Regardless of whether you are a Pole or not, it is interesting to learn more about the culture of the people who influenced the history of our country, and there is no better time for this than a month of Polish-American heritage. If you are a Polish-American, there are several museums of Polish history on the east coast and the middle west of Poland but the most famous of them is the Museum of Poland and America in Chicago. But whether you are Polish or not, if you haven’t had the opportunity to explore your heritage, I strongly recommend you to explore your cultural identity. Poles began settling in the United States in 1608, but continued to emigrate to the United States throughout American history, even during the American Revolution. Each of us has a rich family history that can teach us resilience, compassion, and self-respect based on the stories of our ancestors and help us communicate with living family members through the stories of the past. You may not find this in conjunction with George Washington, but you’ll be surprised to find out what you can learn by doing a little research on “your” family history. The conversation I had with my grandfather was as valuable to me as the information about the Polish side of my family. For example, when I heard about the Polish-American Heritage Month in October, I found it interesting to learn a little more about my grandfather’s family history. If you want to get closer to your roots through your language, Rosetta Stone teaches you more than 24 different languages, so you’ll probably find the language you’re looking for. During my research I learned that there are very famous Polish Americans, including Christine Bell, John Krasinski and Martha Stewart. When we talked, he shared his love for his pies full of his mother’s meat, a Polish doughnut called paczki, made of Polish vodka, and “probably bad for his arteries, but very good” Polish test, drop by drop called kluski. When I asked Grandpa what he remembers about his mother, he said that his mother never spoke Polish, except when she spoke to his brothers and sisters, which is not so unusual for immigrant parents. I was also able to get in touch with my uncle who has done a lot of research on the history of our family. Learning the language is a good way to get to know your family history. The United States has thousands of historical museums where you can learn more about family history. My grandfather and uncle taught me that my great grandfather, John Magalsky, who was born in the Polish city of Guzno, emigrated to America on July 4, 1889.