Tweet
The article posted yesterday about Zag basketball saving a marriage mentioned knowing the hometowns of the players.
I knew that Karnowski came from Torun, Poland, and when I was planning a trip to eastern Europe last year, I wanted to spend some time in Poland. I had a couple of days to fill between Gdansk and Warsaw, so when I saw Torun between the two cities, I looked it up in my guidebook.
The book said that it was an attractive town with an especially beautiful Old Town. I decided to see what Shemek's hometown looked like.
I was wandering though the Old Town one day when I dropped by the Golden Arches for a tasty chocolate sundae. Sitting next to me was a young woman with a beautiful little blond boy about thee years old, I'd guess. His mother said, "Bad boy!" (I wanted to tell her that wasn't a good thing to say to a little kid, but naturally I said nothing.) She turned to me and said in English, "He's so moody since his father died." She had met this Irish man on the internet and had gone to live in Ireland. She married or at least lived with this young man, who suddenly dropped dead one day. She showed me his picture on the funeral card. She said she was back in Torun to see her parents.
I explained why I was in Torun---that a favorite basketball player on the Gonzaga basketball team was from Torun and I was curious to see his hometown. She asked what was the player's name, and I said "Karnowski." She said, "Is his father a coach?" and I said I think he is.
She said, "He was my teacher." I thought "Wow! The world is very small when you're a Zags fan!"
I knew that Karnowski came from Torun, Poland, and when I was planning a trip to eastern Europe last year, I wanted to spend some time in Poland. I had a couple of days to fill between Gdansk and Warsaw, so when I saw Torun between the two cities, I looked it up in my guidebook.
The book said that it was an attractive town with an especially beautiful Old Town. I decided to see what Shemek's hometown looked like.
I was wandering though the Old Town one day when I dropped by the Golden Arches for a tasty chocolate sundae. Sitting next to me was a young woman with a beautiful little blond boy about thee years old, I'd guess. His mother said, "Bad boy!" (I wanted to tell her that wasn't a good thing to say to a little kid, but naturally I said nothing.) She turned to me and said in English, "He's so moody since his father died." She had met this Irish man on the internet and had gone to live in Ireland. She married or at least lived with this young man, who suddenly dropped dead one day. She showed me his picture on the funeral card. She said she was back in Torun to see her parents.
I explained why I was in Torun---that a favorite basketball player on the Gonzaga basketball team was from Torun and I was curious to see his hometown. She asked what was the player's name, and I said "Karnowski." She said, "Is his father a coach?" and I said I think he is.
She said, "He was my teacher." I thought "Wow! The world is very small when you're a Zags fan!"
Comment