Reports Dutch Team
Students
Vera Bos
Lise Zijp
Nadia ten Hoeve
Elena Piters
Lotte van Noesel
Sophie Wolters
Carlijn Derksen
POLAND
4 Juni - 11 Juni
Lise Zijp
On sunday we arrived at the school in Święncany. It was around 2:30 PM and my host, Ania Jasiczek was waiting for me at the school. She is really nice and er parents were too.
On monday we went to the school. First we had the presentations from the different countrys. From the presentations we learned what for products each country has and how they are going to put it on the market. After the marketing presentations we were split into 4 groups. We had to go to a computer lab in the school and there we had to think about what the costs are for a Nike shoe. After that we had to chearch the costs on the internet. When we had the costs we went back to the aula to presentate our results. Almost all the results were different because it was so difficult to find the costs on the internet.
After the lunch we went home and a hour later we went to a Horse Stud. I didn't know what a Horse Stud was and I still don't know because we were too late so the guided tour was already finished. After we ate something we had a disco.
On tuesday we had to be at the school first and from there we went to a bigger school. At the bigger school we had a presentation/workshop from a professor. It was really fun because the class was split in 2 and then you had to find someone from the other side of the class to discuss what the price would be for bread, bread rolls and for doughnuts but the left side of the classrooms were bakers and the right side were the sellers. The bakers and the sellers both had to make as much profit as they could so they had to discuss a letter without knowing wat the price was on the other's paper. For the bakkers A was the best but for the sellers U was the best so they had to find a letter they both wanted. On the end you had to calculate your profit and then we had to look who had the most profit. I hadn't the best profit but I learned how I can discuss with people in the smartest way so I make more profit.
After the professor's speech we had workshops. In the workshop you leurned to calculate something with costs, profit and the money that you made but I didn't exactly know what we had to calculate and how. The teacher couldn't talk English so we needed someone to translate it and I still didn't understand much of it because the difficult words that were used.
On wednesday we went to Energylandia, a amusementpark. We didn't learn so much because the interview we should have was canceled, I don't know why.
On thursday we visited 3 factories; a factory where they make office furniture, a factory where they make wooden floors and a food factory where they make things like jam and candy. It was really interesting because we saw al the machines and I had never seen that before. I think the food factory was the most interesting because you could see the foos being transformed to thinks in bottles.
When we came home again we had 3 or 4 hours to make us ready for the disco we had at 6.
On friday we had a lesson about the break-evenpoint in the school. After the lesson we had to go in national teams and think about what all the loss would be to put our product on the market and think when we will achieve our break-evenpoint. After we calculated it, Sophie and Lotte presented it because every country had to give a presentation about it. What I learned from this is how to calculate the break-evenpoint when you only have a product and how to make a presentation from it in a really short time. After that we made pictures because it wass the last day al together. In the evening we went to a campfire with some people, but mostly I talked with my new friends from Slovenia.
On saturday we went to Auswitch. We didn't learned so much about it what had to do something with the Erasmus + project but we learned so much about what happend there in the second world war and it was super impressive. After Auswitch we ate something with the english and then dropped them off at the airport. Then we drove from the airport to the hotel and we been to a restaurant to drink something together. After that we bought
some food for sunday morning
and then we went to bed.
On sunday we had to wake up early because we had to be in the lobby at 4:15 AM. At 9:35 AM we arrived at Schiphol airport.
Experience Poland
The trip started at Schiphol. All packed we left our family and started the journey. I figured out that I really don’t like travelling by airplane. It made me sick and I was a little bit scared but I survived. After the two flights, we went to the small town by car.
When we arrived in the small town I thought it looked a little bit like Holland. When we drove a little deeper in town, it was the opposite. There were hills, bad roads and everyone was driving a car instead of a bike. My host, Ola, picked me up at the carpark and brought me home.
A little later I stepped into my host’s house. I was introduced to the parents, who didn’t speak English at all, and to the dog. The minute I got there I got a welcoming feeling. They were so nice and wanted to do everything to satisfy me. The first dinner was something like we have in Holland. Meat, potatoes and vegetables.
The next day we had to present our plans and listen to some other presentations. It wasn’t very interesting because we couldn’t follow what he was saying because he was talking fast.
In the days after Monday I met some new people. The boy next door became my 2nd host because my host had to work when I was doing things with Erasmus. The boy next door, named Konrad, was one of the nicest persons I have met in Poland. He was asking all day if I was alright or needed anything and he was really funny and happy with us being around. He liked Carlijn so we did some things together after the program with Erasmus.
In the evenings we mostly met other people from the project and ate some pizza or drank something. I liked that part of the day because you didn’t have to pay attention to something and just have fun.
On Wednesday we went to visit the amusement park Energylandia. For all the other people it was very special but for us, not really. There were some interesting attractions but not better than we have here in Holland. It was some people’s first time in a rollercoaster. It was really funny to hear them scream and have fun.
The next day we went to visit some companies. This was interesting because we could really see what is in factory’s. But sometimes we had to wait a really long time before we could do something so that was a little bit boring. Between two companies the Polish teacher decided to get an ice cream in a small town. It was really nice and I liked the small town. There were a lot of old and beautiful buildings around the square we were sitting at. A few hours later we were all invited to a school dance. The whole school from the project was there and it was really nice. There was a lot of dancing and meeting other people. For example all of Ola’s and Konrad’s friends who visited the dance for a while. I really liked the evening.
Friday was the official last day of the project. We did some work on our finances of our product and presented it to the rest of the students. After that we got a certificate and a lot of photos of each other. Konrad and Ola planned something for me in the afternoon. We went to this climbing park with some friends of them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go into the trees because of my knee but I really enjoyed looking at the other people being scared and struggling to reach the other side. When everybody was finished we went back to Ola’s home. Her parents had prepared a really nice BBQ with all of our friends and their hosts. There was a French girl, a French boy, a Turkish boy and there was me. It was really nice and I really had one of the greatest nights in my life with them. They were al so welcoming and nice. We were staying up till late and had a lot of fun.
The last day in Poland was impressive. First, I had to say goodbye to Ola and her family. She couldn’t come with us to Auschwitz because she had to work but Konrad did. Her family said that they loved me and they really want me to visit them again. Ola was even crying the whole time I was saying goodbye.
When we arrived at Auschwitz the mood was instantly serious. It was a little bit rainy and the light was grey so the atmosphere was really how it should be. Serious and sad. The first trip was very heavy. You could see all kind of things and we heard all kind of story’s. The most touching piece was for me the room with all the hair. It was a really big room filled with real hair what was shaved in the time of the second world war. I got tears in my eyes when I saw it and it really did something to my stomach. I can’t describe the feeling that you get in there. It is unreal.
The second part was less heavy. It was mostly in the open air and it was harder to imagine there what happened in that part of the camp. I am glad that we visited Auschwitz.
And then it was time to say goodbye to everyone and head to the hotel we were sleeping in that night.
It was a really great experience and I learned a lot about Poland. I had a great time and made a lot of new friends, who I still have contact with.
I didn’t want to leave, but when I saw my parents and friends again at the airport, I was happy that I was home.
Sunday 4 June
We had to get up really early and head to the airport. At 08:16 I arrived at the Schiphol airport. We checked in our luggage, got our boarding passes and walked to the gate. At 09:50 we got on the plane and flew to Warsaw. In Warsaw we needed to wait for our plane to Krakow.
When we landed, we drove for over two hours to the school in Swiecany. Our host was there waiting for us. My counterpart’s name was Paulina. She was glad to see us and then we drove to her house.
But it was a short drive because it was only 300 meters away. Wow! I already learned that Polish people drive everywhere – even if it’s only a couple of meters down the road!
The rest of the day we spent with Paulina’s friends walking around her neighbourhood and the local environment. But at some point we needed to go back because there was a storm coming up.
A memorial for a plane crash ( top politicians and advisors to Kaczyński were killed 2010 )
Monday 5 June
We had to be at school at 09:00
In school we had a welcome presentation. After the presentation Paulina and her friends guided us through the school. Their school is so different than ours in The Netherlands. It is way smaller and the classes are divided differently.
Their High School and junior high are combined. Polish children go to school when they are six years old and graduate when they are fifteen.
In the afternoon we went to visit some stables where they have a horse breeding programme. There were some problems so the bus stopped for over an hour because some people different countries forgot to change Euros into Zlotys (Polish money). Because of that we arrived an hour later than they had planned to and we missed the guided tour. There was no possibility to give us an extra tour.
I learned that sometimes being disorganised can have a big impact on a wider group of people.
We went inside for dinner. After that we went outside to the playground. It was hilarious. My friends came up with the strangest ideas for posing for photos. But not all of their ideas were worth sharing... We also made a group photo. But not everyone is on it.
After that we had a barbeque.
The definition of barbeque in Poland is very different than the definition of a bbq in The Netherlands. In The Netherlands a barbeque is with bread, a salad and lots of meat. Sometimes four or five different kinds.
When you barbeque in Poland, you cook a sausage (kiełbasa) above the fire on a long stick or skewer and eat it with some bread. There is no grill.
Then we all went inside for the disco.
At 22:17 we arrived back at school. Paulina’s dad picked us up and we headed back to Paulina’s house (which was 300 meters away) .
It’s so funny. In Poland they even go to school with the car while it’s only 300 meters away. Here in The Netherlands I have to cycle to school for over 9 km.
Tuesday 6 June
We went to an university.
At the university we had two workshops. One about negotiating. And one about economics.
After the two workshop we made another group photo.
Then we went to a shopping mall. In the shopping mall we could walk everywhere where we wanted to. We just had to be back at the entrance at 16:00.
Back at school we went to Paulina’s. We drove with the car to a restaurant. Her dad dropped us there and went back home. We went for a little hike with some other hosts and their exchange student guests. We walked to some really awesome mini lakes.
When we were back at the restaurant we ate pizza. They made way too much pizza, so every minute they walked by and they litterally shoved it on our plates.
Then we went back to Paulina’s.
Wednesday 7 June
Today we went to a theme park.
We were free to do whatever we wanted to and we could walk around as we liked. We just had to be back at the entrance at 16:00.
We had so much fun.
My friend didn’t really like theme parks or roller coasters so she just waited the whole day while we were in the roller coasters. We thought that it was so sad that she was hanging around doing nothing so we decided to drag her in to the wild water attraction. It was the only attraction she did that day and she got all wet.
Back at the entrance, a girl got stung on her ankle by some kind of insect. She had to go to the first aid department and that took a while. Back on the bus on our way to school, we needed to stop at the hospital for her ankle. We waited there for an hour before we continued our trip. A while later we needed to stop again because they had to get medicine at the pharmacy.
The trip from the theme park to school was planned for three and a half hours. Instead it took six hours.
I learned that despite the fact you may have planned the time so well, you can still be late for something or have things terribly delayed because of surprises.
Thursday 8 June
Today we went to some companies and local businesses.
At 09:04 we arrived at the first company. It was a company were they made office supplies. I didn’t really like this company. The guide walked too fast, so when he paused to explain something, not everybody was ready. He especially didn’t given enough explanation about how the different machines worked.
After that we had some time left, so we went for an ice cream at 11:20 in the morning.
The next business was a company where they made flooring. This company was really interesting. We could see the different steps in the production process and we got a good explanation of the various machines and how they worked.
Then we went to a restaurant for dinner.
When everyone was finished we went to a food factory. We got a guided tour and after the guided tour you could make your own sweets. Those sweets were way too sweet for me. Polish people are used to different kinds of flavours and what Dutch people might find too sweet, they just consider average.
Back at school, we went back to our host families and at 18:00 you had be back at school for the disco.
My friend and I were confused because everyone was sent outside and we wondered what was going on. Well apparently someone broke a window.
Friday 9 June
At school we had a presentation about a break-even point. This is a concept in economics. Then we needed to calculate our own break-even point and give a presentation about our calculation.
After the presentations, we had a closing ceremony and we had to fill in a survey.
At Paulina’s we ate lunch and we went to a history museum.
After the museum we went to a friend of Paulina’s. We had a barbeque and sat around the campfire playing the guitar.
The Polish people are so kind and generous.
I learned that the symbol of hospitality is food. The Polish host/ hostess will never leave you to sit there with an empty plate. They will fill it again, even if you already said for over five times you don’t have to eat anymore.
Saturday 10 June
Today we went to Auschwitz. A Nazi camp designed to exterminate the Jews and others.
This place made me think a lot. It made me realise what kind of awful things a human can do to another living creature.
We had to drive for four hours to Auschwitz. It was really interesting but also really sad.
We were divided in different groups. We walked through the camp and some people started crying. I was one of them.
One person walked around the camp as a zombie. He was shaking on his legs and it seemed like he could fall through his legs at any second.
In the bunkers the rooms were made to look just like they did during the war. There were beds, tables and even suitcases from the soldiers who lived there.
There was a room filled with hair of the people who were exterminated. The room was filled from the floor to the ceiling with hair and that was the only thing in the room.
There was also a room with shoes. Just like the room with the hair. It was filled from the floor to the ceiling. There were thousands of them.
After the first part of Auschwitz we went to a second camp. Some people couldn’t handle the first camp, so they stayed in the bus.
The second camp was so big.
The bunkers were really small. Smaller than a normal house. In those bunkers were 180 beds, with 5 to 6 people in one bed. That is 900 to 1200 people in one small little bunker. My whole school (1100 students) could fit in there.
It felt really strange to walk around in this camp because all those other people walked here 75 years ago.
Our guide told us about the selection process dividing the prisoners between life and death. It took place only 30 meters behind us. It was really easy.
Thumb to the left: You have to work in the camp
Thumb to the right: You’re going straight to the gas chambers; straight to your death.
Without any respect they lead these people to into their death.
It felt so real when I heard what our guide said about this. It felt like all those souls of these people were floating around this camp; around us.
The whole day we stayed in Auschwitz.
After Auschwitz we made another group photo and said goodbye to each other. This was the last time we could see our host families. One bus went to school and the other bus with the Dutch and the English people went to the airport.
On our way to the airport we decided to eat somewhere. So we went to a restaurant nearby the airport. We dropped the English people at the airport and went to a hotel.
We unpacked our bags and went to a café to drink something with the whole Dutch team.
At 00:15 we went to bed.
Sunday 11 June
At 03:10 the alarm clock went. We only had three hours of sleep. We weren’t even tired. At 04:12 we went to the airport.
At 05:20, we checked in and went on the plane.
At 09:31 we landed at Schiphol.
The first thing I noticed was my mother yelling my name. Of course everyone stared at me. I was no longer anonymous. I spoke the language and understood everything around me on the signs. On my way home I realised that the Netherlands is way more luxurious than Poland. We all drive expensive cars, whereas in Poland they drive in cars which could be 15 years old or older.
Our cities and villages are more crowded than in Poland. In the Netherlands there is no space between the houses. Holland is small. Poland is big. In Poland there is so much space between the houses that you can build an extra garage in between.
We were back in The Netherlands after a trip of six and a half hours! The only thing I had to do was drive home for another one and a half hours. It was a long day.
The evaluation of the exchange project in Poland by Vera Bos
Sunday, 4 June 2017
It was a long journey to Swięcany. The flight and the change of flight went very well and while we had the two hours bus tour to the school I enjoyed the view. We had a lovely welcome from the Polish girls and boys. Dagmara, the girl who was my host and Carlijn’s host, was very sweet. She showed us a town nearby and told us things about herself and the surroundings.
Monday, 5 June
We went to the school and we, and the other countries, showed our presentations. It was interesting, but it took a bit long. Then we had a long bus ride to visit a horse stud. I was very disappointed when I heard that the tour on the horse stud was cancelled, because we had so much delay. We had much fun on the playground and the barbeque was delicious. The disco was very fun as well.
Tuesday, 6 June
We went to a professional High School in Nowy Sacz. It was very interesting and fun to bargain with each other and learn how to get the highest profit. The shopping centre was very nice. When we got back, we went for a walk through the hills with other people from the exchange project and ate pizza. After that we had an improvised disco, it was very fun!
Wednesday, 7 June
This day was amazing. We had a three hours bus tour to Energylandia. It was a very long distance, but I thought it was worth it. I thought the time we had in the park was too short, but maybe that was because we had so much fun.
Thursday, 8 June
We visited different companies. One company was more interesting than the other. I thought the food processing company was the most interesting, because of the bites we’ve made and the tour in de fabric was very cool. The tours took not too long, but the English from the guides was not too well. The restaurant where we had dinner that day was very beautiful. The disco was very fun. It was nice that the people outside the exchange project were also allowed to come.
Friday, 9 June
We made and held a presentation about our product and the finances. I thought it was hard, a bit boring and we hadn’t a lot of time, so the answers weren’t quite right. After the presentations we had a typically Polish dish at Dagmara’s house. It was delicious. Then we went to a town nearby, climbed a tower and visited a local museum. That was very nice. In the evening we went to a barbeque with some other people from the exchange project, it was very fun and the view was amazing.
Saturday, 10 June and Sunday, 11 June
We went to Auschwitz. It was very impressive and I will never forget what I have seen. The tour took long, but not too long. After that we said goodbye to everyone, we went with a bus to a hotel nearby the airport. The next morning we flew back to the Netherlands and while we did the most of us slept or took a rest from the amazing days we had.
Conclusion
I thought it was a memorable week. I have met amazing new people and I have made friends. The distances we had to make were very long so that was something to get used to. I have seen beautiful places in Poland and I have learned many things, like polish words, food and history. Dagmara was very kind and spoke English very well. We had enough food and I have enjoyed the trips.
Thank you for this amazing week!!
Students
Vera Bos
Lise Zijp
Nadia ten Hoeve
Elena Piters
Lotte van Noesel
Sophie Wolters
Carlijn Derksen
POLAND
4 Juni - 11 Juni
Lise Zijp
On sunday we arrived at the school in Święncany. It was around 2:30 PM and my host, Ania Jasiczek was waiting for me at the school. She is really nice and er parents were too.
On monday we went to the school. First we had the presentations from the different countrys. From the presentations we learned what for products each country has and how they are going to put it on the market. After the marketing presentations we were split into 4 groups. We had to go to a computer lab in the school and there we had to think about what the costs are for a Nike shoe. After that we had to chearch the costs on the internet. When we had the costs we went back to the aula to presentate our results. Almost all the results were different because it was so difficult to find the costs on the internet.
After the lunch we went home and a hour later we went to a Horse Stud. I didn't know what a Horse Stud was and I still don't know because we were too late so the guided tour was already finished. After we ate something we had a disco.
On tuesday we had to be at the school first and from there we went to a bigger school. At the bigger school we had a presentation/workshop from a professor. It was really fun because the class was split in 2 and then you had to find someone from the other side of the class to discuss what the price would be for bread, bread rolls and for doughnuts but the left side of the classrooms were bakers and the right side were the sellers. The bakers and the sellers both had to make as much profit as they could so they had to discuss a letter without knowing wat the price was on the other's paper. For the bakkers A was the best but for the sellers U was the best so they had to find a letter they both wanted. On the end you had to calculate your profit and then we had to look who had the most profit. I hadn't the best profit but I learned how I can discuss with people in the smartest way so I make more profit.
After the professor's speech we had workshops. In the workshop you leurned to calculate something with costs, profit and the money that you made but I didn't exactly know what we had to calculate and how. The teacher couldn't talk English so we needed someone to translate it and I still didn't understand much of it because the difficult words that were used.
On wednesday we went to Energylandia, a amusementpark. We didn't learn so much because the interview we should have was canceled, I don't know why.
On thursday we visited 3 factories; a factory where they make office furniture, a factory where they make wooden floors and a food factory where they make things like jam and candy. It was really interesting because we saw al the machines and I had never seen that before. I think the food factory was the most interesting because you could see the foos being transformed to thinks in bottles.
When we came home again we had 3 or 4 hours to make us ready for the disco we had at 6.
On friday we had a lesson about the break-evenpoint in the school. After the lesson we had to go in national teams and think about what all the loss would be to put our product on the market and think when we will achieve our break-evenpoint. After we calculated it, Sophie and Lotte presented it because every country had to give a presentation about it. What I learned from this is how to calculate the break-evenpoint when you only have a product and how to make a presentation from it in a really short time. After that we made pictures because it wass the last day al together. In the evening we went to a campfire with some people, but mostly I talked with my new friends from Slovenia.
On saturday we went to Auswitch. We didn't learned so much about it what had to do something with the Erasmus + project but we learned so much about what happend there in the second world war and it was super impressive. After Auswitch we ate something with the english and then dropped them off at the airport. Then we drove from the airport to the hotel and we been to a restaurant to drink something together. After that we bought
some food for sunday morning
and then we went to bed.
On sunday we had to wake up early because we had to be in the lobby at 4:15 AM. At 9:35 AM we arrived at Schiphol airport.
Experience Poland
The trip started at Schiphol. All packed we left our family and started the journey. I figured out that I really don’t like travelling by airplane. It made me sick and I was a little bit scared but I survived. After the two flights, we went to the small town by car.
When we arrived in the small town I thought it looked a little bit like Holland. When we drove a little deeper in town, it was the opposite. There were hills, bad roads and everyone was driving a car instead of a bike. My host, Ola, picked me up at the carpark and brought me home.
A little later I stepped into my host’s house. I was introduced to the parents, who didn’t speak English at all, and to the dog. The minute I got there I got a welcoming feeling. They were so nice and wanted to do everything to satisfy me. The first dinner was something like we have in Holland. Meat, potatoes and vegetables.
The next day we had to present our plans and listen to some other presentations. It wasn’t very interesting because we couldn’t follow what he was saying because he was talking fast.
In the days after Monday I met some new people. The boy next door became my 2nd host because my host had to work when I was doing things with Erasmus. The boy next door, named Konrad, was one of the nicest persons I have met in Poland. He was asking all day if I was alright or needed anything and he was really funny and happy with us being around. He liked Carlijn so we did some things together after the program with Erasmus.
In the evenings we mostly met other people from the project and ate some pizza or drank something. I liked that part of the day because you didn’t have to pay attention to something and just have fun.
On Wednesday we went to visit the amusement park Energylandia. For all the other people it was very special but for us, not really. There were some interesting attractions but not better than we have here in Holland. It was some people’s first time in a rollercoaster. It was really funny to hear them scream and have fun.
The next day we went to visit some companies. This was interesting because we could really see what is in factory’s. But sometimes we had to wait a really long time before we could do something so that was a little bit boring. Between two companies the Polish teacher decided to get an ice cream in a small town. It was really nice and I liked the small town. There were a lot of old and beautiful buildings around the square we were sitting at. A few hours later we were all invited to a school dance. The whole school from the project was there and it was really nice. There was a lot of dancing and meeting other people. For example all of Ola’s and Konrad’s friends who visited the dance for a while. I really liked the evening.
Friday was the official last day of the project. We did some work on our finances of our product and presented it to the rest of the students. After that we got a certificate and a lot of photos of each other. Konrad and Ola planned something for me in the afternoon. We went to this climbing park with some friends of them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go into the trees because of my knee but I really enjoyed looking at the other people being scared and struggling to reach the other side. When everybody was finished we went back to Ola’s home. Her parents had prepared a really nice BBQ with all of our friends and their hosts. There was a French girl, a French boy, a Turkish boy and there was me. It was really nice and I really had one of the greatest nights in my life with them. They were al so welcoming and nice. We were staying up till late and had a lot of fun.
The last day in Poland was impressive. First, I had to say goodbye to Ola and her family. She couldn’t come with us to Auschwitz because she had to work but Konrad did. Her family said that they loved me and they really want me to visit them again. Ola was even crying the whole time I was saying goodbye.
When we arrived at Auschwitz the mood was instantly serious. It was a little bit rainy and the light was grey so the atmosphere was really how it should be. Serious and sad. The first trip was very heavy. You could see all kind of things and we heard all kind of story’s. The most touching piece was for me the room with all the hair. It was a really big room filled with real hair what was shaved in the time of the second world war. I got tears in my eyes when I saw it and it really did something to my stomach. I can’t describe the feeling that you get in there. It is unreal.
The second part was less heavy. It was mostly in the open air and it was harder to imagine there what happened in that part of the camp. I am glad that we visited Auschwitz.
And then it was time to say goodbye to everyone and head to the hotel we were sleeping in that night.
It was a really great experience and I learned a lot about Poland. I had a great time and made a lot of new friends, who I still have contact with.
I didn’t want to leave, but when I saw my parents and friends again at the airport, I was happy that I was home.
Sunday 4 June
We had to get up really early and head to the airport. At 08:16 I arrived at the Schiphol airport. We checked in our luggage, got our boarding passes and walked to the gate. At 09:50 we got on the plane and flew to Warsaw. In Warsaw we needed to wait for our plane to Krakow.
When we landed, we drove for over two hours to the school in Swiecany. Our host was there waiting for us. My counterpart’s name was Paulina. She was glad to see us and then we drove to her house.
But it was a short drive because it was only 300 meters away. Wow! I already learned that Polish people drive everywhere – even if it’s only a couple of meters down the road!
The rest of the day we spent with Paulina’s friends walking around her neighbourhood and the local environment. But at some point we needed to go back because there was a storm coming up.
A memorial for a plane crash ( top politicians and advisors to Kaczyński were killed 2010 )
Monday 5 June
We had to be at school at 09:00
In school we had a welcome presentation. After the presentation Paulina and her friends guided us through the school. Their school is so different than ours in The Netherlands. It is way smaller and the classes are divided differently.
Their High School and junior high are combined. Polish children go to school when they are six years old and graduate when they are fifteen.
In the afternoon we went to visit some stables where they have a horse breeding programme. There were some problems so the bus stopped for over an hour because some people different countries forgot to change Euros into Zlotys (Polish money). Because of that we arrived an hour later than they had planned to and we missed the guided tour. There was no possibility to give us an extra tour.
I learned that sometimes being disorganised can have a big impact on a wider group of people.
We went inside for dinner. After that we went outside to the playground. It was hilarious. My friends came up with the strangest ideas for posing for photos. But not all of their ideas were worth sharing... We also made a group photo. But not everyone is on it.
After that we had a barbeque.
The definition of barbeque in Poland is very different than the definition of a bbq in The Netherlands. In The Netherlands a barbeque is with bread, a salad and lots of meat. Sometimes four or five different kinds.
When you barbeque in Poland, you cook a sausage (kiełbasa) above the fire on a long stick or skewer and eat it with some bread. There is no grill.
Then we all went inside for the disco.
At 22:17 we arrived back at school. Paulina’s dad picked us up and we headed back to Paulina’s house (which was 300 meters away) .
It’s so funny. In Poland they even go to school with the car while it’s only 300 meters away. Here in The Netherlands I have to cycle to school for over 9 km.
Tuesday 6 June
We went to an university.
At the university we had two workshops. One about negotiating. And one about economics.
After the two workshop we made another group photo.
Then we went to a shopping mall. In the shopping mall we could walk everywhere where we wanted to. We just had to be back at the entrance at 16:00.
Back at school we went to Paulina’s. We drove with the car to a restaurant. Her dad dropped us there and went back home. We went for a little hike with some other hosts and their exchange student guests. We walked to some really awesome mini lakes.
When we were back at the restaurant we ate pizza. They made way too much pizza, so every minute they walked by and they litterally shoved it on our plates.
Then we went back to Paulina’s.
Wednesday 7 June
Today we went to a theme park.
We were free to do whatever we wanted to and we could walk around as we liked. We just had to be back at the entrance at 16:00.
We had so much fun.
My friend didn’t really like theme parks or roller coasters so she just waited the whole day while we were in the roller coasters. We thought that it was so sad that she was hanging around doing nothing so we decided to drag her in to the wild water attraction. It was the only attraction she did that day and she got all wet.
Back at the entrance, a girl got stung on her ankle by some kind of insect. She had to go to the first aid department and that took a while. Back on the bus on our way to school, we needed to stop at the hospital for her ankle. We waited there for an hour before we continued our trip. A while later we needed to stop again because they had to get medicine at the pharmacy.
The trip from the theme park to school was planned for three and a half hours. Instead it took six hours.
I learned that despite the fact you may have planned the time so well, you can still be late for something or have things terribly delayed because of surprises.
Thursday 8 June
Today we went to some companies and local businesses.
At 09:04 we arrived at the first company. It was a company were they made office supplies. I didn’t really like this company. The guide walked too fast, so when he paused to explain something, not everybody was ready. He especially didn’t given enough explanation about how the different machines worked.
After that we had some time left, so we went for an ice cream at 11:20 in the morning.
The next business was a company where they made flooring. This company was really interesting. We could see the different steps in the production process and we got a good explanation of the various machines and how they worked.
Then we went to a restaurant for dinner.
When everyone was finished we went to a food factory. We got a guided tour and after the guided tour you could make your own sweets. Those sweets were way too sweet for me. Polish people are used to different kinds of flavours and what Dutch people might find too sweet, they just consider average.
Back at school, we went back to our host families and at 18:00 you had be back at school for the disco.
My friend and I were confused because everyone was sent outside and we wondered what was going on. Well apparently someone broke a window.
Friday 9 June
At school we had a presentation about a break-even point. This is a concept in economics. Then we needed to calculate our own break-even point and give a presentation about our calculation.
After the presentations, we had a closing ceremony and we had to fill in a survey.
At Paulina’s we ate lunch and we went to a history museum.
After the museum we went to a friend of Paulina’s. We had a barbeque and sat around the campfire playing the guitar.
The Polish people are so kind and generous.
I learned that the symbol of hospitality is food. The Polish host/ hostess will never leave you to sit there with an empty plate. They will fill it again, even if you already said for over five times you don’t have to eat anymore.
Saturday 10 June
Today we went to Auschwitz. A Nazi camp designed to exterminate the Jews and others.
This place made me think a lot. It made me realise what kind of awful things a human can do to another living creature.
We had to drive for four hours to Auschwitz. It was really interesting but also really sad.
We were divided in different groups. We walked through the camp and some people started crying. I was one of them.
One person walked around the camp as a zombie. He was shaking on his legs and it seemed like he could fall through his legs at any second.
In the bunkers the rooms were made to look just like they did during the war. There were beds, tables and even suitcases from the soldiers who lived there.
There was a room filled with hair of the people who were exterminated. The room was filled from the floor to the ceiling with hair and that was the only thing in the room.
There was also a room with shoes. Just like the room with the hair. It was filled from the floor to the ceiling. There were thousands of them.
After the first part of Auschwitz we went to a second camp. Some people couldn’t handle the first camp, so they stayed in the bus.
The second camp was so big.
The bunkers were really small. Smaller than a normal house. In those bunkers were 180 beds, with 5 to 6 people in one bed. That is 900 to 1200 people in one small little bunker. My whole school (1100 students) could fit in there.
It felt really strange to walk around in this camp because all those other people walked here 75 years ago.
Our guide told us about the selection process dividing the prisoners between life and death. It took place only 30 meters behind us. It was really easy.
Thumb to the left: You have to work in the camp
Thumb to the right: You’re going straight to the gas chambers; straight to your death.
Without any respect they lead these people to into their death.
It felt so real when I heard what our guide said about this. It felt like all those souls of these people were floating around this camp; around us.
The whole day we stayed in Auschwitz.
After Auschwitz we made another group photo and said goodbye to each other. This was the last time we could see our host families. One bus went to school and the other bus with the Dutch and the English people went to the airport.
On our way to the airport we decided to eat somewhere. So we went to a restaurant nearby the airport. We dropped the English people at the airport and went to a hotel.
We unpacked our bags and went to a café to drink something with the whole Dutch team.
At 00:15 we went to bed.
Sunday 11 June
At 03:10 the alarm clock went. We only had three hours of sleep. We weren’t even tired. At 04:12 we went to the airport.
At 05:20, we checked in and went on the plane.
At 09:31 we landed at Schiphol.
The first thing I noticed was my mother yelling my name. Of course everyone stared at me. I was no longer anonymous. I spoke the language and understood everything around me on the signs. On my way home I realised that the Netherlands is way more luxurious than Poland. We all drive expensive cars, whereas in Poland they drive in cars which could be 15 years old or older.
Our cities and villages are more crowded than in Poland. In the Netherlands there is no space between the houses. Holland is small. Poland is big. In Poland there is so much space between the houses that you can build an extra garage in between.
We were back in The Netherlands after a trip of six and a half hours! The only thing I had to do was drive home for another one and a half hours. It was a long day.
The evaluation of the exchange project in Poland by Vera Bos
Sunday, 4 June 2017
It was a long journey to Swięcany. The flight and the change of flight went very well and while we had the two hours bus tour to the school I enjoyed the view. We had a lovely welcome from the Polish girls and boys. Dagmara, the girl who was my host and Carlijn’s host, was very sweet. She showed us a town nearby and told us things about herself and the surroundings.
Monday, 5 June
We went to the school and we, and the other countries, showed our presentations. It was interesting, but it took a bit long. Then we had a long bus ride to visit a horse stud. I was very disappointed when I heard that the tour on the horse stud was cancelled, because we had so much delay. We had much fun on the playground and the barbeque was delicious. The disco was very fun as well.
Tuesday, 6 June
We went to a professional High School in Nowy Sacz. It was very interesting and fun to bargain with each other and learn how to get the highest profit. The shopping centre was very nice. When we got back, we went for a walk through the hills with other people from the exchange project and ate pizza. After that we had an improvised disco, it was very fun!
Wednesday, 7 June
This day was amazing. We had a three hours bus tour to Energylandia. It was a very long distance, but I thought it was worth it. I thought the time we had in the park was too short, but maybe that was because we had so much fun.
Thursday, 8 June
We visited different companies. One company was more interesting than the other. I thought the food processing company was the most interesting, because of the bites we’ve made and the tour in de fabric was very cool. The tours took not too long, but the English from the guides was not too well. The restaurant where we had dinner that day was very beautiful. The disco was very fun. It was nice that the people outside the exchange project were also allowed to come.
Friday, 9 June
We made and held a presentation about our product and the finances. I thought it was hard, a bit boring and we hadn’t a lot of time, so the answers weren’t quite right. After the presentations we had a typically Polish dish at Dagmara’s house. It was delicious. Then we went to a town nearby, climbed a tower and visited a local museum. That was very nice. In the evening we went to a barbeque with some other people from the exchange project, it was very fun and the view was amazing.
Saturday, 10 June and Sunday, 11 June
We went to Auschwitz. It was very impressive and I will never forget what I have seen. The tour took long, but not too long. After that we said goodbye to everyone, we went with a bus to a hotel nearby the airport. The next morning we flew back to the Netherlands and while we did the most of us slept or took a rest from the amazing days we had.
Conclusion
I thought it was a memorable week. I have met amazing new people and I have made friends. The distances we had to make were very long so that was something to get used to. I have seen beautiful places in Poland and I have learned many things, like polish words, food and history. Dagmara was very kind and spoke English very well. We had enough food and I have enjoyed the trips.
Thank you for this amazing week!!