I started my journey in Poland with feelings of excitement and anxiety, and now that I am near the end of my journey I am feeling fulfilled, yet also a bit sad.
2 months in the beginning seemed quite daunting, and now perhaps it seems as if it was not enough time for me; although I have been able to achieve a lot, and I’ve had the pleasure to participate in mapping projects in both Germany, Italy and Bulgaria I feel that I still have so much more of myself to offer out here (and the weather has only just started getting better).
The projects that I have participated in have all been centred around mapping, informal education and bringing communities together through social action; in addition, my main task whilst I was here in Poland was to produce a video book, interviewing people about the benefits of the EU and not only have I learnt a lot about the EU myself and feel even more saddened by Brexit, I have also seen how important it is for communities to come together, as we are stronger when we act as one.
Poland has been a great experience, not only have I been able to meet some of the coolest people that I know, I’m happy to say that my experience here was so positive and has led me to have a different, better view of the people of Poland. As a person of colour I was weary of prejudice, but everyone has been so warm and welcoming and doing their most to make me feel at home here in Warsaw, and just as my time here is beginning to dwindle, I do feel like I was able to make Warsaw home for the time that I was here.
I’m grateful that the projects I’ve participated in have all been created in aim to bring people together, and that I’ve been able to contribute here just through being myself and being creative- it has truly been a blessing to have had this experience and I’m sure it is going to shape me for the better and influence some of the future work that I do.
I’m quite surprised at how sad I feel to be leaving so soon, and I wish that I was able to have more time here, especially as I keep getting told that Warsaw in the summer is beautiful and I’m going to go back home with only the experience of probably the coldest winter I have endured.
I want to personally thank Kasia, Basia, Maciej, Cal, Corey, Pawel, Patryk and everyone else I’ve met over the past 2 months for making my time here in Poland an enjoyable experience, and I hope that our paths cross again some day.
Saffron Nnamdi-Johnson
