Poland

Copernicus, Chopin, and Pope John Paul II were happy to call Poland home and you will be too. You will find your stay in Poland adventurous, educational, and full of opportunities to make life-long friends and understand historic and modern-day Poland.

The Catholic Church is a major presence in Poland and you will see its mark in Baroque buildings, roadside shrines, and images of the national icon, the Black Madonna. Poles celebrate many holidays; in fact, Saints’ Days (for whom people are named) are often a bigger celebration than birthdays.

Your host family may welcome you with an old Polish expression that explains Polish hospitality well: "A guest in the home, God in the home." As a member of a Polish family, you will have a chance to take part in a wide range of activities, including celebrating holidays, attending cultural events, and spending time outdoors. In most Polish families, both parents work outside the home. However, families are close and usually share meals together. You may sample rye bread, borscht (beet soup), pierogis (dumplings), bigos (a dish of sauerkraut, cabbage, and pork), or other Polish specialties.

Academic Program

Your Polish education will take place in a secondary technical or secondary grammar school, with 10 to 12 courses during the school year. The year program begins with a two-day arrival orientation, followed by a three-week language course in Poznan. Students live with YFU host families in the area and attend classes during the week. At the end of this course, you will move to your host family who will host you for the rest of your stay.

YFU students will take trips to Krakow, Auschwitz, and other well-known sites. You may also visit Gdansk on the coast of the Baltic Sea. These trips are combined with mid-term seminars and are included in the program tuition. In addition, you will probably have the chance to participate in class excursions at your school for a nominal fee. These trips are typically three to four days at the end of the school year.

Students should be aware that once in Poland they must to cover the costs of a stay permit, which includes a € 30-40 document translation fee.

Summer Program

Discover Poland
Summer program participants can expect to go home with many of the same memories and experiences of students who stay for a year. Like your year counterparts, you will live with a host family so that you know and learn from the culture as an insider. You, too, will travel to famous Polish sites like the beautiful 1,000 year old city of Krakow and the capital city, Warsaw. You will begin your program with an arrival orientation and have a pre-departure orientation before you return to the US.  After your six-week stay, you will find on your return that you have learned not only about the global community, but have experienced life as only a Pole could.

Programs, Departures, and Costs

Online Resources

To learn more about Poland, we recommend:

• E-mail YFU Alumni from the Alumni Referral List with your questions
• Visit your local library to find reference books, travel guides and essays, Polish language dictionaries, and many more country resources 
• Use an internet search engine to find informative web sites 
• Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington, DC web site

"It was awesome. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything else in the world."

All YFU Programs are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.
Last Updated: 09/10/2008