Second working visit in Poland

Day 1
Friday - 19.09.2014
Preparation for the next working visit to Poland comes to an
end. Everything is ready for the arrival of our guests from
Spain. With joy and a touch of anxiety we went by bus to
the airport in Warsaw. With colorful banners, balloons and
national flags of Spain and Poland painted on our cheeks we
waited for our partners. After a few minutes we saw smiling
faces coming out. It was so good to be together again.We
couldn`t stop hugging, talking and taking pictures. Then we
spent two hours travelling to Zbuczyn. We couldn`t stop
talking, because there were so many topics to be discussed.
Luckily, we had the whole 10 days of working visit in front of
us. Zbuczyn greeted our Spanish guests with a lovely
weather and the open hearts of host families.

Day 2
Saturday - 20.09.2014
Saturday morning wasn`t the easiest.The reason? After a
long night talks we were very tired. But every Comenius
Team member follows the rulesand regulations, so ... there
was no otherchoice but toget upandrunto school.Instead
ofthe traditionaltour ofthe town we invited our partners to
take part in an orienteering game Discovering Zbuczyn.
Divided into four mixed groups we were asked to get to main
points of the town (using the maps): electronic store
Dragon, florist`s, local pharmacy, fire station, industrial
and contractions store and a local stadium. In each point
there were various tasks waiting for us, such as: the
purchase of different things (the Spanish had to speak
Polish, which was not easy), transport of goods, putting on
the fireman`s uniform and sports competitions. After
getting back to school Comenius group leaders were asked to
report the travel route, show purchased items and the
money left after shopping. The winners received prizes and
medals. The next stage of the integration game was a visit
to a historical church in Zbuczyn. And finally, we were
invited for a meal to a local pizzeria. After the first helping,
we started the Polish lesson.It wasn`t easy to repeat Polish
names of dishes and food products. The Spanish were
surprised that we have no siesta in Poland. After a delicious

pizza we went home and had a rest before evening meetings

and long conversations. We have to admit that the first day
of our visit was very tiring.

Day 3
Sunday 21.09.2014
It is time to show our partners how Polish families spend
time together, to present Polish traditions and show the
most beautiful places in our region. Spanish guests were
taken

to

different

locations.These

included:

Lublin,

Kazimierz, Warszawa, Batw, etc. Sunday was also the day

of the subsequent intensive Polish language lessons for the
Spanish students. And in the evening? Polish and Spanish
Comenius Club members watched the match Poland Brazil,
during the final of the Volleyball World Cup. We are
convinced that thanks to our Comenius support Polish team
won the game. Bravo!!!

Day 4
Monday 22.09.2014
The time of the official welcome ceremony has come. In the
school gym the students and teachers waited for our
Comenius guests with many Polish and Spanish flags.
According to the Polish custom, guests were welcomed with
the bread and salt by the school`s headmistress, the Mayor
of Zbuczyn and the parish priest. They were accompanied by
representatives ofComenius Club members dressed in
regional costumes.The event was honored by the scouts, who
brought Polish and Spanish flags. The national anthems of
both partner countries were played.
Next we moved to the local Cultural Centre to take part in a
Karaoke European Song Festival. All the guests and students
had the opportunity not only to hear the most beautiful
English, Spanish and Polish songs, but also to dance and sing
together. The hit of the event was Macarena. The winners
of the Festival were members of the Spanish Comenius Club.
Congratulations!!!!
After a very absorbing and exhausting musical event we
went for dinner. Unfortunately, there wasn`t time for a long
conversation, as the school community was waiting for the
guests. Spanish partners presented videos on Spain,
Extremadura region, and their town and school.

Next, the Polish students took their partners for a short

tourof the school building. The most touching were meetings
with elementary school students who were spontaneously
expressing their joy and asking many questions about Spain.
The guests loved the exhibition on Poland and Spain,
prepared specially for the working visit.
Finally, we started our workshop at the school`s library.
The

coordinators

divided

the

students

into

four

international groups that were supposed to design and make

the cover of the book guide to Poland and Spain, which will
be the final product of the project. Photos show the results
of

our

hard

work.

Very tired we went to homes to have a little rest and to

continue our Polish-Spanish less formal meetings.

Day 5
Tuesday 23.09.2014
At six o`clock in the morning we gathered at the school
yard ready to go on a two-day trip to the heart of PolandCracow .We wanted to show our partners this beautiful city
with a thousand-year tradition, the former seat of Polish
kings

and

important

European

metropolis.

At around 3p.m. the whole group was in the heart of Cracowthe Main Market Square, which is listed on the first
UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had the opportunity to
hear the Heynal (bugle call) played to the four quarters of

the globe for over six hundred years from the tower ofSt.
Mary's Basilica.The tourist guide told us the legend
associated with the bugle call. Spanish students and
teachers admired souvenirs and handicrafts exhibited in the
Cloth Hall. We also showed our visitors a second (after the
University of Prague) oldest institution of higher education
in Central Europe- Jagiellonian University. St. Nicholas
Copernicus or Saint Pope John Paul II studied there. We
presented the Wawel Royal Castle, too. Our journey through
the city completed a photo with the Wawel Dragon on the
bank of the Vistula River.
In the evening, we went to the guesthouse in Poronin to
work on the chapter of our book on the most beautiful
places in Poland and Spain. We couldn`t forget about
Cracow.
At the end of the day the hosts invited us to a barbecue
with Polish sausages and cheese called oscypki(after all,
we were in the mountains). Everyone sang joyfully Polish and
Spanish songs and practiced new words in both languages.
Late at night we had to say "Buenas noches" and go for a
well-deserved rest.

Early in the morning, after a quick breakfast we went to

admire the beauty of the Polish winter capital-Zakopane.We
took our guests there not only to show our ski jump

champions, but mainly because the Zakopane is a famous

cultural center, since the nineteenth century, visited and
inhabited by such famous figures of Polish literature as
Henryk Sienkiewicz, Stanislaw Witkiewicz, Stefan Zeromski,
Kazimiez Przerwa- Tetmajer, Jan Kasprowiczor Stanisaw
Ignacy Witkiewicz. First, the tourist guide took us to the
baroque wooden church, and then to the cemetery Pksowy
Brzyzek. We saw the graves of Kornel Makuszyski,
Kazimierz Przerwa Tetmajer or Stanislaw Witkiewicz
there.During the tour, our guide told us many stories and
facts about great artists of Polish literature. We finished
our trip to Zakopane by getting to the top of Gubawka
mountain and admiring the stunning views of the Tatra
Mountain. During the lunch break we found time to practice
Polish and Spanish. After a short shopping break at
Krupwki we started our return journey to Zbuczyn. In fact,
it took place in silence, because everyone immediately fell
into a deep sleep.

Day 7
Thursday 25.09.2014
After two days of travelling were turned back to Zbuczyn.
It was time to make our guests feel like the students and
take them to the lessons. It was an extraordinary
experience for the Spanish, but also Poles, who asked many

questions about school, lessons, timetables, extra activities

or holidays in Spain.
After the break, we started project`s work in the school`s
library. It was the next chapter of our final product the
book about Poland and Spain. We had a lot of ideas of the
way to present the materials in the book, so there were
many discussions and compromises involved. Project`s work
teaches us presentation and discussion skills and finding
common solutions. Nowadays, they are very important skills.
We finished our hard work with the typical Polish dinner.
Afterwards, we continued selecting materials for the book.
In the evening we met again at school, but not for work but
for the integration. There was a disco with European hits
organized by our coordinators. We also found time for
another Polish lesson and quizzes related to European
literature. After several hours of physical and intellectual
dreams we went home to rest.

Day 8
Friday 26.09.2014
Not to let the guests from Spain forget that they are
students we take them for three lessons with our
classes.There area variety subjects, but it's the same
feeling: it`s so cool to study in an international company.

After lunch we meet again in the school library to work on

our guide-book. We have to discuss every detail to make
sure that the final product of our project satisfies even the
most demanding reader. In the afternoon the headteacher
of our school handed certificates of participation in the
meeting for our Spanish partners. We take a final photo
together and go on a short trip to Siedlce and then go to
the bowling alley. It was fun. And in the evening we took
part in an international meetings at home.

Day 9
Saturday 27.09.2014
Unfortunately, our working visit in Poland almost comes to
an end. We will have to say "goodbye" soon. In the
morningwe

meet

atthe

school

forthe

lastproject`s

workshop. We discuss the details ofthe project`s tasks, the

way of communication and documentation of our actions as
well as the promotion of our project. Students from Spain
fill in the evaluation questionnaires and we head for the last
trip to Warsaw. We discover the most interesting places of
our capital: the Royal Castle, azienki Palace on the lake, the
Old Town, the Palace of Culture and Science and the
National Stadium. We also had a meeting with the Warsaw
Mermaid. Our guests loved the Warsaw legends about
WarsandSawa, basilisk, golden duck and a mermaid.

Watching the monumentsof Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz

Sowackiand Stefan eromski we talked about Polish
literature the most outstanding artists and their work.
Warsaw

tour

was

the

culmination

of

our

project`s

discussions on Polish literature, writers and the history of

our country.

Day 10
Sunday 28.09.2014
It's time to say goodbye. What can we say? There were a
lot of tears, hugs and assurance that the visit was very
successful and it should be repeated as soon as possible.
A whole Comenius adventure was possible thanks to the
European

funds

from

"Lifelong

Learning

Programme".

There`s just one thing left to say:"THANK YOU !!!!!"