Michelle Rykojc
August 19, 2008

POLISH EXPERIENCE PROGRAM

As my first year of college came to an end, the topic of conversation was summer
vacation.The most common response to the question, "What are your plans this summer?"
was "Working two jobs abd hopefully catching up on some sleep." I, on the other hand,
was an exception. In deciding to take part of the Polish experience scholarship, I
would be spending a majority of my summer abroad. I didn't know what to expect but
this was an offer I could not refuse.

As soon as I arrived in Torun, I was introduced to all the people in the program.
We couldn't have been more diverse. Our ages ranged from 18 to late 70's and on top
of that we all came from different countries. Sometimes there was a language barrier
because not everyone spoke English and Polish. Despite the diversity, we all came
together and got along great. I now have friends in Italy, Serbia, France and Ukraine
who were all kind enough to welcome me to their homes if I ever wanted to visit.
Living in Torun for those three weeks allowed me to futher understand Polish culture
and the culture of other countries.

The objective of the trip was to improve our Polish. To make sure our goals were met,
we took a placement test that separated us into our levels. I was placed in the
intermediate-advanced group and all of our lessons were taught in Polish.
Classes lasted 5 hours and we met Monday through Friday. The topics convered include
Polish history, grammar, literature and communication. I enjoyed the history classes
most but found them all helpful.

The other half of the program focused on exposing us to the Polish culture. This was
accomplished through weekend getaways to Gdansk, Melbork and Gniew. In Gdansk we had
a tour of the city, did some shopping, and soaked our toes in the Baltic sea as we
walked one of Gdansks' beautiful beaches. I found Gdansk to be very similar to Torun.
Melbork and Gniew are cities known for their enormous castles where I shot some of my
best photos. On top of the weekend trips, our teachers organized events and trips during
the week. Some of these events included the planetarium and the gingerbread museum.
My favorite event was definitely when we went to the fort outside of Torun and had a
bonfire. Everyone from the group was there and together we roasted hot dogs, sang Polish
songs and danced around the campfire. I will honestly never forget that night.

What I really liked about the program was that we were allowed to plan our trip and
airfare ourselves. All that mattered was that we were in Torun in time for classes.
I took advantage of this and stayed with family friends in Warsawa. It was my first time
there and I loved everything about it. I was most surprised at the adversity in the city
and I'm not just talking about the people. Warsawa consists of dense green parks, the old
town, and a hectic metropolitan downtown. After hearing so much about the capital it was
great to experience the city on my own. After classes in Torun were completed, I
headed south to Swiebodzice to see my family. The flexibility of the Polish experience
program really was great.

This experience was everything I hoped for and more. It definitely exceeded my expectations.
All the traveling I did before, after, and during the progam made me more aware of Poland's
geography and culture. In five weeks I saw Gdansk, Torun, Gniew, Melbork, Wroclaw, Warsawa
and many pther smaller cities surrounding my grandma's hometown. My vocabulary has expanded
and I now speak Polish with more confidence. This was the cultural experience of a lifetime
and I'd recommend it to anyone.