Story about Warsaw

On 2nd March, at early morning I needed to catch my train to Warsaw. During the travel the train got little delay, so after coming to Warsaw I needed to go quickly to my hotel "Fryderyk Chopin". Check in, living the suitcase in the room, short conversation with organizers and then looking for the Jasna Street - where the Polish Representation of the European Commission has its office. In their office (and in cooperation with them) we're organizing a Conference about the future of the EU. During this Conference we're also choosing the youth representatives of Poland for the European Youth Summit in Rome. It was an interesting short event, I've met a few collegues, but already after 3 PM I needed to go back to the hotel - unpacked my suticase before the beginning of the 4th Meeting of the National Campaign Committees of the "ADAE" Campaign. In the room I've met my roommate - Sylwia, whom is also my co-worker in our Polish Committee. She is a really cool girl, very interesting, funny, smart, she is a member of one of the biggest LGBT organizations (coorganizer of the Global Village, Manifa etc.).
At 4 PM we needed to be in Zielna Center, where we had our meetings. After 2,5 h of the opening meeting, together with one more participant, we went to the Central Station - each of us to pick up our friends. She was waiting for her friends and a girlfriend, who has a stand in the Global Village and I was waiting for Sergej :D He left his backpack in our room and we went for a dinner. The restaurant pointed out by organizers were a bit too expensive (spaghetti for 10 Euro!), so finally we finished in McDonald ;) And there also we've met my friends from the PYC and AEGEE - Karolina, Krzysiek and Bartek. After the dinner we went for the evening meeting of NCCs, where all of them has show their promotional and informational materials, then we had meeting about - so called - graffiti project (about which probably I'll wrote more in the future). In the meantime arrived our (mine and Sergej) friend - Piotrek. I like him a looot! After short visit in the hotel we're looking for a free places somewhere in the pub in the center (Friday, around 10 pm!). Finally we chosed "Fajka" (pipe), place which I like in Warsaw :) There joined us Paulina - my friend, who was a host of Sergej. There we spend a few nice hours on conversations, drinking, smoking waterpipe, laughing...

Next day we had 2 workshops - about organizing a social campaign and creating promotional materials. It was very interesting. After them I've met Paulina and Sergej and we went for a lunch in Green Way, serium of restaurants, which I like very much - very nice food and sooo cheap. Then we had coffee in a Green Coffee. And finally we arrived to the Global Village. It was a very interesting place, cool programme, a lot of practical information for everyone, concerts, forum theatre, cinema about the human rights... Very good idea and cool implementation. There I've met Sylwia and people from our Polish NCC. Then together with Sergej we went to the hotel for a meeting about this graffiti project. And then we had a nice dinner in Sphinx. Then a short relax in the hotel and then going for a party which was organized for the end of Global Village in the Mandala Club. It was a great evening. First it was sooo crawded - we're waiting for the locker room about 25 minutes! But the music was great and a cool people around, so it was balanced ;) There we've met for some minutes - Piotrek, Sylwia and Kasia and also flatmates of Paulina - Tomek and Sergej (next one!) and for the whole night with Paulina. We've finished the party at 5, on the way to the hotel few people even bought some additional drinks ;)

Next morning nor me, nor Sylwia, didn't managed to get up and go for the presentations of the good practices from different NCCs. We've decided to sleep a bit longer ;) We got up on 10, had a nice breakfast, met her Italian friend (who was making a documentary about the Action Week) and together we went to the meeting point of the March related with gender equality, women' rights, free choice of women in each case and so on. On the Parades Square we've met already a crowd. It was - with 'easy' counting - 2000 people. And my biggest surprise was an amount of guys around. Practicaly it was a balanced number of females and males around. And I need to write that I liked this fact :) Peacefuly we marched to the Parliament. When we're close to it Sergej joined us as well. There were some speaches, some shoutings, swinging banners ;) And of course there we also met a contra-march, organized by the radical right party - youth branch. They were using a photos of aborted kids (very strange way of demonstrating their opinions, and even more strange - convincing about them). This march consist from 40, maybe 50 people, so nothing to see in comparition with ours ;) After the March we went with a small group for a lunch to the Green Bar and then we had a coffee in Cava. After 5 PM Sergej went to our hotel room to take a nap and we went for a lectures for NCCs about including the LGBT issues in the frame of the Campaign. During those lectures I saw the best ppp in my life! It was made by Bruno from INGLYO and was great! After the break me and 2 guys from our NCC had a meeting with a European Director of the Campaign - Michael. It was a good meeting. Then in the hotel I had a working meeting about possible project organized by NCC from Visegrad countries. We've finished after 10 PM and finally I could go for a dinner. We're planning with Sergej to go for a party because of the Women' Day in the Tomba Tomba Club, but it appeared that after 10 PM all day buses and trams are stopping and then we need to catch a night bus. But we couldn't find any which would go in the part of the city, where this club was. And in addition all nearest restaurants were closing after 11 PM! Gosh... a capital of the European country... :S We had a choice: snack bars in the underground under the train station or McDonal :S We've chosed the second option, but without the eagerness. During the dinner we decided that we don't want to go there by foot, so went to Fajka again. Then we had a nice hours, sitting, talking, drinking... On the way to my hotel we reached a train station, where Sergej took a night bus to Paulinas' place at 2:50 and I took a taxi to the hotel.

At the morning we had open space - discussion groups. Until the lunch I took a part in two of them - about including the Campaign in the school curriculum and about creating a magazin about the work of the NCCs in East Europe. Downstairs I've met Sergej and Sylwia (girlfriend of Jonathan) and we went shopping to buy some nice present for Paulina for hosting him. We've bought a map of Europe and a bunch of tulips. After a short meeting Sylwia needed to go for a driving course and we went again to the Green Way, where we've met Paulina and her co-worker and flatmate - Tomek. After a nice lunch quick packing in the hotel. Then a coffee to go, meeting Paulina on the platform (forgot to give her keys back! ;)) and already needed to go into the EuroCity to Berlin. We had tickets in differents wagons, but wanted to sit together, so we've chosed the smoking compartament, which was totally empty. We're spending time on talking, fooling around, laughing. In one moment it appeared that in the same train are going 2 girls whom we've met during the Action Week. They joined us and it was very nice :) Peggy and Nina are really cool grils! Sergej needed to go out in Frankfurt, to fix some family things, so he needed go home. And I together with girls went to Berlin Ostbahnhof. We've arrived delayed about 25 minutes, so my whole travelling plan must be changed. I've took a S-bahn to Berlin Mahlsdorf, then next one to Strausber Nord. There Agata and Rocia were already waiting for me to take me by car to Klosterdord - our training village ;) I was there around midnight...