A Venezuelan Woman Learning Polish in Venezuela

This article narrates my personal journey as a Venezuelan in my immersion in learning multiple languages, culminating in the current study of Polish in Venezuela. From my early multilingual experiences in Brazil, the text explores how contact with different languages and cultures has shaped my linguistic identity. The account focuses on the unexpected origin of my interest in Poland through gastronomy and how the opportunity to take Polish classes at my alma mater, UCAB, thanks to an agreement with the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), became a significant challenge and an enriching cultural experience. The article highlights the influence of a dedicated teacher, the phonetic and grammatical challenges of Polish, the fascination with Polish culture, and the presentation of cognates as a point of linguistic intersection. Finally, I reflect on the personal expansion that learning a new language entails, connecting the individual experience with Wittgenstein’s view on the limits of language and the world.