POLAND

My stay abroad has come to an end and despite being happy to head home and to continue with my studies I also feel a certain sadness leaving the place and the people I met here. Gdansk is an incredibly interesting city, shaped by the folks living, working and studying there. There were only a few days during the last 5 months which were not accompanied by getting insights into the life here and gaining new experiences.

One special aspect of my stay abroad was the fact that I could reconnect with my home culture again and at the same time learn new things about Polish people and their country. Improving my Polish language skills was only one of my goals I had during my stay abroad. What I got to know is a vibrant culture with a huge heritage and at the same time heading towards the future quicker as I would have expected.

What left a big impression on me was how open-minded and versatile Polish people, especially the younger ones are. The culture, in Gdansk is strongly influenced by the younger generation in the city. This is highly visible by all the various cafes, bars, shops and festivals. One can’t deny that Poles are motivated and open for new approaches in social and cultural matters. When I was interacting with my colleagues from the university or my flatmates, I was astonished by their way of thinking and their openness and somehow surprised by the fact that I don’t know that much about the people here.

However, there were situations where the picture I had in my mind before my departure manifested itself into reality. Even if most of the prejudices are not completely correct, they do contain a grain of truth.

First: I knew before that Polish people are very proud; especially when it comes to their historical heritage and their determination of enduring the hardships during the country’s history. Encounters with the media, experiences during lectures and visits to the museums, etc..) confirmed the pictures in my head. Polish historical figures are extremely glorified, much more than what I have ever seen in other countries (By the way, Marie Curie is mainly called here by her maiden name Skłodowska) and monument protection has a high priority (visible for example by the four conservation classes I had to take during the semester). The proudness of the poles is tied to their traditions and their rich history. Proudness can also just be caused by the Polish cuisine (which is indeed very tasty) and achievements in sports (which some people even see as historical events).

Second: Polish people love to drink and eat (sometimes a lot). I experienced this already by visiting my family, but even here, in a rather up to date city like Gdansk, eating and drinking are central aspects of life. Celebrations like the welcome or farewell in my apartment or Christmas was always accompanied by alcoholic drinks and tasty food. The long shelves of different kinds of beverages at the shops as well as all the traditional dishes or their experimental variations offered in take-aways is a prove for me how important this is for Poles

Third: I must return to the matter of language, because it played a huge role during my stay abroad. Poles are not shy, but they feel more confident in speaking Polish than another language. However, I believe this is true for most people of any nationality or language. I have observed that despite being nice and helpful towards students from other countries, the conversations with my Polish lecturers or colleagues went so much smoother and were less formal when conducted in Polish. I even got the feeling that they are more confident in presenting their opinions and more open for jokes if they speak their native language.

Firstly, I thought this reserved behaviour is tied to the Poles sceptical and careful approach towards things that are foreign and unknown. Now I believe this is mainly tied to the issue of self-confidence and ability to speaking in a foreign language.

To sum up, being Polish and growing up with the culture, already gave me an insight into the life of my fellow compatriots. However, the stay in Gdansk and Poland in general gave me new insights. Some aspects were not new for me but others changed the way of how I think about the Polish people and their culture, which in some aspects is mine too.

At this point I would love to thank my colleagues, friends and other people I met, no matter if from Poland or abroad, for helping me to get around and making my experiences here so wonderful and fruitful. I am very glad to have lived here in Gdansk and grateful for all adventures I experienced in this country. I can be sure that after my stay abroad the next visit to Poland will never be the same as before.

But until then I can only say: Dziękuję i do zobaczenia!

Ewelina Langer