Week 11: Monday 19th - Sunday 25th April 2010

A celebration of all things Basque!

A Spanish dinner at Cris's house

Service Sunday in the old people's home

The older people were very happy to see us!

Playing some hymns for the residents to enjoy

Week 10: Monday 12th – Sunday 18th April 2010

This week I finally arranged my main school placement in the International School of Poznan (www.isop.pl). I met with the Primary Years Co-ordinator and we decided upon me being in school every Wednesday and Friday, as these are the only days I am free of classes and can be in school. This means that from now on I will be much busier! I will have lessons to plan for Wednesdays and Fridays and I’ll be in classes the rest of the week. I have a few presentations that I will shortly begin work on as well so my easy-going Erasmus lifestyle is slowly slipping away! However, I am thoroughly looking forward to getting into school on a more regular basis, and I hope to return to the High School to teach some English lessons at some stage again too. I have just worked out that I’ll need to get up at 6.15am on the mornings that I have school to be there in time for the commencement of lessons at 8am. This is something I have not been used to for a long time! The school caters for children of all ages, from 4 year olds in kindergarten to 18 or 19 year olds completing their ‘diplomas’. It follows the programme of the International Baccalaureate which you can find out more about at www.ibo.org/pyp for the Primary Years Programme in particular. The school is located in a big, old building about 10 minutes from Poznan city centre and welcomes pupils from Poland and International students, however, all are taught in English. For the Polish students at the school it is quite prestigious (and no doubt expensive) but it provides children with a great, internationally acknowledged education. As time goes on I’m sure more information and some photographs will follow as I become more accustomed to the school.

At the zoo with Asta.

I started a new class this week – Environmental Health Hazards. I believe the lecturer was a little taken aback when she found out I was a native English speaker, and I could tell it made her a little more nervous especially as it was her first time teaching in English! However, she rarely needed my help and I made sure never to correct her before being asked! A couple of my other classes were cancelled this week for various reasons so, in reality, I had quite a relaxed week. One nice story that I should share tells of the kindness of the people here, and not just anyone, one of my lecturers! On the day I was going to visit my school I was in class just before it and I was still trying to work out how to get to the school. I spoke to my teacher and she offered to take me there in her car. If I hadn’t accepted her offer I would have been very late for my meeting with the school so I’m thankful to her! It feels really good to get to know some staff as well as students here, especially after hearing how bad an opinion most of the Polish students seem to have of university lecturers. Another tutor, for my only Educational class, is carrying it out in English just for me!! The 25 other people in the class (all of whom are female!) must dislike me very much! However, they are all studying Primary Education with English so it is useful for them too.


On Thursday night I went back to the CU that I’ve been to once before with a group of Polish people. It was a good night although, with everything being in Polish, my friend had the hard job of translating for me. I like to show my support for the group though by attending so I’m unsure whether I’ll return or not. They only meet once a month so I may only have one, or at most two, more opportunities to attend. I am having to start thinking about leaving Poland as it will not be very long before I go and I still haven’t booked my flights! At the moment I’m trying to find out when I will be finished exams so that I can leave after that. It will most likely be in the middle of June. I went swimming again this week and I keep meeting more new Polish people there because the class I joined is really only known by local students. Being in this group really makes me feel part of the community here and it is a good feeling. I’m glad I’ve built up such a good group of Polish friends. I really feel like I’ve got such a lot out of this Erasmus experience; probably more than many other students I know.


The weekend was busy but the weather was lovely, as it seems to be most of the time now! On Saturday I went to the New Zoo with a Lithuanian friend, Asta. It is huge and I loved it. It was, as far as I can recollect, the first time I have ever seen an elephant, rhinoceros, bison, so many varieties of Eagle and many, many other creatures. We had a lovely day and it really felt like summer with the heat and the sunshine and lots of walking in new places! After my visit to the zoo I joined a group of people from Church for dinner in Milenium Pizza where you can order the most gigantic pizzas! Great night had by all I reckon. Sunday began with Church as usual followed by a little snippet of the Polish Church where we only stayed for a while because we were going out for dinner with the pastor and his family and a few friends. It was also the President’s funeral this day so everywhere was very quiet and in fact most shops and restaurants were closed for the weekend as a mark of respect. After dinner I sat for a few hours in the park reading, but when I got home I realised it was still too nice and warm to be inside so I went back out to another park and started another book! This time I had a random conversation, if you can call it that because it was in Polish (!), with an old man with one leg…he may have been homeless, I’m not sure! I just wanted to be nice and talk to him and it was good to put my Polish into practice. I hope that I don’t forget about my Polish when I get back home, but I know that I’m going to have to keep practising it if I’m to remember it for any length of time! That’s all for now.

Candles at a major focal point in Poznan in remembrance of those who died.

Week 9: Monday 5th – Sunday 11th April 2010

During this week the Polish people experienced a great loss on a national level. On Saturday morning a plane crashed killing the Polish President, Lech Kaczynski, his wife and the 94 other people onboard, many of them significant leaders in Poland’s government. A week of national mourning was declared and I’ve seen first hand how the Poles are reacting to the tragedy. From almost every balcony in the city you can see the Polish flag flying with the poignant black strips hanging alongside it as a mark of mourning. This was a hugely significant event which has really shaken up the people. Shops and businesses closed on the day of the accident and the day which followed, and the rest of the week many forms of entertainment such as concerts and performances have been cancelled as a mark of respect. In terms of the university, classes have been cancelled on Wednesday as some special ceremonies and services will take place, however my schedule hasn’t been changed. I think that no matter how the population felt about the President during his time in office, they are all shocked and saddened by his death especially as it comes along with the death of so many others. While I’m in Poland I try to keep an eye on the news in Northern Ireland and for the first time this week I kind of felt like I was looking at Northern Ireland from a foreigner’s viewpoint and my objective outlook made me really see the difficulties that we still have in our own country. For some reason I didn’t think about it so much when I was in the country!


Anyway, back in Poland, the week began for me with a few days of holidays after the Easter weekend. On Monday I took the opportunity to visit the old zoo in Poznań (we have two zoos here, one called the ‘old zoo’ and one the ‘new zoo’!). Anna and I visited the aquariums and reptile enclosures which were very cheap to visit. Everywhere else in the zoo was free to visit! It was actually quite an amazing experience for me because I can’t remember the last time I was in a zoo! For me, seeing all the different varieties of fish especially just had me in awe at the creativity of their maker. However, seeing all the different snakes just made me want to leave the building! I spent the rest of the evening in a friend’s flat until we went out for dinner in the stary rynek.


The next day was not so eventful as practical things like the washing had to be taken care of! However in the evening I went out to the cinema with a friend to see ‘Remember Me’. It clearly wasn’t very popular though because there were only two other people in the entire room! The film was good but the journey home was more entertaining! When we got out of the cinema, which is in a shopping centre, we were directed out through various doors and down long corridors and eventually through an eerily quiet and dimly lit shopping mall. It soon became clear that we didn’t know how to get out of the building - we were trapped! In the end we walked through the car park and just kept walking until we reached the nearest tram stop. It was a humorous adventure for us both.


Polish classes continue to be the main academic focus of my week and my Polish seems to be progressing sufficiently well in comparison to the rest of the class at least. I love my class because they are such a varied bunch with interesting stories to tell. However, I’ve resolved that it is impossible to learn Polish grammar in Polish. Words and phrases I can grasp but to try to learn grammatical structures in anything other than English is too much for me. Having said that, I’m not sure that having it explained in English would be of much benefit because we just don’t have anything like it. I say it every week, but I still need to spend more time studying Polish outside class if I’m going to keep up and remember it when I get home.


On Thursday I attended my statistics class in which we are jut getting on to Normal Distribution. It shouldn’t excite me as much as it does but I can’t help it; I love it! Statistics always brings back very fond memories of maths classes in school days because I studied many of the same things back then. It is all proving very useful to me in this course and it helps me to stay ahead of the rest of the class, however, this means that I’m often having to wait for help to move on and it can get a little boring actually (but only when I’ve got nothing to do). That afternoon I broke my trend and went to Carrefour (a large French store available all over Europe) instead of Tesco! I love Carrefour! You can buy anything you want there, quite literally. Anyway…I got what I needed!


Finally I have something school related to discuss again because on Friday I visited a Polish ‘middle-school’ (gimnazjum) because I wanted to experience what it would be like to be a teacher of English as a foreign language. Children in Poland have to start school at age 6, they attend primary school for 6 years and then move to the ‘gimnazjum’ for 3 years before going on to high school for a final 3 years. Therefore the school I visited was for children aged 12-15 and it was located out in the suburbs of Poznań in a beautiful open area with picturesque views over the Polish countryside. It was idyllic. I could easily work there! One of the girls in my Polish class is a French language assistant in the school and so she put me in touch with one of the English teachers. I spent the day observing in the English classes and I really enjoyed it. It has made me consider teaching English in another country for a while before I teach primary school children. Also, I used to feel like I couldn’t teach children older than those in my primary classes but I now feel confident and old enough to do so, and think I would really enjoy it. Teaching a language seems like a lot of fun! The school has about 300 pupils altogether and was very modern looking as it was only built in 1999/2000 after the education system was reformed to include this new age range they call gimnazjum. After getting the bus home I headed out to lunch with a bunch of Spanish students, had some good conversations and then went to the gym which I only started going to because it is free and is in my building! That evening I went out with some friends from Germany and Finland who were in the mood to dress up judging by this photo!



On Saturday I had a lovely afteroon with Cristian and the Spaniards which began with a very kind host providing me with an amazing tuna and pasta dish and fresh salad followed by dessert. I reckon I could start to like tuna after that! [ :-) !!] . It was delicious and I was very appreciative! The rain came on but that didn’t dampen our spirits as we explored the museum in the town hall. Unfortunately, it was near closing time and we didn’t get to see everything. Luckily, I had already seen everything on a previous visit so I was happy enough! That evening I had to spend some time preparing for Sunday School which Cris and I were leading the following day. It was great to be able to help out in church by taking Sunday School and it was exciting to find out some things behind the scenes like where certain things are kept, etc, because it made me feel more involved and part of the Church. After a restful afternoon I joined some Erasmus friends in a quaint little café. It makes me so happy hanging out with these people. It has been good to meet so many great people from around Europe and to simply spend time with them. I hope I spend the rest of my time wisely and keep building on these relationships which are so important to me before I have to leave them all behind in Poland. :-(

Week 8: Monday 29th March – Sunday 4th April 2010

Now that I’ve been in Poland for two months and am approaching the halfway mark for my time here I can see that I really don’t have long left, judging by how quickly the first half went! This week was a bit different because of the Easter break on Thursday and Friday. Easter is very important to Polish people so there were a few different events on over the holidays and the shops were closed on Easter Sunday and Monday. The city and my dormitory especially have been very empty because many of the students went home for the holidays. It has been a good time of reflection for me too.


On Monday in my Sociology of Multiculturalism class I found out that I will have to do a presentation on Northern Ireland, but we are in groups of 4 so I have some Polish people with me. We also got to discuss a little about the Polish migration to the UK and Ireland since they entered the EU in 2004 and I got to hear their views on it, most of them having a relative or friend there! That evening it was my roommate’s birthday party so Cris and I went for a quick shopping trip to Tesco (where the best birthday presents are sold, of course) before coming back to the flat to join the party. I found out that having a roommate is particularly unhelpful on their birthday – it was a very late night – but, as it was his birthday, I had to be understanding.


On Wednesday I began to plan my trip over Easter. Kaja helped me to get the train tickets and I was able to book the hostels myself. It turned out to be a rather costly day as after paying for hostels and trains I went shopping and paid for my accommodation! In Poland you can get very cheap food but some things, if not most things, are a very similar price to that at home. I’m really bad with handling money and I find it really difficult to consider how much I’m actually paying for things because often I just expect things to be cheaper, but it’s certainly not always the case!


The Easter holidays began on Thursday and classes begin again on Wednesday but in reality it made very little difference to my schedule especially as I’m off on Fridays and Tuesdays every week anyway! However, I still took this opportunity to do a little travelling around Poland. Having had little time to myself what with sharing a room and meeting lots of different people, I wanted to go away by myself for a few days just to stop, think, reflect and pray. And so I did! On Thursday morning I stood for 2 hours on a crowded train to Toruń but it was completely worth it. It was a beautiful day and I just fell in love with the city. The journey itself wasn't too bad either because for me it was nice to see the countryside of Poland (as above). After checking in to my hostel, Hostel Orange, I spent the day seeing all the sights of Toruń when my trusty guidebook of Poland was most useful, and so I must thank Andrew for that! I had such a lovely day strolling through the pretty streets and reading by the Vistula river. After this day I realised how nice Polish people are. I met complete strangers who went out of their way to help me. At one viewpoint of the city at the top of the tower in the Town Hall the security man told me ALL about the city, although I reckon he just wanted to practice his English! Another lady in the gingerbread shop (Toruń is famous for its pierniki) could see that I couldn’t decide what to buy so she placed lots of them out on the counter and told me all about them! It was so lovely of her and really made me happy! In the evening I chatted with the four Erasmus girls from France and Turkey in my room for a couple of hours. They were also travelling to take a break from their studies in another city in Poland.


The next morning, Friday, I got up early to catch a train to Gdańsk, a city near the coast at the Baltic Sea. This time I got a seat and had the opportunity to practice my Polish again because I was in a room with a couple of students and also an older lady who wanted to find out about my life and tell me about hers! It was very endearing and I enjoyed our chat even though we didn’t understand each other all the time! Going away by myself was the first time I’ve really been forced to (try to) speak Polish and I’m glad I forced myself into that position. In Gdańsk I spent a few hours going to see all the sights outlined in my guidebook and taking photos of them, but I got bored of that quite quickly so I jumped on a train to the neighbouring town of Sopot. Sopot could be the holiday destination of the rich and famous judging by its grandeur and, of course, it has the beach! I loved this town and, although it was very cold that day, I ventured down the famous pier, Molo, Europe’s longest wooden pier, and then on to the beach itself. It was SO nice to be back on a beach but I couldn’t stay long. Strangely enough, it actually is rather baltic beside the Baltic sea! Back in Gdańsk I met up with a Polish friend who lives there and a Spanish friend who was with her. We had another look around the city, taking lots of photos. That evening the other guests in the hostel weren’t quite as friendly as the previous night so I just watched a film I had bought earlier that day in the living room of the hostel which was really quite nice. I have to recommend Zachariasz Zappio House to anyone travelling to Gdańsk!


On Saturday morning I spent much time deliberating whether to go to a particular National Park and working out the train times, etc. However, in the end, it wasn’t possible to go so far away so I went to another town just up the coast, Gdynia. Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia are collectively known as the Tri-city area because they are so close together and the transport links between them are excellent with trains leaving frequently. When I arrived in Gdynia I needed my hat and gloves but the sun was shining and it was really a lovely day. After lots and lots of walking around the city I found a ship in the harbour called the Dar Pomorza. It is a touristic museum ship so I was able to go in and have a look throughout the ship including the engine room and living quarters. After that I had lunch in a little café on the pier where the waitress appreciated my attempts at the Polish language as she couldn’t speak English. Back ‘home’ in Poznań I think it is much more common for people to speak English, so I had to go away to actually get to try it. Most of the time in Poznań when I try to speak Polish, the waiter or assistant or whatever will reply in English because they can tell I’m a foreigner! Back in Gdynia, I walked up some hills to find the park at the top where I would sit and read for a while. It was a little haven of peace and tranquillity which overlooked the hustle and bustle of the large industrial city below. I didn’t want to stay too long though because I had to catch my train home in the early evening. I headed back to Gdańsk where I had one last look around the city, had a quick white chocolate mocha and then made my way to the station with my rucksack. At the station I was told I had the wrong ticket so I had to get a new one if I wanted to get home before 3.30am! Thankfully, another kind Polish person who spoke English overheard me attempting to talk to the ticket seller and sorted it all out for me. Unfortunately, the train that got me home earliest was one that took me eight hours to get home! So I saw most of the cities in the North West of Poland and got a lot of my book read! On my outward journey I had a few difficulties with my tickets as well because I had student tickets and in Poland I have to get my student card stamped every month to make it valid but I hadn’t known this before these travels! Thankfully, I got away with it with the support of the Polish people around me who argued on my behalf the fact that I was foreign and didn’t know!


I was rather tired come the next morning but it was Easter Sunday so I wanted to go to church as usual! The service was a little different with some of the children taking part and we had communion. After church another Erasmus girl and I got a lift in the car of one of the American members of the church, firstly to his house to collect some things and then on to the Pastor’s house where we were all meeting up for lunch. I spent a really nice afternoon eating with and getting to know the other people in the Church and other visitors from New Zealand and Sweden. We even got to participate in an Easter-egg hunt! Later in the afternoon I went for a long walk around the city with Anna, my German friend, as it was such a lovely, sunny day. After strolling through some parks and alongside the Warta river we headed back towards home where my legs desperately needed a rest after a busy weekend!

Week 7: Monday 22nd – Sunday 28th March 2010

As time goes on I am realising how much I am gaining from this experience. It is something that I needed to do and I know it will be of huge significance when I come to look back over my time here. For some reasons it was right that I come to this exact place, for example the specific people I have met and the ways in which they have helped me and continue to help me, but in other ways I could have gone anywhere and would have gained similar experiences and knowledge and wisdom of a number of things. However, I personally know that this exact place is exactly where I needed to be to gain as much as I possibly could and it is in this place that I will develop most spiritually, relationally, in confidence and with self-acceptance as I am changed and moulded into the person that I should be and as I come to terms simply with the person that I am. I am thankful to have been brought here and for what is becoming of me and the growth taking place in my life right now.


By now I really have settled into a very normal way of life. In some ways it is not as exciting and this week I certainly didn’t do something worthy of mention every day! I may not have met as many new people this week as in previous weeks but I’m beginning to think that it could be a good thing – this week three different people came up to me and clearly new me but I had no idea who they were! I think if it’s possible I have reached the limit of my ability to remember faces and names! However, it is still exciting for me that I am developing the relationships that I really care about here. That is what has become important for me now.


During the week I finally completed the process of my Learning Agreement so I have now officially signed up to all the classes that I should continue with until the end of the semester. I am ashamed to have to admit that I am still not doing an awful lot of work here and I know now that I could be! I could be learning more Polish and I can now begin preparing for some presentations that I will have to do at the end of the term. I became very aware of making the most of my time, not just my time here, but my lifetime. Once time has passed it is gone and don’t want to be wasting it. This week I also discovered how wonderful the Polish doughnuts are! It is called a pączek here and I pass a delicious bakery on my way to many of my classes so some self-control is needed there!


On Tuesday this week I went to a quiz for Erasmus students. I met some lovely new people and had an enjoyable night. I got some Easter eggs even though we didn’t win so the night ended well! It was a rather quiet night but it was good to get out and learn some general knowledge. On Thursday I had lunch in a Greek-style café and then dinner in a more Polish-style one. Usually I don’t eat out so much in one day, that was a bit excessive, but it is easily affordable if you choose the right places to go to. There isn’t really anything worth mentioning about classes. I wouldn’t miss one and they are all teaching me something but there isn’t anything much different about them! I started a new class this week, the biggest in number by far. It is the Sociology of Multiculturalism but don’t ask me what that means! It is open to much interpretation! The class has a lot of Polish people but also a lot of Erasmus students from all over the EU. It is an interesting class with lots of discussion.


On Friday it was about 22 degrees Celsius and it was beautiful! I went for a walk in the park and it was nice enough to sit and read. It was so nice to finally feel comfortable being outside and it makes me look forward to when every day will be like that – well, that’s what I’m hoping for anyway! What I did next that day will shock most people; I went to a fitness class which included gym time and going to the swimming pool! A Polish friend invited me along to her class and so I decided it was time to put the past behind me and set my fears aside and just get into a pool! I was surprised to find that after four years out of the water I could still swim although I did find it hard to breathe in the water – and I don’t mean when my head was under the water! I think I just need to keep going and let my body get used to it again. As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, in the evening I went to hear the philharmonic orchestra again in the Grand Hall of the university. The tickets were free for Erasmus students so I thought Why not!? I went along with a friend and met up with a lot of the other Erasmus ones that I know there. I even bumped into one of my course co-ordinators! It was a nice evening and again I was blown away by the sound that came from the orchestra. There was a special violinist playing too and he was very good also, but I have to say that the kebab I had after really finished off the evening nicely!


Saturday was a very long and busy day! I woke up at 4.30am to be ready in time to begin my journey to Berlin, the capital of Germany. It was a very last minute decision and we only spent the day there but I got a bit of a look around the city. We thought it was the cheapest way to go by three trains which took 5 hours! So we arrived about 11am and had to leave shortly after 6pm which gave us time to meet up with some friends and have a look at the main attractions. Basically we just walked around all day and looked at things from the outside! I think I need to go back and spend more time there. It was a very fun day though. The German, Mexican and Polish people that I was with were very funny and made the day very enjoyable. The weather wasn’t perfect but it didn’t rain much so we were happy enough. I would like to tell you what all we see but I really don’t know!! Maybe if you’ve been to Berlin you’ll recognise some of the things from my photos! One of the best thing from the day were all the hours I spent travelling because it gave me the opportunity to talk to my Polish friend (in English and Spanish!). I learned a lot about her and am glad we got the opportunity to get to know each other better and have some good discussions, after all, we did have nearly 10hours to talk!

















































On Sunday morning I was very tired what with the time change and the fact that I had been travelling so much the day before and got home late. Nonetheless I was at church at 10am and stayed after to have a small lunch with some of the church leaders. It was an ideal time to get to know the people in church better and it was nice to hang out with them. In the afternoon I went to my small group which I’ve been attending and it was the last one in the series that we have been studying. We had an amazing time with great discussions and fellowship with each other. It went on quite a lot longer than usual but we weren’t complaining. I love that family and the rest of the group a lot and will miss our times together. Unfortunately there is still nothing to say in terms of school based work. I am still waiting in anticipation to hear about my placement in the international school here. However, I do intend to go visit the Primary school that my Polish friend teaches in again and, also, I’ve been invited to observe/speak in English classes of a High School. I got to know a language assistant in the school and she is helping me get in to visit some classes as I’ve been wanting to see what it would be like to be an English teacher in a secondary school. Hopefully it’ll not be long until I get to tell you about these experiences. Until then, thank you so much for reading these blog entries and God bless.

Week 6: Monday 15th – Sunday 21st March 2010

I’ve come to realise in my time here that being away from home on Erasmus is a chance for most students to be whoever they want, to forget about their studies and to ignore all the rules! Being on Erasmus is seen as a time set aside, almost entirely, for partying, getting drunk and doing all the things you’ve always wanted to with the great excuse that you were under the influence which seems to make it all ‘okay’! For me this is a very different environment to adjust to, one far from what I’m used to at home. Of course, this does not happen all the time and it’s also easily avoidable. Because of my quiet, rural, sheltered upbringing, the world often seems like a much bigger place to me than it might for others!! What I mean is that even the things which are common to other people are often new to me so I really am experiencing much more than just a new culture, new country and new people; I’m experiencing all the things in life that the average student has already encountered! This makes my time here very exciting and very different, but difference is good! It makes you think about things and compare things and consider who you are and what you are becoming. To use a huge cliché, it’s a time of self discovery! I feel it is important to at least see what is out there and then decide what to do with that information and those experiences personally. I also believe that it will be difficult to see how I have changed myself, at least until I’ve returned to my normal life at home. I think it will be easier for others to see a change in me that I won’t.


The weeks are all just merging together now. Every Sunday I realise another week has passed and it shocks me every time, and I know that as long as I keep busy this will not change! If I’m honest I still have very few classes. I have about ten hours in class each week now and am off on Tuesdays and Fridays. The only class I have earlier than 3pm is my Statistics class on Thursday mornings at 10am, which I like a lot and don’t mind waking up for (although if I turn up at 11am it’s okay because the first hour is not mandatory)!! The rest of my classes are enjoyable mostly too. Polish class on Monday and Wednesday evenings makes up half of my classes and I’m currently finding more enjoyment in getting to know the interesting backgrounds and lives of the classmates than I am in the Polish but I think that’s okay! I pick up a little Polish sometimes too! I’ve come to realise I need to start studying my Polish because I do want to improve and become at least capable of having a basic conversation.


On Tuesday I finally got around to giving our bathroom a good clean! It was in desperate need of it the whole time I’ve been here but initially I had just got used to it. Now everything that should be white is actually white again! I reckon that if I don’t do it no one will, and it’s the same for my room. However, guys not cleaning up after themselves is not something new to me!! (By the way, I hope those dishes in Navan 12 are under control!) That evening I met Kaja and Magda and their respective partners for a night out in the Grand Hall of my university, Adam Mickiewicz. We were there to hear the philharmonic orchestra play and it was a great concert. I have never heard such a full orchestra play and the sound they made was just amazing. It was like listening to the soundtrack of a film, only live. The second part was very different though as a famous jazz musician played his electric guitar with his friends on the saxophone, drums, double bass and piano, in a way that I didn’t know a guitar could be played. Again, they were great and provided a great night’s entertainment. After the concert we all went out to a Mexican restaurant, aptly called ‘The Mexican’, with some other friends. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the company. I always find it lovely to spend time with some people who aren’t students!
















Wednesday, of course, was St .Patrick’s Day which caused quite the fuss. I had lots of people wishing me a happy St. Patrick’s Day and it was quite a fun filled day. In the morning I went to see my Erasmus tutor where I got a few more things arranged in terms of my classes. This person has been very good to me and he even let me use his computer and sit in his room while he was away! However, I’ve noticed, and heard from the Polish students, that tutors treat the students here rather poorly. This surprised me at first because everyone here has been so kind to me, but apparently I am treated differently as an international student. I thought this quite sad as tutors and students often have such good relationships, and friendships even, at home. However, university students are treated more like high school pupils here in other ways too, for example, they have to participate in ‘PE lessons’ for their first two years of university. For Polish students, though, this is normal and so they don’t feel like they are still at school.


Later on I found time to decorate my wall. Some people will be surprised to learn that until now I’ve had no photos up on my wall! Thankfully, that situation has now been rectified because of a kind parcel from home and the fact that there is a photo printing store very close to my dorm…maybe a little too close for me! You can see the finished result below. After having lunch in Jowita (our cafeteria here) I went out to find a hairdresser (because I could no longer look through my fringe) and I found one that had been recommended to me. They were friendly, they spoke English, it wasn’t expensive and it doesn’t look bad so I was pleased! I’ll probably go back to the same one every time. I have to keep remembering to try new things though because I can very easily keep eating, keep using or keep going to the places that I know I like from previous experiences here.

After a brief visit to the fancy shopping centre I went to my Polish lesson for an hour before leaving early to meet up with Kaja, Magda and Daga to go to participate in an English class’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations! The girls were doing a presentation on their time in Belfast and I went along to support them and say a few words about Ireland. It was a great evening and I felt happy to be part of a group of Polish students, although it was very strange for me to be singing ‘Lord of the Dance’ with these people when I’ve never even sung it at home! When we had said our goodbyes to the group we headed off to an Irish pub where we were joined by my German friend, Anna. There was a traditional Irish band playing and there was a great atmosphere. It was a very enjoyable evening and the main thing was that the girls got a photo of themselves to prove to all their old Erasmus friends from Belfast that they were in an Irish pub on St. Patrick’s Day! I left quite early
though to get some food with Anna in a kebab shop before we headed home. The great thing about Poznan is that you can get a tram or a bus in the centre all night, so there are no difficulties in getting home safely.


On Thursday I attended my Statistics class in the morning which I really do enjoy. I am the only one in the class with a mathematical background so it’s much easier for me than the rest I think. Apart from that, there’s the fact that I am the only one with English as a first language so I understand what the teacher is explaining when often the others do not. It’s a nice position to be in and I am learning lots about using computers to work with large amounts of statistical data. The teacher is a lovely person too which helps make the class worth attending, although I hate when the Spanish people talk over her loudly and talk to each other in Spanish when she is trying to explain something to them. Three out of the five students in the class are Spanish so they often have to explain things to each other in their own language. I just have to think of it as another opportunity to improve my Spanish!


I hadn’t seen my mentor, Natalia, in a few weeks and I felt it was time to meet up with her again so in the afternoon I went with her and her friend, Magda, to a quaint, little café where I had to choose from about twenty different types of hot chocolate! This always seems to be a problem for me here, but they are always good no matter! Unfortunately, this made me a little late for my ‘Environmental Sociology’ class from 4.30 to 6pm. This class is quite tiring because of the disenthralling content and the fact that we don’t really engage in the class, but somehow it seems to interest me at times and the people are interesting. That evening I got to catch up online with friends at home who I have not forgotten about! I really have to try hard to remain in touch with people at home when I’m so involved in new relationships here!
















During the day on Friday we had lovely weather, as you can see from some of these pictures around Poznan, and I spent a little too much time and money shopping in the city centre but after that I was invited to a German-themed dinner in the flat of another German friend. It was such a lovely evening when I felt like I was finally getting a good home-cooked meal. It was like a nice Sunday dinner at home only with German food and people! Our host, Maria, then taught me how to make big pancakes, since at home we usually make the smaller ones. We talked about our different cultures and laughed about the stereotypes we have in our home countries of each other! On the way home it was nice not to feel cold without layers and layers of clothes on which proved it is definitely getting warmer here. Spring is now upon us!


Every day at noon when the clock strikes twelve the goats on top of the town hall come out to crash horns. I had seen it before so I wasn’t very disappointed that I was late to meet Anna and Maria on Saturday in the old square (Stary Rynek). Once I arrived we went to the museum, Muzeum Historii Miasta Poznania, which displayed the history of the town of Poznan and, well, I liked the old photographs! Unfortunately it was raining when we came out of the museum so we had to find somewhere to eat quite quickly, but we didn’t! So after lots of exploration we found the traditional Polish restaurant we were looking for where I got some traditional Polish dumplings called ‘Pierogi’. It was like being in the home of an old Polish person which was very quaint, although it was a little too expensive and the service wasn’t great so I don’t think I’ll be going back any time soon! After eating we went shopping for a while together and then I went home for a short rest. In the evening I made good use of the tram service going back and forth, from home to Tesco then back to the Post office then back up to another dorm where I attended the birthday party of another Erasmus student, a Spanish girl, Irene. In the picture you will see a group of Turkish students that I'm friendly with here.

















I spent a busy Sunday as usual this week beginning with the International Church at 10am. We have just completed our 40 Days of Purpose series and I couldn’t believe that I had been part of the church for so long! I’m glad I got to be part of this whole series and partake in the small group associated with the Purpose Driven Life. After Church I was invited to the pastor’s house as part of the music group which I will be a part of. We were caught in a heavy rain shower on the way but the Taiwanese guys I was with, Canon and Tim, kindly let me have the umbrella so I was okay! At Pastor Richard’s house I got to experience something I never have before: Sushi! I was taught how to make it and how to eat it! I’m not sure if I will have it again but it was good to try it! I don’t think my body was prepared for raw fish though and I don’t even really like cooked fish all that much! After all the Sushi eating I was late for my small group so the pastor’s wife, Brooke, gave me a lift to the tram stop. The journey was very funny because their four year old girl kept forcing me to watch her children’s TV programme in the car! After getting two trams in the direction I was going the host of the house group collected me at the station so that I wouldn’t be any later. We had such a good discussion about the Good Samaritan and being led by the Holy Spirit to do things. I enjoyed it! We have a great time together and I love being a part of this family. Unfortunately I think next week will be the last session. After that I might join a men’s group which I heard about in church on Sunday. So that was my rather full week and the reason they are all going in so quickly! Have a good week yourselves!

Week 5: Monday 8th – Sunday 14th March 2010

Very shortly I will have been away from home for longer than I have ever been before and it makes me consider my last five weeks here. By now I feel quite at home here and I have to say that I am having a great time in Poland. I’ve nearly perfected my responses to ‘Why did you choose to come to Poland?’ and ‘Why don’t you drink?!’, the two questions which I’ve been asked more than any other and on numerous occasions! One thing I have learned is that Northern Ireland is a little world of its own. We have traditions and customs and a whole host of rules and morals that are simply unheard of and almost absurd among any other nationality. Leaving the country for this long has allowed me to see these things clearly and I am now at a point where I can make decisions about my life which could change it forever. I honestly do feel that my time here will change my life in ways that I could never have imagined. For this, I am very excited. I felt like I had to come to Poland (for reasons unknown to me) and I’m beginning to realise how crucial it was for me to come here, to meet the people that I’ve met and to change my life for the better! It all seems very deep and spiritual, and it is! I’m just so happy that I have come here and that I have time to make some big decisions about my life before I go back to normal life at home. Somehow when you are out of your comfort zone things become important to you that you didn’t notice before and you are forced to think through things that you haven’t had to in normal, everyday life. This is good for us. We should learn and grow in our lives, and sometimes we need to shake up life a bit in order to do this.


On a more practical note, what have I been doing the past week? I continue to lack motivation to learn Polish but it is coming along slowly now. I have plenty of people making sure I try to put it into practice and helping me with it. I also took part in a small Spanish conversation ‘class’ this week which encourages me to keep learning it, not that I need much encouragement with the Spanish, unlike with Polish! At one point this week I was called a ‘moving dictionary’ because everyone is trying to improve their English and I am the only native speaker around, 99% of the time! I enjoy this though and am more than happy to help. It is definitely a benefit here because it gives people an added incentive to speak to me, not that it’s the only reason they speak to me! I had the opportunity to help out with an English presentation for an English student, I helped English teachers with idioms in English and to know some differences between British and American English and I helped students understand films because most of the movies are in English with Polish subtitles.


On Thursday I had a busy evening which began with a Spanish ‘merienda’ with some friends. Afterwards I got to try some traditional Hungarian food at the birthday party of another Eramsus student where I got to develop further my friendships here with a group of internationals who have become the group I am usually with, although I love the fact that there are lots of different groups of people, Polish and otherwise, Erasmus and not, old and young, from different universities and different walks of life that I can spend time with and develop relationships with. That night I got to meet a whole new group of people who were very friendly, and not at all sober, when out in the very busy night-life of Poznan!! With students making up a fifth of the population you can hardly expect much else!


Later on that day (Friday) I was invited ice-skating by some Polish girls I had met back home in Belfast. It was such a great day! They are all lovely people and I had a great time with them. I feel very lucky (blessed!) to know so many Polish people because, although we’re in Poland, many of the Erasmus students will only ever spend time with other Erasmus students. As you will notice from the photos I am continuing to meet new people, which I just love, and the more people you know the more you get to know. However, I’m also very keen to build close, lasting friendships with certain people and I think I am on my way to making that happen.















On Saturday I learned how to use a washing machine (I know, shame on me!). In the evening I was out for dinner and then out for drinks in a favourite little place of mine with the Spanish group I like to hang out with. Many of us were yet to experience the Soviet-style bar where you can try on an array of different hats! It was something we just had to do… so we did, as you can see! Sunday was a little different this week as after my usual visit to church in the morning and small group in the afternoon I attended an ‘international dinner’ which was being held in the floor below in my halls. I experienced a lot of food from Turkey, Spain, Bulgaria, Finland and many more. It was the first time to see again many of the Erasmus ones who had been at the residential the weekend before and also to meet loads of new ‘Razzies’ and Poles. It was a fun night made all the better by the fact that I just had to go up a flight of stairs to get back to my room!


One thing I have left out from my week was my first visit to a school in Poland. It was so nice to be back in school and I had such a lovely morning. One difference is that classes here begin at 8am and that is the case in Primary schools too which means an early start for me in the morning on the days that I’m in school! The school I went to is a Christian school and I observed in the English classes of a friend of mine who had invited me along. The classes were quite small because of the private nature of the school but it allowed the teachers to have much more time for one to one teaching. The school was extremely welcoming and very pleased to have me, and I hope to go back and take a few lessons sometime. My main teaching block will take place shortly (I think) in Poznan International School. Here I will be able to teach the whole curriculum as everything will be taught in English. I look forward to writing about my experiences in school which should be coming to you soon!