"Toilet paper was a luxury," my father - Bogdan - said as he recalled his childhood in Poland in the late 1950s. He took a long slow sip of his biala kawa and added, "I barely recognize this country."

My mother - Halina - recalls, "even twenty years ago we would bring suitcases filled oranges and flour for our family back in Poland. Back then, what we knew as ordinary was extraordinary."

That's when it hit me, what it means to be a first generation American. And why my brother and I are the way we are - hard working, humble, appreciative and yet we love the occasional splurge.  Without even knowing it, my parents instilled these values in us. They never told us to work hard. They never told us to take care of your belongings or to appreciate what you have. They just did, so we did too.

My journey back to Poland this year was extra special. As I tried to see it though my parents' eyes. Here's a taste of the beauty of today's Poland.