On Sunday 15th May students co-operating within Socrates Comenius project from Romania, Slovakia, Turkey and Wodzislaw Slaski came to our school together with their teachers. This is a short description of our guests:

• Noria – go-ahead and cheerful sixteen years old Romanian girl. Although she was the only representative of her country, she did well and socialised with us immediately.
• Ilkay – open and always smiling Turkish girl. She watches “M jak Miłość” on the cable TV and she likes “Bezele kochana” song.
• Hande – Ilkay’s friend. She is a football fan. She surely remember cottage cheese and the sorrel soup - two Polish delicates.
• Sinem – when she came from Turkey everybody thought that she is a quiet girl but you know the proverb “still waters run deep”? And it turned out…
• Sefire – resourceful and thoughtful girl from Turkey. The sunset over the Warsaw’s Old Town is the thing she will remember best, for sure.
• Simona – she said that Warsaw was a very big city in comparison with her family town Koszyce. At the end of the meeting she showed us her music talent – she is a great pianist.
• David –Simona’s friend. He’s shy but he made friends with Łukasz from Wodzislaw and Kasia from Warsaw ;-).
• Jakub and Gabriel – twelve years old friends from Slovakia. They liked being in the Wedel’s chocolate house very much.
• Wodzislaw Team> – just after first day we spent together we felt like at home. Everybody was extremely nice so we were sad going back home.

Monday was a day full of attractions. At the integration class we had a chance to get to know each other better and talk. But everybody was a little tense and kept the distance. In the afternoon we visited the Warsaw Rising Museum.

On Tuesday in the sheets of rain we went to Żelazowa Wola trip – Frederic Chopin’s house. After that we saw the Old Town and there we had experienced what we were missing in Żelazowa Wola, the sun! Unfortunately, because of economic summit in Warsaw we couldn’t come closer to see the column of Sigmund Third the Vase and the Royal Castle. Then we had some free time. We have spent it with our guests buying souvenirs for their families. We also had a lot of private conversations, after each one we were getting closer to each other and even made friends.

On Wednesday morning we gathered on the Central railway Station. During the trip to Krakow we were making ourselves funny pictures and we were answering love tests :).

Finally we had arrived in Krakow. The rest of Wodzislaw Team was waiting for us on the railway station. Unfortunately it was raining cats and dogs so when we went sightseeing the most interesting places in Krakow we were wet like never before. According to the plan the next stop was a salt mine in Wieliczka. We went 130 meters underground, where we had licked real salt ;). We arrived in Wodzislaw after 11 PM and greeted our “families”.

On Thursday we were taken round our Polish partners’ school. We really liked interior decoration - the walls were colourful and put us in a better mood. For sure none of that school students should get depressed! Later we had the cooking class when we could show off our culinary talents to everybody. We had fun making international peace pierogi. The effects of our work were eaten for supper.

Next day, on Friday we had so much fun. At first we were singing a song by “Brathanki” (everybody, even the guests from abroad!) and one of hits from sunny Turkey – Tarkan’s “Kiss, kiss”. At the end of the day there was another surprise waiting for us – we had to learn how to dance “Polonez”. The pairs were coeducational…So we had chance to talk and giggle.

Saturday was also full of attractions. In the morning we were to organise time ourselves, so many of us arranged meeting downtown Wodzislaw, walking there together. In the afternoon we had a great challenge waiting for us. The representatives of each country had to make a presentation about their country, region and school. There were many wonderful ideas. Girls from Turkey showed us their traditional clothing, the Slovaks showed us their musical and poetical talents, the Romanian girl- Noria charmed us with a story about her country and we - Varsovians sang a mix of songs about Polish capital. However students from Wodzilslaw were the best showing a great variety of things. On the banquet there were many delicates. The biggest attractions were the cakes with the pictures taken at the meeting in our school. So, everybody ate somebody…! But everybody knew we had to say goodbye to each other soon.

There was a huge amount of tears and sadness… and we were coming back to Warsaw. In Wodzislaw we said good-bye to “our” families and our guests from Romania and Slovakia. Together with Turkish team we were going back to Warsaw. On Sunday we said goodbye at the airport to our Turkish guests.

Now we are looking back with a big smile at that week which we spent together in such a friendly atmosphere. It was cool to meet so many interesting people and have good time together. We are looking forward to the next project meeting.

Cecylia Rajczewska, Julia Muzylak, Nina Woroniecka, 2A

Translated by Jacek Włodarczyk 3B