Ostatni Dzień Szkoły

Ola and I on our last day of school

One of the many things I never expected to do in my life was go to five years of high school, most definitely not spending the fifth year in a Polish one! Luckily, life has a way of surprising me and I can now successfully say that I've finished a year in Polish liceum.

Unofficially school has been done for about a week and half, officially it ended today (meaning that no one went to school for a week and half, but everyone showed up this morning!) This unofficial/official business is one of the many complexities I don't fully understand about Polish schools, but basically classes were held, though attendence stopped being taken on June 10th, and thus there were hardly any students in school. The reason given for this pre-summer break is that this time gives teachers an opportunity to correct tests and organize final grades. All I know is that I had to be at school this morning, one last time.

It became clear to me how Polish I've become since the first day of school last September when I found myself drinking herbata (tea), listening to the Polish radio and ironing my clothes this morning at 7:30. On my final walk to school I remembered my nervoussness, my reliance on my host mother, the sheer strangeness of walking into my new high school on that first day. Today I strolled into the building right on time, saying hi to friends along the way. I was not nervous, I understood what was going on - a whole new world I find myself in control of.

I headed the way everyone was going, to the gym for the end of the year ceremony. After the Polish national anthem was sung and a short speech given by the director, awards were given out. There are some incredible people in my school and I found myself honored with a small gift.

My head teacher and I

After the ceremony ended all the students headed to 'homerooms'. This is where the final grades are handed-out, the head teacher thanks and is thanked, the class is dismissed for the summer. As I stood in front of my class, thanking them for everything this year, it occured to me how incredibly fortunate I've been. I was placed in an amazing class, who really took care of me. It is in this class that I've gained most of my Polish language skills, where I've been challenged to branch out, where I've made incredible friends. I will always look back at my time in this class, in this school with affection. It was a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I couldn't be more grateful. I may not have ever expected to attend a Polish high school, but now I can't imagine what my life would be like without it.

Classmates and me