Home town

  1. Where do you come from?

My home town is Gostyń. It lies on the west of Poland, not far from Poznań. The town was founded in 13th century, but at the beginning it was a village. Even today, Gostyń resembles a village in some places. In this town there live about 15 000 people. It is situated in the agricultural area of Poland. It is a very nice and clean town. People living there are kind to each other. Most of your neighbors know each other. There is always someone to talk to and when you go on holidays, the neighbors may keep an eye on your house or apartment. Another advantage of living in Gostyń is that it is only 40 kilometers apart from Poznań. One can easily get to that city by bus or train. Moreover, there are also lakes near Gostyń, so during summer one can go there and enjoy free time and natural environment. Gostyń is my home town and I really like it. I think I will spend my life there.

  1. Could you describe the town or the city you live in?

I live in Gdańsk, a big city on the north of Poland, situated on the coast of the Baltic sea. The city was founded centuries ago and for hundreds of years it was the main port of central Europe. It used to be a village, where fishermen lived and worked. Nowadays, the city has more than 700 000 citizens. More and more people from smaller towns and villages come to live here. The oldest part of Gdańsk is very beautiful. There are many monuments of architecture and art. The main street of old town is always very crowded. There are several churches, theatres, museums, cinemas and galleries. People interested in history may find there numerous amazing things and places. There is the Museum of the Seas and Oceans there and many old ships, which one can visit. The famous feature of the city is amber and the jewelry made of it. Visitors from foreign countries, who have much money, admire it and buy lots of it. In my opinion Gdańsk is one of the most beautiful cities not only in Poland, but in whole Europe. It is quickly developing and becoming truly modern city.

  1. Is there anything to do in the evenings in your home town?

Although I live in quite a small town- Krotoszyn, I never get bored in the evenings. Of course I realize that what you do during the evening depends on what you like and how you feel. If you are keen on discos, crowds of people and very loud music, you should go to 'Combi Club". Three times a week, there is a big disco organized. Those who like this kind of entertainment, say that the music there is very good and one can have great fun there. There are also two nice pubs, where other people can go. In 'Comb Pub' one can listen to Irish music (Mondays and Thursdays), old rock (Wednesdays and Saturdays), hard rock (Tuesdays) and music chosen by the guests (Fridays and Sundays). The other one- 'Kinowa' is also quite nice. It is designed in the old fashion- there are big wooden armchairs, mirrors from old times with beautiful frames and pictures form Krotoszyn taken at the beginning of 20th century. If you prefer cafes, you may go to 'Rome'. There you can drink various kinds of coffee, drink good wine and talk to someone. Music there is quiet and they usually play bossa nova there. There are also delicious ice-creams served there. There also is the cinema in my town. One can see all newest movies there and on Thursdays there is an 'evening with the best films', where on can see really good movies and talk about them with others. Finally, there are many different concerts organized by the Cultural Center in Krotoszyn. Some of them take place in the church, on some there is classic music performed, but there are also concerts of rock music and hip-hop. All in all, night life in my town is really very interesting and entertaining.

  1. Which part of your town is your favorite one?

In my town there are numerous interesting places to visit. Although I like many places, my favorite one is the boulevard on Wisła river. I love sitting there and looking at the river and at the city. One can see Wawel hill, churches and other beautiful buildings. From the other side of the river, when the weather is sunny and the air is clear, one can sea the Tatra mountains. When you stay on the bridge, you can admire the true beauty of Krakow. Generally, I love the Old Town most. I could walk around the main square for hours. I also like visiting beautiful old churches. Me and my friends like theatre very much and in Krakow there are many theatres. I go to some of them at least two times each month. I am also keen on art and painting and I like the galleries of art. Around the Old Town there is a park- 'planty'. I love walking there in the evenings, especially in winter. There you can feel the really poetic and artistic atmosphere. It is the most beautiful part of the town.

  1. What kind of jobs do most people in your town do?

Krakow is the city, which is developing and modernizing. There are many colleges and universities. We have many companies, employing economists, also there are many, where people graduating from technological and technical universities may work. Professionals and businessmen make a very strong group of workers as well as employers. Nowadays there is no really huge industry in Krakow. However, there are many factories, where thousands of people work. Krakow is believed to be the city of art and artists. Although the artists certainly don't make most numerous group of working people, there are quite plenty of them in the city. The artists are by all one of the most influential groups and the one which gives the city its specific atmosphere. At the same time, there are numerous places for work for teachers. In this city there are hundreds of schools, from primary schools, colleges, universities and private schools of different profiles.

Family

1. What is my family like?(is it big or small, tell something about it)

My family is quite big. I have two sisters- the younger and the older one- and an older brother. I really love my family, but sometimes I wish I was the only child… From time to time I quarrel with my sisters and my brother. I have to share the room with my brother, which is sometimes difficult. My parents work hard. My mother works as a psychologist in psychiatric hospital and my father is a doctor. Both of them work hard and they have little time for us. But when we were younger, my mother didn't work and she took care of us. Although we spend together only weekends, we really like each other. All my family liked different sports. On Saturdays we usually ride bikes, go to the swimming pool or go skiing together. We also spend holidays together. in summer, we usually go to the sea side or to the lakes. In winter we go to the mountains, where we can ski. Me and my brother like to play basketball. With our sisters, we started to learn climbing recently. All in all, I think I have a really happy family.

Study/Work

  1. could you introduce yourself?

My name is D.D. and I am eighteen years old. I come from a small town, but I go to school in Wrocław. I am very keen on sports. I love swimming, running, riding a bike and most of all- riding a horse. I would like to learn climbing as well. Moreover, I like reading- I especially love fantasy and science fiction, but I read lots of classic literature as well. At school, I am most interested in chemistry and biology. I don't like history and geography. I think I am not a very nice person, because I always say, what I think. However, I have few friends and I can be nice to others. I like dancing very much, so I meet my friends at some club at least once a week and there we dance the whole night. I know that it may be difficult to stand me sometimes, because I am always in motion and I always want to do something. I hate being bored.

  1. Do you go to school or do you work already?

I am still a student. I am on the third year on High School in Wrocław. I work only during holidays, last summer I had a job of the rescuer at the swimming pool. Besides that, I get money for living from my parents. In my school I really have to spend much time learning. We are given many things to learn and to do and each teacher thinks that his subject is most important. I have some friends, with whom I like to learn together. My favorite subjects are chemistry and biology, but I am also keen on learning foreign languages. I spend most of my time learning or doing some sort of sport. I would like to start earning my own money and I think of taking some part-time job. However, as I am preparing to my final exams, I have to spend much time learning. But if I only have a chance, I will take any job.

3. What do you find the biggest advantage of being a student and going to school?

I generally don't like going to school very much. However, I cannot imagine my life without it. in my opinion the biggest advantage of school is that there are many different people there. Some of them may become your friends. There are many others, whom you don't need to like very much, but whom you may watch and talk about. I think such people are also important in your life. At school, my favorite subjects are Chemistry and Biology. I have to learnt them a lot, but it makes no problem to me. I am really interested in these subjects. At my school I have a very good Chemistry teacher. She is makes us learn hard, but is also very helpful. She is very honest (just as I am) and she doesn't hesitate to tell the student what she thinks about him or her. In my opinion, she is a wonderful person. Most other teachers in my school are quite boring. Some of them have no interest in what they do and don't care for students at all. The others treat us like children and it is really annoying. All in all, I am happy that it is my last year in this school.

  1. What would you like to do in the future? What qualification are required to do the job you want to do?

It is difficult for me to say, what I really want to do in my future. People around me keep asking me this question almost every day. When I came to the High School, I thought that I wanted to become a doctor. I am good at chemistry and biology and most students from my class are going to study medicine. But now I am not sure of that. I think I would like to work actively and with people, but not as a doctor. I want to become physiotherapist. To do that I have to study at the Academy of Physical Education. To get there, I have to be in good condition and pass several tests in running, swimming, jumping and others. moreover, I need to have good grades in biology, chemistry and foreign languages. In my opinion, being a good physiotherapist requires not only specific skills and abilities, but most of all- good psychological attitude towards people. In this job, one has to be able to work with people, who are recovering from different kinds of diseases and disabilities. I believe, that helping them in exercising and making their bodies work is very important. However, a good physiotherapist have to be very patient, reliable and liked by the patients. I think I would be able to do it. I know that I can make people thrust me. I would like to help others and this is what I can do. As I am very keen on horse riding, I would like to be a specialist in the therapy, in which horses are used. I really like children so I think I might work with them. Perhaps I will want to work abroad, so I learn English and German hard.

Free Time

  1. What are your hobbies?

I am generally a very active person an I like doing many different things. But certainly most of all I like sport. I have always been very energetic and I am still alike. My favorite sports are swimming, horse riding and skiing. I have the certificate for the water guard and I worked at the swimming pool last summer. I love swimming, especially in the lakes. I know one lake, where there are almost no people and where the water is very clean and I really could spend there much time. Moreover, I ride horses, whenever I have time. I learned that when I was 10 years old and I used to spend my summer holidays on different camps, where I was riding horses. When you ride a horse in the woods, you can feel completely free. The animal becomes part of your body. You have to understand each other well. I hope that I will be able to have the own horse some day. When winter comes, me and my family go skiing almost every weekend. I really love that too. I can ski very well and I like developing different skills in skiing. All my favorite sports make me feel happy and relaxed. Whenever I feel sad or tired, I go to swimming pool or do any exercise to overcome it. But my other hobby is reading books. Although it requires no physical activity, it is one of my favorite ways of spending free time. I especially like fantasy and science fiction, but I also read much classic literature. Now, I am reading the newest part of the adventures of Harry Potter in English. Wherever I go, I always have some book with me. It helps me relax and forget about all troubles.

  1. What made you get interested in your hobby?

My hobbies are sport and books. As I child, I was very energetic and noisy. When I was to go somewhere, I would run. My parents and my sisters had difficult life with me. They had to make up different activities, which could do. They sent me for swimming lessons when I was only 4 years old. I started liking it at once. I was in a team and we were training 3 times a week. After such training, I was really exhausted and had no more energy to make mess at home. I think my family realized that it was good for me. I started skiing as I was 5. I was learning it together with my parents and my older sister. I soon became the best skier in the family. I was not afraid of speed at all. When I was ten, my mother sent me to the horse camp. There I fell in love with horses. I love animals and sports and horse riding connect both. When I was in primary school I didn't like to read anything. My mother would be very angry with me that I didn't want to read even these books, which were obligatory for school. But when I was 11, I got one fantasy book for Christmas from my sister. I started to read it and I really liked it. I didn't realize before that reading may be so exciting. I was amazed by the ability of books to take me to some completely new dimension, far away from reality.

  1. Do you prefer going to the cinema or watching TV? What kind of movies or TV programs do you like most?

I don't really like watching TV. As I am a very energetic person, I easily get bored when watching TV. However, from time to time, I like to spend an evening watching TV. I like comedy films with Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan. They are not especially ambitious, but they are very entertaining. I also watch news, because I like to know, what is happening on the world. But I definitely prefer cinema to TV. Each Thursday I go with my friends to one small cinema, where good, ambitious movies are played. From time to time I go with my sister to multi cinema and we watch the newest movies. Last week we saw 'Corpse Bride' and we both had great fun watching it. I think that cinema is much better than TV. There you can choose, what movie you want to see and when you watch it, it won't be broken by the advertisements. The big screen and good sound system makes you feel as if you were inside the action. You can hear the music much better and generally- you have more fun.

  1. What sort of sports do you and your friends like?

I really enjoy almost all sports. Together with my friends, I often go out to do some sport. Most often we go to the swimming pool. We swim at least twice a week. Moreover, when winter comes, we go to the mountains and ski there. Some of my friends prefer snowboarding to skiing, but it makes no problem to do it together. My best friend is my sister and we spend winter holidays together. During summer, I often ride a bike with my friends. Sometimes we ride even 70- 80 kilometers a day. Whenever we have an opportunity to ride horses, we do it. Among my friends most people have their favorite sport. Some prefer riding bikes, others love running or skating. But all of us like sports, which can be done in a group.

  1. What is your favorite kind of music?

There are many sorts of music, which I like. What I listen to, depends on my mood and people I am with. When I am alone at home, I like listening to Lech Janerka and 'Republika'. When I am sad or when I want to calm down, I listen to Anna Maria Jopek or Edyta Gepert. However, I also like dancing a lot. Once a week I go out to some pub, where I can dance. There I mostly like listening to the songs from musicals like 'Grace' or disco songs from the 80s. from time to time I listen to reggae music. I like it on the concerts and I always have great fun dancing to this music. Lately I heard the songs by Maria Peszek, and I really fell in love with her music. I find it difficult to define, what kind of music is it. Her songs are at the same time very poetical and dynamic. There is another band, which I like and listen to when driving a car with my parents- 'Brathanki'. We all enjoy their songs and sing them while driving somewhere.

  1. What do you usually do during holidays?

When summer comes, me and my family usually go somewhere together. We visited many places, but our favorite is definitely Slovakia. We have been spending our holidays there for ten years. In Slovakia we live near to the Tatra mountains. We all enjoy walking in the mountains and we never get bored there. In the mountains we spend whole days walking and climbing. We also visit interesting places in Slovakia. We have been to the old castles, to different lakes and towns in that country. Moreover, I like going somewhere with my friends. I have a group of friends, with whom I go to the camps, where we ride horses. With my sister, I usually go to the lake or to the sea side. We swim a lot there and walk or cycle in the forests. Four years ago, I went with my family to Spain. Although we spent only few days there, I would really like to go back there. I hope to spend my next holidays in Barcelona.

  1. What place would you like to visit if you had enough time or money?

Four years ago, I went with my family to Spain. Although we spent only few days there, I would really like to go back there. I was amazed with the beauty of the coast and of the Pyreneans. I hope that one day I will be able to go back there. I think that people there are very friendly and open. They dance a lot in the evenings, they are cheerful and nice to each other. My dream is to go to travel around Spain on a bike and visit many small towns and villages, as well as big cities like Barcelona or Madrid. Furthermore, I also would want to go to New Zealand. I saw this country only on pictures and in the movies, but I am truly fascinated by it. The natural environment there is very beautiful. There are high mountains, large steps, wonderful coasts and rock cliffs. I hope that one day I will go there. Perhaps I could even live there for some time…

Plans for Future

  1. What are your plans for the next five years?

I am eighteen years old and in few months I am going to finish my High School. I hope that I will be accepted to the Academy of Physical Education. If I do, I will study physiotherapy for the next five years. First of all, I have to learn hard to prepare to the matriculation exams. I am going to take Chemistry, Biology, English and Polish on these exams, so I have much to do. When I become the student of the Academy, I will probably have to learn much. I want to work hard to be able to get a good job in the future. Next year I am going to make courses preparing to the exams for the driving license. I hope that on my studies, I will be able to develop my skills. I want to learn climbing and diving. Moreover, I want to learn English and German. I hope I will meet nice people there as well. In these years I hope to get ready to the adult life.

  1. Do you think that English will be important for you in the future?

In my opinion it is very important to learn foreign languages, and especially English these days. I think that good knowledge of English may help me in my future life. I would like to travel a lot and people in most countries one can talk to others in English. If you know English, you may easily make acquaintances with foreigners. I dream of visiting New Zealand and English is the official language there. Many young people nowadays go abroad to work and earn money. I would like to go to England or Ireland, so speaking English will be important for me. English is also important when someone is trying to get a job. Each employer asks the person applying for a job if he/she can speak English. This language is becoming an international one so it is very important to know it.

  1. How do you imagine yourself in five years time?

In five years time I will be at the end of my studies. I will be preparing for graduation from the Academy of Physical Education. I hope that by now I will be educated well enough to look for some job. Moreover, I hope that by a year 2010 I will have learned climbing and diving. When I try to imagine myself as 23 year old, I think that I will be a responsible person. However, I hope that I will still be able to enjoy life and that I will know that I have still much to do in the future. I would like to be sure what I really want to do. Perhaps I will have really good friends, with whom I will spend my free time. I also think that I may have a boyfriend at the age of 23. I hope I will have no such silly problems as I have now.