• Gift Catalog
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships:
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs:
      • Appalachia – West Virginia
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rosebud Reservation – South Dakota
      • Española – New Mexico
  • Projects
  • Give
    • Giving Options:
      • Donate Now
      • Gift Catalog
      • Ways to Give
      • Philanthropy
  • Impact
  • Blog
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Volunteer Voices Poland

The 238th Team of Global Volunteers to Poland begins!

 

 

Message of the Day (shared by Pat): How wonderful it is that nobody need to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

After a sumptuous breakfast of cold cuts and American cheese, fresh bread, veggies, cereal, and an assortment of juices, and coffee and tea, the 238th Team of Global Volunteers convened in the library for its Orientation Meeting.  The ten (10) volunteers listened intently as Our Fearless Leader, Dorota, released a few facts: there have been nearly 3, 000 volunteers in the Poland country program; the doors opened for Poland in 1989 when communism was replaced by a democracy lead by the efforts of Lech Walesa; the first team of volunteers in Poland occurred in 1990,

 

The Team of Ten listed a number of Team Goals that will be reviewed and discussed during the next three (3) weeks and narrowed them down to the following Top Five:

1.  To facilitate teaching and learning of English.
2.  To be an International Ambassador.
3.  To encourage Team building.
4.  To support Global Volunteers goals.
5.  To learn about the Polish language, culture, and history.

With Dorota’s guidance, the Team of Ten listed a multitude of Characteristics of an Effective Team, to be flexible, punctual, patient, organized, tolerant, and a whole bunch of other great characteristics.

Then Dorota talked about the different grades and classes there are in Poland.
Dorota then distributed teaching assignments to the Team of Ten.  The usual schools will be included like Cisie, Spoleczna, Grala, a number of schools in Siedlce, etc.  Dorota emphasized the importance of the  Global Volunteers’ effort being dedicated to Kotun.  The small town of Kotun has expressed an interest in being included in the Global Volunteers’ effort…and the Team of Ten has responded.
Church was next on the Agenda.  A few went and a few stayed behind.
What a delicious lunch:  A delicious chicken soup with homemade pasta, pot roast, dumplings, and two cold salads.

After lunch and an hour and a half of free time, we thoroughly enjoyed the Lesson of Polish with Iwona, a former student of veteran Poland volunteer Pat. We learned some basic, yet important, words used every day in Poland. It was truly interesting listening to the volunteers repeating everything that Iwona said.  We tried our best…and remember, we’ve just started…all we can do is get better…and we will!

After Iwona’s teaching debut, the volunteers met with representatives of all of the schools and the Community Center of Kotun.  Suggestions were welcomed by the volunteers on what and how to prepare the lesson plans for the next three (3) weeks, what the students were taught in the recent past, suggestions on how to proceed, etc.

We had a wonderful bigos dinner last night.  Bigos is called Hunter’s Stew in English and consists of meat and sauerkraut in a tangy sauce.
Some of us watched a fantastic cultural program tonight.  Young Poles dressed in traditional folk costume…dancing, singing and having a blast!  What a great show to watch!
Man, to be young again…those kids were great!
What a great bunch of fellow volunteers!  I don’t know all of you yet, but I will.  What an exciting time we have ahead of ourselves.  We’ll have a fun time doing it!

 

Journal by Edmund.

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
September 8, 2013/0 Comments/by Dorota Wierzbicka
https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png 0 0 Dorota Wierzbicka https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Dorota Wierzbicka2013-09-08 09:21:002016-10-20 14:20:58The 238th Team of Global Volunteers to Poland begins!
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

You must log in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Partner Communities

  • China 66
  • Cook Islands 44
  • Cuba 117
  • Ecuador 88
  • Greece 68
  • Italy 54
  • Montana 42
  • Nepal 16
  • Peru 98
  • Poland 77
  • Portugal 42
  • South Dakota 8
  • St Lucia 57
  • Tanzania 142
  • Vietnam 43
  • West Virginia 24

Categories

  • Boomer Volunteers
  • Conversational English
  • Couples Volunteering
  • Culture and Traditions Worldwide
  • Development Impact
  • Family Volunteers
  • Free Time Options
  • Global Volunteers
  • Group Volunteering
  • Impact Stories
  • Individuals on Teams
  • Projects for Professionals
  • Reaching Children's Potential
  • Repeat Volunteers
  • Retiree Volunteers
  • Staff Worldwide
  • Student Volunteers
  • Uncategorized
  • Volunteer Voices
  • Women volunteers

Tags

alumni volunteers American Indian culture Appalachian culture best destination peru Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English cook islands economy covid-19 covid-19 consequences Cuba people-to-people donate for children Earthbox gardens economic support Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects lgbt program peru resume resume high shcool retiree service-learning share food Spring break summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering
  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe receive notifications of new posts and updates by email.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is an apolitical, non-sectarian, non-profit (501C-3) tax-exempt organization.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Our Last Day at Reymontowka Last Day at Reymontowka We Are Waiting for Global Volunteers!
Scroll to top
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.