Dzień dobry! Manon here, and today I want to share with you how I feel after living for almost four months in Kraków!
So much has happened since I arrived that I feel like life here is happening in fast-forward. That is why I want to take the time today to reflect on what I learned, noticed, and enjoyed here.
The first thing coming to my mind and that I find funny is the fact that we, IntegrART volunteers, share the same flat, and because we all speak a different language, our common one is English. I like the fact that it puts us all on an equal footing, in the sense that it is the means by which we all communicate and live together. I know it sounds obvious, but to me, who lived in two English-speaking countries, I actually speak way more English here in Poland, because I am not surrounding by French-speaking people… Here, from the moment I open my eyes to the moment I close them, my brain is wired in English.
And linked to that, I also noticed an improvement in Polish! Thanks to the lessons we had and to the immersion in Polish life, I now speak fluently.
… Of course not (I wish), but I now feel more confident in daily interactions, like ordering a coffee or going to the grocery shop. I also know the city better, and I was even able to guide tourists who asked me for directions without using Google Maps (I am proud of this one because I have a terrible sense of direction). As a matter of fact, one of the biggest change for me is that I feel like I’m a part of the life here, and getting confident navigating the city and the people. I am also getting to know Poland in deeper ways. First by traveling and discovering new cities, regions and landscapes. Here are pictures of the places I’ve been to:
I particularly liked Gdańsk and its surroundings, because I spend a day on Sobieszewska Island, walking through the bird reserve (Ptasi Raj) and seeing for the first time the Baltic Sea.
And the second way I discover and understand Poland is through the voices of its people. I would say that foreigners coming to a new country have a tendency to interact only with international people (which makes sense, I do it too), but one of the aspect I value the most in this volunteering and that I try to consolidate is to learn from Polish people. Surprisingly, I started to understand more the Polish culture during my… French conversations. I meet every two weeks with people (mostly Polish) who learned French and want to practice. At first we talked about “francophone” cultures and why they all shared this interest for French, but quickly we began sharing about the common points, differences, and the many links between our countries and cultures (one funny example is the Studniówka here in Poland, which is a ball for final grade secondary school students, and it takes place a hundred days before the leaving exam, and in my region in France we celebrate the Percent also a hundred days before the leaving exam, and during which we dress up and parade through the streets asking passersby for money to finance the party the following night). These sessions are really special to me as I always leave with a better understanding of Polish culture and mindset. It also allows me to put my own preconceived ideas and perceptions of history into perspective, so that is why I am grateful to the people who confide in me about their country and life.
Finally in these four months I got to enjoy fully the volunteer life. First at work, where I led several workshops and French conversations, and also took on the legacy of the International Board Games Event! I am gaining confidence in myself to share what I know and love to do. It’s really great to meet so many different people, from 5 to 80 years old, who share common passions, and it’s even more amazing to see connections forming between these different groups!
And last but not least, I shared precious moments with other volunteers. First of course as part of IntegrART:
–But also with other European volunteers in Poland. For instance I met really cool people during the training week we had in Warsaw, as part of the European Solidarity Corps, and then we kept in touch and got to see each other in our respective cities. That’s how Guilherme and I went to Wrocław for the event of one of the volunteer I met in Warsaw, and we ended up coming back to Kraków with two other volunteers we had met just two days before. Yep, we definitely are making the most out of the volunteering life!
So, to sum up, I love these slightly out of time and spontaneous moments that volunteering allows, and I know these are memories I will cherish for life.
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