Exchange Diary (CityU Students): Daisy, Li Sze Ting, Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), Poland

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Daisy, Li Sze Ting, Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), Poland

Monday

This day I went on a city tour organized by SGH with around 200 exchange students. With the introduction of history of every spot, such as the old town and the National Park, I could feel the gap between this city and me became closer. It was like a first event for all exchange students to get to know each other. We made friends, took photos, had a nice Polish dinner in the old town and went drinking Polish vodka at the end. My first vodka shot in Warsaw was fantastic!

Tuesday

It was not a delightful day as we shared the pain of Polish people who had suffered deaths and pains during the WWII. On a weekend, SGH was bringing us to Kraków which is a historical city in the north of Poland. We first went to the Płaszów concentration camp, then we explored an underground salt mine and enjoyed Pierogi, the Polish dumplings, as our lunch. At night, we had a tram party. It was much fun that we kept greeting pedestrians and dancing in the moving tram until midnight.

Wednesday

It was one month before my exchange life ended. We exchange students and some locals had a barbecue in the garden outside our student residence Sabinki. It was sort of a farewell dinner for most of us as we would have different plans after the exam period. Warsaw is always cold compared to Hong Kong. No wonder we were still wearing long sleeves even it was in May :P It was a place filling with passion and cultures of different countries and I do miss the moments of living there.

Thursday

The best way to understand Polish culture is to talk to local people. I was really lucky to have a Polish roommate in Sabinki. Kasia and I always had different perspectives on almost everything and we were both amazed by that. We were both open-minded people so we could communicate well. It was so nice of her bringing me to her hometown, Kłobuck, which takes few hours from Warsaw by bus. Despite meeting Kasia’s family members for the first time as well as language barriers, they just treated me perfectly. I was quite touched by them and felt fortunate that I could build a strong bond with a foreign family. In this relationship, I could totally feel it’s our hearts that matter, but not our languages or abilities.

Friday

Zakopane is one of the best cities in Poland. In winter, I came here and skied. In spring, frozen lakes and snow mountains turn green so that we may go hiking and see the marvelous views of the city. Hong Kong is hilly yet the mountains in HK are not as high as in Europe. Thus I did enjoy hiking in Zakopane where we climbed to the top of the Tatra Mountains at over 3km. Views were wonderful, people were friendly and food was wonderful with cheap prices; I would like to live in this not-so-developed city after retirement.

Labels: 2012/2013 Semester B