My trip to Poland

My trip to Poland... The country where I would go and I would go again...

Sunday, the 10th of October, 2004, 01:30 a.m. We were standing in our teacher's house, Mr. Gheorghe Suciu. Me, Gaby, Alexandra and Virgil weren't woken up yet. At that moment, we couldn't even dare to imagine the importance of the chance to be the fourth students who will go abroad and we don't know yet how enjoyable will be the moments spent with our polish friends. Our trip proves to be more than wonderful, it gives me the possibility to lie a great friendship with the other students an I also have the opportunity to lie a nice friendship, I say, with my teacher. During those two days of the trip we had lots of fun. We laughed, we saw amazing buildings, we took pictures...

At last, our arrival to Poland. But we have few miles to get to Trzemeszno. Before midnight, the tiredness begins to make its presence felt. In our tries to find a place to sleep, we see a panel on which it was written something like this: "English Pension". We get out of the car. Gaby goes first and our teacher follows her. She opens the "pension's" door and after a panoramic view, she screams a little frightened: "This is a cemetery!" I won't begin to tell you that at my 18 years I was more frightened than a 10 years old child.

On Monday, by 1 p.m. o'clock we arrive to Trzemeszno, at the school where we were being waited by Mrs. Illona and her husband and also by lots of students. We are first invited inside the teacher's room and then, we are being taken to a classroom. We meet new faces, children like us, very friendly and very lovely. After few conversation minutes we act as if we have been knowing each other since ever. I will be hosted in Sandra's house, Gaby in Justina's, Alexandra will stay in Carolina's flat and Virgil in Robert's.

I was astonished to conclude that Sandra's family is composed from gently, wonderful people, who during my remaining in their house have treated me as if I were a princess. God! It's already more I could have ever imagined!

I'll never forget our trip to Poznan, our visit at the Gniezno museum and I am sure that neither my Romanian or my polish friends won't forget my McDonalds obsession. I also remember the wonderful play "Orpheus and Euridika", acted with the help of my two friends, Justina and Anya. Of course I haven't forgot none of the evenings spent in Pietrak or the little disco from the Firemen Building. I was truly pleased to get to know new costumes, new traditions in the day in which the teachers were awarded for their work. On Teacher's Day, we traveled together with our friends to Gniezno , where it was splendid. I'm sure that Sandra, Justina, Karolina and Robert remember having missed the train because of our large wish to see as many places as we could see in that town.

Thursday, the 14th of October. It's almost night. We are leaving tomorrow. I feel a huge sadness inside me. It's maybe too soon for me to leave the place where I have been so happy. Suddenly, I hear a noise at the door. It's Sandra. She asks me to go with her in the living room. There, her mum and her dad are waiting for me to say goodbye and to offer me lots of presents. I hardly succeed not to cry. A new stage of my life it's almost writing its end. I leave myself taken to the dreams territory... Good night...

It's already the departure day... An unimagined nostalgia gets into my soul... We spend our last moments together and we prepare for the way back home. A crazy wish to cry invades me. I can't resist anymore. It's my way of showing them how much I love them.

Together with our teacher and my three friends we establish to go home through Prague. But this is part of another story...

I hope that, by reading my short essay, all my polish friends (Sandra, both Justina, Robert, both Karolina, Zosia, Anya, Sylwia, Zuza, Iza, Wojtek, Majzol, Ewa, Liwia, Marta, Dorota) and the French ones (Nicolas, Olivier, Remi, Celine) and all those of whom names I can't remember but whom faces will always remain in my soul know how special they are for me and how much I miss them.

But I hope that someday we will meet again and we will re - live those moments of "Once upon a time..." If someone will ask me what's the thing I regret most I would definitely say "I regret the unchangeable passing of the time".

Lazar Ioana, National College "Lucian Blaga", Sebes, Romania