What does it mean to live “between worlds”? Can you be a citizen of Singapore… and still feel Polish? In this new episode, Joachim Ciecierski talks to Łukasz Pieńkowski, who has spent 37 years outside of Poland — in Germany, England, and now Singapore. He comes from an extraordinary, cosmopolitan family connected to Asia for three generations: his grandfather, Edward Kajdański, was a sinologist, diplomat, and painter born in Harbin, while his parents — Halina and Mirosław — became known worldwide as promoters of Chopin’s music.
Statue of Frederic Chopin at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a work by Polish sculptor Karol Badyna.
We talk about identity, family legends, and life between cultures. About which language is spoken at the dinner table when the husband is Polish, the wife is Chinese, and the children were born in Asia. About bigos and żurek. About growing up in a world where Chopin meets Manchuria. And about whether — when you live between continents — home is a place, or people.