Message of the day: We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. (Attributed to Winston Churchill)

The first day was filled with anticipation and apprehension, but was very successful and rewarding. All the groups began with 'getting to know you' activities. We then proceeded to evaluate our students' knowledge level. There were exercises and games played to review letters, words, numbers, time, shapes, objects and directions. Two groups learned how to play Frisbee.

After lunch several volunteers went to the nearby village of Kotuñ, visited stores, and stopped at a café for a refreshing drink. Afterwards, Robert was energetic and ran 5K. Rita remained at camp and played tennis with the girls and swam.

In the evening, the volunteers watched the students practice and perform an inspirational song, The Book is Closed, about Pope John Paul II, led by the camp director. They also prepared to present a traditional Polish dance for their Polish evening.

Our team began gathering from several locations in Poland. Rita and Robert left Zakopane with their Zakopane students who were returning to northeast Poland and arrived at Reymontowka about 4:30 PM. Meanwhile, Mary got to Warsaw a few minutes after 2 PM after having problems getting out of Minnesota due to thunderstorms. The Reymontowka van then collected Sherry, Bobby, and Lori. We slowly made our way to Reymontowka, delayed primarily by various road construction projects.

We all met each other at the dining table, each of us having a meal that fit our needs for our day’s travel. We also watched the festivities associated with a wedding that was taking place at Reymontowka After the evening meal had concluded Lori walked the volunteers around the Reymontowka grounds. We all retired to our rooms hearing the music playing from the wedding reception.

Sunday, July 17

We gathered for breakfast at 8:30. Following this delightful meal and discussions about the experiences of sleeping or not sleeping through the wedding reception, we went to the work room to begin the orientation experience.

Dorota began the meeting by describing the history of Global Volunteers work in Poland and sharing information about the host organization for the language camp. Next the team members reviewed Global Volunteer guidelines related to their service. Dorota then introduced the journal and thought for the day assignments. Robert provided an example from a Mark Twain quote related to how traveling stops bigotry and prejudice. Dorota also explained the service time logs.

The group next worked on establishing team goals and ended with four:
 To help camper students develop their English language skills;
 To exchange cultures;
 To have fun; and
 To grow as a teacher.

The group next worked on identifying the characteristics of an effective team, namely:
Respect, Cooperation, Offering praise, Sense of humor, Trying new things, Sharing, Flexibility, Establishing clear roles when doing joint classes; Patience, Empathy, Trust, Voicing concerns, Helpful, Considerate, Humility, Kindness, Sincere, Generosity, and Equal responsibility.

The group next identified team member skills and discussed teaching materials brought by members. Dorota provided a handout, Conversational English Teaching Notes. Dorota also provided an orientation to the wealth of teaching materials that have been provided by former Global Volunteers, now available in the Reymontowka work room.

Now the group adjourned and two team members went to Sunday Mass at the church in Źeliszew Duży. At 1:30 we all gathered for obiad. After the meal, Dorota provided a Polish language lesson.

At 3:30 we gathered in the tent with the camper students and all language camp staff, including the Global Volunteers introduced themselves to the students. The camper/students were interviewed to assess their English skills. At 6 PM we all again gathered in the tent and the students were placed into groups and then met briefly with their English teacher.

All then went to kolacja. Afterwards the work room was very busy with all the teachers planning their first day of classes, but some went outdoors for this task as the work room was quite warm.

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.

Message of the day: If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right. Attributed to Henry Ford.

The sun is shining! Oh Happy Day! Today was the first day we awakened to a clear, sunny day. Seems hard to believe, but it’s true.

The volunteers worked with their regular assigned groups the first two hours. Then we exchanged students for the second two hours. We have Jackie to thank for working out the logistics to make the exchange go smoothly.

Because it was a sunny day the students went hiking on Gęsia Szyja (journal editor was told this means goose neck!). They returned around 19:00, tired but happy with the opportunity to have stretched their legs.

After supper it began to rain again, so the bonfire activities were moved inside to the work room. It turned out to be a wonderful experience. Someone played the guitar while a group a girls sang along. Sausages were roasted over an open fire, s’mores were constructed and consumed with delight, after searing the marshmallows, of course. It was a beautiful ending to a day that began with sunshine.

Congratulations to the entire group—teachers, volunteers, and students—for not letting Mother Nature dampen our spirits during the rainy two weeks.

Message of day: Give a man a fish and he is fed for one day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a life time (Attributed by some as a Chinese proverb and by others to Anonymous).

Our morning meeting began at 8 AM. Sylvia gave an inspirational quote that most thought came from the Old Testament, but it was later discovered it was actually an old Chinese proverb.

It was decided that there would an exchange of classes for the last hour of the morning. All went well.

Lunch was served at the usual 1 PM time. Afterwards, there was a plan that some campers would go to the aqua park and bowling alley. (Later when speaking with students, the journal editor found no one did this and that some students instead engaged in a ping-pong tournament.)
Dorota arrived with some of the volunteers from the other summer camp about 3 PM. Some of our teaching volunteers had the opportunity to meet with them.

Around 5 PM a tour guide gave a wonderful 3-D video presentation about the Tatra Mountains to the students, teachers, and volunteers. It was about the flora and fauna of the area.
We had our traditional Polish meal at 6:30 PM.

At 7 we gathered for a game of Bingo. It was the first time some of the students had ever played and they really had a great time.

Message of the Day: Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. Composed and contributed by Najalé

On Monday morning we were back to teaching our classes. Four hours went by quickly.

In the afternoon the student campers went to walk in Dolina Koscieliska. However, the rain came again and the hike was shortened. The bus returned the students to the old cemetery in Zakopane. Then they walked back to Wanta.

Meanwhile the volunteers were busy planning American Night. They also met with Dorota and Pani Dyrektor to learn about plans for the remainder of the week.

In the evening the volunteers provided a Fourth of July show. We shared information about states such as California and Arkansas, showed a video about Barack Obama, and surprised the campers with a cake.

Another cool and rainy morning dawned in Zakopane. Some of the students went to church. About mid-morning some students went to the workroom and played English language word games with Lori. They had asked for this explaining they “did not want to waste their time at camp.”
In the mid-afternoon the campers headed off to climb Gubałówka and enjoyed time on the mountain top. They came down via the ski lift.

The volunteers who had spent the weekend in Krakow all returned safely and reported many adventures during their time there. And even reported they had seen sunshine in Krakow on Saturday!