Funchal and my home city are so distant, however, what are their similarities? In this united Europe, what do our cities share in this Union of, so far, 28 countries? Funchal and Warsaw are both capital cities. At this point, I could end the list of similarities between both places. What comes to my mind are mostly differences. In terms of the number of citizens, area, architecture and landscape that surrounds both cities. But where I see the biggest difference is climate. In Warsaw and generally Poland, the weather is quite unpredictable. During summer days there might be an average of thirty-five degrees plus. On the other hand, sometimes in winter, the thermometer can show minus twenty-five degrees celsius. While Madeiran temperatures are more stable throughout the year. Secondly, I need to mention the pace of life. In my home city, everyone is running for something, always late and stressed. Here time slows down and people seem to be more relaxed. Maybe a high dose of vitamin D in their veins caused by the sun’s rays makes them happy. In my opinion, the common thread is in people, their beliefs, culture and values. In the past, shared European identity was deeply associated with Christianity. Nowadays most people in both countries still declare to be Roman Catholic and a lot of public holidays in Poland as well as in Portugal have a connection to religion. People, especially youngsters from European countries, are similar to each other. They listen to the same music, dress in the same clothes, eat similar food, and have common hobbies. It seems this is what we call globalisation. Katarzyna Janek Students’ Union Polish Volunteer

At the first glance, it is hard to believe that my home and Funchal have anything in common. The place where I come from is located in the centre of Poland. It is a peaceful countryside town where days pass slowly. There is neither a river nor a lake. Unlike Funchal, which is surrounded by waves of the Atlantic Ocean. No doubt Funchal and the whole of Madeira have unbelievably varied and beautiful flora. Much more diversified than the flora in my countryside. Nevertheless, forests remind me of my countryside. Especially during the Levada walks, I have peace and relaxation. Another similarity is the hospitality of local people. Their kindness and willingness to help others bring to my mind my family and friends who wish me well. Both, the Portuguese and Polish respect and preserve their history, which is a part of their national identity and it constitutes a precious value for them. They, try to protect and maintain their national heritage by sharing historical knowledge among themselves and tourists. The idea of History Tellers is the best example of that. People from my countryside also take care of history. All these things above make Funchal and my home slightly similar. Magdalena Zawadzka Students’ Union Polish Volunteer

I remembered the images displayed in a web browser depicting an incredibly blue ocean with evergreen mountains. I would never think that with each passing day spent in this little paradise, I would discover more and more traces left by my great compatriots. We had already started. The pleasant moment when the plane is gaining speed just for a short while to soar in the air. Suddenly It forced me to think again about my destination. Madera, a tiny island located in the Atlantic Ocean, nearly a thousand kilometres from Lisbon. I already had experienced life in Portugal but staying here would prove to be something new. I had read, basic information about the oversea Portuguese region, it’s true, but in reality, I was not sure what I could expect. I remembered the images displayed in a web browser depicting an incredibly blue ocean with evergreen mountains. I would never think that with each passing day spent in this little paradise, I would discover more and more traces left by my great compatriots. One of the first surprises that happened to me during long walks around the capital of Madeira, Funchal, was an accidental encounter with a bust of Jozef Pilsudski. He was a Leader in the revolutions, in wars, a political leader who, which in search of the sun, missing in the dark and cold Poland, came to Madeira, a figure which the rays of the great war rushed into the arena of European politics- wrote the newspaper, Dario de Madeira. This important figure for Poles arrived at Madeira on the ship Angola on December 22, 1931. Co-founder of Polish independence, he settled in Quinta Bettencourt at Caminho do Pilar. According to sources, he made sure to rest and met with Madeira’s different personalities. One of them was the then governor of the island Jose Maria de Freitas. After almost 3 months stay, he returned to Poland. On the same street as the mentioned bust we can find another place which commemorates another Pole, who visited Madeira. In comparison to Jozef Pilsudski, John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla, was a figure known almost worldwide. Elected Pope on October 16, 1978, he took place on more than 104 pilgrimages to different countries. One of his destinations was, of course, Madeira. The polish pope arrived on the island on May 12, 1931. After the official greeting in Funchal, Pope John Paul II went to the Stadium of Barreiros where the official mass with nine bishops and 95 priests took place. The statue of Pope John Paul II looks at visitors in the Cathedral of Funchal. The last Polish trail present on the island is the figure of Wladyslaw of Varna. Unfortunately, we could not come across any form of commemoration of his stay because… no one really knows if took place at all. The Polish king was lost during a battle on November 10 at Varna in Bulgaria. Despite many clues, they never found his body. Legend says that no one managed to kill him and he in the guise of a monk went, with many adventures, to meet with Henry the Navigator, who then assigned him to live on the island. Known here as Henry of Germany lived in Madalena do Mar. Damian Żurański Students’ Union Polish Volunteer Project financed by ERASMUS+.

She left Poland when she was 30. She spent the major part of her adult life in Madeira. Tourist guide and a lover of mountains, a translator from time to time, let me introduce you to a Duchess from my region in Poland who calls herself a Pole-Madeiran Woman – Jolanta Lubomirska. It would be a pleasure for me to speak to my neighbour from Poland – said the Duchess when I called to invite her for a meeting. How did it happen that two inhabitants of the South-east of Poland met each other 4000 km from home? One day, I decided to look for Polish people living permanently on the island, to get to know their stories and what brought them here. For sure, it could not have been labour migration, like in the case of moving to Great Britain. Here, on the island, you can just live pleasantly – this is what all the people that I had meetings with said. I found out that about 30 Polish people have chosen Madeira as their place on Earth. I managed to meet with five of them. What are they doing here? Sonia and Renata arrived here to start a life with their “other half”. Juliusz, because, someday, you have to decide where to live permanently. Piotr started as a member of the table tennis team, then a trainer, and finally he became a guide. And Duchess Jolanta Lubomirska came here in the 1960s because her parents had bought a block here and she had to take control over it. If she had not done it, the block would have become the government’s property. At present, a house which she built there with her French husband, can be rented by tourists. It is Vila Calaca, located in Funchal, close to the ocean, in the Lido area. I met with her at the theatre café. She came with her daughter – Hanna Karolina – who understands Polish but she speaks English and Portuguese. Because I wanted to learn Portuguese as soon as possible. I feel a little bit of regret that I didn’t push further for our native language learning. But it’s still not so late, so maybe they managed to learn it anyway – she explains to me. She has three other children. All with beautiful Polish names. The youngest – Michał (Eng. Michael) learnt languages in Poland, he lives in Cracow, married a granddaughter of the duchess’ friends from Leżajsk (a city in the Subcarpathian region – the area from which I and the Duchess come from). The oldest son – Jerzy (Eng. George) was given his name after the Duchess’s father. There is also Stanisōaw, who lives in Lisbon, and is married to a Portuguese woman. When I was looking for information about Jolanta Lubomirska, I found out that she was born in Charzewice village, close to Stalowa Wola city. She spent her youth there. Her mother served as a liaison (with the nickname “Sowa” – Eng. Owl) to the Home Army during World War II. She was, unfortunately, of a very weak health condition, so she died of pneumonia, which she caught in one of her missions – she, many times, had to go through forests during the night in order to deliver an important message to partisans. It was in 1943. Two years later, when the war was over, her father was arrested by Russians and their family properties were robbed. To the present day, she doesn’t know what happened to him. Different historical sources say that he was killed in prison or close to the train station in Tarnobrzeg, just before being sent to Siberia. – What happened to you? – I asked. – A friend of our family, Father Michał Potaczało, took care of me. I passed the final exams in Leżajsk, and then I was admitted for studies in Warsaw at Warsaw University of Life Sciences – she studied gardening. I worked for 5 years in one of the departments of the Warsaw City Hall – I took care of parks and gardens in Warsaw. Then I got admitted for an internship in the Virmolin Garden in Paris. I lived there at my uncle’s house. At this job, I met my future husband. He was a gardener there – she reminisces. She married him after few months after the first meeting. After this, she received a message from the Portuguese government concerning the block in Madeira, which her parents had bought in about 1927/1928. She was the first Polish guide on the island when one Polish travel office started organizing tours. It was in the year 1999 or 2000. – I liked this activity very much. Because I like walking. They decided to move there in 1961. She remembers times when there was snow (!) on Madeira. – Maybe there was not a lot of snow, but sometimes we were throwing snowballs to each other – she says. The Duchess has never worked as a gardener on the island. But she has her favourite flowers. – I like colourful climber plants on the walls, created by Bougainvillea – she answers. She worked for many years as a tourist guide, at first for French and Swiss groups. – I started this job in the 1980s. I was a kind of “pirate guide”, because then, I didn’t have the special certificates to do this. But finally, this profession was opened for all people – she was betrayed. I worked as a guide until 2009. But now I am a little limited, recently I underwent surgery on my hip. And I love walking on levadas so much. When I visited Poland after 30 years, I also went to Kasprowy Wierch and Giewont in the Tatra Mountains. During a mountain excursion, I got a little sunstroke, it was so hot. I had to sit for 3 hours in the shadow to get better. It was a great adventure – she continues recollecting. She is very connected

One phrase: It would be a banality to say that cuisine reflects our culture but a closer historical and cultural insight into the “polish culinary universe” can say a lot about the country. What does Polish cuisine mean abroad in Portugal on the other end of Europe? Probably not so much, as it’s neither so exquisite as French cuisine nor so widespread as Italian but, without any doubt, it has some unique landmarks. For example, the absolute crème de la crème of Polish cuisine is “pierogi” (dumplings) which can be described as bigger Italian tortellini in a half-moon shape with numerous types of fillings varying from strawberries to potatoes. It would be a banality to say that cuisine reflects our culture but a closer historical and cultural insight into the „polish culinary universe” can say a lot about the country. National cuisine is created by many elements, among others, it’s influenced by geographical and historical factors. Polish climate, without any doubt, had key importance for eating habits. As winters in Poland used to be harsh, ingredients which could be stored for several months like pea, broad bean, cabbage, or turnip played a great role. Consequently, they used to prepare, for example, “kapusta kiszona”(sour cabbage), which is a result of a controlled fermentation process. That ingredient is the base of one of the most famous national dishes – “bigos” which is a stew made of sour cabbage, different types of meat and mushrooms. Polish cuisine influenced by many cultures shows the complexity of turbulent Polish history. For example, Bona Sforza, the Italian wife of Polish king Sigismund I the Old, changed the image of Polish cuisine in the XVI century by bringing more vegetables. In effect, today in Polish supermarkets you can find a bundle of carrots, leeks and celery, known as “włoszczyzna” (Italian stuff). Poles are stereotypically seen as the fervent catholic. Today it’s maybe not so strong but historically it also reflects culinary culture. Traditionally, during the Lent period in Poland, people weren’t eating meat, so very popular became herring in oil and żurek soup, which is a naturally fermented liquid mixture of water, spices and rye flour. Now, these two fasten meals are often present on polish menus. One of the most common stereotypes describes Poles as drinking alcohol a lot. Nowadays, some can argue about that, however, no one would deny that it’s an essential element of our culture which goes back to the tradition of ostentatious feasts of Polish nobility in the XVII century. Vodka is considered to be a flag Polish beverage as Poland is the fatherland of this alcohol (of course a Russian wouldn’t say so). Traditionally, it’s made of fermented grains or potatoes, however, there are many variations as, for example, Żubrówka. This kind of alcohol is flavoured with bison grass, which grows only in Poland. Ultimately, the best way to get to know the polish culinary world is by tasting it. A popular proverb modified in the title (“the way to the man’s heart goes through his stomach”) shows that the key to the polish culture definitely goes through its cuisine as it’s full of surprises and remarkable flavours. Katarzyna Skrzypczyk Students’ Union Polish Volunteer Project co-financed by ERASMUS+.