But that doesn’t seem to really answer the question. A 108% increase in vocabulary is just a bunch of numbers and words on a page. The things I taught (and learned) over those 4 weeks in Tarnow cannot be captured by a few silly exercises in the classroom. Now that have had time to think about my experiences, I laugh at the irony of the situation. I was supposed to be the “teacher,” yet in my 6 week stay in Europe, I learned so much more than I could ever teach! Sure, I picked up a few Polish phrases here and there, but I’m talking more about the exchange of culture than the exchange of language. I learned how the Polish perceive the United States; how the education and political systems compare to America’s; what kind of music and sports people enjoy; how delicious Lecho and goulash are; how much Poles love party rock, New York City, Wipeout, Hatchi-Patchi, kebob, bread, nutella, Pope John Paul II, and Ronald Reagan; how much I love Krakow and Prague; what Poles think of religion and major social issues…and so much more. I have definitely learned a lot. At the same time, I think I was able to teach everyone I encountered a thing or two about the American way of life.
I had a lot of conversations with a lot of people.
We talked about economics, politics, football, beer, food, Georgetown – pretty much everything under the sun. It’s amazing how much you can learn about people just by talking. And from what I’ve experienced, I don’t think I met a single nasty jerk in all of Poland. The people are absolutely incredible. Without a doubt, they are what made my trip the best 6 weeks of my life.
I have a lot of people on my mind.
I express my deepest thanks to my host family. To Pan and Pani Pisarski, for taking me into their home and making me feel like I was a part of the family (and to Pani Ala too!); for giving me everything I could ever ask for and then some (like 4 sandwiches to school!); for cooking me delicious food day after day (I always looked for to an awesome dinner after a tiresome day at school); for helping me gain 7 pounds; for taking me to Warsaw; for cracking jokes and always making me laugh (yes, I wrote a list of my favorites!); for teaching me so much about US economic policy and political relations with Poland.
To Mikolaj, for treating me like a brother and introducing me to so many wonderful friends.
To Bartek, for playing endless games of chess and watching epic soccer games; for always being willing to talk to me and keep me company.
To Kuba, for loving Nutella, going on bike rides, and being an awesome little brother.
To Szymon, Cieju, Tripka, Mateusz/Piotr (with their crazy red afros), Jędrzej, Dominika, and all the other Tarnow friends I met, for showing me that Polish and American college students have a lot in common.
To Sebastian, Philip, and all you other little trouble makers, for always making class fun, exciting, and a challenge. I will never forget the time when you escaped out the window or attacked and tickled me to death.
To Kuba, for always wearing your rollerblades to school, even when we’re playing baseball.
To all our other amazing students (some names I have regrettably forgotten), for giving me a reason and mission to come to Poland. There was not a single day that I dreaded coming to school. Thank you for making it fun!
To all those Polish news stations, for making us celebrities!
To Pani Czernia and the rest of the staff at Zglobice Tarnow, for providing us with such a wonderful classroom and directing us when we needed help.
To David, for suggesting after the first day of class that we combine classes and teach together; I’m positive that we made the right choice!
To Zac, Taylor, Chris, and David, for so many memories in Tarnow, Zakopane, Krakow and Prague; we were the only guys on the entire trip, and I think we developed an excellent camaraderie.
To Jackie, for being such an amazing trip leader; things sometimes did not go according to plan, but we had so much fun!
To Miriam, Bekah, Becky, Evelyn, Zoe, Serena, Steph, Laura, Jaclyn, Liz, Mara, Margarita, Emily, Hilary, Anna and Ximena, for being part of such a great group of LE volunteers; I will never forget all the great times we had together. We 22 Americans took Poland by storm!
To the countless number of fellow travellers, waitresses, flight attendants, hostel workers, florists, bus drivers, bartenders, and everyone else who fostered our experience in Europe.
To my family and my parents, for giving me the opportunity to embark on such an adventure.
To my camera, for capturing an adventure that words can never really describe.
I will never forget those 6 weeks. Thank you.
