Polish customs in everyday life - series of films about Polish culture
Starting work in a different country causes stress connected both with starting new work and with uncertainty about a new place of living. Despite their having heard some opinions of a given country and its citizens, there may be many surprises awaiting a foreigner along their way. Polish culture and traditions may seem strange to foreigners, even if they have already heard something about Polish culture and cuisine. Although experiences in a new social reality are interesting, they sometimes cause disorientation and a sense of confusion among foreigners who come to our country.
“What might surprise a foreigner about Polish culture and customs?” This is the question we asked ourselves when we set out to create recordings for people who are considering applying for academic positions at the University of Silesia and who may be wondering what their life in Poland would be like. Thanks to the Come2US project, financed by the National Agency of Academic Exchange, in cooperation with the School of Polish Language and Culture and the university’s Media Communication Centre we have created five films: one promotional film and four recordings that present Polish customs and traditions in various aspects of academic and everyday life. We hope that in a simple and sometimes funny way they can show and explain the possible cultural misunderstandings that foreigners may encounter, and will help our recipients to avoid them, thus alleviating culture shock for foreigners who are coming to work in Poland.
We invited the employees of the University of Silesia from abroad to take part in the films, which made them more topical. It also provided an opportunity for them to help support other foreigners who are coming to Poland, and gave them new experiences and a lot of fun.
Can students in Poland fail to turn up for classes? What are “sucharki”? Do we eat turkey on Christmas Eve in Poland? What is “szpajza”? – we invite all who would like to find out about the answers to such questions to watch the films about Polish and Silesian culture and traditions: