Mrs. Kowalski - 1B page 85

Mrs. Kowalski lives in an old Polish neighborhood in Chicago. She speaks a little English, but usually she speaks Polish.

She reads the Polish newspaper. She listens to Polish radio programs. She shops at the Polish grocery store around the corner from her apartment building. And every day she visits her friends and neighbors and talks about life back in "the old country."

Mrs. Kowalski is upset about her son, Michael, and his wife, Kathy. They live in a small suburb outside the city. They speak a little Polish, but usually they speak English. They read American newpapers. They listen to American radio programs. They shop at big suburban supermarkets and shopping malls. And when they visit their friends and neighbors, they always speak English.

In fact, Michael and Kathy speak Polish only when they call his mother on the telephone, or when they visit her every weekend.

Mrs. Kowalski is sad because her son and his wife speak so little Polish. She's afraid they're forgetting their language, their culture, and their country.