Erin: Enjoy My Origin - Beginnings in Poznan, Poland

After the first four days in Poznań, Poland, I can finally say (and pronounce!) cseść [hello, in Polish] from one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen! The past few days have been an incredible adventure of traveling across several time zones, discovering a city that probably never would have been on my radar, meeting interns from all over the world, and trying to produce all kinds of new sounds in an attempt to communicate with people on the street!

The first weekend has consisted mainly of training our new group of 20 or so interns, spread across four fairly similar projects, and of helping us get our bearings in a foreign place. Among our group, we have interns from Singapore, China, the Philippines, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kenya. Several sessions with the LC in Poznan have introduced us to the Polish culture, and to the ins and outs of teaching in Polish schools. In between, we've gotten to hang out, have tons of laughs, explore the city around us, and get to know our new homes.

 

Starting in schools yesterday, I don't think anything could have prepared me for the welcome I'd receive from the teachers and children. Although most adults in the school (essentially everyone except for a couple of English teachers) speak no English, they have been so kind and helpful in showing us around. The English teachers we are working with are absolutely wonderful, helping us translate to their classes and connect with the kids, and giving us everything we could have wanted or needed. The kids themselves are really incredible too - so excited to see us and hear what we have to say. I think for many I am one of the first foreigners they have ever seen, and they are fascinated by this strange human being who looks differently from them and who doesn't understand their Polish! But as the other interns and I discussed as we caught up at a pub after work yesterday afternoon, the stories we'll have of the kids are really priceless. We've been asked for autographs, we've been forced to sing and dance, we've been stifled by crowds of kids all rushing to hug us, and we've even been offered small amounts of Polish money! Depending on the age of the kids, we're teaching them about our cultures and the countries we're from, along with encouraging them to learn and use more English. I teach anywhere from 1st to 6th grade, and while the older kids are really engaged and have lots of questions about America, the youngest ones are really much better served by hands on things like drawing. So they've been learning while making American flags in their notebooks! (Another strange realization -- our flag is great for this! A Polish flag, which is divided into two sections, red and white, is very simple to draw, but an American flag is a real challenge if you're 6!)

It's so interesting to me to see America through the eyes of everyone around me, both Polish and otherwise. The kids ask the funniest and strangest questions - if I have a husband, why America is so big, if it could beat Poland in a war, and if we all eat chips all the time! Maybe just as fascinating (or more so) is talking with the other interns about our homes. Every intern speaks English more or less fluently, so except for differences in accents we have not much of a problem communicating. But it's been so interesting finding out what people know, and don't know, about our country. It's been pointed out to me several times that I don't look like an American, too! I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that what a lot of people know, they know from TV shows, but I was also surprised to be asked multiple times, very specifically, if American high school is clique-y like in the movies. I hope that by the end of this trip, I will be able to show them that most Americans, like myself, are nothing like either Honey Boo Boo or Kim Kardashian! I certainly know that I feel a hundred times more knowledgeable about so many other places in the world now, too, just from hearing the way the interns have all presented their own backgrounds. It's truly an amazing feeling being able to connect with all these friends from all over the world, and find out our many similarities, and most surprising differences! (Example from training -- how many continents are there on Earth? I never would have thought that the answer could range anywhere from 5 to 7, depending on where you're from!)

My host family, too, has been so hospitable and welcoming. I live right now with a family in their small but beautiful apartment ('flat', if you're in Europe). They have two sons, ages 5 and 10, who have been so excited to meet me. The younger, Mateusz (the Polish version of Matthew, pronounced close to matoosh), is not yet conversational in English, but has discovered that we can connect via knowledge of Sesame Street and the Muppets! He walks around singing the Elmo Song over and over, and laughing with me. I was very impressed with the English skills of the older one, Michał (Polish for Michael, pronounced close to me-how), who told me stories last night over dinner of his relatives in Italy. My host parents, Johanna and Piotr, have been making traditional Polish dishes every evening and always making sure I have plenty to eat and drink, and am warm enough when I leave in the morning! They taught me last night about a whole host of Polish festivals and holidays, and a Polish custom in which every person celebrates not only his birthday, but also his 'name's day', which I guess in English is really closer to a Saint's Day. For example, on the day of St. Michael, all of the Michael/Michałs in Poland celebrate their name's day, and eat cake to celebrate! The days are prescribed by a book of Saints, and apply to most Polish people, who are a conservative group and have dominantly Biblical names. My host father said that he'd find an equivalent for Erin, and find me a name day so that I can come home and make my family celebrate it for me!

I'm confident that every day will bring more fun and lasting memories, stories to tell, and pictures to be taken. I've only been here for 4+ days, but I already feel so comfortable in this city, and I know the next six weeks will continue that trend. I'm sure as well that each day will bring more new realizations in the realm of culture shock and differences, and that each day I'll be more comfortable and confident in my growing repertoire of Polish phrases and words! I'm beyond excited for what the next few weeks will bring.