Polish Folklore 101: Vampires, Zmory and the Devil's Paw

We have seen so many wonderful things on our journey to Poland and can now add Lublin Castle to the Top Ten list.

The day started with a behind the scenes tour of the preservation and conservation department. Here we saw painting is several stages of the restoration process. It can take anywhere from one month to one year of continuous work to restore a painting to its original glory.

One of the most intriguing things has been the Folklore exhibit at Lublin Castle.

In the Spirits Room, we learned about Polish customs used to protect from vampires and a demon called Zmory - believed to take form in a man's seventh daughter.

To protect against these mythical creatures, the folklore states people would place a trail of poppy seeds leading from the front door. Before a vampire could enter a home, he would first have to count each poppy seed; this would hopefully protect the home until morning.



Stakes and garlic were not able to kill a vampire, only stop it in its tracks. Once stunned, the vamipires head would need to be cut off with a large saw.

For protection against the Zmory, a chalk circle was drawn around a bed and a  row of knives place by the bedside. It was believed that once a target, the Zmory would try to enter a person's sleeping quarters to posess them.  Someone would need to sit by the target's bedside to ensure the Zmory did not break the circle.

Also of interest was the Devil's Paw. A large wooden table used for signing important documents had a hand etched in the middle. It was believed that if a person placed thier hand atop the etching and it was a perfect fit, they had the devil inside them.

Luckily, I passed the test!

New Old and Old Old

We left Warsaw yesterday after a wonderful stay. It is a beautiful and vibrant city with one of the most interesting histories of any city I've been to. In addition to the Warsaw Uprising, the story of Old Town is very fascinating. The city was essentially leveled during WWII. However many years previous to the war there was an Italian painter who was enamoured with the city and painted the buildings in great detail. During the post-war reconstrucion efforts these paintings were used as references to recreate this part of the city as it had been many years ago. Although the locals informed us that it is mainly tourists who visit this area, it is quaint, charming and made us all crave ice cream! (They sell it on every corner it seems.)

We are now in Lublin which has a similar feel, but these buildings really are hundreds of years old! The locals take great pride in the fact that these are original, and for good reason. When we were asked why we keep taking photos of  "things that are ugly" (referring to the areas of the buildings that are showing wear) we had to admit that it just feels special somehow...

And while we did not end up getting ice cream from any of the street vendors, we did have the opportunity to indulge at a lovely restaurant that used to be a water powered grain mill.

Greetings from Lublin!

After three wonderful and exciting days in Warsaw, including our first Rotary Club presentation (in Polish!)...

we have arrived in the beautiful and historical city of Lublin.

Our Warsaw host families were so incredibly gracious and hospitable and it is already clear that the same will be true in Lublin. We can't wait to see all of the sights. 

-Posted by Jessica

Warsaw, then and now

Today was a day spent learning about Warsaw. We started off at the Warsaw Rising Museum, a museum dedicated to telling the story of the Polish attempt to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany in World War II.  The museum is extremely interesting to walk through, with interactive exhibits, like the beating Listening Wall--lean in toward one of the "bullet holes" in the wall to hear some of the different sounds from the war.  The heartbeat can be heard from almost every area of the museum. 

It was eye-opening as well.  I do not recall learning about the Warsaw Uprising in history class back in school--and I also do not believe I had ever heard of "Black Saturday" before...when thousands of civilians, regardless of age or sex, were brutally murdered, even set on fire while alive, by the Nazis.  Perhaps it was taught to me, but it shall definitely never escape my memory ever again.

There was also an excellent and moving film we watched called (in English) City of Ruins.  It's the a digital 3D reconstruction of a bombed Warsaw in 1945. Warsaw had 900.000 inhabitants in 1944-- in 1945 only 1,000 were left.  One thousand people among the ruins...

After the museum we went to Old Town, which is essentially a reconstruction of what the buildings and streets looked like before they were all destroyed. Walking around, I tried to imagine what it was like originally, and the stories of the people who lived and breathed in that time...before the war took all of that away. 

It's amazing to walk through this city today and see and feel the vibrancy of the people: Strong hearts, strong spirits.

-contributed by Mary

Meet the Out-Bound GSE Team!

The Group Study Exchange (GSE) is designed as is a cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for business people and professionals between the ages of 25-40 who are in the early stages of their careers. GSE provided study grants to the team members, who will experience the host country’s culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships and exchange ideas.

Though the program is a wonderful opportunity to visit a new culture, the study exchange is not a vacation. Team members are learning to speak Polish so they can present their programs to Rotary clubs in the native language.

The out-bound team from District 6960 will travel to Poland (District 2230) and will stay with Rotarians during the four-week program. The in-bound team from District 2230 arrived in southwest Florida on May 14 and will be traveling through District 6960 for the next four weeks.

Meet the out-bound team from District 6960:

Team Leader- Sandra Scoggins

I live in Naples, Florida with my dog Sophie. I work with a charity organization that does sustainable humanitarian projects in Guatemala to provide primary education, as well as the basic necessities of clean water and food. Since becoming a Rotarian with the Bonita Springs Club, I have led 10 international projects that helped about 100,000 people get clean drinking water in Guatemala and India. I serve on the Board of Directors for my club and I will be the District Grants Coordinator for 2011-2012. I have two grown daughters and a one-year-old granddaughter. When I’m not working, I enjoy ballroom dancing, yoga and travel.

Team Member- Mary Brown

I'm 31 years old and have lived in Bradenton, Florida for almost 10 years. I was born in Rome, New York and grew up in a very rural, agricultural environment. After high school, I attended the State University of Geneseo at New York and graduated with a degree in English literature. I have a very creative mind and have always loved to write. In my spare time I focus on writing screenplays and scripts for television shows. Currently, I am a manager and copywriter for the Johnson Smith Company, a mail-order catalog business. We mail our catalogs all across the United States and Canada. I am looking forward to exploring my Polish heritage while here in Poland!

Team Member- Amara Cocilovo

I am 35 years old. I grew up in the mountains of Santa Fe, New Mexico, but now live about 1,500 miles away in Bradenton, Florida with my husband, Slade and our cat, Milo. I work at a wonderful museum planning special events and educational programs for adults and children. I volunteer on many community development projects and am passionate about arts and culture, preservation of our natural environment and supporting local farmers and businesses. I also enjoy practicing yoga, traveling, reading, dancing and listening to lots of different kinds of music.

Team Member – Jessica Schubick

I am 31 years old. My family has lived in Bradenton, Florida for more than 20 years. After graduating with a degree in filmmaking from New York University, I briefly moved to Los Angeles, California. It was great to see the West Coast of the United States, but I ultimately decided to move back to Florida for work and to be closer to my family and friends. I worked for a film festival for a few years before moving on to my current job at the South Florida Museum where I program a weekly film series and work on various educational projects for children and adults. I live with my mom and our two adorable dogs, and I enjoy traveling, writing, and watching movies in my free time.

Team Member- Carla Ulakovic

I'm 27 years old and live in Fort Myers, Florida.  After graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in Public Relations, I traveled to Australia as District 6960’s Ambassadorial Scholar. While in Queensland, I earned a Masters of the Arts in Communication and Advertising at Bond University. I have strong interest in the environment, travel as well as arts and culture. I now work for a water management district in Lehigh Acres, Florida creating public education programs, writing grants, and working with newspapers to help raise awareness on water quality and conservation issues. I freelance as the public relations liaison for a museum and gallery and am president-elect of the Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA.

This is the first all female GSE team from district 6960 in Southwest Florida, United States of America.