My name is Boguslaw Uchman and I’m a pathologist at Community Hospital Anderson. The laboratory staff affectionately calls me Dr. Bo for short and I like that. I’m from Warsaw, Poland. I completed my Medical schooling in Poland in 1974. I came to the States the first time in 1979 on a fellowship from Eli Lilly. For a year I was a research scientist at Indiana University, School of Medicine. I came back on a following fellowship also from Eli Lilly from 1983 until 1985. I moved to America for good in 1987. You may have heard about Poland through the news of our people struggle, through the German invasion to the rise of Solidarity in the boat yard of Gdansk. Those events are important in the history of Poland indeed. But The Poland I remember fondly included walking with my mom through sunlit squares with horse drawn carriages at the ready for couples or family outings, tall and impressive ancient ornate buildings, inspiring churches with bell tower that seemed to reach the endless clear blue skies.

Background: Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland currently suffers low GDP growth and high unemployment. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

Location: Central Europe, east of Germany, slightly smaller than New Mexico, borders Belarus, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

Climate: temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers; terrain mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border.

Natural resources: coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land.

Population: 38,635,144, with a growth rate of 0.03% (2005 est.), including Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census).

Religions: Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)

Languages: Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2%, literacy rate total population: 99.8%, male: 99.8%, female: 99.7%.

Government type: Republic of Poland, declared 11 November 1918, the capital is Warsaw

National holiday: Constitution Day, 3 May

Economy - overview: Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. Even so, much remains to be done, especially in bringing down unemployment. The privatization of small and medium-sized state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms has encouraged the development of the private business sector, but legal and bureaucratic obstacles alongside persistent corruption are hampering its further development. Poland's agricultural sector remains handicapped by surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and lack of investment. Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy), while recently initiated, have stalled. Reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Further progress in public finance depends mainly on reducing losses in Polish state enterprises, restraining entitlements, and overhauling the tax code to incorporate the growing gray economy and farmers, most of whom pay no tax. The government has introduced a package of social and administrative spending cuts to reduce public spending by about $17 billion through 2007. Additional reductions are under discussion in the legislature but could be trumped by election-year politics in 2005. Poland joined the EU in May 2004, and surging exports to the EU contributed to Poland's strong growth in 2004, though its competitiveness could be threatened by the zloty's appreciation. GDP per capita roughly equals that of the three Baltic states. Poland stands to benefit from nearly $13.5 billion in EU funds, available through 2006. Farmers have already begun to reap the rewards of membership via higher food prices and EU agricultural subsidies.

Agriculture - products: potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork

Industries: machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles, with a growth rate of 10%.

Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 14.8%, minerals, fuels, lubricants, and related materials 9.1% (2003)

Exchange rates: about 3 zlotych per US dollar (2004)