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> Volunteer Journal > Krakow, Poland Trip - Mary's Journal
Krakow, Poland Trip - Mary's Journal
Mary Wenum - Director of Internal Consulting, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, Wisconsin
Day One
 Arrival
We met at the internationl terminal of Chicago O'Hare airport on the night of August 31. Many of us were worried about Tom, whom we thought for a moment may have forgotten about the trip! But, within 45 minutes of our departure to Warsaw, he finally arrived. The nine-hour flight to Warsaw for the ten of us seemed to go quickly, as most of us slept much of it away. But the five hour layover between Warsaw and Krakow seemed much longer. Upon arrival in Krakow at about 7:00 p.m., we were greeted with a warm welcome from Angie, who had arrived two days earlier, and Magda, the local Habitat representative. Kathy joined us shortly thereafter, and we made our way to the "24 Hostel", and then on to a local Polish restaurant. Many of us tried the Kielbasa, the fried sheep cheese, and Polish beer (piwo) and vodka (wodka). We all agreed that the meal was delicious, and a perfect start to our trip.
The city of Krakow is full of old stone and brick streets and buildings, with a few of them dating back to the 1400s! Magda, our host, and Habitat representative, and translator, and tourguide (and just, overall, best thing that we could ever ask for in this country), has been nothing but a wonderful host. We are all looking forward to beginning the build tomorrow, and meeting Tomasz and his two brothers whom we are building for. It should be a great trip, as the entire group seems to already be getting along beautifully!
Day Two
 The Build!
Most of us were up by 7:30 a.m. this morning for breakfast, which was catered in. The smorgasbord included breads, croissants, sandwich meats, cheeses, juices, and coffee. It was a very typical European style breakfast, and quite good and plentiful. Nobody left the hostel hungry; however, when we got to the build site after about a 45 minute bus ride, there was another breakfast waiting for us. Some friends of Tomasz (who is one of the brothers with whom we are building the house) baked an apple coffee cake and a chocolate cake! Some people from the local Habitat for Humanity office also brought tea and coffee. This "second breakfast" was definitely not needed, but was very good as well and quite a nice gesture. We spent a good hour learning about the brothers with whom we are building the house. Tomasz, Czarek, and Konrad are such good people, and they all stayed around for the entire day to watch us in our building efforts. They are so friendly, and after meeting them we are all touched by the way that Tomasz takes care of his mentally and physically handicapped brothers, and just hope that we can do as much as humanly possibly to help them out in the ten short days that we are here!
For our first day of building, we had several tasks to do after orientation. Some of the group spent most of the day in the hot (80-degree) sun digging a trench for the gas line (grueling work), while others were inside the home putting up insulation and hanging sheet rock. It was a very busy day, and we have plenty of work left to do, but we are thrilled to be here helping out the brothers! Magda, our Habitat representative, told us that one of the local news stations will be on the site either Monday or Tuesday to take some footage and do a story about our build on the news. We are very excited to get coverage for Tomasz and his brothers! People deserve to know his touching story.
After getting back to our hostel and taking much needed showers, we finished off the night by going out to eat at an outdoor bistro in the main market square and sampling some of the local beers and vodkas. It was quite a good time, and it was a great opportunity to get to know each other so much more! Tomorrow is a free day. We are going to do a tour of the city, and then get some free time for shopping, wandering, etc. We are all so tired from the flight and from our first day of working, so we are definitely looking forward to taking it easy.
Day Three
 Sightseeing
Today we are anxiously awaiting new sights and experiences as we embark on a walking tour of Krakow with Magda and Agnes serving as our guides. We head first to the colorful Market Square with historic buildings, including St. Mary's Church where we hear the legendary story of the bugle player. From there we head to the church and area where Pope John Paul II always stayed while he was in the city. Pope John Paul is quite revered in Krakow, not only because he was the Pope, but because he grew up in the Krakow area and served local parishes before he became the Pope.
Next we visited 14th century medieval Wawel Castle just inside old town Krakow. The royal family lived here; we saw the largest collection of amazing tapestries in Europe which fortunately survived WW II due to the careful planning by the caretakers of the tapestries who transported them via ship to Canada to avoid any possibility that they might be taken by the Germans and/or destroyed. Interestingly, Krakow remained relatively untouched during WW II with most of the historic buildings remaining intact.
The history of the Polish people is intriguing. Our guide, Krystyna, from the university, spoke excellent English and walked our socks off, even though she's 20 years our senior and has bunions. We also had the opportunity to tour the University area of Krakow and learned that the Polish students do not pay tuition, but it is still very expensive for them to attend due to the cost of the books and other costs of living.
She led us through a Jewish Synagogue and graveyard, in which the men had to wear yarmulkes on the top of their heads. We had two excellent meals at an authentic Jewish restaurant in Kasimiercz (Jewish ghetto) and were entertained and serenaded by a trio of musicians. Kasimiercz was the site for the filming of Schindler's List. While at one time thousands of Jewish people lived here, only a couple hundred remain to this day.
It was a good rest day all in all.
Day Four
 Work at Habitat Site
While the United States celebrated Labor Day today (and most of our Thrivent Financial friends celebrated the holiday with a day off), we labored intently throughout the day working on mulitiple projects throughout Tomasz's home. Teams were assembled to complete insulation, begin dry-walling, tape and mud the walls, continue to dig trenches, etc. An abrupt rainstorm halted the trenching team for a brief period, but the skies later cleared and work resumed. Everyone felt enormously satisifed with the amount of work accomplished during the course of the day.
Returning to Krakow in late afternoon, we gathered as a group for reflections before departing to the Market Square for dinner. We ended up dining in the cavern-like basement of an American-themed restaurant where we sat in a covered wagon and enjoyed fun and frivolity. During dinner we enjoyed sharing the "quotable quotes" that were attributed to the team members.
Team Poland Quotable Quotes
I think there's a rat on the roof and he's chewing his way into our room. - Mike
When an enchilada calls, you gotta answer the phone. - Tom
You know you're almost home when you see the massage parlor. - Kirk
A Zloty for a potty. - Tom
I have duck skin (Meaning chills/goosebumps) - Magda
Sip the vodka, slam the tomatoes. - Tom
There are 2 butts in a 1 butt ditch. - Paul
I'm leaving tomorrow. - Andy (practicing his Polish on the 2nd day)
I'm not a monkey in a zoo. - The toilet lady to Andy
You're Lucy, I'm Scoopy. - Tom to Cathryn
Tak, Tak, Tak. - Magda
Just try not to get the floor wet. - Kirk to Andy before showering
Day Five
 Crunch Time
We're definitely getting in the routine with our work teams. After our early morning breakfast and bus ride to our worksite, we immediately jumped into action and resumed our teams to complete many of the projects that had begun on Monday. Today our mission was clear: get as many walls completed as possible before day-end.
There were two great opportunities today to help bring a greater awareness of the important work of Habitat to the people of Poland. While at the site, two separate TV reporters and accompanying camera crews came today to film our crew in action and interview many individuals, including members of our Thrivent Financial team. The first TV crew interviewed Paul Pflieger as the Team Lead for our Thrivent Builds Worldwide team, while the second film crew interviewed both Phil and Angie. The reporters probed to learn more about why we would come this great distance to help people in Poland. Why would we take time away from our families to help strangers? The concept seemed very foreign to the reporters, but our message was clear - that we were called here to help and want to use our God given talents to benefit others.
As work has progressed on the site, it has become very clear that there are two additional challenges associated with a Thrivent Builds Worldwide project - language barriers and lack of sufficient good quality tools to get the job done. No problem. Our team members have risen to every challenge and taken the lead to secure the tools we need. When it became apparent we needed more ladders, Terri provided the money to buy two from the local hardware store. When we needed more tools, we created lists and purchased them. We would not let lack of tools get in our way of accomplishing our mission.
Yet despite the day's accomplishments, we felt that there are ways to improve our progress on the house. So during our evening dinner at a delightful Polish restaurant, a small subgroup used this time to talk through how to accelerate the building, eliminate redundancies, and structure teams that will be assigned throughout the house. A gameplan was developed to build on competencies and draw a floorplan so that we could determine where our teams would be deployed. This gameplan would be communicated on the bus ride to the site on Wednesday morning.
Day Six
 Getting in the Routine
Today, we really wanted to get the walls of the house completed, so that the "official" construction workers could begin to pour the concrete floor. Unfortunately, even though we worked until sunset, we were not quite able to get it done. We have Thursday off, so Friday, we will have to work that much harder to get it done! We are SO close though, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Because we worked so late today, we actually got a nice break in the middle of the day. We went in two shifts to downtown Miechow to visit the adult day care center that Czarek and Konrad attend. It was such a moving experience for our entire group to see the brothers in such great care. They were doing arts and crafts when we arrived, and they looked so content with their work, and extremely excited to see us...and the feeling was mutual. We met nearly every member of the day care center, and they all just loved having us. Seeing the smiles on each and every one of their faces was absoutely priceless! This, by far, has been the most emotional and rewarding experiences of the trip.
Our group was privileged to meet with a town council member who took us on a guided tour (with Magda interpreting) of the Basilica Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Miechow. It was such a beautiful church with very ornate statues and decorations. The exterior of the Basilica gave no hints of the beauty and grandeur within. This church and the monastic compound were constructed at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries and received its present shape during a remodeling from 1749-1802. Inside over a dozen altars were richly adorned with gold, sculpture, and art -- an awe-inspiring sight for all of us. It is interesting that this Basilica is not even mentioned in the guidebooks, yet it contains untold treasures including a replica of Jesus' grave, actual robes from monks that were preserved from the 16th and 17th centuries, and more. It was definitely another highlight of the trip.
Following the tour of the Basilica, several members of our group went to see the small shop that Tomasz owns in Miechow. When we arrived, we could tell that something had disturbed him terribly and with Magda's translation, we learned that he and his brothers had been ordered to vacate their apartment by Friday - just two days from now - which would leave them homeless since the new home is not ready to be occupied. The only way that Tomasz and his brothers can stay in their small apartment for another couple weeks is to come up with 1,000 zlotys by Friday. At our evening reflections/devotions, we each individually agreed that we were sent here for a purpose - to help Tomasz and his brothers - and that we would contribute our own funds to pay the rent so that Tomascz and his brothers could stay in their apartment through the end of September.
Day Seven
 Salt Mine & Auschwitz visits
Today was our day off! We first visited Wieliczka, a 700-year-old local salt mine, and it was absolutely amazing! As we traveled down hundreds of steps, we reached the first of three levels that we would be touring with our guide. (There are actually nine levels in the mine.) We were underground over 500 feet deep and there were caverns and tunnels for miles and miles that were carved out of the salt. The mine was filled with enormous sculptures and 40 chapels/churches underground in the mine. All of the churches and crucifixes and statues were carved out of the salt - all by amature sculpturers. It was amazing to think how much time these miners spent on creating these detailed chapels and sculptures!
After the salt mine, our group visited the largest-ever concentration and death camp in the world, Auschwitz. It was another very moving experience for everyone in the group. We spent three hours touring the camp and museum which was unlike any museum any of us had ever been to. It was very sad and scary to learn about and to even try and comprehend what went on there between 1940 and 1945. Our tour guide, Dorota, was wonderful and very passionate about spreading the word of Auschwitz, as she had two uncles that were killed in the camp. Her words were oft repeated throughout the guided tour, "We cannot forget." And we will not forget this day which was a life-changing experience for everyone in the group.
Tomorrow, we will be leaving the hostel nice and early (7:00 a.m.) so that we can be done working by noon and be back in Krakow by 1:00 p.m. Our goal (which we will achieve!) is to have all of the walls done tomorrow, as well as most of the ceiling. They will then begin to pour the concrete floor tomorrow after we leave, while we go back to Krakow to get some final shopping done in the main market square. It will be so fulfilling to get the walls done tomorrow. We absolutely cannot wait!
Day Eight
 Combination Work Day/Shopping Day
We awoke to a steady rainfall as we departed early - at 7:00 a.m. - to head to the worksite. Today our intent was to work until noon to complete the walls and reserve the afternoon for a final opportunity for souvenir shopping for family and friends.
Working at a fast pace, work continued on drywall, final insulation in the bathroom, ceiling work and readying the floors for pouring the cement. It's really starting to look like a home and the progress feels good! When the bus came at noon to return to Krakow, Phil, Angie and Kirk volunteered to stay behind to help prepare the floors for the pouring of the cement. We thank them for being willing to give up their half-day of shopping to continue progress moving forward on the home.
The balance of the group arrived back in Krakow around 1:30 and most headed to the Market Square to do final shopping and sightseeing. Some visited St. Mary's Basilica in the Market Square which was built from the end of the 13th century until the beginning of the 15th century. The beautiful and amazing altar is the largest of its kind in Europe, having been created from 1477-1489. Others visited the Princes Czartoryski Museum, home of Da Vinci's famous "The Lady with an Ermine." Others simply shopped, picking up amber jewelry and other treasures from our stay in Poland.
While most of the evenings we have gathered for group dinners, tonight we are "on our own" to seek out our adventures.
Quick Glimpses from Poland
While we have experienced many wonderful times this week, it's also fun to share some of the things we have observed as we have traveled to our job site, walked the city streets and shopped around the Market Square. Here are a few of our observations:
- Lots of 80's music playing everywhere, from Madonna to soundtracks from Dirty Dancing and Flashdance.
- Many long narrow fields of cabbage, soon ready to harvest.
- Mercedes taxis, buses, cars everywhere, along with the traditional small European vehicles (Fiats).
- Chocolate bars of every kind - dark chocolate, chocolate with cherries, chocolate with strawberries, and the list goes on...
- Strong beers - 7.1% alcohol and more.
- Vodka on virtually every menu with multiple varieties.
- Laundry hanging on clotheslines - Most Polish do not have clothes dryers so the laundry is hung from windows, and clothelines, something we rarely see in our country any longer.
 - Brick homes in the country, often with colorful tile roofs.
- Farmers markets with gorgeous flowers of every variety, and abundant vegetables and fruits.
- Shops that close at 6:00 p.m. most nights and earlier on weekends.
- Amber jewelry everywhere - rings, necklaces, earrings, etc.
- Pictures of Pope John Paul II - He originated from Krakow.
- A beautiful Market Square which is the heart of the city with outdoor cafes, flowers, shops and tourists!
- Brightly colored (extreme) dyed red hair on many women.
- Pigeons in the Market Square - At last count, Krakow's pigeons are outnumbered only by St. Mark's Square in Venice.
Day Nine
 Our Final Day of the Build
Today is the final day of our build. We got an early start, departing our hostel at 7:30 a.m., with the intent of getting most of the walls completed - completing final insulation, "foiling," installing drywall, taping and mudding. We now work with limited space with all three bedrooms off limits since the cement floors have been completed the previous evening - and they look great! While teams are doing interior wall work, others are working outside with the digger who has arrived to dig for the septic system. So much to be done and so little time!
The teams worked nonstop, breaking only momentarily to grab a cup of soup for lunch since a celebratory dinner will take place in the afternoon. Our teams are working with an intensity as we feel that we are running out of time to accomplish all that we'd like to do before we depart Poland tomorrow.
Around 5:00 p.m., Magda insists that it is time to put down our tools and join a celebratory dinner that promises great food and a few surprises. We have wonderful grilled kielbasa, kebobs and some other Polish specialties. Everyone who has been instrumental in this building project over the past week is here - our team, Tomasz and his brothers, all of the Polish construction workers, the wonderful women of the Red Cross who have been so kind to us during the week, and local dignitaries - including the town mayor - who commends our work. There are speeches all around with Magda interpreting for us. It is a gratifying, rewarding and emotional time, culminating a week of hard work, laughter, tears and fulfillment. After the expressions of gratitude have been completed, much to Magda's amazement, we pick up our tools and return to work until there is no more daylight to work. (Magda said we were the only group to ever return to work after the celebration had concluded.) As we ready to depart the building site one final time, we take pictures with the three brothers, offering our fondest farewells and they wave until we are out of sight.
Back in Krakow around 8:30 p.m., we gather for our time for reflections before heading out to the city on our final evening. Most of us head to the Market Square one final time, and while we sit in the open air cafes and enjoy the light of the full moon above, we relish the friendships that we have created in this place far from our homeland.
More Quoteable Quotes
I want to try some of that chicken jello. - Mike
Did you notice how they tried to jazz it up with a slice of lemon today? - Paul
Breathing insulation all day can't be good for you, but I was more worried about the jar of mayonnaise sitting on the table all day. - Karin
You are more of a man than I will ever be. - Andy to Angie
Tak and Dziekuje will only get you so far. - Phil
That's a big snail that has vocal cords. - Mike
The toilet paper is brown. - Mike
Leave it for the Brits. - Cate
You look like you need some fiber. - Mike
Close enough. - Karin
People were offering Tom & I money. - Mike
The only word I'm going to remember from this trip is Piwo. - Karin
You people are very unusual. - Ana (volunteer from Citibank Krakow)
Day Ten
 Farewells and the long journey home
Today is the day we will bid our fondest farewell to Krakow and more importantly, to Magda, who has been a treasure to us during the past 10 days.
We begin our morning with breakfast and a time for reflections of our time in Krakow. Tom's inspiring and emotional message moves everyone to tears; it is a powerful and appropriate message to culminate this week. Following his reflections, we decide to go around the room, one by one, to share a single highlight of our experience in Krakow. We agree that we cannot possibly identify just one moment in a memorable week, but there were many examples cited that will leave an imprint on all of us including: the moment that we first saw the brothers eagerly awaiting our arrival on that first day at the site; the comaraderie of our team; the energy and frivolity of the Market Square; the experience of visiting Auschwitz; and of course, Magda. We were moved to tears again as Magda expressed that we have become like brothers and sisters to her yet, in all reality, we will likely never see her again during this lifetime. She has been that rare, special individual who helped to bring us together with the singular purpose of helping to make a difference. We will never forget her.
We depart for the airport to catch our noon flight back to the US only to discover long delays in checking in and concern about missing our flight. Lot Polish Air holds our flight to allow us time to complete the check-in process, and we finally depart Poland around 1:30 p.m. for our nearly 10 hour flight to Chicago. We land back on US soil around 4:15 and due to weather delays, do not arrive home until early morning on Monday, Sept 11.
This has been a life-changing experience, and we will always fondly look back on the 10 days that we came together in Poland to help build a good home for three brothers.
After the trip
 In The News
Habitat for Humanity Poland featured an article about us on their Web site's home page. (Click the British flag in the upper right corner for English translation.)
Also, Magda was kind enough to send us a copy of the newspaper article in the Krakow Gazette, as well as translate it from Polish to English so that we could understand it. Here's the translated text:
Gazeta Krakowska
Volunteers from the United States were helping a family with two disabled brothers.
They want to live in house without barriers.
A group of twelve volunteers from Thrivent Financial organization from the United States was helping in construction work for Tomasz Krzyszkiewicz. The help was possible thanks to a partnership between Habitat for Humanity and the Polish Red Cross.
Tomasz Krzyszkiewicz is taking care of his two disabled brothers, Czarek and Konrad. Both with birth palsy, one brother is blind. Both are moving on wheelchairs.
Two years ago, Tomasz started construction of the wooden house. But in the meantime, the mother of the three brothers has died, and they had to rent a flat. Currently he is the sole bread-winner for the family.
"The previous house, where they were living, was not adaptable for disabled needs and was sold. The income from the sale was supposed to have been enough for building a new one. However, the company who was handling the investment started raising prices. The money now suffices only for building the house to a rough level. He was trying to get a bank loan, but nobody wants to give him a loan due to his low income and the brothers being under his care" - says Magdalena Juwko, fund-raising manager from Habitat for Humanity.
Tomasz Krzyszkiewicz turns to Habitat for Humanity for help. The organization doesn’t have an affiliate in Krakow, so they invite the volunteer branch of the Red Cross. Habitat provided building materials and money for accomplishing project along with the support of volunteers. PRC supervised building works. Above that, PRC also prepares a long-term plan of support for the family.
The group of Americans was handling the work of building the walls, insulation, and preparing floors. They were supported by volunteers from Citibank.
Later this month a group of volunteers from England will arrive to Miechow. With their support, the brothers will move into the house this autumn. The building is designed in way that the brothers will be able to move everywhere in the wheelchairs. In their present apartment, Mr. Tomasz has to carry his brothers from one room to the other.
"All I want is to be able to take care of my brothers in normal conditions. I gave all my life to them and for them" - says Tomasz Krzyszkiewicz.
*** Caption under picture says: Group of Americans and volunteers from Citibank provide building work in new brothers Krzyszkiewicz’s house.
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