The 7th International Christmas Meeting
Christmas delicacies, Polish traditions and customs, joint preparation of Christmas tree decorations and carolling – for the seventh time in Mrowisko the International Christmas Eve Meeting for people from abroad studying at the Silesian University of Technology was held. As every year. the students eagerly participated in the event, and the atmosphere was festive and full of joy.
Christmas meetings - on the occasion of Christmas and Easter - are already a well-established tradition. For students from abroad, who come to these events very willingly, there were plenty of attractions waiting for them. There were competitions, joint work on Christmas decorations, carolling and traditional Christmas Eve refreshments.
– From the very beginning we had one goal – to give our students from all over the world a substitute for Christmas. Most of them do not go back to their family homes during this period, and for many it is a completely new experience, because they come from different cultures. What we show them and what we tell them about often has an exotic dimension for them – said Dr Małgorzata Rachwalska-Mitas, director of the Foreign Languages Centre at the Silesian University of Technology.
The originators and organizers of international Christmas meetings are Polish language teachers. Over time, other units have also become involved in the organization of events: Studies Service Centre – Admission Office, International Mobility Office, and Exchange Student Organisation. During such meetings, students can also meet the authorities of the University. This year Prof. Anna Chrobok passed on Christmas wishes and conducted a quiz with prizes.
– I am delighted with this event, I liked everything a lot - food, team participation in competitions, joint preparation of decorations. - It was great to see students doing it all together, - said Daniil Khortov, a student from Ukraine from the Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science.
- It was the first time I took part in such an event, it was amazing and I had fun. We prepared a festive table together, which turned out to be a small challenge, because at the beginning we put a lamb on it. Now I know that the lamb does not appear on the Christmas table, but is a symbol of Easter,” said Eunice Nyarko Afriyie, a student from Ghana, from the Faculty of Applied Mathematics.
Good fun is a pretext to bring Polish culture and customs closer to people from different corners of the world.
– We are very happy that so many students willingly participate in these meetings, learn with interest about Polish culture, and at the same time we are aware that the holiday season can be difficult for them, because they cannot always return to their homes and spend this time with their families – emphasized Maria Nowicka, lecturer of the Foreign Languages Centre of the Silesian University of Technology. Through the most beautiful Christmas traditions, we want to give them a little warmth, heart, and joy.
Such meetings are also a great opportunity for students to integrate.
- I met a lot of new people. We were preparing Christmas decorations for the Christmas tree in a group of ten, literally each of us came from a different country, the atmosphere was really great, - said Deborah Oluwapelumi Ologundudu, a student from Nigeria from the Faculty of Applied Mathematics.
As every year, the highlight of the meeting was singing carols together, first in Polish and later in different languages of the world.
