Week one (14/02/12 – 19/02/12) Cultural insights

I have always enjoyed travelling and exploring new cultures, however, sitting on the plane preparing myself to adjust to a whole new way of living was a little daunting.  Although I was apprehensive, I still had a lot of excitement for what lay ahead.
Now after being in Poznań for nearly a week I have began to find my bearings and adapt to my new home. I have found the people in Poland to be very friendly and welcoming. The Erasmus students especially are very willing to include you in their conversations and social activities. DarÓma, Michael and I are three of 70 young people who have come to Poznań as part of the Erasmus programme, (other countries being; Italy, Spain, Hungary, Turkey, Holland etc) I have really enjoyed spending time with our new friends as they are much more laid back and willing to explore, something I hope to get better at as more time passes.

Focusing on the culture of the university, the young people like their nightlife! Our mentor informed us that Polish student’s work very hard, having up to 14 exams at the end of just one semester but like to party as well. Erasmus students have less of a work load but we have found it difficult to work out classes due to the language barrier and multiple locations of the classes! It has made me appreciate Stranmillis because it is easier to get around.

FAT THURSDAYS

On the last Thursday before lent, Poland celebrates “Fat Thursday” with a unique tradition. Similar to our Pancake Tuesday, Fat Thursday is a day for consuming paczki, which are jam-filled doughnuts. Our Erasmus mentor told us that Polish people will try to eat as many doughnuts as possible on this day and some have competitions to see who can eat the most. I researched this online and found that the competitor to beat is Piotr Frackowiak, who can eat ten paczki doughnuts in four minutes and twelve seconds! Unfortunately, none of us could come close to this record but we enjoyed eating them nonetheless!
STARY RYNEK

The oldest surviving description of Poznań, (which can be seen when you enter the city) is: ‘Posnania elegans Poloniae civitas,’ which means, ‘Poznań, a beautiful city in Poland.’ I think this is a great portrayal of the area Stary Rynek, the Old Market Square. Within this area there are plenty of shops and tourist attractions, however, the squares dominant building is the Renaissance Town Hall. Unfortunately we missed seeing the chimes, (two metal goats which appear on the tower and ram their heads together) at twelve o’clock, but we have more opportunities to witness this! There are a number of fountains inside the Square: The Rococo Proserpine’s Foundation and the foundations of Apollo, Neptune and Mars. I had been particularly excited about visiting Stary Rynek because it is something you would never find in Belfast – the architecture or the range of colourful buildings. Before travelling to Poland for Erasmus, I found that some of my friend’s impressions of the country were that it would be dull and poorer than the likes of Northern Ireland; however, walking into this Old Market Square contradicts all of these opinions. Exploring this area made me happy about making the decision to live in Poznań for the next four months!

Anna