Easter in Natolin

Kindness, friendship and tenderness – these are the keywords that describe the Easter atmosphere at the College of Europe in Natolin among students and staff during these difficult times. The past two weeks have been full of good-hearted and warm moments and gestures both from students and staff. 

Natolin Staff Easter Gathering

On Thursday 9 April 2020, Vice-Rector Mrs Ewa OŚNIECKA-TAMECKA invited all Natolin faculty and staff to our traditional – but for the first time online – Natolin Easter Gathering. In her touching speech, Mrs Vice-Rector boosted the Natolin community spirit and made us all look forward to the times ahead with a positive attitude, hoping that we will all be able to meet in person again very soon. The online meeting ended with a heartfelt exchange of wishes of a Happy Easter among the whole community.

 

Video wishes to the Natolin Community

We have also prepared a surprise video for our students and the whole Natolin community with best wishes of a wonderful Easter from our Vice-Rector as well all faculty and staff of the College of Europe in Natolin. Watch the video below: 

 

#EasterInNatolin online challenge

Over the weekend, our students had a chance to paint their own eggs, traditionally referred to as "pisanki". Everyone interested received a wooden egg, paint and brushes. An online challenge for the most creative designs was launched on Instagram. With the #EasterInNatolin hashtag, our students presented their wonderful individual works, but also showed a truly inspiring communal spirit.

Choosing the winning entries was not an easy task! In the end, 7 prizes were awarded in total, extending the Easter atmosphere for another week – or at least this is how long we believed the chocolate bunnies would last. We are happy to present the two winning entries by Aleksandra URBANEK and Anzhela MNATSAKANYAN below and the gallery of all students’ works can be found here.

 

A heartwarming message from the Hannah Arendt Promotion to Natolin staff

The following week, we were extremely touched by the message received from our Natolinians of the Hannah Arendt Promotion accompanied by their photos with "Thank You" and "Happy Easter" in all the languages spoken by the student community. We share it below with great pleasure: 

Dear Vice-Rector, Academic Administration, Professors, Academic Assistants and Staff,

It is with great friendship and tenderness that the Hannah Arendt Promotion sends — to everyone working at the College — its sincere wishes for Easter. We hope from the bottom of our hearts that you all had a great weekend with your loved ones. 

This email is an opportunity for us to thank you for all the efforts and hard work you have undertaken for us. Thanks to you, we have the opportunity to end the academic year — both on campus and at home — with the best possible conditions. The College still works ‘normally’ despite this unprecedented situation. 

It is true that this year was not the one we imagined, but COVID-19 allowed us to customize it, and to make the College experience even stronger and more memorable. This situation shows us that unity is our strength, and that we can achieve a lot together. 

In this context, you will find in this email a little surprise we have prepared for you: “Thank You” and “Happy Easter” in all the languages of our Promotion.  We miss you and are looking forward to being reunited all together. Until then, keep up the great spirit and stay safe. Please receive our genuine gratitude for all of your tireless work. 

Sincerely, 

The Hannah Arendt 2019-2020 Promotion 

   

Belgian cholocates for Easter

Finally, just before Easter on 7 April 2020, H.E. Ambassador Luc JACOBS and the staff of the Embassy of Belgium to Poland and Lithuania surprised students and staff of the College of Europe in Natolin by offering us delicious Belgian chocolate in the form of Easter eggs!