Being one of the biggest cities in Poland, Szczecin is the second Polish city that I’ve
been after Wroclaw
but they are totally different. I can not say what were my feelings at the
first moment but I didn’t feel like in an unknown city. After that I realized
that behind the landscape there is something more…
Infrastructure and landscape
When I arrived at the station in the city I
didn’t notice a big difference in the city compared to the big cities in Bulgaria. I
mean that the spirit of post-socialist countries is still sensible and here.
The buildings at the central part are old style with a lot of pretty ornaments
and solid, massive structures. The cathedrals are also very impressive with
their number and architecture. I learned that Szczecin was planned to be build like Paris and it can be
easily noticed by the orientation of the boulevards. You can hardly be lost
even without a map in your hands.
Culture shock
I am used to see how in Bulgaria just a few
of the people obey the rules and it is a little chaos- people driving like
crazy, everybody crossing the streets wherever they want, drivers and bicycle
riders in a battle for the road and so on. Here in Szczecin things are much more different-
people wait for the green light to cross, drivers don’t mess with bicycles
because riders have alleys and everything looks so simple and good structured.
Other advantage is on every bus and tram
station you have the graphic of the public transport and in every single moment
you know how much you have to wait. And after that when you get in the public
transport you notice the GPS map
with all the stations on it and your current position on it. It was such a relief
for me, because usually in my city I am never sure when and if the bus will
come at all. It was not a long time ago when the city was still a territory of Germany and these German habits make you
feel safety and relaxed.
People, pierogi and beer
On the street, at the tram, at the
supermarket, in the park…pretty girls, well dressed people and a lot of
seniors. Most of them seem to be kind and actually what I noticed- it is so. If
you make them understand what you need, no matter in Polish or English
language, they will probably help you. For me it is not that hard to
communicate because it occurred that Polish is very close to Bulgarian language
and most of the words are the same but with a bit different pronunciation.
Traditional Polish kitchen is also quite similar to the Bulgarian and of course
very tasty as well. The ways of preparation of the different dishes and the
products are close to this one in my country. But what was a big surprise for
me- Poland,
the country of vodka is a place where not many people drink that specific for
here drink. It is mostly preferred the beer. You can find so many brands and
varieties here that one month would not be enough to try all of them.
It is just less than two weeks but I feel
like I was living here since a long time and I enjoy it a lot. I hope that for
the time that I will be in Szczecin,
I will spend precious moments with colorful people that I will remember for my
whole life. The best is yet to come!
Krasimir Rusev
Krasimir is one of 10 European Volunteers and is taking part in a MULTI KULTI project co-financed by Erasmus+ Youth Programme.
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