The Christmas Eve meeting for international students at UITM was full with stories about Christmas traditions in Poland and other nations across the world. Christmas carols and traditional Polish delicacies such as borscht with dumplings, dumplings, and poppy seed cake were also served.
As every year, „Christmas Eve in Polish” was organized by the International Students Support Office, which is responsible not only for helping foreign students, but also for their integration. We are glad that our Christmas meetings are so popular among students. Thanks to events such as „Christmas Eve in Polish” or „Easter in an international group”, young people from over 50 countries of the world learn not only about what Christmas looks like in Poland, but also in other distant places of the world – says Dr. Sylwia K. Mazur, who manages the Office.
The guests were welcomed by Dr. Izabela Cichocka, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Management in English-speaking studies. The Dean emphasized the importance of the Christmas season for the entire academic community. Following the introduction, three students came on stage to present their countries’ most beautiful Christmas traditions.
Aleksandra Janusz, a first-year student of Aviation Management, introduced her colleagues to the customs celebrated in Polish homes. Archil Chikhradze from Georgia, an Aviation Management student, and Dawit Netere from Ethiopia, studying Programming, shared stories about Georgian and Ethiopian holiday customs. They are quite distant from the Polish tradition, but the family experience is something everyone shares in common, regardless of the country. For Archil and Dawit, it will be the first Christmas outside the country and without their families. A Christmas meeting with other students and lecturers is an important event for them, allowing them to feel better in a new place, making them feel more at home.
The presentations were interspersed with the performances of the Journalism student Yaryna Kisil, who not only sang the traditional Ukrainian song „Shchedryk”, but also „Last Christmas” performed in the original by the British group Wham. In the second part of the evening, the guests were treated to Polish dishes, traditionally served on Christmas Eve. The entire event was held in English.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
