Buffalo, NY - This past summer, I had the privilege of being the first Canisius University faculty member to participate in the American Studies Center Visiting Professor Exchange Program. The opportunity took me to the University of Warsaw in Poland, where I spent five weeks teaching and lecturing on such topics as LatinX in literature and film, gender and sexuality in American studies, and sexuality, food and cultural belonging. My time abroad also afforded me several occasions to speak on and experience up-close another topic about which I am deeply committed; the issue of immigration.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it’s estimated that nearly four million people have fled to neighboring Poland. The newly-arrived refugees come primarily from those areas most heavily affected by the fighting and are initially assisted at reception centers along the Ukraine-Poland border.
I was not in close proximity to the border. Instead, the exchange program housed me in an exceptionally well-located apartment, adjacent to the University of Warsaw and next to Łazienki Park, on the grounds of which are various royal palaces, monuments and related buildings, as well as spots to get lody (ice cream), which was the first word I learned in Polish.
Nevertheless, the issue of immigration was apparent throughout Poland, particularly in the train stations and transport hubs, where one can see Ukrainian refugees in transit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), aid organizations, and food shelters and tents.
The front line of this crisis is Przemyśl, which is less than 10 miles from the Ukrainian border. There, thanks to Tomasz Pudlocki, PhD, a professor of history at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, I was able to speak with aid workers and refugees at the Ukrainian House. The organization provides short-term, temporary housing for refugees. A Ukrainian consulate is on site to help provide legal documents for those fleeing, as flight occurs quickly and children often do not have proper travel documents. (Most refugees are groups of women and children; usually related in some fashion. The men are not allowed to leave, since their services are required in the war effort.) The refugees sleep on cots that are set up in the theater of the former cultural center. Food is provided via a very small kitchen on site.
In Przemyśl, we quickly realized that one of the greatest challenges for the Ukraine House was being able to collect and receive donations to support their work. We spoke at length with the volunteers about the best way for Americans to make financial contributions. I am happy to report that donations can now be made to the Ukraine House in Przemyśl via Paypal.
In Warsaw, I volunteered at a refugee center housed within Arena Ursynów, a large sports complex. The cots are set up in the gymnasium, where there is a small area for pets and a play space for children. A few computer stations are available for the children’s schooling, as their teachers continue to conduct lessons virtually from various refugee centers across Europe. While here, I cleaned up after refugees left, ensuring all cots had appropriate and clean bedding, organized the food pantry and picked up in the play area. I volunteered alongside one of my students, Zofia Baczewska, who works at the center to provide immigrants with temporary housing and food. She also assists in their search for jobs and apartments.
Without a doubt, the pressures of war are evident throughout Poland. Housing is tight, difficult to find and thus more costly. Landlords are reluctant to rent to refugees because their length of stay is uncertain and their financial ability to pay is precarious. The crisis is also causing the cost of goods and services to rise steadily. My students called this Putinflacja – or Putinflation.
Not surprisingly, my students (graduates and advanced undergraduates) taught me almost as much as I taught them. They were also engaging, curious and dedicated. Many are involved in the efforts to help Ukrainian refugees transition.
The faculty at the University of Warsaw were similarly welcoming to me and my husband, Davide Salvo, PhD, an adjunct professor of classics at Canisius, and eager to hear more about our research on immigration issues and local responses to it. They invited he and I to present on more than one occasion. Davide and I were also their guests at the American Day Celebration hosted by the U.S. Embassy.
Outside the classroom, I found time to take in the abundant restaurants of international variety, bakeries, and vegetable and fruit markets. The architecture, culture, museums, churches, palaces, parks, vibrant neighborhoods and city centers were a wonder to explore. Warsaw is an exceptionally walkable and bike-friendly city but it also has excellent public transportation, which is well connected to other cities throughout Poland and the rest of Europe.
The liberty to travel freely, which many of us often take for granted, juxtaposed with the desperate choice of Ukrainian refugees to flee their homeland could not have been more stark. Such contrasts and witnessing the degree of human suffering, fear and misery reinforced my commitment to teach, research and serve those impacted by migration.
It is for this reason that I established the Borders & Migrations Initiative (BMI) at Canisius. Together, with students, faculty, staff and members of our Western New York community, we work to understand and support the lives of immigrant and refugees around the globe. We do this through programming, events and opportunities for our community. I’m proud to say that our BMI fall series included a lecture that was borne out of my faculty exchange experience this summer. Titled “Ukrainian Refugees in Poland,” the programming event featured a conversation with aid workers in both Warsaw and Przemyśl.
It is my hope that our Jesuit values and pedagogy of reflection, discernment and action can lead us to create a better world where the tragedies I witnessed in Poland and other areas of the world - are no longer.
Richard D. Reitsma, PhD, is chair of the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures and associate professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies.
