Hugh Biggar: Słodki Snów

One of traveling’s many perks is its potential to give you a new perspective. This Perspective comes from Hugh Biggar.

Forget the epic floods, fires, housing shortages, apocalyptic downtowns, high costs; for Golden Staters, the California dream is alive and well—in Poland.

On my recent travels across the country, people often asked where I was from. California is its own mythmaker of course, thanks to movies and streaming. And, in Poland, locals let out happy sighs when I told them I came from California. They would then dreamily list the Golden State’s many attractions: incredible beaches, stunning mountains, amazing cities, and endless opportunity to become whoever you wanted.

At first I offered a reality check, and listed some of the Golden State’s recent struggles. I knew enough Polish to include the large numbers of unsheltered people, and to describe the sort of traffic snarls that made you question your life choices.

At one point, I asked a taxi driver why he wanted to move to California from beautiful Krakow, with its great things to do and see. “Yes, this is true,” he said, “but it is not California.”

I considered telling him this worked both ways. To be sure Poland has its own share of challenges, but in Krakow, the walkability, safety, vibrant cafes and pubs, and reliable public transit, all outpaced what I had recently experienced back home. As a bonus, after six months of trying in California, last summer I made a same week dental appointment in Poland that cost less than $100.

Other than at the dentist, however, I resolved to keep my mouth shut. Subsequent conversations helped remind me of what made California such an appealing place; a land golden enough to inspire słodki snów, or ‘sweet dreams’, as the Poles say. And like all sweet dreams, from far-off Poland these had that distant, ephemeral quality of dreams that might actually be true.

With a Perspective, I’m Hugh Biggar.

Hugh Biggar is a travel writer and journalist. His memoir on teaching in a small town in Poland is due out next year.