Happy Women's Day!!

Having a bonafide tea party.  

I was honored this weekend to be invited by my friend Ania (second from left) to a "tea party" at her home to commemorate Women's Day.  Ania is Polish and was stationed in Poland with her husband Marek when we were there a year ago.  And it just so happened that Marek came here to grad school at the same time as Ben.  He's the Navy's version of a FAO (foreign area officer).  ANYWAY, in Poland they celebrate an awesome holiday, Women's Day.  Five of the eight people at this table are Polish.  One aspect I love about the military is meeting people from all  different backgrounds because they're just so interesting.  For instance, check out the invitation she sent me to her tea party:


My dear dear friends

This Saturday at 3 

We will celebrate our day 

With fancy cake and tea.

The house will be all ours,
The "spirits" will be high.

Our husbands will be gone

Would you like to know why?

Because the work we do,

Can never be expressed.

So this will be our time.

And it will be the best.

So come to (street name),

House number 24.

No men will be allowed!

Please R.S.V.P. before

I mean, who do I know among my American friends that would so uninhibitedly send out an invitation like that?  No one!!  That's why I love it.  And at the same time I'm sure they find me a very curious person as I was the only one who didn't have wine and champagne and tea (I stuck to my trusty sparkling pink lemonade).


And I had to laugh when she introduced me to her Polish friends, three of them are named Ania (pronounced Ahn-ya).


I also love how Europeans dress to the nines.  I felt sheepish in my jeans as everyone else was dressed in skirts or dress pants with cute accessories.  They're just so much more formal and I wish Americans were more like that!  Whenever I wear dress pants just for the sake of wearing something different Ben will ask, "What are you so dressed up for?"  I remember wearing a skirt in the 6th grade and everyone asked me where I was going after school that I was so dressed up for.  Sigh.

Also, another fun thing about my friend Ania is that she is sooo gracious.  A couple months ago I gave her a Polish cookbook that had been given to me which I had no use for since it was all in Polish!!  She was so genuinely touched and felt compelled to return the favor in kind.  So she purchased this book for me, knowing how much I love French food.  Can't wait to try it out.  It just so happens I'm about half way through her memoir too.


So, to all you women there, I wish you a very heartfelt Happy Women's Day!! (It's actually on March 9.)