Christmas post

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year when we celebrate faith, family, and the tradition of giving gifts and sending greeting cards. Even if nowadays, emails or text messages are more popular, sending Christmas greetings is a nice and easy way to show your family and friends that you care and that you think about them during this important time of year.

Christmas is almost here, that’s why I would like to wish you all the best! Don’t forget about true meaning of this special time. It’s about spending time with a family and not about how much money you can spend on gifts. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a wonderful dinner and to enjoy just being with your nearest and dearest instead of over spending and getting into debt? That’s my outlook on what Christmas should be and in my opinion, most of you will be agree with me, won’t you?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you! :)

PS. I am posting one of my favorite songs related witch Christmas. I am sure that you know it: 

  

fame

As we know, there are many famous people in the world. Most of them have big troubles because of their fame. During my free time, I read sometimes some newspapers or articles about celebrities and I came to the conclusion that one of their biggest problems are paparazzi. 

A famous person is always followed by groups of photographers. They want to know about every little detail wchich concerns the star. When a celebrity comes to the public place, everybody immadiately recognizes him or her. It can have some advantages but also many disadvantages. If a group of fans want to have the star's autograph, such a famous person has to sign his or her posters, pictures etc. If it lasts too long, a star is getting angry and tired because it isn't really nice and pleasant to write the same thing again and again, is it?  

Moreover, stars can't do many things which every other person can do. They are treated as examples and a lot of people copy their beahviour or habits. Celebrities don't want to reveal all their secrets or problems to the public, and that's why they flee from the crowd and it can sometimes lead to misfortune, like with the case of princess Diana, who died in a car accident, when she was trying to flee from paparazzi.  

In addition, we know some cases, when a famous person couldn't stand all the problems connected with stardom and he or she commited a suicide. Luckily, stars don't choose such a drastic way too often. However, sometimes they shake off by being on drugs or by drinking alcohol. As far as I am concerned, more wiser choice would be to disappear from public life and to live a quiet life.

That's why, I believe that being famous is not only life full of variety, money and travels but it can be also a horrible experience.

And what is your opinion? Are you agree with me that stars don't have an easy life? 

an ideal teacher

Have you ever seen “Dead Poets Society”? I watched this movie once again this weekend and it inspired me to ask myself about the characteristics of an ideal teacher.

As far as I am concerned, an ideal teacher has many qualities. The effect of his personality on students should last long. He is a person who is loved and respected by every student. He should try to establish a kind of bond between the hearts and minds of himself and his pupils. And this type of  teacher was Mr. Keating, one of the main characters in the movie “Dead Poets Society”.

From the beginning, this English professor had a good relationship with his students. After the first lesson, boys were surprised, curious, and fascinated by him. They admired his different way of teaching and the way he made them think for themselves. John Keating was challenging the students to live life, not to just automatically go along with what they are told. Ripping out the introduction to their poetry textbook, standing on their desks to look at the world in a different way or kicking soccer balls while yelling poetry aloud – these unorthodox teaching methods demonstrated freedom of expression and non-conformity.

Moreover, Mr. Keating was the only person at the school whom this students trusted. They talked to him about their problems and treated him like a friend. He was not only interested in learning and in results. His students were important to him and he has also the special relationship with his pupils. All in all, although in others’ eyes, Mr. Keating was a bad teacher, I strongly believe that these students learned more than they had learned in their whole life.

Here you have a fragment of the movie. Can you imagine this way of teaching in Poland? According to you, what should the ideal teacher be like? 

subtitles or dubbing?

The last few years have seen a boom in the popularity of foreign films and television shows, especially in English. As a result, non-English-speaking audiences are getting used to subtitles and dubbing in their own languages. That is why, it seems interesting to discuss the reason why, in my opinion, it’s better to watch foreign movies with subtitles rather than the dubbed ones.

I have seen both subtitled and dubbed films, but I can tell that I find subtitling to be better. There are many reasons why I prefer this way of watching films, but the most important is  the occasion to learn some new language. In my opinion, subtitles can help a lot in learning new words and in acquiring a good accent. Understanding foreign speech is difficult and subtitles provide some lexical information.

Moreover, for me, it’s really distracting watching movies and hearing the sound which doesn’t correspond to the lip movements of the actors. The words coming out are often not synchronized and the dubbing voice doesn't match to the actors' characters.

But on the other hand, dubbing a program means that the audience doesn't have to read the dialogue while watching the show, so the attention is focused only on the image. However, according to me,  there is one particular situation where dubbing is the better method - cartoons for young children. There's a good reason for this: children can't read fast enough to understand the subtitles. That’s why, movies designed for them have to be dubbed.

To sum up, as far as I’m concerned, subtitles are better when it comes to watching foreign movies because they help in learning new language at the same time as enjoying the movies.

And what is your opinion about it? Do you think that it’s possible to learn a new language from watching foreign movies? Or do you prefer dubbed movies? J

travelling

I have just come back from Spain and inspired by conversation heard in the plane, I decided to write about travelling and its necessity. I was listening a little argument between two people (well, not quite polite from my part J ). One of them said that he can’t wait to come back home, to his comfortable bed and that “there is no place like home”. His friend, I guess, was really outraged and said that he can’t wait his next trip and he can’t stand at his own home more than one month. That’s why, I started to think about my own attitude to travelling.

Firstly, ok, it’s true that this popular proverb “there is no place like home” tells the truth. One can say that the best place for us is our home. In my opinion, it is connected with our attachment to our own place. People are used to their rooms, belongings and activities at home. When one is forced to leave, everything seems strange and hostile: a bed is uncomfortable, bathroom is ugly or a wardrobe is too small. And at home everything is suitable for you, everything is exactly the way you want it to be.

However, as far as I am concerned, travelling is an essential thing in our life. You have a possibility to discover new things, to meet new people of the different culture and to see how are they living. It broadens your mind and makes your life more interesting.

Ok, it can be expensive but, in my opinion, saving money does not make any sens! Waste some money! Go to the places which you have been dreaming about! Invest money on travelling, learn new things, learn new languages and complete your crazy dreams! J Nobody will ask you in 30 years what car you had in the past…The only thing you will have after these 30 years are memories.

Moreover, without travelling it's easy to believe there is only one way to live and only one way to think…BUT IT’S NOT TRUE! Travelling is the best way of having new experiences. Imagine climbing  a mountain or going for a walk on the beach, or going to a museum … Imagine the infinite possibilities travelling opens up for you.

To sum up, I think I am quite lucky, cause I've had a lot of possibilities to travel around the world and I can surely say that it’s one of the best things you can do in your life! And what is your opinion about it? Do you prefer to stay at home or to travel? What type of  person are you: “home-bird” or just the opposite? 

topic of the month

Inspired by the post made by our lecturer of English, I decided to present my opinion about quite controversial subject, and more precisely, to answer the following question:

“Should those who choose to live in a foreign country be required to learn its official language?”

Firstly, forcing immigrants to do something against their will is a sign of xenophobia and, in a word, it’s simply unfair. It's their life and their own wish to learn a language or not. Moreover, as a student of French philology, I know that it’s extremely difficult to learn a new language.

What’s more, one of the reasons for people to come to a foreign country, is to start a new life, without any requirements. Everybody should be allowed to come to the new place no matter what language he speaks. So why make unnecessary demands?

But on the other hand, it makes sense that the newcomers should learn the official language. How else would they supposed to communicate? What happens if there would be an accident and they would need help and finally didn't get it because they didn't speak the language? There are a hundred different reasons why people need to learn the language of the country they live in, not just for assimilation but also for safety. I would say that it’s a sort of survival.

Furthermore, there’s no need to speak like a lawyer, I mean, to be grammatically correct. You need just learn the basic words and that's all. I think that people are smart enough to choose for themselves if they want to speak one language or not. In the course of time, for whatever reason (to earn more money or even to be able to speak with others), the newcomers will probably learn one language so it’s no need to force them to do it.

To sum up, in my opinion, learning official language of the country you choose to live in, should be a matter of personal choice and not of the requirement of law.

And what is your opinions about it? Are you agree with me? :)

"the true story of a real fake"

Have you seen the movie "Catch me if you can"? It's a 2002 American biographical crime drama film based on the life of Frank Abagnale, a good-looking American boy who, before his 19th  birthday, pretended to be first Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor and then a lawyer. This story is so outrageous that if I didn't know it was based on a true story, I would have thought that it was just Hollywood garbage. That's why, I would like to tell you a few words about this amazing man. 

Before he was 19 years ols, Frank Abagnale pulled off so many impossible scams that you can hardly believe that he was able to do it. For five years he travelled the world for free, stayed in expensive hotels and had relationships with beautiful women. By the age of 21. he had cheated his way to $2.5 million!!! He was an international man od mystery. He was wanted by the FBI and Interpol (International Police) in 26 countries! His good looks helped him, but his charm was his most important tool...He dressed well and everybody believed the stories he made up. Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Frank Abagnale in the film, said that "Abagnale is one of the greatest actors who has walked the Earth". 

At the age of 16., Frank ran away from home and began to be an international trickster. He used magnetic ink to change bank code numbers illegally. He managed to steal $40.000 of other customers' money before the banks worked out what he was doing. He also got a pilot's uniform by saiyng that his was lost at the dry cleaner's and that he had an urgent flight. What's more, he pretended to be a doctor for a year. With no formal training, he picked up the skills by reading medical books and watching other doctors at work. Can you imagine?

I won't tell you his whole story because you have to see this movie! It's really worth watching! (even if it would be only for Leonardo DiCaprio, who can really act! )

Here some shots of the movie:

And Frank Abagnale in the flesh:

Portugal

I was in Lisbon few weeks ago and I have to admit that this city is amazing!! I visited my friends who are studying there and I fell in love with Portugal! That's why, I would love to give you some reasons to visit this beautiful country!  

First of all, when it comes to the capital of Portugal, Lisbon is a city ruled by landscapes. Sited on seven hills running down to the grand Tagus River, this city is one of the most scenic cities which I've ever seen! Beautifuls views are found at every turn! Colorful, picturesque streets and pastel-colored buildings give an amazing atmosphere. 

Moreover, one of Lisbon's most popular acitivites is bar-hopping through Bairro Alto, a central district. As one of the top wine-producing countries in the world, Portugal also attracts tourists looking to discover its wines but also other drinks, so when I was there, I had to try it! That's why, I went to the "Museu da cerveja". It's one of the several restaurants in Comercio Square and it's also a museum. Up the stairs is a small space presenting the history of beer. The ground level is spacious and very attractive but to be honest, most people were looking for the tables outside to drink some refreshing beer in the sun :)

When it comes to food, it's obligatory to go to the famous pastry shop "Fabrica dos Pasteis de Belem" and try the delicious cake of Belem. It's a kind of egg tart pastry that is famous for its authentic Portuguese taste. Because this recipe has been kept in secrecy throughout history, the best place where tourists can enjoy its true flavor is still in Lisbon! :)

The other thing that you must do when you're in Lisbon, is going on a ride on Tram 28, one of the city's main icons, the best and the cheapest way to discover Lisbon. This legendary tram is a tourist attraction in itself and it goes all aroud the town. 

To sum up, there are some places you will never leave. You may not be there physically, but a piece of you stays there forever ! And Lisbon is a place that stole my heart! That's why I highly recommend all of you to visit this stunning city :) 

The Scream

“The Scream” is one of the most celebrated and recognized paintings in art history. The Norwegian artist Edvard Munch’s image was painted in 1893.

Although this fact is often forgotten, Munch intended “The Scream” to be part of a series, known as the “Frieze of Life” which explores three different themes : Love, Anxiety and Death. “The Scream” was the final work of the Love theme, and signified despair because according to Munch, despair was the ultimate outcome of love.

This painting shows a bald, mouth open and deformed figure standing on a bridge under a yellow-orange sky. This central figure barely looks human and the background figures are unidentifiable.

When it comes to the setting, this scene has a real location. The landscape in the background is Oslofjord, viewed from the hill of Ekeberg, in Oslo. Thanks to the artist’s dynamic use of curving lines and strong colors, the composition has an intense energy.

From my point of view, the central figure isn’t screaming. It's his inner self, the person he's keeping locked away inside, coming out to show the frustration which life can bring onto people. I think that we all know this feeling, and we all hold it inside of ourselves.

Moreover, in 2013, “The Scream” was one of four paintings that the Norwegian postal service chose for a series of stamps marking the 150th anniversary of Edvard Munch’s birth.

What it's also very interesting, it’s the fact that in the late twentieth century, “The Scream” was imitated and parodied. There are a lot of of fun parodies of this painting:

Screaming Homer

Screaming Macaulay Culkin known as Kevin from “Home alone”

Screaming Squidward from “SpongeBob SquarePants”

Screaming Joker from “Batman”

And what about you, do you think that creating a parody of famous work of art is suitable? Do you like this type of art? 

Easter

On the occasion of the Easter Holiday, I would like to describe some of the Easter traditions celebrated in France.

The French word for Easter is “Pâques”.  To say “Happy Easter” you can say “Joyeuses Pâques” or “Bonnes Pâques”. Easter is widely celebrated in France - by kids as well as by parents. One of the traditions on the Saturday evening is for children to prepare nests in their gardens and houses.  These nests are for the Easter bunny who will arrive during the night and will bring chocolate eggs. Some kids leave out carrots for the bunny in case he would be hungry. When they wake up on Easter Sunday, they are very excited because it's time to search for the chocolate eggs left in the nests by the Easter bunny! This egg hunt is called “La chasse aux œufs”. What’s more, there’s a traditional game on Easter Sunday. Children throw raw eggs up in the air and catch them. They keep doing this until someone drops one. The first child who will drop and break his egg is the loser, and in some versions, he must pay a penalty like giving a piece of his Easter candy to his brothers or sisters. 

When it comes to Easter food, on Good Friday, like in Poland, most of the French don’t eat meat. They only eat fish, vegetables, fruit and bread - in fact anything, as long as it is meat-free. On Easter Day, they eat roast lamb or roast pork and a lot of vegetables. They have also a cake called “La Gâche de Pâques”.  It's a very rich bread mixture which contains bread flour, sugar, milk, yeast, butter and eggs.

And what about other countries? Do you know how people celebrate Easter in Spain or in Italy? :)

superstitions

There are many people who believe in superstitions, especially the oldest one. So, if a black cat crosses their way , they believe they will have bad luck. The same will happen to them on Friday the 13^th or when they will go under a ladder. But as far as I’m concerned, a superstition is only a kind of play. In some situations it’s easier to be superstitious. For example, when something went wrong, we can always blame it on a black cat which had crossed our way that morning, can’t we? :)

I know a lot of superstitions and some of them are really funny. Having bad luck when you get out of the bed on the wrong side or having luck when you see a chimney sweep and at the same time you catch one of your buttons…And the funniest one: what has haircut to do with passing the A-Level exams (our “matura”)? If you don’t learn enough, you won’t pass this exam…And if you do the haircut, it won’t prevent you from getting good marks!

To sum up, I think that we can’t predict everything, our luck depends on many circumstances. Many things happen by a stupid coincidence. However, to be honest, what would be our life like without all these superstitions? Ordinary and boring, I assume. I’m not sure if I’m superstitious or not. But if I see a ladder, I rather try not to go under it... :) I think that it’s better not to tempt the fate because bad luck can be waiting for us everywhere. And you, are you superstitious? Do you know any other funny superstitions?  

something unusual

Inspired by the article that I read a few days ago, I decided to write you something about the most unusual restaurants in the world. This subject seemed to me quite interesting because I haven't idea that such places exist! There are sooo many weird things in the world and I thought that nothing will surprise me...but I was wrong...:)
So, for example, does a toilet themed restaurant sound strange to you? In California, you can find The Magic Restroom Cafe which is the first toilet-themed restaurant in America. There are toilet chairs to sit and food is served in various toilet-styled plates and bowls. "Black poop", "Golden poop rice" - even in the menu you can find some dishes inspired by this theme!! For my, it sounds rather disgustingly...

Are you afraid of hospitals? If you want to shed your fear of visiting a hospital, you must eat a dinner in the Hospitalis restaurant in Riga, Latvia. You can see there the waitresses who wear nurse's uniforms and who treat the guests as patients and take good care of them. They also sing songs and play music! The food is served in flasks and operating-room's dishes and is eaten with surgical utensils.

If you will be in New York City, you can enjoy a Japanese dinner served by...ninjas! They will drop down from the ceiling to show theirs best ninja kicks. To get to the dinner room, the guest have to walk through a labyrinth, which is supposed to resemble a Japanese mountain village.

To sup um, all around the world, different themed restaurants have opened up, some more outrageous then others. For those who are seeking an out-of-the-box dining experience, there are many intriguing options. And you, which restaurant would you chose? :)

Supermarkets tricks

Have you ever thought about the ways that we are persuaded to spend more money? I would like to show you some of the supermarkets tricks which are hard to spot but which bring about that we buy more than we need. 

Let’s start from the shops’ structure. Every part of the supermarket, from entry to checkout, is designed to make us spend more money and to buy more food than we actually wanted to buy. Have you ever noticed that food product that we use every day, are placed at the very end of the supermarket? Shops tend to hide dairy products on the back wall so that we have to go through the whole store to get to them. That provides more opportunity to spot something we like but we weren't planning on buying. That’s why customers who want  to go to the store only for bread, come away with full shopping trolley.

What’s also important is an arrangement of products. The items that supermaket really wants us to buy are at our eye level. Obviously, they are the most expensive. Cheaper choices are typically on bottom shelves so we have to bend down to pick them up (which is too complicated for some people…).

And what about music that we can hear during shopping? Supermarkets play on our senses of sound. Studies have shown that slow music makes people take their time and spend more money. Loud music makes them move through the store quickly without affecting sales. And classical music leads people to buy more expensive merchandise. I read recently that some of the supermarkets change their music depending on the time of day, such as Frank Sinatra on Monday mornings when older shoppers are more likely to be around, and then switch to modern music on Friday nights to attract the younger shoppers. Can you imagine? I would never guess..

And how about you? Do you know any other ways used by supermarkets to persuade people to spend more money? Or maybe, do you have some advices of how to avoid these tricks?

And the Oscar goes to...

What a night! The 86th Academy Awards ceremony took place last Sunday in Hollywood. I’m very keen on American cinema so I was really excited and I couldn’t wait for this night! What’s more, I adore Ellen DeGeneres and this year, she was a host of this event. I watch her television talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” quite regularly and I knew that she would be the best choice for it! And she didn’t disappoint me! Her selfie with Hollywood celebrities broke the previous record and in less than 24 hours after the ceremony, it has been retweeted over 2.8 million times!!! Can you imagine?! It’s insane!!

Moreover, Ellen ordered pizzas for the celebrities and she dressed as a fairy godmother!

But it’s not over! This year, we had a lot of funny moments during the Oscars night! Just when I hoped that Jennifer Lawrence would make a big entry at Hollywood's biggest night, the actress repeated her act from last year (when she fell down while walking up the stairs to accept her award) and fell on the red carpet!! Hopefully, she’s a laid-back, young girl so she didn’t worry about it and she started to laugh aloud! She seems to be very clumsy but at the same time she’s so cute and funny! I burst out laughing after Ellen’s comment about Jennifer’s propensity for falling :“If you win tonight, I think we should bring you the Oscar.”

The other funny moment of this night was the performance of my favorite singer Pharrell Williams. During the opening performance of his song “Happy”, he started to dancing with nominated actresses Lupita Nyong'o, Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. It was amazing!

To sum up, even if one of my favorite actor - Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t win the Oscar for his role in “The Wolf of Wall Street”, I spent a great time watching The Academy Awards! It was worth burning the midnight oil!! :) And you, did you watch the Oscars night? What’s your opinion? Do you agree with the Academy Awards choices?

The Hunger Games

Because of the fact that it’s exam time, I do everything to not study :) Finally, I “found” some time for reading. I decided to finish the last part of “The Hunger Games” trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. Have you already read it?

I was totally fascinated with the two first books in this series (“The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire”) so I couldn’t wait any longer to find out what will happen next. And to be honest, I wasn’t disappointed! That’s why, I would like to recommend you these books!

“The Hunger Games” trilogy takes place in the future, in the totalitarian nation of Panem. The country consists of the wealthy Capitol, who rules over twelve poorer districts.  Katniss Everdeen, who lives in District 12, is the main character and narrator of the story. Each year, one boy and one girl from each of the districts, between the ages of 12 and 18, are selected by lottery to participate in the "Hunger Games". These Games are a televised event. The participants, called "tributes", are forced to fight to the death in a dangerous public arena. The winning tribute and his or her home district is then rewarded with food and riches. The purpose of the "Hunger Games" is to provide entertainment for the Capitol and to serve as a reminder to all the districts of the Capitol's power.

In the course of the first book, Katniss volunteers to replace her younger sister, Prim. She uses her knowledge of hunting and archery to survive. Throughout the next two parts, she becomes the symbol of a rebellion for the twelve districts against the Capitol's oppression.

All in all, I won’t tell you a whole story, because it wouldn’t have a sense. Of course, like many books, who are being transformed in movies, “The Hunger Games” has its own adaptation. This year, the second part hit the screens, but as far as I’m concerned, the books are always better than the movie versions and it’s also in this case.

To sum up, I strongly recommend “The Hunger Games” trilogy  to all of you! As an interesting fact, I can tell you that these books surpassed the record previously held by the “Harry Potter” series! Can you imagine?! So, as you can see, it’s really worth reading! :)

The most interesting person I've ever met

To be honest, I decided to take advantage of our homework. But this story is so fascinating that I’d like to share it with you. We had to describe who is the most interesting person we've ever met. So I chose Risy. It’s my Brazilian friend who I met during my Erasmus in France. I really enjoyed her company and I found that we were absolutely on the same wavelength, so we became best friends very quickly.

With time, I was getting to know her better and better. Her story about her life made me feel like a whole new person and I would never look at the world as I did before. Despite the fact that we’re both the same age, her life has been full of trials and tribulations. As a child, she lived on the outskirts of São Paulo, in favelas, a shanty town. Her neighborhood was full of dwellings that people had made themselves from any material which they could find. She lived in a two-room house with her parents and two brothers. She was the oldest one, so she spent every afternoon (and weekend as well) in the market, where she sold snacks. Luckily, at the age of 16, she met a French teacher who played a leading role in her life. He decided to help her family and thanks to him, they were able to move out from favelas. Now, after a few years, her family’s life is much better. Moreover, as a French student, Risy works for a charity and teaches poor kids for free.

All in all, Risy showed me a way to look at the world with new eyes and what is the most important, she let me notice what I really want to do in my life and what I’m really keen on. I realized that I want to help people and that French is something that I want to base my career on. For this reason, I’d like to be a teacher of French at an elementary school in Brazil, where I could make people’s dreams come true.

São Paulo

Some time ago, I wrote about my holidays in Brazil. And today, I would like to tell you something about one of my favorite Brazilian city – São Paulo.

With a population of almost 20 million people ( can you imagine?! ),  São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and the sixth the biggest city in the world. As soon as I left an airport, I had already knew that it would be one of my greatest experience ever!

São Paulo is the city of contrasts. There are some beautiful old buildings, churches, shopping centers and the old Mercado (fresh produce market, where you can taste the fruits from all over the world!):

What's more, São Paulo is a multicultural city. Because of the incredible ethnic diversity in the city, you can enjoy almost every kind of cuisine. For example you can eat a delicious Italian bread, a sushi like from China or an Arab food. 

But what struck me the most, was a stark differences between favelas, a slums area, and a rich district with skyscrapers and other modern buildings. Only one street separates these two districts! It was so weird to see expensive houses and on the other side, irregular and self-constructed sheds. It’s very sad that in one place, there are people who are very wealthy and have huge houses and also poor people who live in very bad conditions.

The other thing which seemed to me very interesting was a combination of urban buildings and green spaces. Although São Paulo is a huge city, there’s a lot of parks with exotic vegetation like the baobabs or the palm trees.

In general, São Paulo is a beautiful city that I’ll never forget. I wish I spent more time there…but as I’ve already said, I’ll come back to Brazil soon! :)

Couchsurfing!

I’ve just read a post made by Marta about her trip to France and I decided to write a little bit about my experiences in Paris and more exactly about my first adventure with Couchsurfing. Have you already tried it? 

The main idea of Couchsurfing is to host the travelers from all over the world who need a place to stay the night. But also, it’s a fantastic opportunity to meet new people and others cultures without leaving our home.

Before my Erasmus I decided to spend few days in Paris with my friend. I had been there already 3 times but never on my own! I wanted to find something not expensive (as long as “not expensive” exists in French dictionary!) so I started to check out the offers. And then, one of my friend recommended finding an accommodation on couchsurfing.com. At first, I wasn’t very enthusiastic about it…  Sleeping at strangers houses? And in other country? It could be dangerous! But finally, I decided to try it. After reading the offers, I chose Joel – an Australian guy who seemed to be very nice and, what’s more important, he had a lot of good opinions. So few days after I knocked on his door. To my surprise, this guy turned to be very laid-back and veeery hospitable! He gave us an extra pair of keys so that we were independent of him. He showed us around the city and at the evening, he invited us to the party. It was an amazing night that ended with drinking wine under the Eiffel Tower.

So if you have an opportunity to host somebody or you want to stay overnight in another city without spending a lot of money, don’t hesitate to use Couchsurfing! I strongly recommend it to all of you! 

Post-Erasmus Depression Syndrome

As I’ve already mentioned, I spent 5 months in France where I was on Erasmus student exchange. It was such a great time! But what to do when your Erasmus experience comes to an end? Have you ever heard about the post-Erasmus syndrome after studying abroad? I thought that this syndrome was a joke. Then, I came back to Poland and I learnt the hard way how true it is! As a former Erasmus student I can assure you that it concerns almost all the people who came back from abroad…

Some students believe that the world stops after coming back from their Erasmus, they just can’t handle this situation. And it was the same in my case. I returned back to my parental home and I just couldn’t stand my “old” boring daily life.

These few months abroad was filled with so many emotions, new friendships and to be honest with you, a feeling of being a little bit “special” was amazing. At home, my life seemed to be very simple and empty without my foreign friends. I felt that nobody understands me. I felt like a stranger in my own home! Trust me, everything became boring and pointless and it took me a lot of time to adjust again…Even after a year (omg I feel like it was yesterday when I came back to Poland!) I still have the flashbacks about things I used to do there…A lot of my friends are not from Europe so it’s not so easy to meet with them. However, we live in 21^st century, so thanks to Skype and Facebook I can be in touch with them all the time! :)

I enclose you a short video made by one of the Erasmus student who talks about life after Erasmus! It’s so funny…and, to be honest, so true! Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCsbo8j_HDI