On November 19, 2010, a group of thirty young people, students of Polish Saturday schools, along with their chaperones, found their way aboard LOT Polish Airlines to spend the next nine days in the homeland of their parents and grandparents after a journey of several hours. The organizer of the trip, for the seventh time, was Mr. Zbigniew Piwoni, president of the Polish School named after him. Nicholas Copernicus in Niles. The trip was attended by young people from several Polish schools. Six people from Pulaski School went on the trip. A luxury PKS bus was waiting for us at the Warsaw airport. Tired, but eager for excitement, we headed toward Gdansk. The itinerary included a tour of Poland from the sea to the mountains. The route went from Gdansk through Malbork, Frombork, Torun, Warsaw, Lublin, Sandomierz, Wieliczka, Krakow and Czestochowa. Although we were not able to meet with former Polish President Lech Walesa in person in Gdansk, the staff of his office received us very hospitably. Everyone had the opportunity to have their picture taken in the presidential chair. We listened to an organ concert in Gdansk Oliwa, visited the Old Town of Gdansk, Westerplatte, the castle in Malbork and the cathedral hill in Frombork.
The next day of our trip was a stay in Torun: a visit to the center of Radio Maryja, TV Trwam and the College of Media Culture. After stocking up on Toruń’s famous gingerbread, we headed to Warsaw. An extremely important highlight of our trip to Poland was a visit to the Presidential Palace and a meeting with President Anna Komorowska. We also visited the Polish Sejm and Senate, the Royal Castle, the Warsaw Uprising Museum and the Olympic Museum. In Lublin, we learned about the conditions under which our peers in Poland study. At Maria Curie-Sklodowska University ( UMCS), we turned into students while listening to a lecture on physics and chemistry. In the evening, by candlelight, our UMCS hosts treated us to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, which we ended with an unforgettable disco in the student club.
A visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine brought another portion of unforgettable impressions. Descending the stairs to the mine, the magnificent grottoes and their design impressed us very much. The next leg of our trip was to Krakow and a meeting with John Paul II’s personal secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz. It was a tremendous experience for us to personally meet the person who accompanied the Holy Father both to the Vatican and on all one hundred and four foreign trips. We also visited Wawel Castle, St. Mary’s Church, the Cloth Hall and, of course, had time to stock up on souvenirs. An unforgettable experience for us was a visit to the “Former German Nazi Extermination Camp Auschwitz – Birkenau” in Auschwitz. For all, it was a moment of emotion and reflection on history and the tragic fate of man.
In the evening, despite the sulfurous cold, we went on a sleigh ride. I don’t think any of us will forget the taste of bigos and roasted sausages in a mountain hut. Unfortunately, our stay in Poland was coming to an end….
On the way to Warsaw, we stopped by the Pauline Fathers’ Monastery at Jasna Gora to thank our Lady of Czestochowa for a successful trip. Our trip “from the sea to the peaks of the mountains” is not only a visit to many places, pearls of Polish history. Many of us recall with a tear in our eye the accommodations at the Brigidine Sisters in Gdansk Oliwa or the delicious dinners at Mrs. Ela’s Castle Buffet in Warsaw. Young people will long remember the “green night” experience at the Cracovia Hotel. Throughout our stay in Poland, we were accompanied by employees of Trwam TV. Our adventure in Poland was captured on tape. The acquaintanceships and friendships made on this trip continue to this day, and we hope they will last for many years to come.

Agata Wozny

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