MY YEAR IN POLAND

By Sylvia Elviss

My City in Poland

My Host City

• I lived in the city of Kraków, Małopolskie
• 2nd largest city, with a population of around 800.000
• Was the former capital of Poland
• Is an UNESCO world heritage site
• Visited by over 9 million tourists in 2023

Tourism in Kraków

• Rynek Główny (main market), dates back to the 13th century, considered one of the best markets in all of Europe
• Wawel Castle, over 1000 years old, has the Wawel Dragon legend
• Wieliczka Salt Mine, one of the world’s oldest operating salt mines, being open since the 13th century, one of the most famous salt mines in the world

My School

• I attended the 2nd highest ranked high school in Kraków
• Was in the 2nd year
• Had an average of 7 classes/day
• School has approximately 1000 students
• Classes are separated based off of majors chosen during the 1st year - later on, they can only choose a third language to learn on top of English

Other Exchange Students in Kraków

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• Dóroti from Brazil, attended the 1st ranked school, her and I became really close since the start of our exchange

District 2231 Conferences

08-10 September

• Travelled North to the seaside city of Gdanśk
• Considered a tri-city, alongside of Sopot & Gdynia
• Weekend consisted of training sessions, hanging at the beach in Sopot, and getting a city tour of Gdanśk

07-10 December

• Travelled East to the city of Wrocław
• Had our first language testing, which allowed students to have the freedom to travel on their own without host families
• Aside from language testing, our weekend consisted of getting more city tours, and getting to see the Christmas market

06-09 June

• Had the conference right in Kraków
• Got to watch our Polish teacher get awarded in being the District Governor for 2231
• Got awarded my Polish A1 fluency certificate
• Over the weekend, we had the tour of the centre of Kraków, visited the castle, went to the Salt Mines in Wieliczka
• We also had the opportunity to travel 1 hour to Oświęcim (Auschwitz)

Friends I’ve Made

• I’ve become friends with a lot of the exchange students, and still talk to them often!

Host Families

Every Host Family I’ve stayed with

• My first host family lived around 15 km Northeast of the Kraków centre, consisted of my host mom, and 2 host sisters
• My 2nd host family lived in the East part of Krakow, and consisted of my host dad (RC treasurer), host mom, 2 host sisters, and host brother
• My 3rd host family lived the North end of the city, and consisted of my host mom, host dad, host sister and host brother
• My 4th family lived in Modlniczka, and consisted of my host dad, host mom, and host sister

Rotary-Trips

Ski Trip

• Took place from 6-13 January in Stronie Śląskie
• Around 120 km away from the city of Wrocław, and around 20 km away from the Czech Republic border
• By the end of the trip, I could go down the beginner hill on my own

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Euro Tour

• Took place from 3-20 April
• Travelled with almost all 30 Poland exchange students, plus one student staying in Lithuania
• Spent 1 day in Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Spent 3 days in France (Paris, Cannes)
• Spent 3 days in Barcelona
• Spent the day in Monaco before travelling to Italy
• Spent 8 days travelling to many cities across Italy

My 2nd “Host City”

My Second “Host City”

• I stayed in the city of Jelenia Góra (Deer Mountain), during my last week in Poland
• Around 365 km away from Kraków
• Spent all my time with the Jelenia Góra RC President
• Toured the city
• Visit small towns in Czech Republic, and in Germany
• Got to go to the Filharmonic concert with members of the RC
• Hiked the large mountain in the city
• Got the chance to spend a day in Prague

Additional Trips

28 September - 1 October

• Stayed at a cottage right by the Tatra Mountains with Doroti and my first host family
• Tatry Mountains are located around 100 km south of Kraków
• Considered one of the best mountains in Europe
• Hiked through 2 different mountains
• Got to visit the beautiful city of Zakopane

25-27 October

• Went on a class trip to the city of Wrocław
• Got to go to the largest zoo in Poland
• Visited the Japanese garden in the city
• Mostly hung out in the markets around the city

30 November - 2 December

• Went to Vienna with my first host family
• Stayed mostly in the city centre
• Got to check out the Christmas market
• Visited the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts)

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03-06 May

• Travelled on my own to Warsaw to visit one of the exchange students
• Explored the city centre, and the stare miasto (old town)
• Visited the Muzeum Narodowe (national museum)
• Mostly studying together for our Polish language exam which took place at the end of the month

28 June

• Travelled to Prague with my host mom
• Went on a guided tour all around the popular tourist spots
• Got to eat delicious Czech food

Thank you for watching!