Post 90: Poland

How many people can say they were a double-dipper exchange student? Well, I know one!

Today, I left Poland after a week-long exchange there with my school. Every year, my school here in Germany sends 12 to 14 students to Poland to work with 12 to 14 Polish students on a project. The project is a little different each year, but the purpose is the same: create lasting friendships that cross national borders, and to build a better understanding between two cultures (like all exchange programs, right?). I have to say, it worked!

We left on Saturday. The trip lasted over 13 hours with a two-hour wait for the connecting train in a random small town in Poland. After we finally got to the last station on our journey, we had yet another two hours by bus to go. At the hotel, there wasn't much time left for more than dinner, getting rooms, showering, and going to bed.

The first few days at the hotel were packed with activity. We began working on our project, which is a calendar and series of presentations highlighting the similarities, differences and peculiarities of both countries/cultures. We also went to the Baltic Sea every morning, learned some Polish phrases, and visited one of the local shops. We had a "Tanzabend" where we learned a dance from the Polish students (imagine the electric slide, but wilder). One night, we had a campfire. Another, a disko party. Almost every night, there were mini-parties going on in the rooms. We were lucky, and the teachers were very tolerant, unless it got too loud.

On Wednesday morning, we took the bus (for another 1.5-2 hours) to Gdańsk. We spent the day there doing a sort of scavenger hunt, touring an amber museum, eating delicious food, and shopping around. Afterward, we took the bus to Kwidzyn (yet another long drive). There, we met our hostfamilies for the rest of the exchange.

Unfortunately, my exchange partner wasn't able to take part in the first phase of the trip, but it was really nice staying with her. She and her sister spoke English really well. Her mother could speak some English, and her brother and father could speak only very little. However, their home was really nice, they were really nice, and I wish I could have spent more time with them.

While we were in Kwidzyn, we spent most of our time with the students who were a part of the project. The rest of us only got to see our exchange partners and hostfamilies in the mornings and evenings. However, it was still a ton of fun. On Thursday, we sat in on a few different classes, went on a tour of Kwidzyn, ate delicious pizza and went to a pub with the exchange partners. Friday, we presented our project to some students at the school as well as the part of the governmental staff in Kwidzyn. Later, we went bowling, ate delicious pizza again, and went to antoher bar.

After showering and packing, I finally got to bed at about 1:30. I then got up at 5AM, and was at the train station by 6:15. At 6:30, we left. It was kind of sad saying good-bye. Some of the Polish students will be coming to finish the project in the summer, but a lot won't. I probably won't see the majority of those people again. I had really gotten to know a few of them, and they had become pretty good friends. It's just a small taste of what it's going to be like for me in a few short months...

Anyway, I unfortunately slacked off on my journaling during this week, so I'm not entirely sure what all happened on which days. However, I can say that week was one of the most strenuous and awesome weeks of my life. I know I'll miss a certain few people, but as they say in Poland, nie płacz (don't cry).



Also, spring has finally sprung! I'm not sure if the week in Poland made me realize the difference (they still have winter-ish conditions, eg. dead, brown grass, ponds freezing over at night). Here, the grass is nice and green, the sun is up in the morning before I am, the birds are singing... It means summer is on it's way, but it's bringing the end of my exchange with it. I'm looking forward to experiencing life in America again, but I'm not looking forward to giving up my life here... Ah, well, I don't have to deal with that for a few months yet. I just have to keep enjoying myself here and making the best of the time I have left!

Bis später!

P.S. Photos from Poland will be posted (eventually) on my 365 Project.

Reisen

So, I'm procrasting packing my suitcase (again)... Why? Well, I'm pretty sure I mentioned it in a previous post, but maybe you're new to my blog (or maybe you just don't pay attention to me anymore!), so, I'll say it again.

Tomorrow, I leave for a week-long trip to Poland. It's a yearly exchange between my school here and a school in Poland. We send students there for a week, and they send students here for a week. We share our cultures, work on a project and just have some plain old fun. We'll be staying in a hotel on the Baltic for the first three days. Then, we'll spend a day in Danzig before finishing up the week in hostfamilies.

I'm really looking forward to it, except for the fact that I have to get up at 4AM tomorrow, and then will be sitting in a train for 12 hours. Luckily, I'll be with some pretty fun/cool people who also happen to be good friends of mine. However, it's currently 7:53PM, and I think I'll finally get my butt moving so I can pack my bag and get some sleep. I don't think I'll really have the chance to sleep in the train (that's the problem with travelling with friends!).

Bis später!