The Babcia Stare

Unless you've spent time in Poland during the winter, you won't fully appreciate this blog post.

If you have been around during the colder months, you most definitely have encountered the Babcia Stare.  Maybe it was that day your forgot to grab your scarf on the way out the door...or your hair looked particularly nice so you didn't want to muss it up with a hat.

Regardless of when it happens to you, it starts around October.  The Babcia Stare is directed at people the Babcia deems to be inappropriately dressed.  Not inappropriate in the sense of slutty.  No, inappropriately dressed for the weather!

Now, I'm from Michigan, where the  weather is fairly similar to Poland.  My friends and I hold on to the last beams of the sunlight's warmth for as long as possible.  Thus, occasionally you'll see a college student in shorts while it's snowing out.

In October, the weather in Gdansk hovered for a while around 60ish degrees (Fahrenheit).  For some unknown reason, disregarding the warm weather, the babcia could be seen walking around in a winter coat and scarf, judging everyone that was not similarly bundled.  Maybe coat-wearing in Babcia land is a on a calendar cycle regardless of weather patterns.

The Babcia Stare gets even more hysterical as the weather gets colder.  It slowly transform from merely a disapproving stare to an actual chastisement.  Just last week, a babcia passed me on the street and barked, "czapka!"  (hat!).  Sorry, I don't like wearing hats...and it really wasn't THAT cold...even though there was snow on the ground.

However, perhaps my favorite encounter with the Babcia Stare was waiting for a tram a week or two before Thanksgiving.  Babcia looked at me and said, "You're head is cold."  It was not a question...she was straight up telling me the temperature of my head.  Unfortunately, the babcia didn't know that underneath my winter coat and choking scarf (which I wear to potentially ward off even MORE Babcia Stares)  I was sweating!

Even the American Ambassador isn't safe.  Last week. Ambassador Muller visited my university and told a story of one Babcia yelling at him to go back into his house and put a hat on before he went to the store.

And that folks, is the Babcia Stare.