The writer, journalist and tour guide once again visited the school with which she is on friendly terms, at the invitation of students and teachers Aneta Antczak and Sylwia Czernatowicz. During the meeting at the Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących i Zawodowych, she presented her novels “Joachim” and “Joachim Zemsta”, which are set in Bolesławiec. She also talked about how to travel safely around the world and how important it is nowadays to get rid of prejudice and harmful stereotypes.
“When someone asks me what to take on a trip, besides comfortable clothes and reliable shoes I always say they should take kindness toward other people, openness to the unknown and unfamiliar, and plenty of tolerance,” Grażyna Hanaf said at the meeting. “I strongly recommend throwing all prejudice, stereotypes and phobias out of your suitcase, because they hinder travel, making it unbearable and even dangerous. If we go to France convinced that the French are unfriendly toward foreigners and turn up their noses, and to Morocco afraid of Muslims, we will encounter exactly what we expect. When observing my tourists, I often notice how differently open-minded people experience trips compared with those who are frightened and full of prejudice. Two tourists are on the same trip: one is full of admiration and joy at having experienced and seen so much, while the other merely grumbles that they liked nothing and wasted their money. The country is the same, the weather identical, both saw the same things, yet their feelings are completely different. What we have in our heads greatly affects how we perceive the world,” the writer added.
That is why Grażyna Hanaf so often and so loudly speaks about the need to accept people who are different—those placed outside social norms, whom one might readily exclude because they do not fit the ideal image of a family, society or another community. This is why the writer made the protagonist of her novels a teenage boy who says he is gay. She wanted to confront readers with their own prejudices and allow them to like, or even understand, a character so different from themselves.
The fictional Joachim comes to Bolesławiec for the holidays, where in our town he discovers that liking and understanding himself is more difficult than openly admitting his orientation, which the boy had already done. In Bolesławiec, he also awaits a major discovery: people who accept him exactly as he is. We all crave acceptance, but this need often remains unfulfilled, especially during adolescence.
Despite the subject matter concerning gay people, Grażyna Hanaf has not encountered even the slightest sign of hostility in real life while presenting the novel at numerous meetings. This shows that Poles are open to difference; they simply need to be gently introduced to it, with plenty of explanation.
“It is true that unkind anonymous comments appear online, but not very often,” Hanaf says. “In real life, I have encountered only words of appreciation and warm reactions. People like the novel; it reminds them of their youth, the summer holidays, places where they are loved and accepted, and their hometowns. I believe Poles are tolerant, because that is what my experiences with my readers have shown,” the writer maintains.
The Diverse Activities of the ZSOiZ Library in Bolesławiec
The meeting with Grażyna Hanaf took place in the school library of the Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących i Zawodowych in Bolesławiec. The library actively participated in carrying out the task for the 2015–2016 school year, designated as the Year of the Open School.
As a result, many interesting events were held at the library, including open lessons as part of the nationwide campaign of the “Operon” publishing house, as well as initiatives such as National Reading of “The Doll”, International Writers’ Day, Tolkien Reading Day, and World Book and Copyright Day. Author meetings were also organized with Józefa Witas, owner of the “Agora” bookshop, and writers Tomasz Biedrzycki and Michał Rusinek.
In December 2015, the School Library website and a Facebook fan page were created. During its 131 days of existence, the website was viewed 14,000 times, or 107 views per day, while the Google Plus profile was viewed as many as 91,000 times, or 695 views per day—quite good results for such a short period. We encourage you to visit the website.
The full ZSOIZ offering is available on the school website. Below, we present two profiles.
Hotel Management Technician Class
Training in this profession provides: vocational placements at a simulated company and renowned hotels and travel agencies throughout Poland and abroad; the opportunity to learn about tourist attractions in our country and Europe and gain new qualifications; and the possibility of continuing education at higher-education institutions. In the Perspektywy 2016 Vocational Examination Ranking, the hotel management technician profession ranked seventh.
Advertising Organization Technician
Students in this program develop artistic skills, a sense of aesthetics and spatial imagination, ease in establishing contacts and conducting negotiations, the ability to cooperate with professionals, and the ability to create visual advertising materials.
Students in all classes can consolidate their knowledge during international placements as part of the European Union’s Erasmus Plus and Power projects.