In summer 2019, thanks to the generous support of the University of Warsaw, two 海角社区 students spent a month听in the Polish capital taking an intensive course in Polish language and culture.
Celia Hobbs and James Barr were selected to participate in the course for听their outstanding performance in the University of Warsaw听Prize for Literary Translation. The two students have written听accounts of their time in Warsaw.
听
Celia Hobbs:
[winner of the University of Warsaw Prize for Literary Translation]
After entering this year鈥檚 Translation from Polish competition, open to all students of听SL13, I was thrilled (and surprised in equal measure) to be awarded a place on the month-long 鈥楶olonicum听Summer Course of Polish Language and Culture鈥� at the University of Warsaw.
Despite initially feeling intimidated upon听realising听that all three hours of the daily language classes would be taught entirely in Polish, and wondering whether my language skills, (which had become somewhat rusty over the summer), were up to the challenge, this immersion into the language quickly came to be one of my听favourite听aspects of the course. Though tiring, the daily improvement to both my vocabulary and level of understanding was tangible, and made speaking Polish - both in and out of the classroom - a far less daunting prospect, and definitely cemented my desire to continue learning Polish.
The course also offered plenty of free time in which to explore the city independently. Aside from the chance to improve my Polish, a personal highlight was the art housed in Warsaw鈥檚 numerous and almost ridiculously cheap galleries. (Entry for students cost roughly听20p!) Seeing pieces I鈥檇 loved studying over the course of听SL13, and discovering many more by artists I鈥檇 never heard of, was definitely one of the most memorable parts of my time in Warsaw.
I鈥檓 looking forward to planning another trip to Poland soon鈥�.
听
James Barr:
It was a great privilege to be offered the chance to study on the Polonicum Summer Course of Polish Language and Culture at the University of Warsaw. While the Polish Course at 海角社区 had given me a fantastic introduction to the language and literature of this fascinating country, studying in Warsaw provided an excellent opportunity to put my fledgling language skills into practice as well as further develop my knowledge of Polish culture.
The Polonicum Course struck a good balance between language work (3 hours of language classes a day) and cultural exploration thanks to an assortment of workshops on various aspects of Polish contemporary life and culture as well as excursions to the city鈥檚 numerous museums and even further afield to a traditional Polish folk village.
My personal highlight of the trip was witnessing the commemoration of the Warsaw Uprising 鈥� at 5pm on 1st August (Godzina 鈥濿鈥� or 鈥榃鈥� Hour) the whole city came to a stop and alarm signals and sirens blared to mark the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Varsovian rebellion against Nazi occupation in 1944. This was a powerful reminder of the city鈥檚 tragic and war-torn past.
Other highlights included attending a concert of Chopin鈥檚 music at the foot of the monument to this favourite son of Warsaw in 艁azienki Royal Park, learning some more 鈥榗olloquial鈥� Polish phrases at Legia Warsaw football matches and, of course, sampling Poland鈥檚 world-renowned and varied vodkas.
It was an unforgettable month which has only further fuelled my curiosity about Poland and its language and culture. My thanks go to Dr Bill and to the University of Warsaw for this amazing opportunity鈥�.
