The University of Lodz students from Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Chad, China, Georgia, India, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Malta, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe were invited to the homes of research and teaching staff, administration staff, students and graduates of our university. Everyone had a goal in mind, which is included in the main message of this beautiful campaign: no one should be left alone for Christmas!
The event was attended by the Rector of the University of Lodz, Elżbieta Żądzińska, who invited Złata from Ukraine and Rumibidzai from Zimbabwe to the Christmas Eve dinner:
Every year, I enjoy it when I host international students in my home and sit down to the Christmas Eve supper with them. Tasting Christmas Eve dishes and talking about Christmas Eve customs in our countries make us forget about the hardships of everyday life. These are unforgettable meetings during which our pet, who is pampered on such occasions, is also very happy
– says Rector of the University of Lodz.
Pavlo Burdiak, who is a doctoral student and a scholarship holder at LodzCyberHub at the Faculty of Law and Administration attended Christmas Eve organised by Prof. Witold Kulesza and Dr Ewa Kulesza as well as Dr Joanna Kulesza and Prof. Jan Kulesza
We were happy that Pavlo accepted the invitation to spend Christmas Eve together with us. His presence was a wonderful experience, gave unique joy and a hint of cultural diversity to our family Christmas celebrations. Pavlo talked about Christmas Eve traditions in Ukraine, cultivated by his family, especially Christmas Eve dishes, one of which, i.e. kutya also appeared on our Christmas Eve table. He was surprised by the visit of Santa Claus, because he used to receive gifts on 6 December, in accordance with the tradition derived from the figure of Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra. We agreed that we would meet at his place on Christmas Eve, if not in his hometown of Kolomyia, then where his home would be, somewhere in Europe
– Dr Joanna Kulesza.
As many as five students were hosted by Hanna Fulmańska, an employee of the University of Lodz central administration:
We have taken part in the campaign yet another time. This year we had guests from Kazakhstan, Georgia, Iran, India and Morocco. They bravely tried Christmas dishes. Some of them delighted them, while some were more challenging novelties... We talked about the culture, customs, cuisine, religion in all six countries. We spent a very nice afternoon together
– says Hanna Fulmańska.
Md Mizanur Rahman from Bangladesh, a student from the Faculty of Management of the University of Lodz (a guest):
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to express my heartfelt thanks for the delightful Christmas dinner we shared. The delicious food and the warm, gentle behavior of each person made the experience truly memorable. I am grateful for the pleasure of being a part of such a wonderful dinner. Thank you all so much for your hospitality and for making this Christmas so special. Wishing you joy and happiness throughout the holiday season and beyond. Thanks to the International Relations Office of the University of Lodz for such a grateful initiative.
Joanna Dąbrowska, administration employee at the Faculty of Chemistry:
I would like to thank very much for the opportunity to take part in the wonderful Christmas Guest campaign. This is the second year we have hosted an international student in our home and it has always been an extraordinary adventure for our entire family. Everyone, starting from teenagers and children to grandmothers and aunts, is curious about the exotic culture and holiday customs from distant countries, and there is no end to the questions. It awakened our desire to travel, maybe next year one of us will be a Christmas guest in some other interesting place on Earth.
Łukasz Koprowski, the University of Lodz VIP Alumni, together with his family hosted a student from Japan:
Rei fit in perfectly with our family. She talked a lot because we were curious about what holidays are like in Japan. Rei tried all of our dishes and really liked them! She was surprised by the gifts she received, i.e. items from Lodz, from our famous Lodz store Pan Tu Nie Stał with motives designed by artists from Lodz of Lodz. Santa Claus visited us too and she was happy to take photos with him. At the end, a nice taxi driver took our guest to the dormitory, and Rei wrote to us that it was the best evening she had spent since she arrived in Poland. Our daughter was also happy that she could talk in English for six hours and met such a nice student from Japan. Aaah! And we also received gifts from Rei: swans made using the origami technique, which was very nice!
Karolina Róg, a students from the Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz:
Throughout Christmas, starting from Christmas Eve, I had the pleasure to host Moe from Japan in my family home in Przemyśl. Her arrival in Przemyśl was a kind of curiosity for me and my family, and a challenge for me as I had to be a translator for these few days because my parents do not know English well. We spent time singing carols and talking about Japanese and Polish cultures. Her stories about Japanese traditions and customs made our Christmas unique, leaving unforgettable impressions.
Source: International Relations Office, University of Lodz
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz
Photos: private archive