A picture where all volunteers are separated, when the idea is to be together to talk about our experience in Poland. So, all the other volunteers and I included where in the flats and had our training there.
I don’t want to write to much about the Corona Virus and the pandemic, but it seems inevitable as it had such a huge impact to the whole project. So many plans which were made, had to be cancelled, it included Trips, Concerts and the midterm training in Torun. This training has the purpose to bring volunteers from all over Poland together and talk about the experiences we had until now. There is an official part where you make some teambuilding activities and exchange you experience you made so far. But the best part is meeting people who are doing the same here in Poland, it is like the on-arrival training. Spending the free time during this training was an amazing time, getting to know them by drinking a beer is the key of a successful training. Of course, the training wasn’t held in Torun, a beautiful medieval city in the heart of Poland. Meeting several people from all over they country was not imaginable. Therefore, the solution was to make it online, via Zoom. This means all the additional points from the training were gone. There was no free time that we could spent together, I couldn’t visit Torun at this time. Like all the things which made the On-arrival training great, were removed.
Therefor my motivation for this training was quite low to be honest. On the first day it started at 8 in the morning and waking up that early was quite annoying, but I had to do that, so no excuse. Seeing all the other volunteers on the small windows in zoom was quite funny, everybody looked unmotivated and I could see everybody wanted to get it over as fast as possible. But as the day passed it got better, the conversations were quite nice. I mean we had a lot to tell, about our projects before the pandemic, how we manage the whole situation of being in a foreign country during this time. Also, the activities form the trainers were quite well planned. And as the days passed, during this week I felt better and better. Some days we stayed online after the training and had some online meetings without the trainers but there for with beer and wine. But as the week continues I had quite mixed feelings about it, because I was sad that this opportunity was taken form me, to meet all this people in real life. At this time, I thought I won’t see any of them and that the lockdown will last until I must leave Warsaw. Fortunately, this wasn’t the case, I had the chance to meet some. It wasn’t in Torun, but in Krakow. Even though it was only for one evening, it was great to see this two. Of course, a week together would be better but, in the end, I was happy that I had the chance to travel again and meet new and old friends. Therefore, I could say the midterm training come to end in a good way.
15.4.2020