We are delighted that, for the second year in a row, we were able to ensure that part of our overseas community found a warm and welcoming place at the Christmas table in the homes of staff from our university. The students could feel the magic of Christmas away from their country and loved ones for a while. The shared moments, during which they tasted Polish dishes and talked about family, holidays, traditions, and student life, were full of mutual curiosity and joy.
The 'Christmas Guest' initiative was once again an opportunity to build bridges between cultures, and to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding and shared Christmas joy.
Thank you to all the hosts who shared native traditions with our foreign students. Your generosity and willingness to share festive warmth certainly made this Christmas unforgettable.

Hosts testimonials:

"We were very pleased to take part once again in the Christmas Guest event. We had a fantastic evening with Melih and Natheer. We passed the time very cheerfully talking about family, Christmas, traditions, student life, and even the sights of Jordan and Turkish TV series. We hope that, at least for a moment, our guests were able to feel the magic of Christmas."

"Following the example of last year, together with my parents we invited 2 students, this time from Africa (the year before they were from Turkey and Azerbaijan), Priscilla (Uganda), and Yididiya (Ethiopia).
Priscilla is taking part in the prestigious Erasmus Mundus Joint Master SBBE program at the Faculty of Chemistry, and Yididiya is studying automation for degree II, on W-12. It was a wonderful experience to host students from such distant countries on Christmas Eve. They were over-sympathetic and we had a great time together. The children were also delighted with their presence and the opportunity to speak English. Our guests tried the strangest Christmas Eve dishes, and they enjoyed the dried fruit compote the most. Next year, we will also invite foreign students to Christmas Eve."

Guest testimonials:

"This is my first time spending Christmas in a country outside my home country and I was excited to see and experience how different people celebrate the holiday. I was particularly interested in the unique Christmas traditions observed in Poland."

"The Christmas dinner brought back memories of my home country, where it is a tradition to spend time with family during this period. It was amazing to be able to have dinner and talk about different things with my Polish family."

"My host family, Mrs Julia, and her family were welcoming and very kind. They have super amazing and adorable children. They even prepared Christmas presents for us under the tree. I had the opportunity to try a lot of Polish traditional food and drinks."

"It was really fun and the whole family was lovely.
Thank you to the organizers for this opportunity." Priscilla from Uganda.

"I shared some traditions with my host family. We also broke thin white bread and shared pieces before hugging and celebrating Christmas. Despite being in Poland for the third year, I didn't know about such a unique tradition. The most surprising moment for me was the gift-giving. Suddenly, one of the children handed me a package. It was very touching and I was surprised they thought of me too."  Pinar from Türkiye.