“Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” — Leonardo da Vinci

In the early 2000’s I was in Poland as part of a mission tour with Polish Christian Ministries of Bel Air, Maryland.

Our group, based in Warsaw, traveled the whole country visiting churches from Gdansk in the North to Krakow in the South. Immersion at its best for us.

During our travels one day, we stopped at a McDonald’s for a quick lunch.

Research for me meant a Happy Meal from another country, its toy for my grandchildren. I chose a pirogi Happy Meal and looked forward to that “research.”

The dining area was empty except for a group of middle school students finishing their lunches. Three boys and the sister of one of them.

As I passed their booth, I smiled and nodded.

“Are you American?” they asked.

They were eager to practice their English, and I surely needed help with my pronunciation of basic Polish words.

They invited me to join them, pulling up a chair.

Their English was fluent. I asked them to rate my Polish with thumbs up or down. Amazingly to me, I received thumbs up and one or two thumbs “shaky” but okay.

We introduced ourselves. I was eager to learn about their school life, etc.

However, when they heard that I was from Kentucky, I lost all hope of that kind of exchange.

The boys quickly took over the direction of the conversation, immediately wanting to know everything about basketball in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana. They knew university team names. They wanted to know about my attendance at games and favorite teams and players.

I was grateful that some of my extended family members had been season ticket holders for University of Kentucky basketball for years. Thanks to them, I knew some of those names, too.

The boys wanted to tell me about their own love of basketball, how they were working to become proficient as players.

Each of the boys planned to graduate from high school, come to the USA for post-secondary degrees, and play for those university teams.

Of course, I encouraged the boys to take care of academics always.

My own small group had finished their lunches and were getting ready to leave. Time was up.

Perhaps these students had stayed beyond their lunch time?

If needed, one of my business cards might help them explain their later return to school.

They beamed having a Kentucky card.

I had some shiny American pennies with the current year to give as souvenirs. We passed them around.

Quickly, I explained the man depicted on the penny was Abraham Lincoln, born in Kentucky, our 16th president, whose nickname was “Honest Abe,” a very good man.

They nodded, apparently knowing of Abraham Lincoln.

The sister read aloud, “In God We Trust,” from the top of the penny.

I explained, “‘In God We Trust’ is a motto of the United States.”

One of the boys chimed in, “Liberty.”

“Liberty — precious to us and to everyone,” I added.

The shiny pennies were a hit.

All smiles, we parted, waving, with them saying, “Good-bye, thank you” and me saying, “Doh veed zenyah, jenkooyah bardzah.”

Such a delightful time.

An eye-opening experience for me. Our area’s basketball heritage was inspiring young basketball players in the suburbs of far-away Krakow, Poland.

Amazing.

Judy Harris is well established in Northern Kentucky life, as a longtime elementary and university educator. A graduate of Thomas More, she began her career there in 1980 where she played a key role in teacher education and introduced students to national and international travel experiences. She has traveled and studied extensively abroad. She enjoys retirement yet stays in daily contact with university students.