airport, and I was beginning to get increasingly anxious to see my family. Several years ago, my grandmother was able to come visit us in Billings, MT for our wedding. This was, of course, her first trip to the US, and I'm not sure that she had even flown on a plane at all till that time. She stayed with us for a whole month, and her presence had made me miss Poland even more. Now it was us coming to see them, and interestingly enough it was Nikki's first time in Europe and her first time flying as well. I don't know if Nikki was as nervous as I, probably was, but I didn't really have the presence of mind to ask her at the time.

We disembarked outdoors, and made our way to the terminal by shuttle. Time moved painfully slow at the baggage claim, and as we waited I caught a glimpse of my grandparents through the exit doors. We waved at each other in anticipation, and our luggage arrived at last. We were welcomed by both of my grandparents, as well as my uncle Piotrek and his girlfriend Sylvia. But when I try to recall what went through my head at that moment, I am uncertain. I know that it was an emotional reunion, lots of hugs and all that jazz, but other than that it was kind of a blur. Traveling for some 24 hours or more made me slightly less than alert at that point.

Naturally they wouldn't let us carry our luggage, so with everybody's help we headed for the parking lot and piled into two cars. Warszawa's weather was cool, gray, and a little misty on occasion. Most of the precipitation cleared up once we got into Wrocław though, and only the grayish clouds served as a reminder of the moist weather. With rays of sun and blue sky coming from behind the clouds we drove through the city of my youth. Exhausted and elated, I watched the Polish buildings and people go by, and the inherently different world, walls, and graffiti perpetually coming and going.

After some rather heavy traffic, we pulled into my grandparents' neighborhood. I think I might have been trembling a little at the sight of it, and when we pulled up in front of their house I became all the more emotional. The streets, the houses, the gates, they were all just about the same. All this time had gone by and the man-made things remained, while the trees and plants had grown sky-high to change it all in a subtle and paradoxical way.

Two locks in a heavy and dark wooden door kept the house safe. Two turns of the key for each, and the way was open. The foyer, the stairs, and main floor with its living room, dining area, and kitchen. How much I had yearned for this moment became clear to me when chocking back the tears was all that I could do. I regained my composure, but just barely, and followed everyone in to the kitchen. The kitchen, where so much still remained the same, just as everywhere else. Where we ate so many meals. It was the kitchen of my grandmother's cooking.

My uncle and his girlfriend had driven two hours from Tomaszowo near Zielona Góra to see us. They were heading back the same night, and we could see that they too were tired already. Each of us sat a the table with weary bones while my grandmother fluttered around with tea and bread and butter. Grandpa just sat quietly, his hard to read expression watched us. I don't know what exactly he must have felt, but much as I was filled with a great many emotions I am sure that he too had his hands full sorting out feelings. We talked about little things of which I have no recollection. The flight itself was obviously of interest, and in time the conversation descended into yawns and moments of silence. This was the time for Piotrek and Sylvia to head back, so we said our goodbye-for-nows and bid them a safe drive.

As for Nikki and I, our weary minds were just about overwhelmed and longed for a place to rest. We stayed in the little studio apartment just at the end of the half-basement. It was time to forget about it all for now, and begin to recover. Or, perhaps more accurately, to acclimate. There would be time for all things the next morning, and with that thought I joyfully closed my eyes in the house built by my grandfather's own hands.

I finally managed to get through all 2,500 photos that we took in Poland. That sure took a while, especially since I didn't feel like doing it most of the time. But I did get them down to almost half for uploading, and they're all now up on Photobucket. Yay!

My intention is to blog about our experiences as well, but until those posts are done I present you with a mere 1,300 photos to see! Here's the wonderful link, so enjoy...

Since there might be one person out there who's wondering why there haven't been any new posts these days, I thought I should say something to that extent. After our big trip to Poland, which was long and incredible, we came back to a bit of a frenzy of activity.

Barely a week back in the states and we had Animazement '08 to go to. That also took a lot of energy, and after all that traveling and excitement I've been wanting to shut myself away from the world for a while.

Even though we've been expending some effort in order to get the house straightened up, with some furniture building and various little things that we didn't have time to do since moving in not so long ago, there's been a good bit of R&R as well. Watched most of Saiyuki now, about half-way though Gurren Lagann, and playing FFVII of all things.

Also, our anniversary came up last week, and Nikki got the new Dr. Mario Online Rx (WiiWare) which she's been playing pretty incessantly. A really well spent $10 there! So, in the meantime I'm trying to get through sorting and uploading the 2,400+ photos I took in Poland. When that's done, and reduced to a reasonable number of good shots, I'll be posting it to be sure.

Until then, sorry about the hiatus, and I hope that my motivation will return ere long. Thanks for keeping an eye on this blog, if in fact anyone out there does. Otherwise I'm talking to the proverbial wall. In which case, thanks wall, at least I can always count on you...

Starting Monday, we will begin a trip 13 years in the making. This journey is one of the pivotal events in my life, and each day leading up to it my excitement and anxiety about it build. I moved to America over 13 years ago from Poland, and have not been back since. This is the first time that I will see my home country since our immigration.

At first I could not leave the US because of citizenship process restrictions. After I became a permanent resident, I could have technically traveled, but other issues added risk to doing so. First, the political climate in the US has been strained since 9/11. I did not want to risk traveling without a US passport. Additionally, even now you still have to apply for a visa if traveling from Poland to the US. I would have had to do so if in the possession of a Polish passport, without any guarantees that I would even get a visa. All of those factors combined influenced my decision to wait until I became a naturalized citizen.

With that out of the way almost two years ago now, I was able to get a US passport and start saving money for traveling to Poland. Now that time is so very very near, just a few days, and it is still hard to believe. After you wait for something 13 years, it doesn't seem real even when it is finally and actually about to happen.

Very soon, we will be on a plane crossing the Atlantic, and then a wonderful month of absorbing the culture I have missed for so long awaits. I look forward to so many things, like seeing my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins and friends. I also look forward to simply being in my home country, in my home city of Wrocław, and of course the food!

I shall bring back more pictures than I'll know what to do with, and subject everyone I know to them. So, ha! Better watch out. Oh yeah, maybe I'll bring back some gifts, too. Just maybe. However, be forewarned that this means I'm not likely to be very communicative during the next two months. Though I will still get some posts up in draft so I can blog our journey when I get back.

On Wednesday, October 18, 2006, I rode into Charlotte, NC in order to take my test. After some long and less-than-pleasant hours of riding the bus I made it to the financial capitol of the state. We braved the morning traffic and actually got to the Dept. of Homeland Security building early.

I managed to get through the security check-point without having to submit to any cavity searches, and took my seat in the waiting room with other unsuspecting specimens of foreign nationality. Suprisingly, it didn't take long for my name to be called. And, fortunately, the officer who interviewed me was an attractive blond woman with an Eastern European accent, so I guess that made me feel more comfortable.

Is that innapropriate? To find your USCIS officer attractive? Well, whatever. She was nice, okay? Anyway, she went on to confirm all the info on my application and asked me a few questions. Things like, "who said 'give me liberty or give me death?'" I think there was also "what was the first holiday the pilgrims celebrated when they came to America?" I answered "Patrick Henry," and "Thanksgiving," in that order.

Oh yeah, there was also the mandatory "please read this English sentence out loud" and "write down 'I studied for my test to become a US citizen.'" Basically it all went well and turned out to be quite simple. The only thing was that my immigration photos were wrong. Go figure. I got the ADIT photo spec sheet right off the USCIS website. Turns out that, at the time of my application, they hadn't updated that since it was changed about two or three years ago. Of course now it's all up to date.

Nevertheless, I passed the test, went to get new pictures taken and brought them back. I was scheduled to be sworn in that same day at two o'clock in the afternoon. That caught me a little by surprise, but I was glad to get it all done with.

Upon our return, we went into the ceremony hall, where the same crowd from the other waiting hall gathered once more. I was trying to figure out what to do to get pictures taken of this event. None of us had a camera, and I had pretty much figured that that was the way it's going to be. That is, until I saw an man, presumably from India, with a digital camera. In my most sincere tone I asked if he would please oh please take my picture during the ceremony, since I was so unprepaired for this impromptu swearing-in. He kindly agreed, and hence the above photo. Thanks George, you're a good man!

The head of the department was the one to do the ceremony, and gave us a little talk on what we can do now that we'd be getting our certificates. He cracked some jokes, and was overall entertaining. We recited the oath, and as a reward for years of waiting for this moment had to endure our illustrious leader, the president, speaking on the projection screen. More propaganda followed, and at last we were free.

It all seemed so streamlined and, dare I say, anticlimatic? Well, whatever the case may be, I am still glad. Now I get to vote. And now I get to get a passport. That passport will allow me to go back and see my extended family and my home country after twelve years of waiting. And that is something to be celebrated. Rest assured, it will be celebrated when I step into that Polish house which awaits me across the Atlantic.

Update: User Comment -- Blogger Michael, who commented on this post, has another interesting account of going through this process at Translate This! Unfortunately, the person in his posts has had to wait a bit longer between the test and the oath ceremony.

Gamesarefun writer Josh Freund informs us that Tri-Crescendo is making a fantastic new rpg which features the music of Polish pianist Fryderyk Chopin. The game appears to feature other themes from Chopin's time and life as well. In fact, the Japanese version is titled Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream. Now, that's pretty exciting for me, being Polish and all.

So imagine my disappointment when I found that the US version is not going to have Chopin in the title. Slated for sometime in 2007, the US version will be called Eternal Sonata. Not only that, but there is a possibility that Chopin's character in the game will be renamed to something fictional.

So, what are those marketing dudes for Namco Bandai doing? Is the home country of Polish jokes just not suitable to have a famous Polish musician in a mainstream game title? These are the questions that make we wonder if this decision is racially motivated. It's no secret that Polish people are not entirely viewed as intelligent in this country, so maybe they think this would hurt their sales.

Or maybe--just maybe--they think America isn't smart enough for them to understand the complexity and class of a famous pianist. Well, whatever ridiculous reason they've got for it, Chopin deserves to stay in the game no matter where in the world it gets released. I think everybody knows in this day and age that Chopin created some of the most incredible music this world has heard. If only that knowledge could be retained in this high quality mainstream video game. Tri-Crescendo has previously given us incredible games to enjoy, and I am sure that it will be no different in this case. American gamers can be proud of these titles as much as the Japanese, just as they can honor Chopin's achievements. So come on Namco Bandai, where's the love?

Update: Reader Comment -- Nick Q writes "For once, this is not an issue of Namco(Bandai) being retarded, but an issue of abusive copyright. Here in the States, it is very likely that whoever owns Chopin's estate would sue for unlicenced use of his name, likeness, or whatever. Copyright laws are much, much more relaxed in Japan though, so none of this is an issue."

However, since Chopin lived during 1810 - 1849, this puts his name and work in the public domain. The game will feature his music prominently after all, even if his name isn't present. Chopin's estate should be located in France (or possibly Poland). However, Google did not find any results for his estate. So it would seem that with his estate being in another country, and the game being released un the US, there should not be any problems with using a name and music in the public domain.