Poznan: A city of life

The tallest building in Poznan: Altum

So don't get it twisted, Poznan is a place of never-ending fun. The skyline is dotted with roofs of historical, medieval buildings and modern twenty-first century architecture. If you're a lover of historical buildings, there's nowhere but here for you! I could go on to write about the architecture, history and stuff but would have to leave the story for another day (it's always on Wiki, anyways). This write-up basically has to do with the student life in Poznan. Now, there are about seven highly recognized universities in the city of Poznan: Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan University of Economics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan University of Technology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, The Agricultural University of Poznan and The Polytechnic University of Poznan. Each of these institutions of higher learning has a sizable share of international students. When I surmised at the airport that Poznan was indeed a cosmopolitan city, I'd yet to see the student life. Poznan has to be one of the cities in the world with such a colorful mix of global representatives who contribute truly to the vibrancy of the city. As a student from Canada aptly put it, if you haven't experienced the night-life in Poznan, you haven't done much.

A little jet-lagged, I knew I had to drop in at the students' orientation meeting scheduled for the next day and submit my papers to the local immigration to process a temporary residence permit. Since it was early fall and the weather hadn't gone too cold for comfort, I decided against riding a taxi and opted for a leisurely stroll to my university's main building where the students' orientation was to take place. Even though I had a map to take me to my destination, I desired to have another taste of Polish hospitality as the last one I had was from Malgorzata and my body and soul were starting to yearn for more. Relishing the serenity which I'd always craved from the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago, I asked a middle-aged man for directions to the University. Greenhorns are not strange to the dwellers of Poznan. This city hosts about thousands of them every year. I got enough help from the man who even volunteered to walk me down to the university, an offer which I politely turned down. The orientation meeting like I expected was like another gathering of the United Nations. Each continent was represented.

My documentation with the local immigration was hugely successful. Although the local officials differed slightly from the ones I met at the airport, I eventually got registered as a resident. From the gist going around at the orientation meeting, I wasn't looking forward to facing the local officials. Rumor had it that the office was full of stern ladies who'd rain on your parade. I needn't have worried too much though. After successfully documenting my application, I realized it could only get hard for you if you ran short of one or more papers you're supposed to present.

University of Economics, Poznan

Studying in Poznan is an experience of a lifetime. University of Economics is a trail blazer in Europe, especially if you're looking into a degree in economics, business administration or other management courses. The classes are fun although the time-table seemed hectic for me in the beginning of the semester. The thing that got us laughing at first was each other's funny accents. Since the English language was the language of instruction and with students from all over the world, my classes felt more like a music rehearsal room. Accents from Asia, Africa, eastern Europe and North America all teamed up to sound like an auto-tune from a R&B song. That's not to take away anything from the professors. They are in-depth, articulate and make you learn the ropes easily enough without being flustered. Each university includes physical education classes in their curricula to prevent students becoming lethargic; not that you stood a chance of being lethargic in Poznan, anyways. It's a city full of life! For book lovers, you could grab a book to read in one of the numerous book lockers at the tram stops. For me, I was having enough book at the university, it was time to have some real fun...

Monument to the founder of Poznan University of Economics,
famous Polish economist, Edward Taylor

To be continued...