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Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych nr 10 I LO in Gliwice - IB School 006264 ul. Zimnej Wody 8, 44-100 Gliwice tel./fax: +48 32 231 47 32 e-mail: ibrevgliwice@gmail.com The views in this magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the editor or the school.
Piotrek Wasilewski Editor
IB GLIWICE CALENDAR 2013/14 EVENTS AND SPEAKERS
July 2013 - Polish – Isreali Youth Meeting
Wojtek Zbrozek Editor
Michal Nawrocki Design and Production
Damian Koltun Supervisor
Rhonda Krol Supervisor
September - Mateusz Dróżdżyński (Cambridge Graduate) How to choose an English university? October - Bartłomiej Majewski (Year 2) plays Jasiu Twardziel in a TVN production W11 ‘PĘTAKI’ - Comenius at Lyceum No 1 in Gliwiceschools from Germany, Italy and Turkey: How to wisely solve problems? - Marcin Szala (Oxford Graduate) How to make choices in life? - We go to the English theatre to Chorzow Cultural Centre Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Paul Stebbings and Phil Smith) November - Joshua Toeper (Deacon of Anglican Church in the USA) A Visionary Life versus the American Dream - Anna Szwagier (Université de Strasbourg Graduate) Studying at a French university - Peadar de Burca (Irish theatre director) Theatre workshop December - Marysia Marcol (Silesian University) and Józef Slany (Lyceum No 1) China in our Eyes (culture and language) - Comenius in Arakla, Turkey Let’s visit Turkey and discuss: How to wisely solve problems?
- Our alumni: Adam Okoniewski (Cardiff University) Grzegorz Malcherczyk (Univ. of Manchester) Kasia Taracińska (Univ. of Manchester) give a talk on their experience at British universities January 2014 - Mateusz Grabara (Erasmus University Rotterdam) – a talk on studying experience - Christmas meeting with our Alumni - Winter Ski Camp in Piancavallo, Italy (with students from Lyceum No 1 in Chorzow – ’Slowak’) - Winter Ski Camp in Polanica Zdrój/ Zieleniec (with students from Gymnasium No 3 in Gliwice) February - Mark Potter (England) Managing Director at Minkon Sp. z o.o. How to become a successful manager? March - Sabina Sweta (India) workshop on Indian dances and talk on Bollywood film industry - Let’s go to London! April IB Year 1 – Musical ’Grease’! School performance - July Summer Bike Camp in Kotlina Klodzka
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Contents Our school
• Comenius Meeting in Turkey • Studying at University and High School • UCAS • Aeromodelling – Sport for Enthusiasts • Polish Educational System vs IB: The Subjective Overview • Quick and Clever like the British Weather • I Would Choose it Again... • IB MYP Programme • Summer of a Lifetime at Camp Rising Sun
World
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology • Summer Jobs • So Australian Kids Ride Kangaroos to School, Right? • Living a Life that Matters • Become a Volunteer • Sabina Sweta Sen - The Dancing Globetrotter • Could You Pass a Cambridge University Interview?
Culture
• I Can’t Change • History and Contemporary Youth Relations in a Global Society • National Novel Writing Month • Experiencing English Theatre • The Culture of Fantasy • Top Gear • You Can Always Sing Along... • Zusammenfassung und Vergleich des Buches • The Beatles • Florence and the Machine at the Coke Live Music Festival • Lucky Girl
Alumni
• Rockets are Cool. There’s no Getting Around That • From Gliwice to Cardiff • Creating Plasma on The Other Side of The World • My First Semester at Cardiff University • Acing the EE and Scoring Above 40 Points Is EASY • Devil is Not So Black as He Is Painted - An Introduction to a Gap Year • Welkom in het Eramsus!
Parents
• The Grass Is Always Greener… Or Is It? • Parent’s View On Growing Up
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Comenius Meeting in Turkey Since 2012 our school, in cooperation with schools from Germany, Italy and Turkey, has participated in the Comenius Project — „Problem clever lösen”. This project addresses violence and various ways of solving problems wisely, especially at school, including between peers and teachers. The youth from different countries have an opportunity to discuss together diverse issues which they have to cope with. We share our conclusions and ideas in various ways, such as by analyzing surveys, making movies together or preparing debates.
Between 9th - 13th December 2013 groups of students visited our friends in Araklı anadolu öğretmen lisesi (in Turkey). This international meeting was another chance to work together First of all the title of this article is a bit inaccurate because technically you can’t study at a university without passing A-level exams (or its equivalent e.g. IB or Polish ‘matura’). What you can do is attend classes with students (lectures, seminars, labs etc.). If you want to do that you should contact a professor working at the university and talk to him about it. Of course not all of them are open to practices like that. Here I have to clarify two things – first, lectures are usually open so you don’t have to ask anybody for permission to attend them, and second – in this article I’m talking about my experiences at the Institute of Chemistry (part of Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry) of Silesian University, so if you try to do something like this elsewhere different rules may apply. There are no strict requirements you have to meet to do something like that. In my case Professor Krompiec came to the room where the second stage competitions of the Chemistry
on the project and also to experience a new culture. On the first day each country presented photos for the calendar. We also had the possibility to see the school, meet the teachers and other Turkish students. Then we had an official visit with the government of the town. On the next days, during the discussions we shared our experiences in solving the problems wisely. Personally, I was amazed by the diversity of our opinions and different point of views according to our nationalities and cultures. It was an extremely valuable experience to meet so many incredible young people in such a special and wonderful country. Visiting Araklı I had the opportunity to admire the charming Sumela monastery which was founded in the times of Byzantium and is decorated with 18th century frescoes. We were
also visiting The Hagia Sophia Museum, a church in the past but then converted into a mosque and now a museum. It’s one of the greatest architectural jewels for both Byzantium and Ottoman Empires. Those buildings are presenting spectacular history today and give inspiration to the discussions about the conflicts and the ways of solving or even avoiding them. The more we know about each other, our culture or religion, the easier we can change the disadvantage that weakens our relation into an advantage that strengthens it. We are all different, but we are creating a community of young people who can build a peaceful and united world in the future. We are planning the last meeting of the project in Italy in April 2014. Read more: http://www.zso10.gliwice.pl/ student/comenius/ Dorota Kowalik
Studying at University and High School Olympiad was taking place and told the participants (including me) about the possibility of attending classes at the university in high school and said he was sure that having qualified to the II stage competitions we had already known much more about chemistry than is normally taught in high school and therefore we could do that. I later contacted him through my chemistry teacher, Mrs. Katarzyna Czapla, and discussed my plan. One more thing I have to say here is that sometimes attending practical classes in laboratories is not possible because there are too many students and there is simply no space for you. As it comes to choosing classes you would like to attend you can opt for any classes you want but you also have to remember about two things – first that you would be missing lessons at school (and you would of course have to learn covered material on your own – that is the only difficulty I experienced, except for having to spend additional 10 mi-
nutes to 3 hours at the railway station thanks to delay of the train) and second that at the end of each semester you will be taking the same exam as the students (attending classes from quantum mechanics not knowing anything about calculus wouldn’t make sense anyway). As it comes to benefits – except for knowledge of course – if after high school you study at the university at which you attended described classes you won’t have to do it again and thanks to that you would be able to graduate faster. All in all ’studying’ at the university in high school is a very nice experience (or maybe I was just lucky to meet only nice people at Silesian University...) and not that hard to do (if you’re exceptionally good at some field of knowledge of course) so I encourage everyone who didn’t know about it earlier and thinks he/ she can do it to try. Michal Gala
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UCAS
function, to put together and send off their university applications. It’s pretty much all done online, so you don’t have to flap around with bits of paper. Essentially, they are there to make sure your application to university runs smoothly.
Science, Queen Mary University of London - German and Hispanic Studies, The University of I Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace in GliwiManchester - Geology, The Unice (IB School 006264) has become versity of Manchester - Fashion a registered UCAS Centre (there and Textile Retailing, The Uniare only few schools - centres in versity of Manchester - Chinese Poland). It means our students - apStudies, Cardiff University - Law plicants to British universities can (source: http://www.allaboutcareand Criminology LLB, Coventry make their application through our ers.com/careers-advice/ucas/what-isUniversity - Business Studies, school and an experienced teacher University of Glasgow - Theatre, - UCAS advisor, who graduated from -ucas, accessed on 27 Oct 2013) Film and Television Studies. In a British university, provides advice What does being a UCAS centre the school year 2013/14 we have and guidance at every stage of the mean? 32 students – applicants to Briprocess (i.e. when the application tish universities from IB Gliwice! is ready we send it to UCAS). More Being a UCAS centre means that apinformation about UCAS: plicants will be able to make their Many more students received the http://www.ucas.com UCAS application through us and offers from British universities be able to manage all of the applica- (for example from King’s College What is UCAS? tions linked to our centre while also London) but for various reasons First of all, let’s unpick what UCAS provide advice and guidance at eve- decided to study either in the Netherlands, Germany or Poland. does. UCAS stands for Universities ry stage of the process. and Colleges Admissions Service. It’s The benefits of being a UCAS centre: Damian Koltun the centralised service that students use to apply to university. Basically, pretty much everyone who wants to Registered centres have unique acstudy an undergraduate degree in cess to applications, both during the the UK will have to apply through application process and once they UCAS. They have a thorough and have been sent to UCAS. Some of the genial monopoly over the university benefits are outlined below: experienced and qualified advisors will application systems in the UK. help you review and suggest correcIf anything, UCAS is the higher edu- tions at every application stage and cation cupid. Think of UCAS as an an adivsor will help you to create the online dating service: through it you reference. can select and apply to universities, the universities take your proposal MAY 2013 EXAMINATIONS and decide whether or not to offer 11 students who made their appliyou a place. It’s all about helping cations through our school UCAS students find the right university centre accepted the offers and now and helping universities find the ri- study at the following universities: ght students. Students use UCAS’s online services, namely its ’Apply’ Newcastle University - Computer
Aeromodelling – Sport for Enthusiasts Most of us associate aeromodelling with constructing wooden models of aircraft. We have to realise that this is only the first step of what every competitor has to do to take part in competitions. There are a lot of different model categories such as Free Flight models, Control Line models, Radio Control Aerobatics, Radio Control Helicopters or Aerostats. Free Flight
models are flown without any form of mechanical or radio control over the model in flight. This is the earliest form of aeromodelling. A well-constructed model doesn’t mean anything. The competitor has also to know FAI (The International Air Sports Federation) rules, compete in a fair way, be prepared for measuring long distances, know the air
conditions, which change during competitions and react very quickly to these changes. Luck is also very important as every competitor will tell you. Competing at a professional level means that you need to have models which are perfectly aerodynamic. A lot of models are made
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of materials like kevlar, carbon fibre, fibreglass, balsa wood and plywood. Some parts of them are impossible to be made yourself. In that case, we have to spend money on plenty of technical elements like a timer (which causes the model to go down after a time we set) or magnetic steering (the impact on the model’s flight is really important – the magnet steers the model accurately into a headwind). Konrad Zurowski, a student at our high school has become this year a Junior World Champion in the F1E model category! ‘F1E models are Free Flight gliders, with automatic steering which fly from slopes and hills. These models are steered into the wind by an automatic system on the aircraft, usually a magnet linked to a rudder. Each competition consists of five rounds of flights and a round lasts 45 to 90 minutes. In each of them, you must make one official flight. The maximum time of flight is given by the contest director, then competitors set their timers to retrieve the models after their flights as fast as possible. To easily find our models we use iCare GPS receivers which show us the shortest way and distance to the landing place. Of course the main aim of the game is to have only maximum times of flight, but very often this is really hard to do. Timekeepers are measuring the time of each flight. Their work becomes harder when air conditions allow models to fly farther. Flight time is measured from the moment the competitor throws the plane into the air. The start is considered to be a re-
ally important part of every flight. A lot of competitive participants (including me) use a flop system, which gives the opportunity to throw the model very high. Thanks to a dynamic start you can gain an advantage at the very beginning of the flight. This year 7 juniors got 5 maxes: The Serbian World Champion from 2011, two French rivals, one Romanian, one American and me. In every round the max was 300 seconds. During the contest I was very stressed. For the fly off we went down the slope and had 10 minutes to start. I launched my model really well, then it maintained its altitude stably flying in the gorge, just like I had wanted. After my plane landed, I stood silently and waited for the official results. Several dozen seconds later I heard two words: Zurowski Winner! I started shouting like crazy and immediately fell to the ground and was drowned in the arms of my parents, instructor, friends and... opponents. Even my friend who was on the top of the hill heard it! There were tears, there was happiness, there ARE unforgettable memories!
big an achievement it is. Aeromodelling is not a very popular sport. I agree with this but I reckon that it will change. People say that Gliwice is the capital city of Polish aeromodelling. That shows how our city has become famous thanks to that sport. Is it a seasonal sport? No! There are lots of indoor classes and competitions in which you can take part regardless of the season. One intelligent person said that getting to the top is very difficult, but it is even harder to maintain it, because now everybody wants to beat us and I agree with those words. We have to know that we cannot win every contest. Life has taught me humility and still gives me lessons of patience. Taking part in aeromodelling competitions helped me to get fit. Good physical condition and stamina are also very important. That’s why we can accept aeromodelling as one of the most complex and complicated sports in the world. I won World Championship but my ambition is to struggle to win the European Championship and World Cup in the juniors category. Winning the most prestigious world competitions has guaranteed me a place in Seniors World Championship 2015! This is my main aim. I hope I will be ready to face the best and most experienced competitors including my Father, whose influence on my success is not possible to describe! Let your dreams fly, they will come true...’
There was one funny situation before the fly off: one day, Adam Małysz (our famous Polish ski jumper) said in an interview that the Norwegians were supporting him during competitions in Oslo when their competitors were not doing well. In the F1E World Championship fly off, there were no Germans. Before the final, one family from there came to me and said smiling: Fingers crossed. You will win. Their words became true. A really, really nice feeling ’. ‘I have been interested in aeromodelling since childhood. My father always took me to the airfield in Gliwice. It was a true pleasure for me to take part for the first time in aeromodelling competitions, exactly where I had spent part of my early childhood! It was the 1st Link to the video: of June 2009. I had never tho- http://youtu.be/6hDOrkYh0Vg ught that in the future I would Stephanie Moulds become the World Champion. and Konrad Zurowski It is really hard to realise how
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Polish Educational System vs IB: The Subjective Overview For a typical IB student from Gliwice their process of education takes part in two directly linked steps – pre-IB, introducing basis of the programme which is then followed by the main, two year-long course. However, there are a few individuals who have decided to join the IB programme, without attending the pre-IB class. One year spent in a regular high school has given us a taste of what the Polish educational system looks like on this particular level. And now, after almost a semester spent in the IB it’s high time for a final comparison... and the justification why we do not regret this move and time spent in Gliwice. Kasia formerly attended I LO in Chorzów (Słowak), Paulina LO in Opole. Paulina: The choice of subjects The widely discussed changes that have been recently introduced in the Polish education system enabled secondary school students to specify which subjects they want to learn more extensively. This allows them to focus typically on three or four subjects suitable for their chosen career path. Similarly, such specialisation has always been part of the IB programme. In a Polish school, however, your choice is much more restricted. As an IB student, not only are you faced with a broader range of subjects, such as Economics or Visual arts (although their availability depends on a particular school you are applying to), but also you will have the opportunity to come up with your individual combination of subjects, which is very convenient. IB students are required to take at least three subjects at Higher level (HL) and another three at Standard level (SL), one from each of the five subject groups. You are free to select subjects that do not conventionally go together (such as History HL and Physics HL). Just make sure that
your choices correspond to your interests and are appropriate for the course that you consider applying for in the future. Kasia: No more useless subjects! Lots of unpleasant words were said against the Ministry of Education and it is not a time to repeat them. But from a student’s point of view school reality is like a series of never-ending earthquakes, commonly known as reforms. Only a few years ago an obligatory exam in Maths was established as a substantial part of matura forcing thousands of young people planning humanistic studies to focus on a completely useless subject. And now the situation is getting even worse: the nightmare of probably all students who entered highschool in year 2012 are two ridiculously pointless subjects: ‘History and Society’ and ‘Nature’ aimed at accordingly those with scientific subjects and those with humanistic ones. Of course this reform has many more drawbacks like an unclear programme. Luckily, while my peers are struggling with constant bombardment of eccentric reforms, I can peacefully prepare for exams which haven’t experienced any dramatic changes for eons. Even more: thanks to easily available syllabuses I am able to check what particular sort of knowledge and material is required. Paulina: Approach to learning Having previously attended a Polish secondary school, it is easy to spot certain differences between the two systems in the approach to learning. As a potential candidate for the IB, you should keep in mind that you will be required to produce a number of lengthy pieces of writing. You will need the ability to easily communicate your ideas, provide argu-
ments, critically assess available sources and draw logical conclusions. Essays, and particularly the Extended Essay (a research paper consting of up to 4000 words), prepare students to what will be expected from them at university. The programme also stresses the importance of avoiding any kind of academic dishonesty, which unfortunately is not uncommon in Polish schools. Furthermore, contrary to Polish education system, where there is an evident emphasis on memorising the theory rather than learning through practical experiments, in the IB laboratory work is an important component of the science classes. The obligatory Theory of Knowledge classes will give you a more philosophical outlook on everything you learn and already know; you will find out that absolute truths do not exist, not even in science. Paulina: Extracurricular activities Every school values extracurricular activities, and so do universities abroad. In a Polish school students are usually rewarded for their voluntary work, participation in school and community life as well as achievements in sports or arts. On the other hand, in the IB programme such activities are compulsory. Students must complete 150 hours, evenly distributed between three categories: creativity, action and service (collectively known as CAS). This way, they are encouraged to explore their interests and become active members of the local community. Among the benefits of CAS is the fact that instead of attending regular PE classes, you are able to practice sports of your choice. Its drawback is that some
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students might take up certain ac- going to sit an oral Polish exam and stability in preparing for exams. Hotivities because they have to, rather write essays which will be a substan- wever, I still have a lot of time before than because they want to. tial part of the final grade from this I will have to write the first exam. subject. But it is not the end: slightly Kasia: Inevitable future: what do later time will come for English oral Kasia Kaczmarczyk we expect from exams? examination. I haven’t even known and Paulina Kula that in IB everything happens so To be honest, till the 1st of Sep- fast! I am not sure what to think abotember this year came I had hardly ut scattering different parts of exaknown anything about the IB Pro- mination in such a long period of gramme. This is the most probable time. On one hand it guarantees less reason of my astonishment when stress in April and May. On the other I heard that next autumn we are it makes me feel deprived of some
Quick and Clever like the British Weather We interviewed Alicja Tomeczek, who attends the Lower Secondary School (Bilingual Gymnasium No 14) in Gliwice and is an extraordinary person. She moved to England when she was 5. How was it there? She has agreed to answer some questions for us. We hope you will enjoy reading this article.
For now I’d say that life in Poland is more difficult simply because I’ve lived most of my life in England and the drastic change between the environment, people, Can you describe yourself? school etc. was, and still is, hard I moved to England at the age of to cope with. 5 where I started my first year of school. I moved back to Poland What was your in March – after 9 years of edu- daily routine in cation in England. My younger England ? brother Jan was born in Manchester 6 years ago. I lived in/ On a typical near Manchester for the 9 years school day I I was there. I had 4 different woke up at 6.30 primary schools and 2 different am. It took me high schools (not including the 1hr 30min roughly just to get one I am in now) because we ready – teenagers in England moved around a lot. I’d say I’m a tend to judge others by their lopositive, open-minded girl and oks a lot and they don’t appreI think that I’m quite a funny ciate natural beauty, therefore, person at times. I’m really out- the more fake tan, make up, going and I don’t get discoura- hair etc. you have on, the betged easily. ter! School started at 8.45 am and finished at 3.15 pm everyWhich life do you find more dif- day. Then I’d walk home, eat my ficult: in England or in Poland? dinner and watch TV. Why?
What did you eat there every day ? I try to keep to a healthy diet so I’d only occasionally get tempted to eat a Chinese or Indian takeaway. Takeaways are very popular in England even though they’re really bad for your health. fish and chips is also a very popular takeaway, however I don’t like it. In the morning I didn’t have time to eat breakfast but the school
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had a canteen where lunch could be eaten. We could choose from pizza, burgers, curry, sandwiches, salads and pies. On a Sunday I would eat a big English breakfast (bacon, sausage, tomato, toast, fried egg and baked beans - a very popular food made up of beans in tomato sauce). For dinner I’d eat a Sunday roast-chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, swedes, gravy and stuffing. This traditional meal is also eaten on Christmas day. What did you do in your free time? In my free time I went out to meet my friends. Other than that I’d do my homework, listen to music, read books and watch a lot of TV. Did you have any favourite places? What were they? Yes. I really liked going to the cinema and the shopping centre with my friends. With my family we would go to a restaurant called La Salsa or to the Carvery (a place where they serve roast dinner on a Sunday). How about friends? What are people in England like? I had one best friend called Ellie, who I’ve known for 5 years. I met her in my primary school in year 6 when I moved to a small town called Darwen. Other than her I had other close friends but from Piotrek: Hello Bartek! How are you? Can I ask you some questions?
my experience I can say that most girls in England aren’t very friendly, so there are also quite a few people that I stopped keeping in touch with. Do you keep in touch with your old friends from England? I did, until a couple of months ago. I think that the fact that I made friends in Poland kept my mind off the ones I left behind in England, so I only talk to them occasionally over Facebook. How was your school? What about teachers, lessons, breaks, holidays etc. ? I really liked my primary schools but high school in England is rather hard to cope with. The lessons are hard, rules are strict and the children can be quite nasty. In school we had a uniform that everybody had to wear. We were taught maths, English, French, science, informatics, dance, music, art, history, geography, physical education, photography, design technology and religious education. Lessons lasted between 1hr - 2hr 30 min. We had two breaks; one for 20 mins and the other - a lunch break - for 30 mins. It varied from one school to the other, although one of my schools gave us 50 mins for lunch! A school term lasted for 6 weeks, then we got a 1 week break from school. Every 3 terms we had a 2 week break, apart from
Easter and Christmas, were we got 2-3 weeks off from school. Are there any festivals, which aren’t celebrated in Poland but are in England? Yes, there is Bonfire Night - an event from hundreds of years ago when Guy Fawkes with a group of guys folks tried to blow the Parliament up. This is celebrated on the 5th of November at night, when fireworks are set off. The English also celebrate Boxing Day on the 26th of December. They also have bank holidays in which people get a day off from school and work. Do you prefer living in England or in Poland? Why? A: In terms of school I prefer England because the educational system over there is better thought out and is more interesting. The people over in Poland, however, are nicer, so I can’t really decide where is best. I think England though, purely because I lived there for most of my life. Do you miss anything? I miss my friends and the people our family was close to. I also miss the rain. Paulina Nadziakiewicz and Magdalena Nowakowska
I Would Choose It Again...
what can I say? I dance and I also Bartek: Sure Piotrek, no problem! used to play in a theatre. When I What would you like to ask about? have some free time I usually meet with my friends. P: Could you briefly describe yourself? P: Why have you chosen the IB? Would you choose it again? B: My name is Bartek Majewski, I’m 18 and I wasted my teenage years in B: I have chosen the IB, because I the IB. (laugh) Just kidding. Well, have wanted to take it ever since I
first came across it. When I was about to choose my middle school, I found a leaflet from ZSO 10, saying that they have a bilingual class and in the future, the students may have an opportunity to join the IB class, which was about to be established in the secondary school there. I always thought about it as prestigious, so it was a natural deci-
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sion to seize the opportunity. Would I choose it again? It’s a tough question. The amount of work and commitment I have to put into it is enormous and actually I don’t know yet whether it’s all worth it. Nevertheless, I think that if I had a choice now, I would choose it again. Even though the programme is extremely demanding, it is interesting and has a lot of practical content. Lastly, it’s a challenge, so I had to face it. P: What do you have problems with? B: Currently, I have problems with the lack of time (they are common throughout the whole year, but now it is a disaster), because we have to submit the final versions of our Internal Assessments in all subjects. Hopefully, we are after the Extended Essay, but on the other hand the stress will slowly begin to escalate again, as the final examinations are coming, so soon I may have problems with my nerves. P: Do you do something additional when you aren’t at school? Any
hobbies, passions, interests?
experience straightaway, before even finishing my course. I am going to study Management as I find it interesting. I am not sure yet, whether I should focus on human resources or strategy management, but fortunately I have to make the decision in the final year, so I still have a lot of time to think about it.
B: Of course I do. I think I wouldn’t manage mentally if I didn’t. I dance hip-hop and it’s my passion. It is an opportunity to relieve everyday stress and it thankfully prevents me from becoming a tub of lard. I also used to play in a theatre as I said previously, but I had to resign from it this year, as there is too much work P: I heard you usually get really to do. good grades at school (especially in maths), also I heard that besides stuP: Someone told me you played in dying you have such an interesting „W11” so I decided to watch it and life, because you’re able to find the in fact it was great! Could you tell time for everything? Is it true? If it is me something about acting and your how do you deal with it? experience? Would you like to do it in the future? B: I try very hard and fortunately it gives effects, however this semester B: When I was younger, it was my it is worse because of all the IAs, EE dream to be a Hollywood actor, but and everything. It is a huge exaggenow I am not so much into it. Since ration to say that I have time for eveprimary school I have been playing rything, but I try to balance school from time to time, in the last two and social life. In fact, the solution years regularly in the Wit-Wit theatre itself is to strike a balance, because, group, and recently in the episode how long could you sweat your guts of ’W11’. The latter was a great expe- out, having nothing from life? We rience. The film set, actors and the all have to resign from some things, whole staff, it was amazing to be a but when it comes to time managepart of it. However, I wouldn’t say ment, if you reduce your tendency it is fully professional, as almost all to procrastination, there is plentiful of the actors are amateurs, except of time to use. the main characters – the commissioners. Still, it P: Would you recommend IB to was an unforgettable day. others? If anyone would like to experience it and play in a B: I think I would, but looking at TV series, then you simply your cohort, where you have 2 prehave to sign up with some -IB classes, I am convinced that thecasting agency and maybe re is no need to do so. they will contact you. The process is easy: after they P: Do you think you are prepared contact you, you have to for your final exams? go to Cracow to attend a casting session with the B: Definitely not… director and if he chooses you, then you get the role. P: Okay, thank you for such a nice conversation and good luck! P: Where and what would you like to study? Why? B: It was a pleasure, thank you! B: I would like to study in the UK, because it is a great opportunity. Universities there have huge amounts of possible internships, so I would gain
Piotrek Wasilewski
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IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) – a Chance for Prospective Students The bilingual class at Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych No 10 in Gliwice is one of the best classes in the region. From September 2014 we are going to offer new opportunities – an international education programme for students aged 13-16. We are the first in Upper Silesia and even in the South of Poland! Mr Kwiatkowski who is in charge of introducing the MYP in our school says that the ‘trial implementation’ will start from the 2014 cohort. During that time students will be graded according to MYP’s criteria. Moreover, the interaction between subjects is going to be much closer. The official beginning of the MYP programme will take place after the IBO authorization, which we hope to obtain in 2015.
6-year-course (4 years of MYP + 2 years of DP) together. However, if someone isn’t willing to attend the MYP, they will still have a chance to get to the Diploma Programme through the pre-IB. Of course, the MYP is a more natural way to the DP. MYP students will be also learning everything included in the Polish curriculum and taking Polish gymnasium leaving examinations. It means that if someone wishes to drop out of the programme, they will be able to do it at any time by transferring to a regular Polish gymnasium class (in any school in Poland).
Courses in MYP are similar to the ones in a typical Polish school. Hence MYP pupils won’t be staying at school till 5pm. like When that happens, pupils will it is sometimes the case for the have an opportunity to do a IB Diploma students. Another
thing that they might enjoy is subject groups. Thanks to this, students will be spending most of the time with others who share their interests. We keep our fingers crossed that we will get the authorization soon. Maybe our younger siblings will be attending the MYP at ZSO No 10 in Gliwice? If yes, some of us will certainly be jealous of that opportunity. Basia Sitko and Agata Oliwa
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Summer of a Lifetime at Camp Rising Sun In the summer of 2013 I got a chance to participate in Camp Rising Sun (CRS). This is a full-scholarship, 7-week, international program in the state of New York. It is divided into two camps: one for boys and one for girls (Red Hook and Clinton). The selections I decided to apply for CRS after I was told about the invitation which was sent to the school. My task was to write an essay and answer some short questions. Then I went to Cracow to participate in the second stage during which I had to write another essay and was interviewed by Camp Rising Sun alumni. After two weeks I received a call that I was the one to represent Poland at the camp. Let the journey begin. A week before the end of a school year I set off from Cracow to New York with Weronika who was the girl chosen for CRS Clinton. I spent two days in New York City wandering around Manhattan with Lee from South Korea and Javier from Spain. When we arrived in Red Hook I soon realized how diverse the camp community was with 60 campers of various religions,
cultures and languages from 26 countries. What was it all about? Each day a different person was chosen to be a sachem – a leader of the camp. His job was to organize a day schedule and keep the camp organized. Each day we spent two hours doing projects during which we built and improved camp facilities, e.g. a tree house was built, the Old Theater and gardens were renovated. 90-minute instructions gave everyone a possibility to share their knowledge in various areas. They included many cultural and language presentations (e.g. Arab world, Iran and Persian, Utah), sports such as cricket and water polo or music and dancing workshops (guitar, hula, Hungarian dances). Each week everyone could make an enjoyable performance during Sunday Night Live show and each Monday camp a newspaper was released. One of my best memories was going on a 4-day hike. The values of Camp Rising Sun Camp Rising Sun’s reputation is built on the conviction that there is much to
be learned through experience and interaction with those from other cultures and nations. Counselors taught us about the importance of serving each other and being a good leader. These values were fostered during evening programs. They covered both the goals of the camp and significant issues of the modern world. Global warming, creating a safe space, the influence of media on women and the urgent problem of hunger were among them. Friends all around the world The amazing atmosphere of the camp enabled us to create a long-lasting brotherhood which now connects us, no matter how far we are from each other. I am able to get to know Hungarian culture better by chatting with my friend Dániel, learn Finnish carols from Jasper, stay with André while visiting Paris, ask Javier from Ecuador to help me in Spanish or have a deep and meaningful conversations with Eric from New York or Eshwar from Singapore. If you were born between June 1, 1998 and June 1, 2000, I strongly encourage you to apply! Bartek Jezierski
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Massachusetts Institute of Technolog y – the Best Technolog y Science University in the World Everybody has some dreams. Some want to be a famous actor in Hollywood, others want to be a fireman or policeman and want to help people. But there are some people who want to study at the best university in the world. One of the best universities is Massachusetts Institute of Technology. If you want to study there, this article is for you and I hope that this article will help you to realize your dreams. So…
So, every international student is obliged to have passed some of these exams:
1.TOEFL - Test of English as a foreign Language, 2.SAT I - test of mathematics, 3.SAT II - test of subjects chosen by student. You can choose: -mathematics, physics -English,German, -psychology etc. 4. ACT-American College Testing, Once upon a time (in year 1861), 5.IELTS-International English Langusomewhere in New England in the age Test United States of America a few entrepreneurs from New York and Boston MIT recommends a lot of books to established a new university called read if you want to get prepared well Massachusetts Institute of Techno- to these exams. Especially the most logy (MIT). It is best known for re- important exams for universities are search and education in the physical TOEFL and SAT I and II. Now you science, math, engineering educa- know one thing! You need to learn tion and natural sciences e.g. bio- to start dreaming about MIT! !RElogy and chemistry. This university MEMBER! The most important thing also offers architecture, humanities, in your application are deadlines. management and social science pro- Every year, 18 months before a new grams. The 2013 world university school year MIT publishes new deranking by faculty shows that MIT is adlines and entry requirements. the best university in the world in engineering and technology. Now that Another very important point about we know some general information studying at MIT is finances. If your about MIT, it’s the best time to expla- parents don’t earn enough money in how to apply to MIT university. (it means if your parents’ incomes are lower than $40.000 per annum) you can apply for scholarships. For more information about scholarship check this pages: www.scholarships.com and www.fastweb.com Now let’s take a closer look at famous alumni from MIT who have changed the world: Edwin, Buzz Aldrin (born January 20, 1930), a former American astronaut, and the second person to walk
on the Moon after Neil Armstrong; Ronald, Ervin McNair (October 21, 1950 – January 28, 1986), a physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger; Richard Phillip Feynman (May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988), an American theoretical physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, and the physics of the super fluidity of super cooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics; Kofi Atta Annan (born 8 April 1938), a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006. Annan and the United Nations were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize ’for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world’. At the end I prepared something special. This is life at MIT. As we know student life is something everybody cherishes. Not only on studying do students spend time. Below I present especially for you a simple timetable of students at MIT and other US universities. 8am – Wake up and breakfast 9am-3pm – lectures and exercises 4pm-7pm – homework 7pm-4am – PARTY TIME!!! Summing up I want to tell YOU only one thing ”Study now very hard to make your dreams come true”. Bartek Pudło
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Summer Jobs
Nowadays while looking for a job, besides education and qualifications, everyone asks for your previous work experience. A summer job is a perfect way to start gaining it. My experience Last summer I spent two months working as a babysitter in a small Tuscan village in Italy. I was taking care of two children, aged 3 and 8. It was really great because my duties were basically to play all day. Of course sometimes it was hard, especially when the children did not listen but in every type of job you come accross some difficulties. What I appreciated very much is that I had an opportunity to improve my English, Italian, French and German, due to the fact that it was in a quite internaHave you ever wondered about the differences between IB schools around the world? What’s it like in, say, Australia? Well, I lived there for around 5 years, and in this article, I’m going to confirm some things you already suspected, as well as maybe tell you completely new stuff about the schooling system Down Under based on my experience. There are a couple of things that jump out as the largest differences between school in Poland and in Australia, the first one being: The Holidays Because Australia’s summer starts in December and ends in February, the summer holidays begin around the middle of December and finish at the end of January. In addition, you get a two-week break every three months, each one succeeding a term of school, at the end of which you get a report – now, this might sound cool, but keep in mind that most teachers
tional environment.
will be your holidays so you should also have some fun. If you do this Why is it a Good Idea? for the first time it is a good idea to A summer job abroad is the perfect come with your friend because then occasion to gain your first work you can support each other. experience. Not only will you get experience and earn some money, Volunteering but you can also learn new langu- Another option is volunteering. Acages, develop your independence, cording to what you want and what learn about new cultures, meet a lot you are interested in it can be renoof people and gain new skills. You vating buildings, taking care of elneed to remember though, that it is derly or handicapped persons, tree a job, so you really have to work and planting, organizing happenings or you will be expected to be respon- even rescuing turtles in Greece. It sible. is possible to find offers where the food and accommodation is proviWhat Can You Do? ded, sometimes even travel costs are Type of jobs can range from seasonal refunded but usually you need to farm work (e.g. fruit picking), baby- pay for your insurance. Volunteering sitting, house cleaning, office help to like this can be one of the greatest working in hotels and restaurants, as adventures and experiences in your these are the jobs you usually do not life. need to graduate from a university to be able to do them. Think of what Antonina Kiełkowska you would like to do most because it
So Australian Kids Ride Kangaroos to School, Right?
like starting new topics right before Private Schools and school unithe holidays, and it isn’t uncommon forms for students to get a holiday project or two (or ten). A lot of emphasis is put on wearing the school uniform correctly in AuBreaks stralian schools (especially private ones). I went to an all-girls private The second thing that is pretty diffe- school for a while when in Australia, rent are the breaks between lessons. and the standard of our uniforms There are really short, 2-minute bre- had to be impeccable, being checaks to get to class, and two longer ked every day (right down to hair breaks – recess around 11am, which longer than shoulder-length tied up lasts for 20 minutes, and lunch with a black or navy ribbon). If a part around 1pm, lasting for 40 minu- of the uniform was forgotten more tes. You can’t leave school grounds than once, it’s likely you’d get a deduring these, but you also can’t stay tention. in the building (unless you’re in the cafeteria or the library, it’s raining Schoolwork or it’s really, REALLY hot (like above 45 degrees hot)). Students usually I often get asked whether lessons or sit outside in small groups and try homework are different in Australia. to finish assignments which are due Although I’ve only been at the Polish the next lesson or just eat food and equivalent of high school for about a chill out. month, I can already see a couple of things that are really different: 1. In Australia, there was no such thing as being called up to answer a question on the board, or being asked questions from the notes
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you’d taken in class (this was a surprise when I got back, as you can imagine). 2. The only method of testing was full lesson - long tests, and there wasn’t something like a “kartkówka”, especially not an unannounced one. 3. The emphasis in learning was put on the student understanding material, and not memorization. Oftentimes one could use books and other resources during tests – the important thing was that you knew where to find information.
One of the most beautiful things about education is that it transcends culture. What you teach and even how you teach changes from culture to culture, but the desire to learn and make the world a better place sails above any differences. This was evident when I stepped into I Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace im. Edwarda Dembowskiego w Gliwicach and was introduced to the future leaders of Poland. Tasked with talking to the students about American universities, I began by encouraging them to live a life that matters: a visionary life. A visionary life is one that moves past nihilistic ambitions to a life focused on others and the greater good. Yet much of society will try and tell us to live differently. It will tell us that happiness, joy, and vision lie in what you can gain. In the famed book ’A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens, we are introduced to a character named Charles Darney who exemplifies this kind of life: a life focused on oneself. Living this type of life may bring temporary
Other than the above things, I think that the schooling in Australia and in Poland doesn’t differ that much. Oh, and of course people don’t ride kangaroos to school! It’s much faster and more comfortable to just get on an emu.
Alicja Masznicz
Living a Life that Matters
fulfillment, but as Darney ultimately found out, it fades into despair and depression. of their principle Damian Koltun and the other teachers, to the qu As humans, we were made ality of the students, I knew these for more than personal satisfac- young people did not want to be tion and fulfillment. We were made ordinary. They know they were to invest our lives into the lives of created for more; they were “made others and the common good. As for another world.” famed author and philosopher CS Lewis said “If I find in myself desires But even those who have which nothing in this world can sa- lived for themselves can end their tisfy, the only logical explanation is life in a way that matters: Charles that I was made for another world.” Darney, the character from ‚A Tale The Christian Scriptures teach that of Two Cities’, forsook his selfish living for ourselves will satisfy for ways and traded places with an ina season (see Hebrews 11:25), but nocent man on death row - laying ultimately we will find we were cre- his life down for another. Darney ated for another purpose. ended his life with a vision; the students at I Liceum Ogolnokształc To live a visionary life, a life ce im. Edwarda Dembowskiego that matters, one must invest in tools w Gliwicach are on their way to that will help accomplish the vision. living a visionary life. May we all One important tool is education. No live a visionary life and make the matter how hard you try to live a life world a better place. that matters, if you do not have the tools to accomplish your purpose, Joshua Toepper you will not. It is like trying to drive a car without a steering wheel: you will not get very far. Another important tool is cross-cultural experience. Seeing the real beauty and the real need in the world is vital to moving past our own myopic nature. These tools and others help transcend us above ourselves to a world that is in need. The question still remains, though: how will we respond? And as I closed my presentation, I realized that Poland’s future was in good hands. From the care and concern
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Become a Volunteer Do you want to help others? Do you want to meet wonderful people and spend unforgettable holidays? Great, here’s something for you! „You know, there’s a camp in three weeks time and we need some volunteers, why don’t you come with us? You will like it.” When my friend told me about the camp I was utterly terrified. I asked what I’d need to do and what it looks like. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fun, you’ll help us with the disabled”. This answer scared me. Numerous questions appeared in my head, what if I do something wrong, what if I hurt them, what if I won’t be able to do something, what if… but, I don’t know why, I agreed to go. I had no idea what to expect. From 2005, each summer there are four camps in July in the small, calm village Szczyrzyc, in the south of Poland. I attended one of those camps. Each year the camp has a different core theme – this year it was travels and space. I came to Szczyrzyc on Sunday evening. About ten volunteers were already there. We spent the whole night talking about the camp. Most of the young
people were here for the second or third time, so they were “experienced”. Next morning the rest of the volunteers arrived and we were provided with the plan for the whole week, along with our duties and responsibilities. Now we were just waiting for the participants. Each volunteer was responsible for one person, and when I met the girl with whom I was to spend the week, I realized Aga is a normal teenager, just like me. We found that we have a lot in common and it wasn’t hard to get along with her. After the first day I was really excited, and I knew it would be a great week. Everyday, we had a routine, however there was no place for monotony! In the morning we were waking up our partners, we had breakfast and then music workshops. We were singing together and the disabled had an opportunity to learn to play the drums. It was incredible to watch all those faces so cheerful and delightful. After lunch we had 2 free hours to spend with them. The better I knew Aga, the more I was amazed by her optimistic view on life. It was so powerful to see her dreams and the pas-
sion in her eyes. Then we had other workshops, lectures and meetings with some fascinating people. We had the possibility to watch the stars in the sky, create our “spacecraft” and get to know each other better. There’s also a brilliant tradition of the ‘farewell party’. Everyone was wearing evening suits and dresses. We were dancing together and having fun. It was truly special for everybody. After that week I was really exhausted, but it was an incredible experience. I met many great young people. I have changed; I’ve realized what real friendship is. What’s more, my disabled friends showed me how to truly live. I found so much strength thanks to them. All I could give was some time and an open heart, but I received much more in return. I obtained a strong hope that good people still exist. Don’t be afraid - join us! If you’re interested in volunteer work drop me a line or read more on: www.zakonmaltanski.pl www.orderofmalta.int Dorota Kowalik
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Sabina Sweta Sen, dancer, scholar, the founder of Indian Dance Group TAAL in Chorzów. Born and brought up in Kolkata in an Indian-Polish family. For her MA in English Philology from the University of Silesia in Poland, she retraced how dance performance embodies the changing identities of the Tsimshian First Nations in Canada. This led to another MA in South Asian Dance Studies at the University of Roehampton in London (2010-2011) where she explored the embodiment of Odissi in the diaspora (London) and beyond (Poland). Currently, pursuing PhD between the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bangalore and the Department of Drama at the University of Exeter, UK. Her current investigation is exploring the function of senses and body-mind relation in Odissi dance. Besides being a passionate dancer, she loves cooking and eating good food, travelling, photography and experiencing everything that is truthful and soulful.
Sabina Sweta Sen The Dancing Globetrotter
ture and traditions, number of Pooja (religious festivals), melas (fairs and outdoor gatherings), and my sweet sweet sweet childhood.
My mother is Silesian and father is Bengali but they decided to settle down in Kolkata. Thus, I spent the first 11 years of my life in Kolkata where I grew up in a Bengali joint family including my grandparents, two uncles and their families living together in a house which was not big but accommodating a continuous flow of friends and relatives visiting and staying with us. I studied at an English medium school till class 4 of primary education. Education in India is highly competitive and children study a lot since very early age. I remember having 3 examination sessions per year including each subject, and weekly tests, additional subject oriented classes Q: I’ve heard that you were born in in the evening after school, waking Calcutta. How long have you lived up early in the morning to study. there? How was your life there? But despite that we managed to find time to play hard, dance and make A: Yes, I was born in Kolkata, the joy- friends. ful city on the bank of Hooghly river, the part of the world which Mother At St. Stephen’s School in Kolkata, Theresa embraced with her who- in my section we were about 100 le heart and Rabindranath Tagore, students in one class with a single Satyajit Ray and many other genius teacher handling us. Can you imagiminds and great souls have given a ne that? Two years back when I was sense of identity. This city, in spite of undergoing practical training as a being overpopulated and over pol- teacher trainee in Poland and had luted with rubbish, air and sound to teach a group of just 25 students pollution, congested with all sorts in class, I realised what a hard task of vehicles, hundreds of shopping it must have been for my Indian malls, posh housing complexes, teachers. Perhaps, it was easier to commercial building, colonial archi- handle us then, because we had a tecture, slums and beggars, comple- greater fear of our teachers, some tely disorganized and chaotic, with of them were friendly too, but we a distinctive clash of the richest and always had a tremendous respect topoorest, it retains its own beauty wards them. It is the Guru-Shishya and spirit one should experience philosophy deeply rooted in Indian personally. For me, Kolkata is my culture, which was still intact then. big loving family, Bengali sweets Guru, the master is the one who is made of cheese, Hilsha fish, street to lighten the path for the Shishya, food and snacks, a dream world for the disciple. The Guru takes all roshopaholics, great intellectuals, ar- und care to prepare the Shishya to tists, scientists, vibrant and rich cul-
be able to travel the educational journey. The shishya openly takes on all that he is gifted by the Guru and gives him immense respect and trust. Nevertheless, today I hear from my cousins who are teachers in Kolkata that certain traditional values are slowly disappearing with the flowing Euro-American influence. In Kolkata we celebrated both Indian and Polish festivals. So, we would decorate the Christmas tree, share Christmas wafer, sent by my Aunt, we would also paint the eggs and simultaneously participate in the year round Indian festivals. Q: You have formed the Taal Group-an Indian folk dance group. How often do you have rehearsals? Where can we watch you at the moment? A: TAAL Group was formed in 2004 for a one time performance at my High School’s Theatre Festival. But this finally turned into an established dance group bringing together aficionados of India culture and artists of all age to experience life through cultural activities. Reharsals take place twice or thrice every week at MDK Batory in Chorzów. We conduct workshops and performances throughout the year and across Poland. In Chorzów we try to share our creative work at least twice a year during Diwali, the festival of light in autumn and Holi, the festival of colours held in spring. So, this is going to take place very soon so do look up for updates on www.taal.pl or http://www.facebook.com/TaalGroup. This year we are also celebrating the 10th anniversary of TAAL. Last summer we held a month long residential program called JATRA
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(literally meaning travel) for everyone interested in experiencing Indian culture with artists who are devoted and passionate about their work. Through this project we also aim to create long lasting cultural bonds between nations to go beyond the borders of language, race, socio-political views and unite the young souls in their love for music, dance, poetry, painting, sculpture and other art forms. We are hoping to continue this residential workshop annually or every alternate year. So, that might be an exciting opportunity for students of this school to join JATRA and do some wonderful volunteering work as translators, assistants, decorators, being part of organizing team, technicians, or workshop participants. Q: What do you do for a living? Do you work somewhere except the Taal Group? If you do, is it difficult to combine your university research with travels? A: My involvement with TAAL Group is not something I do for living but, it is an integral part of my life as it is my passion for dance, music and other art forms, and an urge to share Indian culture that is generated from within my veins, soul and mind. Currently, I am undertaking a PhD research under a 3 yrs scholarship scheme from the Drama Department of University of Exeter, UK. So, that is my job at this moment. What will come next… life will show :) Since my childhood, I have been always engaged with more than one thing and I do not think it will be ever possible for me to just stick to one field or one occupation. Although, there are people who say “make up your mind, “settle down”. Settling down is like stopping the life force and the dynamics of this universe. We have to keep going. Of course, finding the balance and time to manage it all is a challenging task. However, if there are people who understand and love you, and you
yourself believe in your dreams, Q: What do you like most in Pothen everything is possible. Just land? Is Poland similar to India? work hard and always keep moving Why/Why not? and living fully with confidence! A: I love my family and friends in PoQ: You constantly travel between land. I believe that we, living beings, Poland, India and Great Britain. make the space, the place it is. It beWhere do you spend most of the comes meaningful, beautiful, disturtime? Which country do you like bing or ugly to us because we live most of all? and act upon it. Obviously there are certain Polish food, country sides, A: In percentage terms, you could hill stations and other lovely places I say that so far I have lived about have a weak spot for. In many ways, 50% of my life in Poland, 40% in In- Poland is similar to India and diffedia, and 10% sharing in between In- rent as well. Not including obvious dia, UK and Poland. My travels to GB facts as culture, geography, tempestarted with MA in South Asian Dan- rature, population, religion, languce Studies in London and it is conti- age, food, etc. I think in terms of nuing through the current PhD rese- bureaucracy they go hand in hand. arch. London was exciting and busy In India people are more open and with lots of friends from across the positive. In Poland people are more globe, lots of dancing opportunities, easy going but in certain ways more studying and partying and fun! Ho- pessimistic. There is a striking simiwever, when your people are no larity in between Silesians and Benmore there the city can become an galis in their approach to family valuempty place although so crowded es and bond. Bengalis are extremely and bustling. Exeter is serene, refre- fond of food and the act of eating shing, blessed to have the sea within becomes an art of its own. So, they 20 min train ride but at times it is love cooking and sharing food and too silent and too serious for me! I Silesians also are quite welcoming think last year I was mostly in Exeter and warm to visitors. due to certain course requirements. There is a higher level of compeThis academic year, India appears to tition in India throughout your life. be my primary destination as I am Being a woman and living the life conducting research fieldwork here you dream of is absolutely a greater across Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Ban- challenge in India than in Poland. galore and Delhi. For my 3rd and fi- There are many more similarities nal PhD year I will probably go back and differences but that would need to the UK. In general, I keep coming a longer discussion so I will stop back and forth, spending 1-2 months here. in my other homes :) It feels so special to have homes in 3 different pla- Q: What are the main differences ces in the world. Although it gets a between studying in Poland and bit painful, at times, especially when Great Britain? What are the advanI have to pack and repack for the nth tages but also what irritates you? time in a year but one gets used to it and my system has learned to ac- A: I can only tell you about the situcommodate to newness very fast. It ation at higher education, in the unihas no other option, indeed. Which versity level, as I have experienced place I like the most? All of them that in both the countries. There is a are special in their own ways. Right lot to say in this regards but I would now I am missing Poland because like to mention just few aspects. Tuof Christmas and mostly my dearest tors in UK give space to explore and ones in Chorzów and the entire nurture your own qualities, interests TAAL team! But it is so good to be in and skills. They appreciate and vaOrissa, surrounded with likeminded lue your own way of thinking. They people and bathing everyday in the show you the direction but you have beautiful spirit of dancing. a freedom to “play around”. I was
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lucky enough to come across such professors in Polish university who gave me immense freedom to experiment and work in my own terms, ideas and topic for my final thesis work. In general, however, students need to be given greater scope of individual work and responsibility. At the beginning, I found it quite uneasy, to call my teachers in the UK by their first names, but later on realised how nicely it breaks the ice and makes you become just more comfortable with them and this further allows you to discuss and analyse things together as co-partners. Two more plus points about studying in the UK are the well equipped and resourceful libraries, access to online journals and more scholarship opportunities. What irritated me in Poland was too much of unnecessary formalities and some of the professor’s superior attitude, ignorance and indifference towards student’s need and the value of their time. I am glad that now the education system has changed into 3 yrs undergraduate plus 2 yrs masters, as the 5 yrs of uninterrupted MA also annoyed me. I don’t think there is anything specific that irritates me
about studying in the UK. Only one thing, too much freedom is dangerous so one need to be very well organized and self-disciplined. Q :What are your plans for the future? Maybe something connected with Taal Group, travelling? A: My plans are not stagnant; they continually travel along with me :) Situations keep developing too fast and what I am thinking today might be different in 2 months time. But, one thing that I can say is that definitely, I have plans related with TAAL, with dancing, singing, with academia, with love and happiness, with beautiful and warm souls, travelling and certainly with Poland and also not going to completely move out of my other 2 homes. Who knows, perhaps I will make another home as well. Q: What is dancing for you? Why do people dance?
Wojciech Zbrozek
A: People have been dancing since time immemorial. Dance anthropologists keep proving that there are numerous reasons why people
Could you pass a Cambridge University interview? Hours of polishing your personal statement, worrying about the predicted grades and reference letters, and asking yourself if all this will be good enough to convince university admission tutors that you are a perfect match for their expectations of an undergraduate applicant. The application is eventually sent off and all you are left with is waiting with hope that all your efforts won’t go unnoticed. Ultimately, there comes a time when all your anxiety is rewarded – your trembling hands clutch what has been awaited for weeks – a letter from the university. You open the envelope, full of both doubts and excitement, and read: “You are invited to come to Cambridge for interview in connection with your application for Economics”. You spend
dance. Thus, we all have a sense of dancing. Whether we admit it or not, is another thing. Of course, you need to define dance first. Is a specific music, movement, costume or space required to call the phenomena dance? There are many dance styles or genres with strict aesthetic measures and I practice one such form of Indian classical dance called Odissi. But personally, I feel dancing is one thing all the living beings share. Haven’t you seen trees dancing in the breeze? My dog performs his joyful greeting dance every time I come back home. Just like we are surrounded with music of all kinds, same with dance I believe. For me dancing is like breathing, a powerful source of energy and happiness, a self-expressive and self-transforming action without which we cannot live.
the next few minutes on re-reading this one sentence over and over again to make sure your head isn’t just playing tricks on you, but you are already aware of another alluring challenge set for you. The selection process conducted by Cambridge is obviously different for each course and varies depending on a college. Prior to the interview you might be asked to sit one of the tests – either Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) or some subject-related test. For Economics I got to take the latter, composed of a comprehensive reading task and a few questions assessing my mathematical abilities, focusing mainly on calculus; a clever IB student after their first year in the programme should find no greater difficulty in completing such
test. Apart from this assessment, selection for Economics involved two interviews, both including a subject as well as general discussion. The personal part was mainly focused on my current education (what were the reasons for choosing particular subjects, how would I assess my performance comparing to other classmates). In the subject-related part I was given some tasks to evaluate my problem-solving skills as well as creativity, e.g. how would I tackle the problem of light pollution in Hong Kong, giving pros and cons of each solution, or how would I encourage women in their twenties to return to work after giving birth (the interviewers also kept on adding various information: how would I solve it using taxes or with no money involved at all). Also, a topic of insurance and pension system was brought up. For the very end of
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the interview I was given another 3 short math questions, this time containing concepts I had never come across before, and except for a general explanation as to what the questions are about, I didn’t receive any additional help which would have allowed me to fully solve them. However, this shows the main point of the admission interviews – the university wants to observe your ability to learn and how you respond to their teaching; the interviewers will push you to a point when you admit you don’t know something so they can subsequently determine if they are able to guide you toward the right train of thought. The tricky thing about these interviews is that you can’t really prepare for them – there is no knowing what they might ask you (the only question that came up from a bunch of those I somehow prepared myself for was
“why economics?”). All you can do to maximise your chances of a satisfying performance is what everyone keeps on repeating: revise the material you have covered in classes. If there is anything you can be certain about, it is that the current knowledge you are expected to have in this subject (according to the information provided in your application) will be tested. On the other hand, you are not put at any disadvantage if you haven’t done any course-related studies yet (i.e. take Economics as your IB subject, which I didn’t have an opportunity to do). To finish up, I suppose that many of you imagine a typical Cambridge candidate as some geeky genius who does nothing but sits with their nose in books, devoting every minute of their life to what they are truly passionate about. At least this is how I viewed it and, frankly speaking, I couldn’t
I’ve been to the UK many times. The first time I was there I was just 3 years old. My parents still laugh when they remind me of the time we went to London and I saw a coloured (if I can use this term without sounding racist) woman. I stood next to her with my jaws hanging while my dad asked her for directions. As I was just three, I’m sure the lady wasn’t offended. But very often people my age or even older make a big deal out of the presence of somebody who isn’t white. Somebody who is different. You can’t possibly say Poland is a multicultural country, and because of the lack of different cultures we are rather intolerant. I hear racist jokes on a daily basis. I think the worst thing is that some people who plan on moving abroad, for
example to the United Kingdom, are the ones who show the worst racist behavior. They are in for a big surprise when they go to London. Do they really think that black-skinned people are going to serve them? Many of them are residents of the UK, so it looks like the Poles will be the outsiders. Unfortunately there is more. Some time ago I heard someone say being gay is now “trendy”. That was a big shock for me. I always knew there were people who don’t support gays, but that was a new low. In my opinion people who decide to “come out” are very brave. Once somebody does it, more people follow. Furthermore, celebrities such as Eminem or Macklemore are starting to show their support. Macklemore’s song “Same Love” was a big hit, and Eminem changed his view on gays, and has expressed his tolerance towards them. He used to be accused of anti-gay lyrics in his songs, but in 2010, when asked if he’d like to see gay marriage proposal in Michigan (where he lives), he replied: I think if two people love each other, then what the h***? I think that
be more wrong. Of course, there were applicants matching such an image but there also happened to be people who were quite just like me, who have decided on applying to Cambridge thanks to an explicit aspiration for studying at one of the top universities in the world rather than being extraordinarily enthusiastic about the particular subject of their future studies. To my mind, very few of high school students are entirely sure about what and where they want to study, so if you think that your personality, academic record and interests will convince the admission tutors to invite you to an interview, don’t hesitate, give it a shot and see what happens next. I can assure you that there is nothing more contenting than seeing your hard work being appreciated by a world-class university. Aleksandra Waluga
I CAN’T CHANGE everyone should have the chance to be equally miserable, if they want. I feel that celebrities making such statements are a big step. It’s a shame that only happens abroad. In 2003 a Polish photographer, Karolina Breguła, took pictures of 30 gay couples (“Let them see us”). Those pictures were later displayed on billboards in a few towns in Poland. Unfortunately they couldn’t be displayed for too long due to vandalism - they were quickly destroyed. That was 10, almost 11 years ago, so why do things seem to be getting worse now instead of better? Not only that, but why are young people so full of hate towards gays? I understand older people may not support gays because they are often very religious and aren’t quite used to this. But the younger generation is the problem. Once they’re intolerant, there are only small chances of a sudden change. And by showing their hatred to different people, chances are that their children will be the same. Stephanie Moulds
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In this article I would like to share my opinion, or rather my experience in relationships with peers from many European countries. I will focus mostly on my opinions and feelings which are a result of meetings with friends from different parts of Europe and the world, who think like me, despite having different experience and points of reference due to our different perspectives of even the same historical events. From my perspective, a person living in the days of a united Europe, relationships with citizens of other countries look a bit different than even 70 years ago. It seems to me that young people at my age spending the summer holidays in 1939 did not expect to witness the hardest war in the history of mankind, and within a few years, some of them would lose their lives in uprisings ( Warsaw Uprising, Ghetto Uprising) and at the fronts of Europe. They behaved as we behave at present: they enjoyed the end of school year, played, made friends, experienced their first loves, just enjoyed life. Similarly, my parents and my friends’ parents from Germany and Russia, did not expect the decay of USSR, or that Germany would reunify, the symbol of which was the fall of the Berlin Wall. Personally, in my short life I have not lived through any dramatic events related to the outbreak of war, uprisings or strikes on a large scale, as was the case of my great-grandparents’, grandparents’ or even parents’ generation. However, I personally believe in the fairness and thoroughness of historians, who will archive and interpret historical events in such a way as to preserve the heritage of my country and the nation for future generations, without exposing anyone to further conflicts and wars. Nowadays, I can travel freely and express myself without fear, which I willingly do. Thanks to people I have met in Germany – Greta Altenburg or Moritz Schletri, in Russia – my peer Etakari Medvedeva, Malta – Andre Farrugia, Great Bri-
HISTORY AND CONTEMPORARY YOUTH RELATIONS IN A GLOBAL tain, France or Lorenzo Giacomelli SOCIETY from Spain and others met during
and countries. This thing is honour. For me the most important are the best Polish values: God, honour and homeland” It’s the basis of my national awareness and the history of my country is contributing to both the historical and cultural What is important for us is to make heritage of the whole mankind. new friends, learn about other customs, other cultures, tastes and I believe that each generation can preferences, but about history it- affect changes at the global level. self we speak rarely. More often we Probably Nelson Mandela believed talk about current issues and events it while taking up the fight against such as uneven distribution of we- apartheid, or the humble electrialth in the world, the fight against cian Lech Walesa, when standing AIDS, global warming, etc. because at the forefront of the movement we have no influence on what has that led to the collapse of the totaalready happened, whilst how our litarian system in my country. This future and the future of our children has made me, the optimist, believe and hope that the world is going will look depends on us. in the right direction. J. Tischner Today’s Europe and world is facing said: ”Dialogue is building comparticular problems that require mon relations. Let this become the immediate solutions. Conflicts in guiding thought for each of us in the Arabic countries of the Middle dealing with other people”. East such as Syria, Lybia and Iran, althought different culturally and re- In today’s world, historians and ligiously, have dreams of becoming politicians play a special role. Theglobal citizens of the world, free pe- ir actions should seek dialogue ople, living in an open and tolerant and compromise in such a way that all nations could maintain a society. proper solution of disputes while Current events in Ukraine show maintaining the honor and dignity clearly how strong their desire is to of their own nation. unite with equal rights while preserving their own identity. Today, neither politics nor education can Karolina Hałuszko be based on old assumptions. Nations cannot just be seen individually but as a coherent whole, though even the European community can not be thought of as a single organism. Today, it is important to work on understanding others and ourselves, which will enable us to avoid confusion, misunderstandings and repetition of old mistakes. holiday abroad such as Karim Kama from Turkey, I have got the impression that with historical issues we all have similar views, which is that we should not reopen old wounds, but to focus on the future.
I agree with what the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Beck said in 1938: “.... there is one valuable thing in the life of people, nations
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cław or Warsaw, are another way to connect to other writers. Another important aspect of what NaNo does is have experienced authors advise and encourage the participants through pep talks. Have you ever tried to write a novel? Even relatively short one. No? How about - in a month? That’s exactly what nearly 289 thousand people from all over the world „including one very chilly writer at Antarctica’s McMurdo Station” - are going to attempt during the month of November as they participate in the National Novel Writing Month, a.k.a. NaNoWriMo. A project that has started in 1999 with just over 20 participants now attracts all sorts of writers, from first-time adults with a knack for words to professional wordsmiths looking for a way to change up their routine, to pupils with imagination who feel that they don’t have a chance to express fully otherwise. Exactly the way it sounds, from the 1st to the 30th of November a participant is to write - and write, and write, and write like crazy - 1667 words a day (or more)
towards the 50,000-word goal that is the default and makes one able to call themselves a winner. As the NaNoWriMo organizers say on their website, „Our experiences since 1999 show that 50,000 is a difficult but doable goal, even for people with full-time jobs and children.” It requires quite the determination and motivation to see it through: last year there were over 38 thousand winners, which was just over ten percent of the participants. Up to date, over 250 novels have been published through traditional publishers, including Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Marissa Meyer’s Cinder and Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants.
You can read more about sister proNaNoWriMo provides some helpful jects, published winners, and all of resources on writing on their websi- National Novel Writing Month on te and help can always be asked of the website, http://nanowrimo.org/ from the lively community on the Katarzyna Wrona forum, even if the traffic goes down once December starts. Local meet-ups, for example in Cracow, Wro-
Experiencing English Theatre People have enjoyed visiting theatres since the times of ancient Greece. Nowadays this form of entertainment is not as popular, as say, a half century ago, but there is still an audience that hasn’t forgotten that watching a drama from time to time may be an interesting and pleasant way to expand imagination.And so are our school’s students, who on the 31th
There are also several sister projects, including Young Writers Program, Camp NaNoWriMo and 30 Covers, 30 Days. The first is aimed at underage people and their teachers and provides resources such as curricula, workbooks and lesson plans to help students write their first novels by achieving the word goals they set themselves. This year, more than 80,000 students from 2,000 classrooms worldwide have signed up. Camp NaNoWriMo is an April-through-July, even more laid-back edition that allows everyone to set their own goals. 30 Covers is a challenge for designers - to create a cover for a participant’s novel-in-progress in 24 hours.
October 2013 made a trip to Chorzow Cultural Centre to see a show ‚The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ based on R. L. Stevenson’s book. The play was really spectacular, all 3 actors did very well, although there were some characters from the novel missing. Also the public could take part in the show, because the narrator led the dialogue with a chosen person. The scenography was not too sophisticated, but all in all fulfilled it’s role. What proved to be a nice surprise was the fact that a few songs were included into the plot, which held you in suspense till the very last moment. But the po-
int is, that the whole performance was adapted, directed and played in English by English actors: Paul Stebbings, Phil Smith and Paul Flush. For IB, pre-IB and bilingual gymnasium class students it wasn’t a problem, I would dare to say that it was rather an additional highlight. In the end the audience consisted in majority of our pupils, left the hall very pleased and richer in the new experience. Zuzanna Celebias
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THE CULTURE OF FANTASY Fantasy is not simply novels and stories. Nor is it only RPG games. Fantasy is a culture, and the number of people who belong to this culture is still growing. And as it increases, the desire for members to connect with others who share their passion is going up as well. Now, there are parties called ‘convents’ where fantasy fans can meet each other, but once they’ve met, how do they stay in touch afterwards? Someone asked this question about fifty years ago, and that’s when the first fantasy fan clubs were created.
The club is divided into sections that almost always meet together, but sometimes there’s a special meeting of a particular section, e.g. literacy section, RPG section, Manga section, etc. The RPG’ers play games, organize special RPG convents or talk about RPGs in general, whereas the literacy section members write short stories, share and critique each other’s work. They also discuss new books by famous writers and pen reviews.
Maybe you didn’t know, but in Katowice there’s a famous club called ‚Slaski Klub Fantastyki (SKF)’ . Is it very difficult to become a member? No, you just have to be an outgoing fantasy fan. Is it worth it? Absolutely. You can take part in organizing convents, meet famous fantasy and science fiction writers – SKF promoted famous writers like Anna Katoch and Jakub Wiek – and most importantly, meet people who have the same passion for fantasy as you.
With fantasy fandom on the rise, a group of entrepreneurs in Katowice came up with a plan to provide a place for sword-swingers and wand-wielders to kick back and spend some of their hard-earned coin. They opened a fantasy inn called the Foxy Goblin (“Rudy Goblin”). Waiters dressed as inquisitors serve food typical of the Middle Ages as well as a unique green beer that’s really green and people love it! The atmosphere in Goblin is amazing – you really feel like you’re in the Middle Ages.
even wore stilts. After the parade, everyone was invited to the Foxy Goblin for a party that lasted until the early morning. Of course, some famous people attended, including writer Jakub Wiek and SKF leader Klaudia Heintze. So, if you’re up for a night of epic tales and orcish ales, you’re sure to be welcomed at the Foxy Goblin at Wita Stwosza 5. And for those of you who are real fans of fantasy and would like to share your passion with others, Slaski Klub Fantastyki (Alfonsa Górnika 5) is waiting for you.
To promote Goblin, its owners col- laborated with SKF to organize a huge parade through the center of Katowice. People were dressed as knights, warriors, priests, zombies, vampires and robots. Some of them Expensive, beautiful, fast cars; a big dose of humour and unusual tests of vehicles are the basis of a TV Show called Top Gear. With its three brilliant hosts: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May the show gets even more extraordinary,
as they try to accomplish crazy quests. We can fairly say that most TV shows have their equivalents, but thankfully Top Gear isn’t one of them. It is incomparable and unbeatable due to its originality. To prove the success of the show, we don’t need to look far to see how much more popularity the original (British) version has compared to its copies. They will never be able to overcome the original version, which leaves me to state that it’s the best. Top Gear has been broadcast by the BBC for nearly 10 years now. In every episode
Mateusz P. Barczyk
Top Gear
the hosts present two to three cars, introducing them to the viewers with great passion, as well as outstanding humour. Everyone is able to enjoy the show, despite age or gender, as Top Gear brings up various topics about different makes, but also compares their compatibility in an interesting and innovative way, for example their abilities off road and on road, or other important facts for an auto maniac. A big part of the show plays a thing
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called “A star in a car, for a reasonable price”, where Jeremy Clarkson interviews a celebrity about his cars. Then he shows the stars the Top Gear racing track where they try to achieve the fastest time possible driving a car chosen by the presenters. Afterwards the time which the celebrities get is placed on a leader board and is compared with the scores of all the stars that attended the programme. In my opinion this is the best part of Top Gear. One of the last turns of the track has even been called “Gambon” after Michael Gambon, who during his ride somersaulted at that part of the old Canadian air base. A ranking is also formed for the results of super cars, tested on the track by an anonymous driver called Stig. In the first two seasons Stig’s role was played by Perry McCarthy (a racing driver). The
humour in Top Gear is definitely the main attraction of the programme. British humour may not suit everybody, however, that used by the hosts is excellent and perfectly matched with the situations. One example was during a comparison of three cars when one of the presenters said: “I think that the best super car is the Ford GT40. I liked it so much, that I bought it. Twice!” and in response he hears this:“You bought it twice, because it kept on breaking down, and you left it at the factory, and bought a new one!” All of this combined together gives an amazing effect. Thanks to these three middle-aged men, who constantly make fun of each other and
judge cars in an indescribable way, we can experience the fabulous world of motorization. Top Gear was, is and hopefully will be, the best show in the world. Mateusz Molinski and Jasmin Dameh
particular one matches with the You Can Always Sing Along... this description pretty well. But still the key to its success is the music which I guess the special thing about the musicals is that they often show the lighter, more fun side of our reality and they can bring some positive vibes to our lives. When we don’t feel like watching any serious stuff we can just sit comfortably on our couch, take some snacks and enjoy the music and all the amazing dancing routines! Let’s see how it works in practice, in particular examples...Shall we?
Grease One of the most successful musicals of all time. What led it to being so loved by millions of people? First of all, great music. The one that you start to like very quickly... catchy lyrics and enjoyable beat. The second thing is that the plotline isn’t very demanding. It’s rather sweet and relaxing. A boy and a girl fall in love. He’s kind of a bad boy and she’s an adorable Australian girl that is new in the school. They have their drama but after all they find their way to each other. Maybe
it sounds like a bit of cliché, but isn’t is very moving. The storyline is about it what we all could use after a tough a man who had to change his entire day? life after he was released from prison and how his decisions affected Rocky Horror Picture Show other people’s lives. It all takes plaAnd now, something slightly diffe- ce in times of the French Revolution, rent. It is, in fact, the musical that it’s about sacrifice, brotherhood, unhas been played for a very long time requited love and struggles between in American cinemas and theatres. doing what’s right and what’s good The reason for this is that people in the eye of the law. So, if you’re really enjoy watching this one. The keen on watching something more thing is that it’s one of the weirdest solemn then it’s a good choice for musicals you will ever see. Personal- you. ly we were quite shocked the first time we saw it but we found it pretty In all, you can see that musicals interesting and strangely amusing. don’t have just one direct target auSo we watched it again and enjoyed dience. They can be flexible and eveit even more. The plot is about a co- rybody is able to find something for uple which is having problems with them. Of course, not everyone has their car during the storm, so they to enjoy watching them. But if you end up in the house of a very crazy would like to sing along, come on scientist... board and savor it. So it’s up to you in which group you are, all you have Les Miserables to do is just to give it a chance. At the end we’d like to show that not every musical is funny and light. SoKasia Tomczuk metimes it’s more ambitious, serioand Miska Perzanowska us. It shows pain and suffering and
IB Review \\\ Culture \\\ 25
Zusammenfassung und Vergleich des Buches „Die weiße Rose“ und des Filmes „Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage“ Deutschland in den Zeiten des Nationalsozialismus – Angst, Abhängigkeit, Gewalt, Leben ohne Freiheit und in ständiger Gefahr. In diesem Alptraum trauten sich nur wenige Widerstand zu leisten, darunter aber befanden sich die Geschwister Scholl. War der Kampf um Gerechtigkeit und Freiheit das einzig richtige damals oder nur ein Akt der Dummheit und Rebellion? Die Antwort dazu findet man in dem auf Tatsachen basierenden Buch „Die weiße Rose“ und in der Filmversion „Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage“. Hans und Sophie Scholl sind anfangs stolze Mitglieder der Hitlerjugend und von dem Staat laut der Naziideologie aufgezogene Kinder. Diese Hingabe gibt jedoch bei den Geschwistern schnell nach, als sie herausbekommen, wel-
cher unmenschlichen Tyrannei sie folgen müssen. Während ihres Medizinstudiums in München setzen sich die Scholls, zusammen mit einigen anderen Studenten (Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, Christoph Probst) gegen das Regime ein, indem sie die heimliche Widerstandsgruppe „Die weiße Rose“ gründen. Ihre Waffen sind Flugblätter und verbotene Literatur. Beim Lesen der Werke von Thomas Mann, Friedrich Schiller und anderer dem Staat unbequemen Schriftsteller riskieren sie ihr Leben. Dieser tapfere, aber zudem auch überriskante Einsatz für die Gerechtigkeit, Freiheit und Wahrheit wird aufgelöst. Nachdem der Uni-Hausmeister die Geschwister beim Verteilen verbotener Flugblätter ertappte, zeigt er sie an und sie werden von der Gestapo festgenommen, verhört und beide erleiden die Todesstrafe. Sowohl das Buch von Inge Scholl als auch der Film in der Regie von Marc Rothemund stellen die schwierige Situation der Widerstandsgruppe im Dritten Reich dar. Im Buch jedoch konzentriert sich die Erzählung auf die beiden Geschwister, während
The Beatles were an English rock and roll band created in 1960 in Liverpool. Their group consisted of four members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The band was active since 1960 till 1970 and made a great influence throughout the world.
in 1980 and George Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. The remaining members continue separately their musical careers. They have received 7 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score and 15 Ivor Novello Awards. Collectively, included in Time magazine’s compilation of the 20th century’s 100 most influential people, The Beatles are the best-selling band in history, with EMI Records estimating sales of over one billion units. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked The Beatles as the best artists of all-time.
They started their career by performing in various clubs throughout Liverpool and Hamburg and were spotted by Brian Epstein who became their manager and acquainted them with George Martin, a well-known producer. The „Love Me Do” hit boosted their popularity in England and nicknamed them the „Fab Four”. In 1970 the band broke up after almost ten years of a blossoming career. John Lennon was killed
der Film mehr auf der Figur Sophie Scholl (gespielt von Julia Jentsch) basiert, worauf schon einzig der Titel aufmerksam macht. Das zum Oskar nominierte Drama ist von Anfang an düster und ernst, weil sich die Szenen grundsätzlich während des Verhörs abspielen. Im Buch dagegen lernt der Leser die fröhliche Kindheit und Studienzeit der Scholls kennen, die im Film abwesend bleiben. Das Buch ist dynamischer und beinhaltet mehr Handlungsstränge, was nicht heißt, dass das Drama langweilig ist. Mir hat besonders der Dialog zwischen Sophie und dem Kommissar gefallen, in dem sich die Studentin immer ausgefallene Lügen ausdachte. Meiner Ansicht nach ist die Filmversion interessant und illustriert sehr genau den letzten Lebensabschnitt von Sophie Scholl. Es ist jedoch nicht ganz komplett im Vergleich zum Buch, das mehr Informationen enthält. Das Thema von „Die weiße Rose“ als auch vom Film „Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage“ ist originell und bringt zum Nachdenken. Ich würde beides allen Geschichtsliebhabern empfehlen. Katarzyna Komander
The Beatles
convinced that this superstar is dead. What they say is that he has been replaced by an actor who has been pretending to be Paul since 1966. The urban legend says that the real McCartney died in a car accident. Are there any facts to prove this? For the majority not, but fans of conspiracy theories have found their proofs on Beatles’ album covers. The first album which allegedly shows that Paul is dead is “Yesterday and Today”. In the first version on the album PAUL’S DEATH RIDDLE art you could see The Beatles holIn July you had a fantastic opportu- ding destroyed dolls and pieces nity to see Paul McCartney live in of meat, which referred to Paul’s Warsaw. It may sound strange but horrible accident. On the new there are a few people absolutely cover of this album McCartney
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sits in a box, which is believed to symbolize a coffin. There are some other albums with allusions to his “death”, but the most famous of them is Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. A normal person would never think that somebody is able to find about 15 hints showing that Paul may have died. We are truly surprised at what people can invent to make a strange urban legend. We think that Paul is holding up well and is still alive. THE BEATLES’ MOST FAMOUS ALBUMS: ‚Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ The most famous of the Beatles albums, issued in 1967 is known as a true rock masterpiece. Set in psychedelic atmosphere, it introduces us into the strange and fantastic world of pure Beatles’ genius. This album holds the first place on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and is said to be one of the three most important concept albums of all time. ‚Please Please Me’ First Beatles’ album and one of the most known. It shows us the primary and light style of Beatles music. Containing such hits as “Please Please Me”, “Love Me Do” and “Twist and Shout” (cover) this albums gave The Beatles fame and many fans. ‚Help!’ His fifth in Beatles’ career album leads a new way of their music. Inspired by Bob Dylan, The Beatles tried to compose more sophisticated and mature songs. „Help!” tells us about the disadvantages of fame. Featuring hits like the title song, ‚Ticket to Ride’ and ‚Yesterday’ (which is the most covered song ever). ‚Help!’ is one of the most iconic of Beatles’ albums.
Songs: ‚Let it Be’ One of most touching song of all time. It is simple, with charismatic vocal and beautiful piano background. The last and one of the most gorgeous Beatles’ hit. ‚I am the Walrus’ and ‚Strawberry Fields Forever’.Two amazing and unbelievably psychedelic songs. “I am the Walrus” sounds like a drug trip, and kidnaps a hearer with burlesque atmosphere. Nonsense lyrics and music video make this song a creation which could be written only by The Beatles. “Strawberry Fields Forever” is as psychedelic as ”I am the Walrus” but is slow, a bit creepy and very touching for anyone who listens to it. ‚Hey Jude’ Another great hit, very long and emotional. At the beginning slow and calm, surprises with complete change when the famous “Na Na Na” theme comes in. Our personal Beatles’ number one. ‚What after the break?’ Did the Beatles end their career after the split in 1970? Of course not! They started making music solo and you must say each of them sound as good alone as they sounded together. John is most famous for his ‚Imagine’ album but he also released other hits like “God” and “Working Class Hero”. With these songs he became a true hippie generation icon. Paul set up “The Wings” and issued masterpieces such as “Live and Let Die” and beautiful “Maybe I’m Amazed”. George’s hit “I’ve Got My Mind Set On You” is still played on the radio regularly.
INTERESTING FACTS With fame and brave pictures came controversies. ‚Yesterday and Today’ was released with a cover showing The Beatles holding destroyed dolls and meat. Back in the 60’s it was something shocking. The art was said to be ‚butchery’. The band was forced to change it and now the rare albums with the original cover are worth $10000. Beatles have been thrown away for hanging condom on a cinema wall and burying it. That sounds crazy. But when talking about controversies you have to say that the Beatles were known for their fondness for drugs and they also were convinced that they are “more popular than Jesus”. You think that Black Sabbath invented metal? Or Iron Maiden? Maybe Judas Priest? No, you are wrong. Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” is the first song of this genre. Accused of being too sweet and calm the band decided to make the loudest and dirtiest song ever. Some people say that during the recording of this song Paul was singing with a burning ashtray on his head. Aleksander Kalisz and Maciej Ziaja
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Florence and the Machine at the Coke Live Music Festival Florence and the Machine are one of the most famous English bands. They compose alternative music. Up to now they’ve released two albums: Lung (2009) and Ceremonials (2011). Their songs are very often used in movies. Florence and the Machine have performed on the biggest stages in the world. This year they came to Poland as the main artist at the Coke Live Music Festival. This article will be about their performance from my point of view. I set off very early from Gliwice and reached Cracow about noon. There I met my friend and we started preparing for the festival. Polish fans decided to do 3 happenings during the concert (everyone had to have wreaths, be in glitter and make banners, on which was written what Florence and the Machine gave them). We chose 2 of them: we bought wreaths and sprinkled on our body lots of glitter. Then we went to the festival. When we arrived, we were amazed – everywhere were thousands of people. They were dancing, chilling out or just having fun. There were 2 stages: Main Stage and Cracow Stage. We had a few hours to Florence and the Machine’s performance so we were hanging around the festival. We met lots of fans in wreaths and glitter.
Their performance was planned for 11pm so since 10pm we kept standing close to the stage. We wanted to be as close as possible. After an hour of waiting Florence finally appeared. She was dressed in a simple, plain, black dress and no shoes. After a while the rest of the band came and we heard the intro of “Only if for the night”. At the beginning Florence and the Machine had been stressed out, but then they saw how enthusiastic the Polish fans were, smiles appeared on their faces. During the second song “What the water gave me” Polish fans raised their banners up. Florence was crying when she noticed what was written there - LOVE, FAITH, EMOTIONS, ENERGY, RELIEF. Then they’re playing “Cosmic Love”, “Drumming Song”, “Rabbit heart”. At the beginning of the last one, the singer raised some glitter up, started sprinkling it everywhere and said ‘Now, Poland, if you’re with somebody and you like them or you love them or you’ve just met them, it’s time for you to raise them up! ‘I wanna see girls or boys on shoulders! Get your girls on your shoulders!’ ‘There’s one! Raise them up! On shoulders! There’s two!’. Suddenly she stepped into the audience and took our wreaths. She gave one to the keyboardist and the rest she put down around her microphone. Later they sang “You’ve got the love”, “Between two lungs”, “Shake it out”, “No light no light”, “Sweet nothing”, “Spectrum” and finally “Dog days
are over”. Before the last song she told us to jump as high as we can during the chorus. And in fact EVERYONE, ALL 50 THOUSAND OF US WERE JUMPING. IT WAS INCREDIBLE, WONDERFUL AND AMAZING. After the festival we couldn’t sleep. It was the best day of our lives. Now we can’t wait for the next performance. Florence told us they’re going to release their next album next year and they would be coming back to Poland during their European Tour. So must wait and hope she keeps her word! Piotr Wasilewski
28 /// Culture /// IB Review
Lucky Girl
There’s always someone who can prove to you that making your dreams come true isn’t impossible. All you need is: self-confidence, desire and power. Of course, some people have an easier road to reach their target. And that’s a short story about one of them. Cara Delevingne was born in London in 1992. She had lots of opportunities to get to this bright world of fashion which is her homeland now. Her older sister, Poppy Delevigne, is a model, her grandfather is a former English Heritage Chairman. Anyway she had a few connections but being a super model is all she has. Is it a „special thing” which made her so famous and admired? Have the connections brought her to the 5th place in a ranking of the best models made by models.com? Or maybe a lifestyle and charisma
Rocket science is one of the most prospective, yet highly demanding domains nowadays. It was these two features that prompted Łukasz Kulik, class of 2013 alumnus, to begin a programme in Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology. IB Diploma Programme gives its students not only a two-year tuition enabling them to pursue knowledge in the areas of their choice, but also supplies them with auspicious opportunities for further education, opening the doors to world universities, which Łukasz is an example of. The following interview gives some insight into this graduate’s post-IB life. What pushed you towards the Aerospace Engineering (AE) course? AE lies at the intersection of science and technology. I can’t think of anything as exciting and profound as sending a spaceship to explore outer space. It is one of the few areas of engineering that offer a
made this 21 years old girl an international star. When she isn’t working with the greatest fashion designers and photographers she hangs out with Rita Ora, Miley Cyrus or Rihanna. Sounds like the highlife but Cara is just a natural girl, at least she is trying to be like that. People ask: ‘Who’s that girl?’ and the answers are: ‘Oh, she is lovely’, ‘The best model of all time’, ‘Next Kate Moss!’ or ‘Dude, I absolutely filled my tumblr with her photos’. People love Cara, not because she is pretty, it’s because they find her genuine and different from other beautiful but boring models from LA. We need to add that boys have the same opinion. It is said that she dates Harry Styles from One Direction or Douglas Booth, English actor. Recently she said: „I’m done with boys, they’re so annoying. All they care about is their willies. I want to behave more like a boy…I want to be the strong one. People see me being a crazy b****,
but I’m the opposite inside.” She also commented on speculations about her problems, starting with an eating disorder, and finishing at an addiction to drugs. ’Everyone worries about me’ she told W Magazine. ‚It’s hard for my family, and I know I have to be careful. People have to realize that I can take care of myself. I’ve done a great job so far’. Pepe Jeans and Burberry are two main brands for which Cara works. She represents nearly every collection and, to be honest, she largely owes her career to those brands. For the first time Cara was the face of Burberry’s spring/summer 2011 campaign. The next year, she joined the Pepe Jeans campaign. By the way, that’s why people call her: “second Kate Moss”. We’re sure that this girl is going to achieve a lot during her life and of course, we wish her luck! Katarzyna Gala and Dominika Gawlik
possibility of making life Rockets are Cool. multi-planetary and protecting it from calamito- There’s no Getting Around That. us asteroid impact. It’s also fun to play with cutting edge Could you briefly describe the protechnology. All this is amplified by cess of applying to Dutch univerunparalleled AE research platform sities? offered by TU Delft, as confirmed by their fruitful close-knit relationship It’s unintuitive and over-complicated compared to British UCAS or with aerospace industry. American Common Application. IB What is your impression of the new diploma makes things simpler, but it’s necessary to keep close track of environment? the application process. University Dutch people possess a truly inter- ranks candidates according to their national spirit, the vast majority spe- academic performance, passion for aks very good English. I also enjoy aerospace engineering and social the company of students from all engagement. around the world, it’s very refreshing. On the flip side, having like- What does your university have to -minded tech geeks all around you is offer to its students? a nice new experience, but I sometimes lack the aesthetic taste of a hu- Nuclear reactor, one of the 7 most manities students nearby.University beautiful libraries in the world, 8 also encourages teamwork, so we wind tunnels and flight simulator already know each other quite well. with 6 degrees of freedom fall short It’s a shame, that almost half of my when compared to the passion with peers won’t be around next year, as which the lectures are given. Tethe average dropout rate is ~40%. aching is mostly digital, so there is no need for taking notes instead of
IB Review \\\ Alumni \\\ 29
focusing on grasping the presented cision you’ve made? concepts. The learning curve is very steep and Do you feel in any way better pre- I hope it will stay that way. There are pared for the university education lots of extracurricular activities to by the IB DP? keep me busy and involved for the oncoming years. IB (depending on subject choices) can provide you with strong underAleksandra Waluga standing of calculus and physical phenomena as well as proficient ________________ graphic calculator skills. Also, there TU Delft shows a stimulating style is virtually no difference in academic of teaching which results in stuculture. Workload in both follows dents’ participation in numerous the Pareto principle, so anybody wil- international events (the most reling to excel has to fully immerse in cent one being a solar vehicle race the programme. World Solar Challenge in Australia, which Delft team has won for the So far, are you satisfied with the de- 5th time). It also equips the students We decided to interview Adam Okoniewski, a former student of Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych No 10 – I LO in Gliwice (IB School 006264), although we have never met him in person. From what we learnt Adam was a very popular person both among students and teachers. We would like to ask him a couple of questions about his experience in the IB DP Department at Lyceum No 1 in Gliwice and Cardiff University in Wales (where he currently studies Law with Criminology). What is it like to study abroad? Would you say that there is a difference between you and a British student? I can say from what I’ve already experienced in Cardiff that studying abroad is not as difficult as many may think it is. The only barriers that you need to overcome are language differences, culture ‘shock’ and spending a lot of time without family. However, if you are quite independent, systematic and patient, you can overcome these obstacles quickly. Beyond this, studying in the UK requires full devotion to academic rigour, the ability to manage plenty of things at the same time and coping with different people. The most important thing is to answer the question what you would like to do in life and what you are best at. If you set out certain life goals, then notwithstanding if you are studying abroad or at home, you will know what you want to achieve and you will become more subject-focused. Moreover, I’ve realized that the studies in the UK are more prone to instil in students the ability of being
with skills which enable them to design innovative and record-breaking projects, including: construction of a rocket - Stratos I, which, having managed to reach 12.5 km altitude, set a record for amateur rocketry; design of the fastest, both human-powered (a bicycle attaining speed of 133.78 km/h) and electric-powered (accelerating to 100 km/h in just 2.13 s), vehicles; construction of first Dutch university satellite – Delfi-C3 range of opportunities which, in a follow-up, may lead to a prestigious future if one is eager to take up challenges that are set for them.
FROM GLIWICE TO CARDIFF prepared to work in the future. Indeed, students are strongly encouraged to enhance their experience by taking part in extracurricular activities and employers workshops. If it goes about spending time without family, I’ve been using Skype since my arrival in Cardiff and I don’t feel like I’m thousands of kilometres away from home. I talk to my parents almost every day and this allows me to go forward with a feeling that I’ve never left my parent home. Do you think that you would be studying in Cardiff now if you hadn’t finished the IB Diploma Programme? If not, what do you think you’d be doing now? I wouldn’t study in Cardiff if I hadn’t finished the IB programme. This is because Cardiff University is not the most recognizable institution in the world and my decision to choose it was mainly motivated by the fact that it presents itself well among other UK law schools. Before I came to the IB, I heard only about Oxford and Cambridge universities and if I had decided to stay in a normal Polish mainstream education, I wouldn’t have much interest to extend my research to other UK universities. If I had decided to study in a normal Polish class, I would be probably studying law at one of the Polish universities now. I’ve always wanted to become a lawyer and the stay in Poland wouldn’t have changed my interest. However, I
must say that a lot depends on your personality and your life priorities. You can still study in a Polish class but if your priority is to become a specialist of British common law and professional practitioner in that field, then you will choose future education at UK universities. In my case, there were some additional factors that shaped my decision to study in the UK. For instance, I wanted to become fully independent and living on my own abroad was the best opportunity to achieve this. What advice would you give to somebody who is considering studying abroad? Firstly, I would strongly recommend you to think deeply why you want to study abroad. You need to ask yourself questions what are your life priorities, your particular interest and what makes a difference if you study abroad or at home. You also have to analyse the economic situation of the country in which you want to study and try to find whether it appears to be beneficial from the perspective of your degree. In my view there is no point in coming to study religion and theology in the country that in recent years has become fully atheistic. On the other hand, there are some people who prefer interest over money and no matter how badly disrupted the country is, they will choose the former alternati-
30 /// Alumni /// IB Review additional seventh subject and not IB, although I’ve observed that IB stuAcing the EEangoing and scoring points over the IB requirements. above Actual- dents40 struggle less in writing essays ly, I’ve always done what was required and learning than non-IB students. IB from me and never had enough system is simply much more rigorous is I’veEASY motivation to broaden my research and than English A-levels and IB subjects
ve. Like I said, a lot depends on your personality and your life goals. If you prefer traditional style of living and challenges and sacrifices are not your good side, then there is no point in coming to study abroad. In your opinion, what is most important in order to successfully finish the IB? The most important thing is to work systematically and focus on IB requirements. If you don’t do much for the whole 2 years of IB programme and then decide to study one month before exams, there is little chance that you will achieve success in this programme. You also need to have solid grounding if it goes about scientific subjects. Choosing to study maths HL without knowing fundamental maths rules, does not foretell well for the future (that’s probably one of the main reasons why you need to get at least 4 from maths in pre-IB in order to continue your adventure with maths at higher level). However, if you are extremely systematic, hardworking and self-critical, then lack of grounding may not constitute a bigger problem. My advice is to set out certain plan of action and adhere to it till May exams. If you are giving up quickly, then don’t worry – try again and again until the routine becomes an intrinsic part of your study system. Still, success is not easy to achieve but I don’t know any person who has succeeded without hard work. My second advice is to focus on IB requirements (if you are studying for example history, read mark schemes and exam papers from previous years or read history textbooks for IB and improve your understanding of the topic by building your knowledge on common mistakes of students during exams). Try to read the books designated especially for IB but don’t confine yourself only to it. By doing just what is required from you, you will never become an independent person with world awareness. Still, IB programme is not designed to make you suffer from heavy workloads but to help you to develop your interests that are the basis for future success. Is there anything you regret doing/not doing (related to school) during the IB programme? I think that I should have used IB opportunities to a greater extent. I regret especially not taking physics as
treat IB as a help and not as a must. The consolation is that I actually didn’t have much time in IB to do anything else and so I have a partial excuse for not infringing conformance to IB requirements. Generally, I think that it was really difficult for me to do better in IB programme. Actually, I started treating it seriously in my second year and the arrears left by first year were not to catch up. Why did you decide to study abroad? I’ve decided to study abroad due to several reasons. First of all, I’ve realised the importance of having the international perspective, which in the current era of globalization and interconnected world economy may be an extremely advantageous attribute. Secondly, my decision was highly influenced by the IB programme, which opened for me great opportunities to live in a different part of the world and experience something new. Moreover, for two years I studied most of my subjects in English and I couldn’t see any alternative other than continuing learning in the same language. Thirdly, my motivation was affected by my particular interest in the degree and admirable job prospects thereafter. Finally, I was particularly concerned about legal market in Poland and its economic situation as a whole – UK with its dominant position in the world and higher earnings was a really tempting offer for me. Were there any moments during your IB DP in Gliwice when you considered giving up and moving to the Polish mainstream education? There were such moments when some of my friends decided to leave the IB on the grounds that the programme was otiose and didn’t offer better prospects than Polish mainstream education. However, I’ve always had an intrinsic conviction that once started action should be kept up till the end. Actually, I wouldn’t give up IB even if I were convinced that the programme wouldn’t give me better opportunities than the mainstream Polish education. How would you rate your IB preparation to studies abroad in comparison with other non-IB students? I cannot provide a satisfying answer for this question because I’ve never experienced different education than
superfluity gives IB students grave supremacy over non-IB students. How does a normal student’s day look like? For me every week day from Monday to Friday looks almost the same. After lectures, I usually go to the library or I study at Hall. Although for my degree there are only exams in May, the lectures are supplemented by seminars and tutorials for which I have to prepare for about 30 hours a week. Additionally, I’m hanging out with newly met friends and doing some extracurricular activities. For instance, I play football every Friday and attend chess session every Monday. Fridays and weekends are more loose. Since coming to Cardiff, there was no Friday or Saturday evening that I haven’t spent in a party. Nowadays money is important. How much money do you need to study abroad? Can you do some part-time job to make ends meet? Studies in the UK cost £9000 a year for European Union students. Additionally you need to pay about £4000 a year for a living place and about £2000 for food. However, there are maintenance grants and tuition fee loans that can help you with financial difficulties. For instance, Wales is the only country that covers the whole tuition fees for the first year with £5,425 non repayable grant and £3,575 repayable loan. This means that you don’t have to repay £27000 in the course of 3 years (assuming that you will take loan for 3 years of your studies) but only about £10000 (3 *£3,575). Unfortunately there are no maintenance grants in Wales and so you have to pay for accommodation from your own pocket. The price for Student Halls in Cardiff fluctuates between £3,500 and £4,200 a year. The hall with ensuite bathroom and part-catering costs £4,200 a year and a hall with shared bathroom and without catering costs about £3,500 a year. Additional money for breakfasts and social entertainment depends largely on your own needs (however the minimum limit of good living is about £150 a month). I think, that generally you can take part-time job to help you with living and
IB Review \\\ Alumni \\\ 31 accommodation, but it would be really difficult to manage to work to cover the whole cost of living and study well at the same time. For instance, law is a really demanding subject and for now I can’t even think of taking part-time job and doing well with my studies at the same time. However, I know some people who take part time-jobs and study at the same time and their management of things is without objection. In England and Scotland there are additional maintenance grants and loans that can cover the cost of living (beyond in Scotland most of universities offer free education) and so you could take part-time job and still have money for fun. Thank you very much Adam and we are looking forward to meeting you during the talk at our school in Gliwice before Christmas. Stephanie Moulds and Jakub Stepowski
A former student of our school, Łukasz Kulik, was given an opportunity to challenge himself in the academic field on a scale that not many of high school students get to experience. Thanks to being a principled and risk-taking inquirer, Łukasz was qualified to take part in the International Conference of Young Scientists in Bali, Indonesia. He spent a week in a multicultural environment taking advantage of the personally-enriching nature of this event. I was able to participate in ICYS thanks to my Physics teacher who got me interested in the subject, guided and helped me to overcome a mountain of overbearing red tape along the way. The whole process consisted of a number of local and national preliminaries from which eight candidates representing Poland finally emerged. . In April (roughly 3 weeks before the final IB examinations) we set off on an almost 28 hour journey covering a total distance of 11,161 km. What greeted us first was revolting humidity and a very welcoming liaison of-
Creating Plasma on the Other Side of The World ficer. Bali itself turned out to be very European, almost tailored to suit the taste o western tourists. Contrary to the rest of Indonesia, Bali tries very hard to maintain the appearances of a “judeo-christian paradise” , an alluring place with an ample supply of food and rest. In a few days after the arrival, we were ready to present our research. During the poster exhibition, which served a function of an introduction to the competition, I was able to appreciate the breadth of the presented projects, which ranged from mathematical simulations to hands-on research works. I was also able to find out the background of some of the 123 participants; it was easy to find a common subject with a relatively high proportion of IB and A-levels students. Oddly enough certain team leaders were too obsessed with their national identity instead of celebrating the international nature of this event. Fortunately, they were quickly alienated due to their amusing inability to comprehend English . The next days were about presenting our research in front of the jury. My model demonstrated the principle of electrohydrodynamic propulsion. It was supplied with high voltage (15-25kV range) by the flyback transformer from an old CRT TV and a switched-mode power supply. A real life application of this phenomena is for example a silent cooling system for electronic components. The created model (as an ion thruster) could also be used to model the behaviour of such engines without the need for damageing expensive equipment. To conduct my research and come up with proper calculations I had to expand my calculus understanding by covering Green and Stokes theorems as well as parts of multivariable calculus. To generate the electric field gradient visualisations I had to utilise a mixture of mathematical, physical and computer tools.
Luckily, Physics and Chemistry HL laboratory work gave me a huge head start when I began my measurements in the Physics Department of the Silesian University of Technology. Apart from all of the academic context I had the opportunity to have a glimpse of the southern hemisphere night sky. What generally surprised me the most in Bali were no price tags on products (prices vary depending on how western/rich you appear), scooters as a main mode of transportation, absolutely no regard for traffic rules as well as a very light-hearted approach to punctuality and following the schedule. The socioeconomic gap between the developed countries and Indonesia manifest itself in the substantial role of religion in Indonesians’ lives as well as relative social backwardness (e.g. treating a different sexual orientation as a disease). You can grab some more information about the conference at http:// icys2013.suryainstitute.org Łukasz did not leave Bali empty-handed – his work entitled “Propulsion efficiency and applications of electrohydrodynamic thrusters” was appreciated by multinational jury and awarded with a silver medal. However, this break from school did not hinder his preparation for the final examinations that were awaiting him right after the return from Indonesia. As a matter of fact, Łukasz, who obtained the best final score in his year group (42 points out of 45 possible) managed to place himself on a par with the 3% of IB students achieving best results worldwide. Now, after successfully finishing high school, Łukasz can now easily move on to commencing education at a university where he will be able to develop his passion for science and engineering further.
ol & ox
32 /// Alumni /// IB Review
My First Semester at Cardiff University What motivated me to study at UK) seemed the only rational alterCardiff University? native for a person who wished to continue postgraduate studies and The decision to study in the UK work in the legal market thereafter. was one of the most difficult decisions in my life. In fact, I was Do I regret my choice? sacrificing a lot and I wasn’t sure whether the sacrifice would be I must confess that the only thing worthwhile. However, as it tur- I regret after spending 3 months ned out later, my doubts were at Cardiff University is that I didn’t groundless. My main motivation take my umbrella with me. The to study at Cardiff University was weather is simply awful and there affiliated with the course. Joint has been no single day without a degree of law with criminology proper rain so far. However, the would allow me to develop my rest of the bonuses do not follow long-term interest in social - re- suit. The lectures stay at a very lated issues (law, ethics, histo- high level and the lecturers are dory, crime, victimization, human ing all that is in their strength to rights and politics). As a matter guarantee a high level of research. of fact, there are only a few uni- For instance recently, I had a lecversities in the UK that offer a ture with a police officer from the similar course, and Cardiff, with USA and a professor from Oxford its glamorous location and rich University, which portrays the efcultural tradition, seemed to forts that the university is putting promise the best offer. into assuring the highest possible Apart from the course, I was educational standards. This is no primarily concerned about cho- surprise taking into account the seosing a school that would gu- riousness of the modules every law arantee solid job prospects in and criminology student must take the future. Cardiff University (public law, criminal law, legal fowith its position among Russell undations, contract law, key ideas Group Unis and possibility to of- in social science and foundations fer Legal Practice Course and Bar of contemporary criminology). AlVocational Training Course (as though lectures last only approxithe only British University in the mately 14 hours a week, they are supplied with tutorials and seminars, where I can take part in discussions and consolidate my knowledge about the particular topic. Moreover, there are no law exams in January, which allows me to think with optimism about the Christmas recess. Despite this fact, the studies are really difficult and if you can’t manage to read 70 pages a day, don’t come to study law at Cardiff University.
What are the greatest benefits of studying at Cardiff? I wouldn’t be misleading you by saying that you will never be bored by hanging around Cardiff University. There are many events and the information about them is always accessible. I have already taken part in a mooting, Cardiff law fair (where I could talk to representatives from London law firms), Jones Day open day in Bristol, a public workshop with a barrister from London and a business competition. Currently I’m trying to engage in the international case competition (KMPG) and long-term voluntary work. The Students’ Union is probably the greatest merit of Cardiff University. It offers a big student bar, where you can hang out with friends, watch football or a rugby match, play snooker and simply relax after a hard day of studies. In the first week of studies (23-30th September) the Students Union organizes the fresher’s week, during which you can party every day and wear funny costumes (according to the type of party you are interested in). I really enjoyed it and met many amazing people. Moreover, the Union allows you to enter many different societies (there are about 100) and engage in the events organized by them. I’ve already joined the chess club and law society, where the latter has given me the opportunity to attend mootings and extra law lectures, and the former has allowed me to play chess every Monday with other gamers. Additionally, I play football every Friday. The libraries are the most stunning element of Cardiff University. The Law library for instance possesses diverse book collections, including original law reports and journals. I’ve already read over 30 cases in official transcript, which elucidated me the variety of problems that British law has struggled with over the centuries. Moreover, there are plenty of computers and printers in the library so you don’t need to worry
IB Review \\\ Alumni \\\ 33
about bringing your own technology to Cardiff. Gaining international perspective is another bonus of studying at Cardiff. For example in the first month of studies, I met friends from India, Greece, Luxembourg, Pakistan, Malaysia, Wales, USA, France. Some of them taught me their customs and traditions that would otherwise have been unknown to me. Cardiff School of social sciences offers incredible opportunities for students, who are studying criminology or sociology. During your first year you can apply for placement at one of the partnership universities in the USA or Hong-Kong, which will undoubtedly enhance your experience and portray you in a more valuable light for employers. For the best students, Cardiff School of Social Sciences also offers a range of scholarships and various financial aid. Was there something I struggled with during my first month at Cardiff?
Do I have some special conclusions prized by employers, which is eviand tips? denced by the fact that the representatives from the best commerFor those of you who haven’t yet cial law firms (Linklaters, Allen & decided about which university to Overy, Freshfields) are regularly choose, I will quell your concerns. visiting the university. The moCardiff is one of the cheapest pla- dern legal market in the UK has ces to study in Great Britain and undergone extreme changes (the unlike English universities, you traditional role of solicitors has won’t have to pay 9000 pounds ceased to exist; the cuts in British or take such a huge loan to cover legal aid for barristers illustrate a year of your studies. The govern- that commercial law has become ment of Wales covers all tuition fees the centre of power in the legal for the first year in 5,425 pounds sector) and nowadays influential of grant (which is non-repayable) employers show more propensiand 3,575 pounds of loan (which ty to target students who possess is repayable). The same scenario commercial awareness and valuapplies to the second and third able experience rather than thoyear, whereas the only problem se who graduated from the best lies in the fact that you have to ap- British universities. Cardiff offers ply for financial help annually. The such experience together with accommodation is not governmen- social and day-relevant approach tally refunded but it is still much towards studies, which in the licheaper than the accommodation ght of recent developments, puts in London or other big cities in the it in a much higher position than UK. other British universities.
At the beginning, I grappled with the language while speaking with Welsh and British nationals. Their accent is really demanding and you need to talk to them a lot in order to understand them. I also had some problems with finding my accommodation room, which is because my Hall is located in a quite restricted area, you can only get to by two routes. What is more, I struggled with apprehending the organisation of tutorials and seminars which usually take place in follow and fortnightly cycles but can be quite confusing when you need to find the group to which For those of you who consider you were attached. studying law in the UK, I strongly recommend you to apply to CarGenerally, the first week is the diff University on various grounds. most difficult, because you have First of all as aforementioned it is to obtain your university card, re- the only British university that ofgister with the doctor, get to know fers BVTC, GDL and LPC. Moreoyour timetable and buildings in ver in the 2013 QS world ranking it which lectures are held. However, has been located on 136th for law. after spending some time here, I Although UK rankings do not podon’t feel like I am having many sition Cardiff law school in the foproblems anymore. refront, it is highly respectable and
Adam Okoniewski
34 /// Alumni /// IB Review
Acing the EE and scoring above 40 points is EASY The title is NOT a joke. Yes, it is misleading, as this is mainly an article on getting an “A” on EE, but additionally you will be provided with the Wonderful-Free-Of-Charge-Three-Step-Rule (approved by all high scoring IB alumni) which will lead you to guaranteed success in the IB Diploma (in case of failure, we offer a full refund). Let’s start with the EE, shall we? The most important rule is to… - study the Extended Essay Guide and always follow it to the letter. In my opinion, the key to success in the IB Programme is to follow all of the guides and syllabuses as closely as it is possible[1]. Thus, do not neglect the guide and be sure to check each part of your essay with the guidelines! The second most crucial advice that I can provide you with is… - to closely study all of the Excellent Extended Essays from the subject which you have chosen. Obviously you want to mimic them (but not copy – remember about Academic Honesty) as much as you can. Other tips of almost equal importance (in random order) are… - to always keep track of the bibliography. You do not want to spend hours searching for the books, articles, websites, etc. which back up your claim – remember most of these essays are a discussion on sources, academic opinions and so on – so much of your essay should be backed up with a bibliography. - the formal presentation is also important (it can earn you up to 4 points – and this is really easy to accomplish) – try to make your Extended Essay appealing visually. - do not cheat on the word limit (it is too risky), but try to choose such a research question that is not be too broad or too narrow. This may be difficult, but if you prepare a detailed plan beforehand, you (and your supervisor) will be able to assess if the research question is appropriate. If you are caught on dishonestly “improving” your word count you will face penalties. What is more, the examiner will most likely not read above 4000 words – thus you will lose points for structure, as he/she will not read your conclusion. - keep up with all of the deadlines – try to finish writing early in order to have a lot of time to improve the essay. - do not neglect the meetings with your supervisor – it is better to know what not to do than to write everything from scratch after learning about your mistakes. Finally, for the anti-climatic ending of the article... the Wonderful-Free-Of-Charge-Three-Step-Rule (approved by all high scoring IB alumni): 1. Follow the guides and syllabuses while studying and writing Internal Assessments. 2. Study using past exam papers and question banks. 3. Do well on the actual exams. _____________
Karol Cieślik
1)However in some cases it is not possible (I am referring to history and languages), because the syllabuses and guides offer little, if any, meaningful information for the student. If your goal is to get a lot of points stay AWAY from these subjects – take scientific subjects and geography in order to maximize your score. This is an agreed upon opinion of high scoring alumni. Getting a high score at humanities is more of a gamble (which rarely pays off if you check the statistical evidence provided by the IB as well as by the scores from this and last year). Many people I know chose subjects which interested us, i.e. history instead of geography, which led to our demise as all the points we lost were due to humanities (with an exception of one point lost on Maths HL portfolio).
IB Review \\\ Alumni \\\ 35
Devil Is Not So Black As He Is Painted - an introduction to a Gap Year. Taking a, so called “gap year”, is certainly one of the biggest decisions connected with university. Those decisions include, of course, where we will study, what it is that we will be studying and where we will take the money from for all that...When I had to decide it was rather easy. As to where, it was always going to be England and later in the process it became Manchester. I had to apply through UCAS like everybody else and the most amazing thing I have discovered is that the place at any given university in UK can be secured a year before you actually start the course. In my case, I secured a place at Manchester University for the course starting in 2014 and I applied in 2013. In the end I chose Chinese Studies, the language, history of China, its politics, culture and more. This course drew my attention because it included one year abroad, which is available, if not strongly recommended to everyone taking the course. Also, during doing some research about the course and possible future paths that I could take, it became clear that after graduating I will have a range of different job opportunities available, such as a
translator, interpreter, embassy em- (primary school, middle school ployee or travel agency owner or and secondary school) university manager. is no longer a “race” so to speak, of course. Some people don’t go However, there was still a matter of to the university at all, some go how I was going to pay for the uni right after school and some take itself and where I would get money a gap year and no one thinks that for living expenses from (a place it’s strange or irresponsible. For to live, food, books, clothes, etc.). me the biggest advantage of the Then an idea came to my mind – gap year is, firstly, the possibility why don’t I take a gap year? A gap of finding a job and saving some year is basically a year off between money for the first few months of secondary school and university, uni and the future feeling of secuduring which people choose to do rity and independence connected many different things like travel, with it. Secondly, as I already said, work, learn a new language, have it’s an opportunity to sort out your fun and meet new friends in the pro- life, get your priorities straight and cess, sometimes they choose to take finally find the answer to the one a gap year just to tidy their lives up question we’ve all been asking oura little. That is kind of what I wanted selves for the past 3 or so years... to do. Between getting a job and living in a foreign country, I decided “What on earth am I gonna do..?” that it would be a good idea to focus, for once, entirely on myself and Aneta Zarakowska my plans and dreams for the future. In a way, I was trying to determine who I really was, something I could not have done with all the essays, tests and exams constantly jammed on my head... This year was, and sort of still is, my only opportunity to really prepare myself for the future. Some people don’t need that, actually most of them don’t, but I’m one of the few, who do. Unfortunately, this meant that I was going to be one year behind all of my friends. However, after considering all of the pros and cons I arrived at the conclusion that unlike the past years
36 /// Alumni /// IB Review
Acing the EE above Welkom in and hetscoring Eramsus! the whole Dutch education system is 40 points from 0 to 10 with accuracy to 0.1. Mi-
Erasmus University Rotterdam is one of the greatest research universities (in 2011 it took 1st place in the Dutch rankings) and the first university in Europe which offers econometrics programme.
Our former student Mateusz Grabara is currently a first year student of a double bachelor in Econometrics and Economics at this university. Last year he obtained the IB Diploma in Gliwice school. His HL subjects were: English B, History, Physics and Mathematics. I asked him to share with us his experience related to studying abroad. Which universities did he consider and why has he chosen Erasmus?
nimum grade of 5.5 is needed to pass the course.Mateusz has 5 blocks instead of 2 semesters or 3 trimesters. Each two months he has an exam session and new subjects afterwards. How costly is studying there? Tuition fees at all universities in the Netherlands are about €1800 per year for EU citizens. However, the most expensive is housing, which is between €400-550 a month.As it comes to food, the costs of cooking himself are similar to those in Poland, but it is not possible every day. Canteens are usually quite expensive.One of the most expensive thing, in Mateusz’s opinion, is public transport, however most of the Dutch use bicycles as these are the most convenient and cheapest solution. So does Mateusz. He bought one for €70 on the Internet. He had to be quick as high demand at the beginning of academic year significantly raises the prices.
Besides an offer from Erasmus, Mateusz also received another one from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Erasmus provides courses in many other fields like Law, Management and Medicine. This diversity cannot be boring for people like Mateusz, who is not specialising in only one field. Furthermore Bocconi’s tuition Non-Dutch EU citizens can count on a fees are much higher with hardly subsidy from the Dutch government, any scholarship available. which can reach even €500 and free public transport in the whole counWhat is it like to study in the Nether- try if the student’s parents or student lands? himself work in the Netherlands at least 56 hours a month. There are also He honestly said that courses in his government loans available at low incurrent programme are not easy to terest rate. pass. The dropout rate in Econometrics & Operations Research for What should we know when we dethe previous year was about 50%. cide on studying abroad? Any advice? In the first two months he had material comparable to the whole IB According to Mateusz, the same rules HL Maths course, if not even Fur- as in the home country can be apther Maths. Each week he gets ho- plied. Firstly, we should study what mework exercises to prepare for we really want. Secondly, we should the next week. In most courses, just find the place where we think we solving them on time with proper are going to feel best. understanding is enough to pass the He realizes that it is easier said than course. Erasmus offers a mentor’s done because he himself was not sure guidance - students of second and what he wanted to study. Therefore third year are helping the younger he focused on finding a course which in group sessions (every two weeks) somehow connects all areas of his inand individual sessions held from terests. That is how he chose double time to time. The grading scale in bachelor in Econometrics and Econo-
mics. Econometrics connects Mathematics, Statistics, Economics and Computer Science which all interest him. The possibility to do BSc2 is for him just an additional opportunity to get the most of his studies. What’s a student’s life in Holland like? Any nice experience to share? A student’s life in Holland is not really outgoing. Most econometrics students devote all their time to study and afterwards they are usually too tired to go out. Mateusz discovered an interesting fact - not locals but exchange students are the best to hang out with. He remembers one day in September when he went to an Italian restaurant with his Japanese friend Kai and a group of exchange students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. They made a so-called “Chinese table” ordering one portion of some dishes from the menu. They put them in the middle of the table and asked for a clean plate for each of them. This way, everyone could try everything, it did not cost more than €5 per person and it was an affordable way to dine out. ‘The way in which waiters were looking at us - priceless :)’ I want to thank Mateusz for finding time to share with us his valuable experience which will definitely help us with our future choices. Veel succes met jouw toetsen, Mateusz! We hope to hear from you again. Ewelina Kowa and Mateusz Grabara
IB Review \\\ Parents \\\ 37
Children in the UK start their education at the ripe age of 4 and a bit (generally in September following their 4th birthday). This might come as a shock to a Polish parent especially if one had previously had a chance to get caught up in the Polish national debate over sending 6-year olds to school. Now you know: 4 is the age, no arguing. Joking aside, the schools are very well prepared for this age group with purpose-designed classrooms which look more like nurseries with toys and play equipment. Children learn in short, formal sessions as well as through very well structured play time. Enough to say that after the 4 initial months of their education the majority can read and write all the letters of the alphabet and some children start to read simple stories! Children whose first language is not English receive extra support usually through bilingual staff. The younger they are the quicker they assimilate with the new environment. I never stop to be amazed at the rate with which young children pick up the second language. For mine it took as little as a few months before they could communicate fluently (within the capabilities of a typical 5-year-old). With a local accent of course. Primary education continues until Year 6 when children are aged 11. Their secondary education is pursued in one of a few types of schools. At the age of 16 they typically sit for their GCSE exams – a rough equivalent of the Polish ‘egzamin gimnazjalny’ – and after that they might pursue vocational education while many decide to continue at a college for 2 years which finishes with A-level exams in their chosen subjects (an equivalent of Polish ‘matura’). The next step will be further education. Life in a UK school might seem to be plain sailing considering there is often little homework and there are no textbooks to carry to and from school. Notebooks are provided by the school. Children learn through a variety of media. Many schools
THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER… OR IS IT?
are well funded with an interactive board in every classroom and modern facilities inside and outside. Teachers are provided with access to a variety of teaching resources. Every six weeks the children get a one-week break from school, the so called half-term holidays. Generally, there is not much pressure for high achievement in education and the system is tailored so that it can cater for the needs of students with a wide range of abilities. However, this is counterbalanced with other aspects such as the issues of bullying and discipline which schools are faced with. As one head teacher said, discipline has become the main focus of teachers’ work. Unless the teacher knows how to closely manage children’s behaviour, his or her lessons will easily turn into chaos and failure regardless of the teacher’s expertise in other areas. Teachers have much less authority and there is more pressure on the teacher to reach a certain level in terms of his or her students’ results. There is no such thing such as resitting a school year. Regardless of attainment, a pupil will always get promoted while the discrepancy in achievement levels is dealt with by means of dividing students into ability groups.
policies to tackle the problem, however a lot of bullying never gets reported and thus can’t be helped. The curriculum is very different to the Polish one. Whereas a Polish child is expected to gain a broad general knowledge as a basis for their further education, the UK school focuses on certain areas and explores them in detail. For example, you will never have a chance to study history in its entirety. Instead, certain periods such as the Ancient Times or the Tudors will be studied in depth to the complete exclusion of other periods. It is therefore perfectly normal for a student to finish their general education with no or little knowledge of, say, the Middle Ages. At the age of 13 students choose their subjects for the GCSE exams which means that, depending on their choices, their education in Geography or History will be discontinued at this stage.
I would say that while there are many advantages of the British education system, what’s missing is the students’ willingness to explore them. As is often the case, the grass might not be as green once you jump over to the other side of As soon as the children leave the the fence. cosy environment of the primary Agnieszka Tomeczek school they are confronted with the peer pressure of the high school. In order to become a part of a very different reality of the teenage life, children focus their attention on their physical appearance and social life and away from studying. In fact, in the majority of schools, apart from some of the best ones in the most affluent areas, studying and pursuing one’s ambitions is a foolproof recipe to become an unpopular, friendless ‘geek’ living on the margins of the teenage society. Peer pressure leads to bullying of those who do not conform. Schools operate anti-bullying
38 /// Parents /// IB Review
Rebellion of EE a teenager, parents’ Acing the and scoring above 40expectapoints tions, and the choice of guideline - a bit of is EASY a personal article Rebellion is one of the human attitudes, so it could be said that there is no person who can consent to everything others offer or require. So everyone, in his own way rebels experiencing both the pleasure and hardships of life. It does not appear suddenly, it is born and develops slowly for some time and even a few years. Rebellion is as old as the world and is an inevitable attribute of youth. In my article I would like to share my own thoughts and reflections on teenage rebellion. For various reasons, I became a single father bringing up two teenage daughters aged 12 and 16. I have acquired quite wide personal experience on this matter. Some of my experiences may help and give readers tips on how to overcome this difficult period in the educational process of our children. It is true – I emphasize the individuality of each case, because our kids (as every parent thinks) are the best and different from others. The revolt of my older daughter started in adolescence around the age of 12. It was a criticism of everyone and everything, and fight for the realization of her own concept of life, unreal, but from her point of view, offering the possibility of finding “the meaning in life.” The only answers for the simplest questions were: “Why” , “I do not want this or that” or “I do not care“, and generally “NO” . I started like any parent, first by requesting, persuasion, the result - no effect. Then categorical commanding tone, but the final result was cutting her off from all media, the Internet, TV, phone. The result was slightly better but still
unsatisfactory. Seeing my daughter’s huge, indomitable energy in revolt against the world, I decided to redirect this energy into something creative and so, step by step, from rebellious destruction I decided to go to a constructive search for her own path. I started frequent conversations, I supported her, I asked if I could help her, I also shared my own problems with her. The thesis was obvious - because only the happiness, health and dreams I had for my child were a priority for me. First, I rejected all my own ambitions and dreams about the future of my daughter. I found a 15 year-old boy in myself, a rebellious boy who I was 30 years ago.
sic of Ozzy Osbourne, (I read his autobiography) it was already easier for us. The turning point was a concert of Ozzy Osbourne in Sopot where I went with my daughters. On the way we talked about everything and nothing at the same time, like teenagers, about books, music, sport, about the present and the future, and about life. I did not imagine how much knowledge my children had. It was then I learned to listen. After returning home nothing was the same, because this trip drew us closer. In a positive and dynamic way everything began to change in my daughter’s personality. We began going to the theatres, concert halls and ballet performances, ice skating, and watching films of Alfred Hitchcock and Elia Kazan with James Dean and Natalie Wood.
What had I felt? What had I dreamed and thought about? What was the Of course I made mistakes, my dauworld like then? ghter too, but the main objectives remain unchanged. The revolt which Taking small steps I walked into my had become a part of the search for daughter’s world which seemed to her own path, the turbulent stage, negate everything with the dark mu- was already behind us. sic of Marilyn Manson. Well, I read the biography and it was easier for us to talk, as previously we had had only monologues with each other, which no one listened to, neither I nor my daughter. At this strange musical stage we started to build some kind of agreement - I accept the strange dress and way of acting, I do not deny that she was looking for the energy outlet, instead we worked together at home. Pretty soon, the first positive signs and results appeared (common calm conversation). Soon so we began to listen to a bit longer meeker mu-
IB Review \\\ Parents \\\ 39
Sometimes, there were twists and turns on this road, attempts to move sideways, shortcuts, but the goal did not elude us. Today I know that the right to choose her own path, to gain her own experience, to create her own personal story, which is the life of my child, was one of the best times in her life. I wonder what would have happened if she had asked me about such things as smoking or truancy. If I had forbade would she had smoked anyway but stealthily? I have mixed feelings, but I think that she would have decided it was not good. Among many of her roads some were better, others difficult and gave painful disappointment, and even tears. Failed friendships, fights at school, sometimes loneliness, all that made me see her becoming a mature, smart girl, able to consciously and decisively choose what is valuable and good and reject the bad. Following the direction of her dreams and various passions of being a guitarist in a rock band, a writer or a famous photographer, an actress, was all searching for her own place in life. Currently she has improved her grades from average to good and very good. Also, specific dreams, plans for the future changed, such as the decision about changing school from private to the best high school, high school dreams of international studies in China, about volunteering, as well as the improvement of women’s rights, children in Third World countries . Today, when I look at my daughter and I can see a sensible, well-dressed, polite girl, it’s hard to believe that she is the same daughter I experienced problems with. I think I chose a good method and a way to fight the rebellion. Good contact, a proper but simple method bore fruit. Many of my friends thought I was too liberal a father, saying that the best method would be to say “I decide”, “It’s me who chooses”, “I require obedience because I keep
and feed you”. I think that this method gives different results. As a parent, I cannot imagine my house having an ongoing struggle and dislike of each other. To let my daughter go her own way, it was necessary to reject my luggage of experience and not to lay it on the child. The fact that I’m older and more experienced, it is better to know all that I know. We opened and shared a blanc sheet of paper and we started to create it together. Today my daughter is already 17 years old and when she says to me: “I love you daddy for always being with me, you were able to listen, to admit your mistakes, you were able to accept my battles and mistakes and that you are my best friend” - I’m touched and secretly I cry, but these are tears of happiness. I am aware of the diversity of our kids, but the energy, rebellion, in every generation is constantly pushing the world forward. The world is changing, our generation has changed it, the present one changes it too, so we cannot stand still, because then we really move backwards. Therefore, I think we should help our children, because they slowly generate changes, they want to live, to grow, to dream and to love in their own way. They have right to do so. So is it worth putting down the rebellion? Destroying the relationships in this way? Maybe it’s better to let them fulfil their dreams in their own way, even if it’s not entirely fulfilling our dream for our child. It’s their luck and happiness after all which is the most important, because when we leave one day they may mention that not only as a lack of a father or mother, but a lack of common discussions, support and the most loyal friends. Writing about difficult matters I thank my daughter for the fact I could go back for a moment to my youth and to my incorrect method. It was the time, which at the age of
46, I had almost forgotten. PS . My second daughter begins her path delighted by Kurt Cobain’s personality of Nirvana (I read the biography „Heavier than heaven” by Charles R. Cross). It releases energy, which again I can harness. Will I succeed? I do not know. When I was walking past her room, I overheard a conversation of my daughters: ‚Start reading this book because otherwise I will not even mention it to our dad but just personally I’ll cut you off from facebook’. Today I know that I have an ally in the older daughter, and it will be easier for us. Robert Hałuszko