Representative Zbigniew Chrzanowski refreshes his promises to Makow by organizing a summer Engilsh course.
Political vacation with English
"I don't hide the fact that the program 'vacation with English" was initiated in connection with my political career. I wanted in this way to show myself to the voters," the representative told us on June 27 during the program's inaugural ceremony. "A person who is in the opposition (minority in government), doesn't have a lot of chances to help his district and local (supporters). I tried to think of something that would be a surprise for all the young people. As I have lived in the United States and to today have good contacts there, I was able to meet the director of the foundation WorldTeach, which is associated with Harvard University. I proposed that we cooperate. I had a lot of fears. I didn't know whether the youth of Makow would be interested in studying English during their summer vacation."
It appears that young people are interested. More than 350 high school students from the Makow area signed up for the program to study English during vacation. In connection with this, on June 13 Angela M. Dadak, the coordinator of the American group, flew to Poland, while the others, Irene, Patty, Tom, and Jyothi, appeared in Makow on June 23. The volunteers from the USA will be teaching English. The classes will start on Monday, June 30, and will continue until August 22. The students, divided into 24 groups, will study English in Makow, Rozan, Karniewo, and Krasnosielc. As Kamilla Kordowska, who teaches English in Czerwonka and translates for the group, told us, the young teachers will focus mainly on communication and knowledge of American culture.
The volunteers lives with Polish families. They communicate with them in English, German, or if all else fails, with the help of Polish-English phrasebooks. Jyothi is staying with Anna and Valdemar Lesnik from Sloniawi in Karniewo county.
"I don't know English," said Anna Lesnik , "but my daughter does and my sons study it. My children are happy that Jyothi will be living with use for the whole vacation. Marlena has already finished university, Marcin has graduated from high school, and Marcin is in junior high school, so they couldn't sign up for one of the groups (translators note: the program is only for high school students this year). So they will be able to woek in English at home. These young Americans feel that Poland is safe. Jyothi, going for a walk, asked if nothing would hurt her here, if this road is safe," added Ms. Lesnik.
Jyothi herself told us this, in connection with the rising feeling of danger in the world, at the beginning she had some fears about coming to Poland, but after a few days of being here she feels that nothing will hurt her. The other four echoed her comments.
"We would feel less safe in big cities like Warsaw," said Angela. "We walk alone around Makow and feel safe."
"It's definitely safer in Makow than it is in Los Angeles," added Patty, who comes from California.
Of the five volunteers, only Angela is an experienced teacher. She teaches English as a Foreign Language at Georgetown University. Angela is also the only one of the group who speaks Polish. She learned the language during a two-year stay in Poland in the 1990s, when she worked as an English teacher not far from Kielce. Irene, Tom, and Jyothi are university students. All are very interested in the history and current situation in Poland and other countries in Europe. They want to learn Polish very much.
The young Americans are quite surprised at Polish hospitality as Polish families invites them at once into their homes. Patty and Irene, and Jyothi thought that young Poles would dress differently or have different hairstyles from Americans, but they observed that this isn?t the case. In order to get to know the country better, the volunteers will have 3 drips during their time in Poland. Next year, trips will be planned for the students from Makow. The best students from this program will go to London to study English.
-Marta Nozynska
Program Sponsors: PLL LOT, Onken Polska, cukrownia Krasiniec, Elewar sp. z o. 0., BGZ, Zwiazek Gmin Ziemi Makowskiey
