Gimnazjum nr. 7 in Tomaszów Mazowiecki (17 February 2011)

Yesterday, I visited the Gimnazjum nr. 7 in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, a small city close to Łódz, 2 and a half hours away from Warsaw by bus.

I met around 150 students in 3 hours, which was quite exhausting... The first class was particularly impressing, they knew almost everything about France, were very nice and active! Thank you Radosław and Kate for your nice welcoming, and I hope to see you again for Schuman Parade in May!  

PS: One thing that I would like to add, because I have been asked this question in every school I visited:  no, French people don’t eat frogs and snails every day for breakfast! Or at least we don’t eat them on a regular basis, it is something exceptional that we don’t eat very often… And I even think that many French people, like me for instance, never ate frogs or snails in their life… I find it as disgusting as you do! ;-) 

Schuman volunteers'meeting in Wojkowice (5-9 February 2011)

From 5 to 9 February, 8 EVS volunteers of the Schuman Foundation (Sophie from Holland, Katarina from Czech Republic, Tobias from Germany, Alexey from Russia, Natia from Georgia, Silvia from Catalogna, Sophie and Louise from France) + our 2 beloved coordinators, Maja and Andrzej, travelled to Wojkowice, a small city close to Katowice, for a 5 days meeting. We were hosted by Tea from Georgia and Alina from Latvia, 2 of our EVS volunteers who live there. Twelve people in one flat for 5 days, you can imagine the big mess it was, but we had a lot of fun!

The girls had organized a whole and very full programme for the meeting so we did not have time to be bored:

On Saturday and Sunday, we prepared presentations about our countries and a workshop on volunteering, because 2011 is the European Year of Volunteering and we wanted to use this opportunity to exchange with the students about our experience as volunteers. 

 Preparing the workshop

 On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we visited differents schools in Wojkowice but also in Będzin, Psary, Rogoznik and Katowice to make presentations and workshops. It was great meeting all these students and speaking with them, it was as always a very rewarding experience! 

 Workshop on volunteering

On Tuesday, we went for sightseeings  in Katowice and went to the restaurant to have some pierogi. It was very tasty, even if some of us had to wait quite a long time… apparently Polish food is something that has to be earned! ;-)

 

 

In the streets of Katowice

 At last on Wednesday, we visited Będzin and walked in the footsteps of Jewish culture with Karolina Jakoweńko, a guide to the province of Silesia. She created her own Foundation, Fundacja Brama Cukermana. to save a “House of Prayer” in a former Jewish building. For centuries, Będzin was the oldest and largest Jewish settlement in this region and more than 50% of the population of the city was Jewish. Today, you can only see some remains of Jewish culture in Będzin. You can find more info on http://www.bramacukermana.com. Very interesting visit for everyone, we learned a lot on Jewish culture and history!

During our sightseeing in Będzin

So now Schuman team, what did you think about this meeting?

Alina: "Terrible mess and unusual noise in our flat, very sweet birthday presents, “mafia”, lack of sleep and a lot of fun – these are just a few things which cross my mind when I think about Schuman volunteers meeting."

Tobias the volunteer: "Long sunny days, windy, outside, inside, faces, feeling to be a star, nervous, strong, tired, interpersonal, twins, smiac sie, wake up and the breakfeast is prepared on the couch table, sleeping in the bus, orientation, walnuts in the pasta, like a movie, coincidence, longing, garbage, pociag, dogs, smoke"

Tea: "I want to thank the volunteers who were visiting  Wojkowice. It was pleasure to host them. They chilled out the whole city. The workshops and presentations they made were very interesting and students liked them a lot. Everybody is contended and thankful!"

Silvia: "A really good chance to get a little bit more into Polish culture! Very nice experience, that I would not mind to repeat. Thanks to Tea and Alina, and also their mentors and the highschool in Wojkowice for organizing everything!"

Sophie/Micheline: "I really appreciated the student from the schools in Silesia. They were very attentive and interested in the subject."

Blonde Sophie: "Not just presentations with the most different students, but also a perfect organization of these days, a crowded flat and very tasty home made diners!"

Natia: "This trip in Wojkowice was really good. To do some workshops and presentations with Schuman team was interesting, funny and pleasant for me :) we had very active days in Wojkowice, Katowice and Będzin."

Katarina: "Our trip to Wojkowice was for me a very good experience. It was nice to meet Polish students and to stay for a while in a smaller town. About presentations, it was not easy for me every time but at the end I enjoyed it a lot ;-)"

Louise: ”Who thought that 12 people could share one flat and one bathroom during 5 days without killing each other… but we made it! And who knew that we had so many mafiosos in Schuman team… Thanks girls for organizing this meeting everything was amazing!”

Maja: "I think the photos say it all but just in case they don’t here are some of my associations to the meeting: reflecting, personal, crowded but spacy, loud, nervous and excited before classes in schools, chaotic harmony, energy, volunteers’ mafia"

Andrzej: "For me it was good opportunity to get closer to the volunteers. Find out more about their personal life passions etc. It is sad but unfortunately during normal work days there is no time to slow down and chat a little bit with you. Thanks to that trip I have found out more about future plans of some of you, about your activities as well as about some problems which probably you wouldn’t share in the office with us."  

NB: You can see more pictures in the gallery!

Katolickie Liceum i Katolickie Gimnazjum im. św. Marka in Słupsk - and some advice to survive in Polish trains (30 January – 01 February 2011)

Słupsk. A trip that we will never forget.

You need 7 to 10 hours by train to reach this wonderful city on the Polish seaside, close to Gdansk. But before to get to this wonderful place, you have to go through many ordeals.

Has any of you already been in a Polish train? If not, then here are a few pieces of advice for beginners, particularly girls:

• First of all, don’t expect to find a seat, especially if you leave from Warsaw. Instead, be prepared to stand for many hours, sometimes on one foot. 

• If a Polish man offers you a seat, think twice before taking it. 

• Remember that in every train, there is a compartment reserved for pregnant    women (see below). So the best way to find a seat might just be to pretend that you are pregnant: 

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•  If you see Polish soldiers, run away from them! Especially when they are coming back from vacation in Warsaw and already drunk at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.  

•  If you ever have problems during the journey, don’t rely on Polish people to come to your rescue. 

 If you are lucky enough to arrive alive and safe, you can finally enjoy the beautiful Słupsk and meet very nice people and students.

On the 31 January, we were invited in Katolickie Gimnazjum im. św. Marka w Słupsku to conduct workshops on children’s rights and to present our countries. We met 130 students in one day and were completely exhausted! 

 

On the 1st of February, we visited the Katolickie Liceum im. św. Marka w Słupsku, and met about 120 students aged 16-18.

 So a short but very intense trip! As usual more pictures in the gallery…

Liceum Ogólnokształcące im Ziemi Kujawskiej in Włocławek (22-26 January 2011)

From 22 to 26 January, we were in Włocławek, a small city close to Toruń, in the center of Poland. We visited the liceum Ogólnokształcące im Ziemi Kujawskiej and made presentations about our countries for approximately 200 students aged 17-19, mostly in English but also in French, because some of the students in this school learn French.

Besides English, French and German, many students in this liceum also study Latin. So on the 25th, in the framework of the ‘Dzień Kultury Starożytnego Rzymu’ organized by Agata Kurzępa, the Latin teacher, and of which we were guests of honor, a few students performed extracts from Homere’s Iliad that they adapted. Then they read poetry in Latin. At last, they had a contest for the best Roman costume!

During our stay in the liceum, we were even filmed and interviewed by a local TV station, CW24. We will try to find the link.

I (Ofelya) had a chance to speak Armenian during our visit to liceum as I met an Armenian student Artur Arutjunjan, who was my guide around Włocławek. This was my second meeting with a Polish-Armenian during my project.

On the 26th, Agata Kurzępa and Natalya Bączykowska, one of the students, took us to visit one of the most beautiful Polish cities, Toruń. We had a wonderful time despite the awful weather! We visited the Teutonic Knights Castle as well as the planetarium. By the way, did you know that Copernicus was from Toruń? He is the most famous citizen of the city.

While staying in Włocławek, we were hosted by students’ families, they were especially kind and welcoming and allowed us to learn new things on Polish culture.

I (Louise) discovered what is studniówka and even went to one! For foreigners, studniówka means ‘100 days to go party’. It is a traditional ball for final grade in highschool students (so aged 18-20), similar to senior prom in the USA. It is held approximately 100 days before the matura (the final exam of highschool), hence its name. The students have to bring dates and wear tuxedos for boys, and evening dresses for girls. They even may wear red lingerie underneath, which is supposed to bring good luck at the exam! During studniówka, the students have to dance polonaise, the traditional Polish dance. I was pretty impressed to see how girls could dance with very high heels, now I understand why almost every Polish girl is so good at walking with heels, they learn to dance with them at a young age!

So we wish all the students of the Liceum Ogólnokształcące im Ziemi Kujawskiej good luck for their matura, we are sure that you are gonna do great!