When I was... at school

 Few years after death of my father, mother stayed at home with me relying financially on some money reserves.

2 years after the war they were running out, luckily this was time I could start school and mother could return to work.

I was enrolled to a private, Catholic school, run by Nazarethan Sisters.

First memorable event was of course the First Communion.

One of important attributes were flowers, lilies. It was a cold Spring and no lilies in local gardens. Parents committee organized a purchase from some gardening centre, but these flowers were too expensive for my mother. She bought me paper lilies instead.
The moment of the truth came during a regular fight in which lilies were used as swords. My lilies with a metal wire inside were most reliable weapon.

School - it was run in a traditional way and was quite demanding.
I estimate that 80% of my current knowledge comes from the primary school.

Still more memorable are holidays.
Summer after year 5 and 6 I spent with my schoolmates in a holiday centre in the country.
We fished in a nearby river, spent lots of time in the forest, fought regular battles with various Red Indian tribes. Moment of truce below...

Then a high school came.
It was a state school, but still with teachers grown in pre II World War Poland, so it was traditional and demanding.

Two important points were - we learned 3 languages - Russian, German and English and the last happened to be quite useful.
The other point was - our German teacher introduced us to classical music. It stayed with me for the rest of my life.

Below is my class photo during school excursion to Warsaw. In front - our Russian language teacher. Behind us - The Palace of Culture and Science, which at this time still bore the name of Joseph Stalin.

Communism in Poland is too complex issue to describe it here. 
I found some positives in it - dislike for consumerism.

Poland is known as a Catholic country and I experienced it in a quite positive way. So to keep a balance - a photo from school excursion to Marian shrine in Częstochowa.

And a memory with religious background...

Corpus Christi - a religious ceremony held some 9 weeks after the Last Supper.
As the Last Supper took place on Thursday so does the Corpus Christi. Practical country as Australia shifted it to the nearest Sunday, but not catholic Poland, even in hardest communist time it was on Thursday and it was a public holiday.
The ceremony itself is a major event. Four altars are erected in the streets and a massive procession visits all of them. 

Once upon the time...

Corpus Christi was coming and we were told at school that there will be no lessons, there will be a mandatory excursion to some attractive location. Food and entertainment provided.

I announced it to my mother, she looked at me - but you will not go because tomorrow is Corpus Christi.

But, it is mandatory, they will request clear explanation.

So you will tell them, that your mother ordered you to go.

And we went.

At the procession I noticed one of my school colleagues with his mother.

She approached us and whispered to my mother:

- Do you want a medical certificate for your son? My husband is a doctor, he can provide you with one.

- But THEY see us here - replied my mother - you husband takes unnecessary risk. Thank you very much.

My mother shook her head - what a nonsense, to cheat about your religion. THEY probably would be satisfied - it would mean we practice our faith in fear.

Next day, just when I entered school, there was an young activist waiting for me.

- Why you did not join us at the excursion?

- Because my mother ordered me to go to procession.

The activist almost choked on such an answer.

- So tell your mother, to shift you to some school teaching practical trade because we will take care that you will not be accepted to any university.

I was devastated, I wandered till evening around the city being afraid to bring this news to my mother.

Eventually I came home and told her.

I could see that she was shaken, but she said.

- We did not deny our God, our God will not deny us. Even without university degree you may have a decent life.

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Holidays - my uncles (father brothers) were concerned that my mother is protecting me too much from realities of life and organized summer holidays for me.
They found me a very simple and inexpensive accommodation in a sea resort (Sopot) and a job in an agricultural centre. The job was from 6 am till 1 pm, so I managed to get some sun at the beach, on the other hand it allowed me to spend holidays in nice place.
What exactly I was doing?
The main task was - pollenating potato flowers to breed various types of potatoes. 
So I was a potato bee.