I only have two days left here in Katowice, a city in Silesia in southern Poland with a population of two million. It feels like I just got here yesterday. In reality, it's been a little less than six weeks. My project involves working at a social center with teenagers from the ages of thirteen to twenty. Responsibilities include overseeing and participating in the activities that the teens partake in, such as playing board games, watching movies, cleaning, and preparing and cooking meals. In addition, I also spend time trying to teach the kids as much English as I possibly can.
When I first arrived a mere six weeks ago, I knew how to say a grand total of two words in Polish, the words for yes and no. When I asked Polish people for directions or something of the sort, my questions in English received varied responses. Some people just stared at me. Others smiled but shook their heads, indicating their lack of understanding. The ones who did speak some English became really excited and were eager to help in any way possible. One of my most memorable early encounters occurred with the owner of a little store. I had a huge headache and was desperately searching for medicine. I couldn't find it in the store so I decided to ask the lady if they had any. Since she didn't speak English, I tried my best to use hand gestures to get her to understand me. It failed. As I was about to give up and leave the store, she called me back and pulled out a Polish to English dictionary. Thankfully, I succeeded in getting the medicine.
At my work place, there are three teachers. Two of them understand English but are afraid to speak it, while one has good English. Initially, she served as translator whenever I wanted to say anything to the children. I made it my goal to learn how to say a few Polish phrases each day in order to be able to somewhat communicate with them. The kids love to hear me speak Polish and it also in a way motivated them to learn some English. Even though six weeks is definitely not enough time to become fluent in Polish, now I know many useful phrases and can get my way around here.
A highlight at my work place occurred last week. It was one of the boy's birthdays. Lukasz was turning seventeen. Emily, an intern from China who I work with, and I decided to get him a little present. As he is a huge fan of the Barcelona soccer team, we got him a Barcelona wall clock. He was surprised but very happy when we gave it to him. Emily and I thought that this was the end of the surprises for the day. We were wrong. As soon as we gave him his gift, the teachers and kids gave us a surprise. They gave us a shirt that everyone had signed, a bracelet, and a necklace. They even made us a delicious cake. Everyone there is extremely kind and they wanted to do something for us so that we wouldn't forget them. I never will.
With only two days left, I want to make the most of them and add to the million memories I have already made. It sure has been an amazing ride.
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