They discuss topics related to the culture, religion, traditional cuisine and music of their countries. They show what young people are interested in, what they listen to on the radio, what their peers most enjoy eating and what clothing is worn during various celebrations. They talk about the most important festivals and holidays, as well as how they are celebrated. Naturally, everything is in English. The children and young people are also learning calligraphy and how to eat with chopsticks, Indian greetings, and how to write names in Chinese, Bulgarian and Hindi.
Although initially stressed and somewhat frightened, the students quickly opened up to the unfamiliar. “It’s wonderful that Ison came to us, because I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet a Chinese person anytime soon. Besides, I really like his classes, and I’ve learned to eat with chopsticks. Ison is practically our peer, yet he has already travelled so much… he inspired me. Maybe one day I’ll also try my hand at travelling around the world,” says Szymon, a high-school student. “Classes with Shrey made me realise that we live in a somewhat sad, grey country. We watched Indian outfits and music videos, the celebrations of the Holi festival, and then we showed him our clips. Everything Indian is very colourful and joyful; definitely different from Poland,” adds Werka, a student in class 4c.
“Dilyan is the embodiment of calm, composure and patience. He prepared a wonderful, engaging presentation about Bulgaria and conducted classes excellently, both in the kindergarten and in the primary school. All the guests are very open, patient people who are curious about our culture. Dariusz Tyrakowski, the director of ZSP Oxpress, showed them Kliczków Castle and took them on a trip to Goerlitz. Coaches Kamil and Łukasz played a basketball game with the guests. Mikołaj, who is hosting Shrey, took him to the gym, while Filip showed Ison a football match involving his team. And here I would like to thank the host families wholeheartedly, without whom it would not have been possible to complete the entire project. I think we all benefited from this visit. More teachers will visit us next week. In the coming school year, we would like to continue this type of volunteering. It is possible that we will also manage to introduce an exchange programme in the high-school classes,” said Monika Pluszczewicz, director of the Oxpress High School with middle-school classes.