Stroemstad
2001
Everything began in March ... That was when we first met our Swedish mates. We went on well with each other although we had seen them earlier only as colourful spots on the monitor of one of the school computers during some Netmeetings . And that's how this story begins...
First step of the school exchange is the arrival of the Swedish representatives from Sir Uggla's & Sir Goran's team. On the 8th of March it was our turn.
9.October
At 00.15 we meet in a strategical point at the Main Railway Station in Olsztyn. On everyone's face fear mixed with care is easily spotted. The fear is caused by the American attack on Afghanistan which had began just a few hours earlier while our care can be explained by the concern for pork loin meant for Polish official dinner- it was in danger of a confiscation at the customs .
Having overcome our fears, at about 00.45 we get on the train which takes us to Gdynia. In a very excited state of mind we aren't able to sleep a wink. At 4 in the morning we are at the Main Railway Station in Gdynia. But it's not the end of our wandering this night. We spend 2 hours at railway banches exposing ourselves to cold and starvation. However, it's not so bad- we are entertained by a very brave rebel and wanderer from whom we are protected by our saviours- mgr Krzysztof Wiśniewski and prof. Włodzimierz Rudzki. At 6 o'clock a.m. we go to the place of the customs before the 'voyage'. Here wins exhaustion and sleep- some of us doze off while the rest go to the bakery for 25 loafs of Polish bread- a delicacy in Sweden.
Most of us do not attract the attention of customs officers with their suspicious look. They hold only Bartek but when it turns out that he's not dangerous they let him go.
Ferry! At last! Here we meet the future star of Polish football, that's a group of boys- football players. Time quickly goes by , however, we run out of entertainments almost at once, so again we fall asleep
Sir Uggla has been already waiting for us.
After a warm welcome we set off to conquer Sweden. Today is the
deer hunting season opened and we have to go a bit longer way so that we
don't drive too close to the forests. Most of the time Sir Krzysztof drives the
minibus. After 600 km we finally arrive at 3.30 a.m. From the moment that we set
off 26h 50min 58sec have gone by.
We stay in a hall of residence, in
double rooms with showers. We are impressed by such conditions and magnificent
views of a sea bay stretching from our windows .
10.October
Today is the official part of the exchange: meeting with the management and gymnasium students plus visiting the school building.
First word that crosses our minds after having seen the gymnasium: luxury. We are very happy to see a Swedish and a Polish flag waving together in the wind in front of the school. Sweds make a very nice surprise for us: during our whole stay we can watch on TVs in the corridor information in Polish language.
After delicious lunch Sir
Uggla takes us with his own fishing boat on a desert island. Sir Rudzki as a
bona fide sailor stands at the helm and spins stories about his second
love, that is Skarbek, his beloved yacht. Landscapes which we see are outstading
and extraordinary for a Polish eye.
We take plenty of photos, boys even notice a seal. Then we have to leave the
island with huge reluctance.
In
the evening we have some Swedish, traditional dinner. A fight with
a tasty salmon and mussels is still ahead. To' beat'
a single crab it takes approximately an hour! 'Fortunately', Swedes have the
same problem. Later we run first discussions. We slowly get to know with each
other and then have to come back to the residence hall with full stomachs.
But it's not the end of our struggles. We have to prepare the pork and gingerbread for tomorrow's , this time Polish, dinner. Sir Wiśniewski sees that boys have a problem with cutting bread so we go through a quick course of familiarity with kitchen. Being very exhausted we go to bed at 2 am. In the rush of events we mix up our rooms.
11.October
RUN ONTO THIS PHOTO AND SEE THIS TRICK!!!!!:)
Suddenly we hear an alarm bell- the only bell we will hear during our stay. We leave the building and take the opportunity to look at all the students. We observe the influence of American culture, but generally youngsters do not differ so visibly from Polish peers.
We come back to the school for two conferences. The first one concerns summing up the energy project and our feelings about the March exchange. Goran writes down suggestionsall conclusions on a theme 'What could be done to improve youth integration?'. Conclusions are supposed to be used in future exchanges which are the subject of the second conference. Together with the gymnasium students we discuss about next projects, that is an economy, a history and a politics one.
After hard mental work another
attraction is waiting for us- a short trip to the place where Vikings went
through their merciless rituals: murders and rapes.
We return and a duty again. Next two hours are dedicated to preparing food for Polish dinner. Our Swedish friends appreciate most beetroot soup, gingerbread and fudges (called cows/cowies in Poland). Then the only thing left to do is cleaning up after 'kitchen escapades' and night debates on various subjects with our bosses. At last some sleep.
12.October
Oslo. On our way to Norway we stop
on a bridge that is hanging over a breathtaking fjord. With the minibus we get
to the Kon-Tiki Museum. Our guide is as always Sir Uggla. We like it a lot. A
cousin from Australia, who temporarily lives in Norway, comes to Michał.
Then we visit a museum in which the main exhibit is the ship on which
stood world-famous sailors (e.g. Amundsen- the conqueror of the South Pole). 
Just
one more museum, the Vikings Museum, where as usual we take a number of photos.
Next we go to the city centre where we get some free time. In a rush we run for
souvenirs, to McDonald's and stylish cafes. Several photos, minibus and we're on
the way back.
Being on our last legs we go for dinner and we have to clean up after ourselves. What's only left to do is to beat the Swedish side representatives at table tennis.
In the evening of the same day we decide to watch luminous algae. Unfortunately, the conditions aren't favourable and our expedition ends with a stroll. And with this optimistic accent the day comes to an end.
13.October
The last day we go to the school. We ger some presents. We are amazed at one of the Swedish teachers' fluent Polish- an ability gained in army. After leave-taking we go to a small oil plant, where we also get a souvenir. Then we stop by a windmill power station. To our amazement we can go up to the top of a 50m high windmill from where we can watch an impressive panorama.
Full of memories we go to Karlskrona. Sir Wiśniewski becomes our driver again. With a heavy heart we say goodbye to Sir Uggla and Sweden. We take the last photo in Scandinavia- with the ferry in the background. At 19.30 the ship sets sail... At the ferry we purchase various commodities in the duty-free shop. After that we go on a disco and have some sleep. At 7.30 we reach the shore.
Farewell Sweden, farewell!
As main characters in the Polish-Swedish exchange 2001 played:
Prof. Włodzimierz Rudzki
Prof. Krzysztof Wiśniewski
Paulina Malarkiewicz IVB
Bartłomiej Gałek IVB
Michał Jasieński IVB
Jacek Kobierowski IIIB
Barbara Brzozowska IIIB
Małgorzata Iwaszkiewicz IIIB
