We woke up and got dressed in business casual attire to meet the future President of the University as well as a Dean. When we arrived at the campus, I tried to absorb as much as I could about the appearance. It was very different from Illinois State on the outside. It was not as colorful, alive, or inviting. However, as soon as you walk through the doors of a building, the inside mimics U.S. colleges. The halls are filled with classroom doors and there are a few main places for students to sit and study or relax. It was nice that we were given a tour of some of the building on the first day because it really laid out the ideas of how the University ran. It was interesting just to compare and contrast the facilities and how they function.
Here is a picture of the campus:
As we made our way to the room where we would meet the future President, I was a little anxious. Inside the room, china cups and saucers awaited us to fill them with tea or coffee. Many of us practically fought over the coffee due to the jet lag and overall lack of sleep. The meeting was a lot of formal information. There was a powerpoint followed by many thanks from our group for allowing us to come and stay in their town. After the meeting, we went to a lecture that was done by the Dean.
This was probably my favorite lecture because it really showcased the Dean's intelligence. It was our first lecture in Poland, but I could already tell that the Professors have a very high standard for learning. I also took note of how difficult it must have been to put together a lecture in English. The lecture was so easy to understand and had about as many errors as any American would make just due to typos. I was really taken aback with the thought of how much time this might have taken.
When the lecture was finished, we went to eat and change clothes for our next class. Our first physical class was on a cloudy and windy day. We were going to participate in a track and field class outdoors. I wasn't the most thrilled about this simply because I have a sciatic nerve issue in my left leg. However, this was the first opportunity to mingle with the students, and I didn't want to be the only one sitting out. Right before we went to go on the field, we were stopped by two people with a video camera from a news channel. We were asked to give small interviews and to say a few lines for the camera. This was a very unusual experience, but I got used to it as the trip and interviews went on. So, after the interview, we went to the class. The teacher spoke in Polish, but a few students translated for us. He was also good about showing demonstrations so we understood just by the demos. I have never done track and field so this was a fun experience. Although I couldn't do every move because of my leg, but the end of it I felt very accomplished. I did what I could and I even had fun doing it! At one point in the class we got split up into teams for a relay. Oh my gosh I was so happy that Katie (my roommate) was also on my team. If it hadn't been for her I would have had no idea what to do!
I know this post is starting to get long, but this was a LONNNGGGG day in Poland!
After the class, we had a little down time to shower and get ready for the evening. We were to meet for a tour at 6:30 that would lead us to our dinner. At 8 pm we had a dinner with some of the University members and the students that were with us. We were given four Polish students to travel with us which was amazing! If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have had half the experiences that we did! Anyways, so the dinner was at 8 pm. We went on an hour long tour beforehand, and it was so beautiful! Piotr, our guide from the University was giving the tour to us. He knew a lot about the city which was an advantage to us. We found out a few little things that normal tours don't know just because of his knowledge. After the tour, we arrived at the restaurant and to my surprise, wine was included free with the meal! Now I don't really drink that much, but I was just shocked to see that what would be $8 in the U.S. was free with a nice dinner! After reading the menu, I was very excited to try dinner! The appetizer was a beet soup (pictured below) and we got to chose from three main courses. I chose pasta with salmon, sun-dried tomatoes and a sauce. It was amazing!!! I also enjoyed the soup, but only in a small amount. The dinner was nice because everyone was truly talking to one another like we had known each other all of our lives.
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