For the past few years at Exeter, there have been a handful of Polish students across different courses and years. However, lack of a society that would allow them to meet and bond meant that they couldn’t get to know each other. When I arrived in Exeter, almost 3 years ago, I was informed by other societies that there is a Polish society, however, after looking through all of the stands during Welcome Week, I discovered that it has, in fact, disappeared. The old Polish Society ended in 2020. However, 3 years with no society were enough for me and my friends to decide that this has to change, and that it is time to bring Polish Society back to life!
Our society has been officiated in January after gathering the required amount of votes and, since then, many Polish people have decided to join. There was a whole community of Poles hiding among us! Since the start of this term, the society has already organised 4 events. We kicked off January by watching a recently released movie named “The Peasants” (pol. Chłopi), where we followed an adaptation of a book called “Chłopi” written by a nobel-prize winner – Władysław Reymont. Later in the week, we had an opportunity to showcase our society to students during the Welcome Week Fair. Finally, we organised our first official social to meet each other in the Depot, where we enjoyed some authentic Polish snacks and organised a table football tournament. Despite the society being just recently launched, there is still a lot more to come.
Since the start of this term, the society has already organised 4 events
The Polish Society is a welcoming community to anyone, no matter if you are Polish or not, who has interest in Polish culture and wants to meet new friends. Hence, if you know someone who would love to join or you are interested in it yourself – don’t hesitate! We have more to come, such as stash drop, socials including sports nights, quizzes, watch parties and collaborations. Feel free to also check us out on our Instagram: @exeterpolishsociety, where you can also gain access to a Whatsapp group, where we share all announcements and important information.
The milestone that the new Polish society has already accomplished is a sign of hope for any other group of international students. If you feel underrepresented at the university, don’t be scared to take matters into your own hands- maybe you too can contribute to the emergence of new international societies at the university.
