Those of us fortunate enough to sleep in heard only the quiet rumble of suitcase wheels early in the morning. It was quite amazing that so many people could leave so very quietly.

When Najale and Lori went to breakfast at the usual 8:15 time, Najale thought they had come early because no one was there; she had forgotten nearly everyone else had left. They were surprised to find two campers – boys who must be brothers – that relationship seems to have gotten right past us. The boys explained they were waiting for their parents to arrive in Zakopane. Then they were going to Lake Balaton in Hungry, then to Budapest, and then back to Krakow before returning to the Siedlce area. They explained all of this in very good English!

At 9 AM, Lori and Najale departed with Pani Dyrektor for Krakow, along with another of the Polish teachers who was keeping Teresa company on the long trip back to Siedlce. Lori sent a text to Dorota saying they were on their way to Krakow and received a message back saying all the other volunteers had arrived at the Krakow airport as planned.

As Sylvia noted in an earlier entry: All’s Well that Ends Well.

Friday, July 8

Message of the day: Find out the truth behind the sound bite and then go home and spread the word. Effective volunteers often end up making a bigger difference back home. Attributed to Pam Grout, author of 100 Best Volunteer Vacations to Enrich Your Life.

The day began with sunshine, but also a fierce wind. We gathered for the morning meeting not knowing exactly what the next hour would bring. However, the mountain guide arrived and said a climb of Giewont could be done. About 15 campers left for the mountain climb. Frank and Lori provided English language activities for the remaining campers – Taboo, Apples to Apples, and card games.

The Giewont climbers returned about 4 PM, happy with their accomplishment. They reported only be sprinkled on a couple of times by the rain. However, in the late afternoon the heavens again let loose with rain and sharp thunder and lightning.

We gathered at 7:15 P.M. in the work room for the final program. The program began with Pani Dryktor expressing thanks for the work of the volunteers and also saluting the students for their hard work and excellent behavior. The presentations opened with Tom’s group singing the song, You are my Sunshine. Next Lori’s group said a popular song by the Australian performer, Lenka. This was followed by Frank’s group whose presentation included the song, So Long, It’s Been Good to Know You. Jackie and David’s group sang two songs, one appropriately called I Love the Mountains, and then did the Hokey-Pokey. Sylvia’s group closed with We Will, We will Rock You. Each volunteer also expressed thanks for the opportunity to work with the students.
The program closed with three students thanking the volunteers for their English classes and thanking the Polish teachers for their work in creating the recreational activities.

The Polish teachers had planned to show a collection of photos, but experienced technical difficulty with the projector. Many gathered around the computer to see the artful work of Anita, one of the Polish teachers.