On Saturday, 16 September 2023, the students of the Madeleine Albright promotion started a short and intensive Polish Crash Course organized by the Languages and Intercultural Dialogue Office.
The course has become an annual tradition for all Natolin students. It aims to help in their cultural adaptation. Students learn courtesy phrases, how to greet, basic pronunciation rules, and simple phrases like: "My name is….I’m from….".
The organizers say that the biggest challenge is to convey as much practical information as possible in a very short time.
Ms Wioletta GURDAK, Polish language professor at the College of Europe in Natolin and the organiser of the course, says that despite the challenges her favourite part is watching students opening up: "I enjoy watching them discover that a language that seemed foreign to them and different from those languages they know so far is not so foreign at all."
Forty-eight students took part in this two-day course this year, which is a clear increase in comparison to 28 students last year.