Living in a dormitory here, I have only met two of my neighbors while cooking at night. The sense of community among students is much more difficult to get involved with because of the lack of these opportunities, especially for an international student. Most group events that do occur in Poland happen with classmates, or in the case of Chełm, with friends that grew up together.
After arriving here, I decided to bring some of the U.S. customs to my area. I created a club where students could attend, practice English and talk about U.S. culture. We also have plans to make American food because most students have never had certain American staples like macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly or even s'mores. When I brought up the club, I thought that students would understand how clubs work, but after attending the first meeting, I realized that I would need to explain more. Students arrived thinking that I would have a pre-arranged topic and give a mini-lecture. We soon discussed how clubs are student-focused and they could decide our topics and come with questions related to that topic each week. Since then, student interest has risen significantly and now many want to attend weekly meetings which is wonderful.
When I talk about the differences in education between the U.S. and Poland, Polish people have a lot to say. Many students here are jealous of the student life element at U.S. universities. They wish that they had outside activities so they could meet new people and feel connected to their school more. However, they do not want to pay for college to get those opportunities. When discussing the price tag of the two countries' universities, they feel bad for U.S. students.
