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I’m planning a trip to Ukraine soon.  I’ve been scouting out possible hotels, devising itineraries.  Honestly, the thought of going to Ukraine is a little frightening.  I’m a pretty experienced traveler.  I’ve lived in numerous American and European cities.  I’ve spent years traveling and exploring.

I’ve been to Poland once.  Easter Weekend in Warsaw.  So I’m hardly an expert.  And I wouldn’t be trapped if I was sitting in the driver’s seat when I realized I’d locked my keys out of the car.

But now…

I found a hotel that advertised it was close to Poland, and I thought “oh, then it’s close to a place I already know and feel comfortable.”

Hah!  I’ve been there once!

But…to my uneducated brain, Poland and Ukraine seem a million miles apart.

Poland is very very much a part of Europe now.  And Ukraine is still part of Russia.  So they seem very far apart.  I was actually really surprised when I saw that it said it was near the Polish border.  I didn’t know Ukraine bordered Poland.

Poland seems such a big part of Europe, I think, because it has quickly become a big part of the EU.  Britain received huge numbers of Polish immigrants once Poland was allowed in the EU, so in my mind, Polish people were really truly a part of Europe.  They had become a normal part of British life, and Britain feels close to me.  Also, The Economist (of which I am an avid devourer) often talks about Poland, because it’s a strong country that’s not part of the Euro (like Britain, in some ways).

And now that I’m thinking about it, it’s amazing that Poland has become a “normal” country so fast.  Not long ago, it seemed a very foreign, far-away place.  Now, it’s a big, strong part of the EU.  (This is just my feeling.  I could be wrong.  But I think I’m right.)

Poland seems like a “normal” country to me.  Not a poor country, not an unsafe or undeveloped or foreign country.  (And my “Pollock” joke up above was completely uncalled for, inappropriate, and plain rude.)

I know it’s only my feeling, not reality, but western Europe doesn’t feel “foreign”.  Yes they speak different languages, have different customs and architecture and body-types.  But they don’t seem foreign.  Going to France or Germany or Italy or Spain or Ireland or Denmark or Sweden — I wouldn’t feel worried about it at all.  I’d feel like I was going to a place similar to my world, just significantly more interesting.

And somehow, Poland has joined that group very quickly in my mind.

I’m trying to remember…about ten years ago when I lived in the Czech Republic, just a few miles from the Polish border, I still thought of Poland as someplace foreign and different.  I think this mental change has happened just in the last few years.  Probably Poland hasn’t changed — it’s only my thinking that changed.  (And even if Poland has changed, how would I know?  So it’s definitely my thinking that’s changed.)

(This is an example of why I think sports are so important in America.  They bring groups of people closer together, mentally, and knit them into a more cohesive group.  Poland and Ukraine are hosting the EURO 2012 soccer tournament.  I hope it will have a side benefit of making Ukraine seem a little less “foreign” than it does now…  that is, if it does seem foreign to other people besides me.)

To me, some countries still are very foreign — Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova.  Turkey too, of course.  The former Yugoslav countries, and Albania.

When I saw that surprising sentence, about how close Ukraine is to Poland, it makes me stop and think (and write).

There’s an arbitrary line.  On one side is Poland, normal EU country.  On the other side is Ukraine, former Soviet Republic.  Polish identity — culture, history, food, Weltanschauung — on one side, up to this line.  Ukrainian identity on the other.  Totally different, and divided by an invisible line on the ground.

Europe is so different from America.

Our borders are meaningless (except the one between us and Texas).  Even the border between the US and Canada is just a line between Americans and slightly-better-than-Americans.  (Canadians aren’t really any better than us, but we can let them keep thinking they are.)

My state, Missouri, is the size of a small European country.  (Double the size of Portugal, about 75% the size of Great Britain, and about the same size as Belarus.)  But I have no Missouri pride.  I don’t associate myself, mentally, with Missouri.  (Partly because Missouri is nothing to be proud of, except for St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia.)

I absolutely do associate myself with St. Louis, very much and very strongly; but not Missouri.

There’s no “Missouri history”, “Missouri culture”, or Missouri anything.  There’s no Illinois culture or Kansas culture or New York culture either.

Cities have culture and pride (except Newark), but not states.

Europe is so weird.  Big areas of land that are very different from neighboring big areas of land.  People who identify with these big areas of land.

Americans don’t care much about our big areas of land, only our home city.  A few of the new baseball teams have tried to capitalize on state pride — Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins — but it’s a dumb idea, and few teams in any sport do it.  The Marlins just gave up and became the Miami Marlins, in hopes of doubling their per-game attendance to twelve.

(Texas is different.  If they want to secede and make their own country, that’s fine by me.)

(California too.)

(Good riddance to the both of you.)

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Today’s photos are macro photos of the pussy-willow blooming in my yard.  The “flowers” (if you can call them that; maybe they should be called “floral fireworks”) didn’t last very long this year, but while they were blooming, the bees were beside themselves with tremulous joy.