Volleyball or Siatkowka???

Week 3 - Friday 11^th March 2011

Poznań is just beautiful! I love it! Spring has arrived, it’s getting warmer, and I know it won’t be long until seeing me in shorts is a daily occurrence for the people of Poznań. I just don’t understand why everybody doesn’t do Erasmus! Before I came here I had only ever heard good reports about Erasmus, but I was worried that maybe I would be the exception. I have loved every minute! I have met so many interesting people, been to so many interesting places, even learnt the basics of so many interesting languages and this is only week three!! Anyway ... for all my keen readers (who I appreciate) the past week has been another good one!

In my blog last week I mentioned that I was planning to go to a bible study on Saturday night. So off I set, bible in hand, and I was able to meet some fantastic people. Unfortunately the guy that takes the study was unable to attend, but instead we played games, ate pizza and got to know each other. It was held in a coffee shop called ‘Sweet Surrender’ and is run by two Christian couples. They were incredibly nice, friendly and welcoming and I definitely plan to go back and hopefully get to know them all better.



Poker



This week I have kept myself busy with a number of small adventures. Sunday involved Matteo and I going for another explore in the city centre. Fortunately for us the city was bustling and full of life as there was a lovely little market that had been set up. We met up with Aleksandra and her friend Laura, from Spain, looked around for a bit, took a lot of photos and tried some polish cheese (it was salty, and rubbery, but still edible.) This week we also organised a game of Poker in our flat. We didn’t play for money so when I inevitably won I didn’t end up with a small fortune. I have won something even better though. Bragging right! And I plan to use them as much as possible until we play again! I have not done much in the evenings this week because I have had too many early morning classes but I have enjoyed a lot of fine dining, thanks to Matteo and his impeccable Italian cuisine. We also visited a simple and understated Portuguese bar with the Portuguese guys. There were not many there, just a few other students from AMU, but we quickly got to know them!

Morasko Sports Hall

Anyway, after two weeks of no sport at all I was starting to get frustrated! I had to do something sporty to keep myself fit (and sane.) So when Miguel and Miguel invited me to try out the nearby gym I jump at the opportunity. I worked quite hard and felt very refreshed after. Later that day I went to the sports hall to try, yet again, to play some volleyball. This time I was in luck. I was allowed to join in and I loved it! I was training the university’s second team.  The guys that I was training with were all of a very good standard and it was really enjoyable training at such a high level, something I am not really used to in Northern Ireland. They were also so friendly and welcoming. Some of them did not speak much English, but tried what they could and all the guys that could speak English chatted away to me. It was so nice to be finally playing volleyball again, and volleyball at such a high standard. They talked about the possibility of me playing for the university team, a possibility that I really hope happens! After the training a few of the guys went to the gym, I went with them to ensure that I gave off the impression that I was also a hard lad, but I didn’t last too long. Two gym sessions and two and a half hours of volleyball training is too much for one day! Muscles that I didn’t realise I had are still sore now, four days later!

Eating a Zapiekanka

This evening I plan to really branch out; to make the most of Erasmus and begin the first, of hopefully many, trips. I am heading off to Berlin with Matteo and Gabriele to meet up with the Portuguese guys as they are already there! I have heard so many good reports about Berlin and I am very excited about seeing this city for the first time! You will be able to read all about it this time next week!

Do Widzenia (this means goodbye),

Jeff

Week 3- Cultural Differences – 11^th March 2011

Sport is such an important aspect of any Country’s culture! Morgan & Summers (2005) agree with this statement when they argue that ‘Sport has been defined as a cultural phenomenon. Like music and the arts, sport has been a part of the history of every culture in the world and continues to be a contemporary vehicle for cultural definition.’ Therefore I feel that it is imperative that I address this aspect of the polish culture within my reflective blog.

Poland does not have a national sport, but has two very popular sports. The first of these sports, like in Northern Ireland, is football. The polish football league is strong within Europe and is popular both in terms of participation but also as a spectator sport. I am currently making plans to see Lech Poznań, a popular local team, play in Poznań’s Stadium. You may have heard of this team as they competed against Manchester City in November as part of the Europa League. Also Poland, along with Ukraine will host the UEFA European Football Championships in 2012. Poznań is one of the host cities, and is counting down the days until this competition on a screen in the city centre.

The other popular sport in Poland is Volleyball. As a volleyball player I have been attempting to get involved in a club here, with the hope that I will improve my performance, learn more about polish volleyball and hopefully observe some high quality matches. After much searching, this week I was finally able to participate in some volleyball training.

I was immediately able to see the difference in standard between volleyball in Northern Ireland compared to Poland. I was training with the university’s second team, who compete in the fifth highest league in Poland, however this team would effortlessly beat Northern Ireland’s National team. Another immense difference from Northern Ireland is the spectator numbers. I was informed that the team would have roughly one hundred spectators at each home match. The players are dissatisfied with this and anticipate that it will increase as people become aware of the new venue.  My club team, which compete in the top league in Northern Ireland, would be exceptionally happy with more than twenty spectators at a home fixture! I was also informed that the university’s first team is competing in the third highest league in Poland. This is a semi-professional league. They were shocked when I informed them that all Northern Ireland leagues are completely amateur.

I am delighted with the opportunity to get involved with this club, and the prospect of playing competitive games for this team. The guys that I trained with are all polish and are exceptionally welcoming. Only a few of them speak English. This will be challenging but I believe it will be a great opportunity to make polish friends, to practice my polish language and also learn more about how this sport contributes to the polish culture.

References : Morgan, M.J., and Summers, J., 2005, Sports Marketing. Australia: Cengage Learning