Christmas All Around the World 2021 - 17.12.2021

On 17 December 2021, an integrative Christmas meeting entitled "Christmas all around the World" was held for students of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology. Such a meeting was held for the third time and has become a tradition of our Faculty.

In the current academic year over 500 students are studying at the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, including 71 foreign students from 17 countries. 51 foreign students, mainly from Ukraine and Belarus, but also from Russia, study  biology or biotechnology in Polish. Moreover, 20 students from 16 countries (Burundi, China, Ghana, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Congo, Kosovo, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Ukraine, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, United Arab Emirates, and .... Poland) study Medical Biology in English.

During the Christmas meeting, students presented traditions and customs connected with the celebration of Christmas and New Year's Eve in Poland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Ghana and Nigeria. The meeting was highlighted by a dulcimer concert given by Glafira and Nastassia Kruk from Belarus, students of European Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University. A concert of Christmas songs popular in Europe and Africa was presented by Medical Biology student Sean Magavu from Zimbabwe with a group of friends from the band The Helping Hand. Everyone could also enjoy traditional Christmas dishes from different countries prepared by students and other participants of the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Prof. Wiesław I. Gruszecki – Vice-Rector for Science and International Cooperation, and Prof. Dorota Kołodyńska – Vice-Rector for Students and Quality of Education joined us remotely and wished everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We were also pleased to host Ms Ewelina Panas, PhD – the Rector's Proxy for the internationalization of education, the directors of the Institute of Biological Sciences: Prof. Anna Jarosz-Wilkołazka, Prof. Małgorzata Cytryńska and Prof. Agnieszka Szuster-Ciesielska, as well as teaching staff, including Prof. Kazimierz Trębacz and the staff of the Faculty Dean's Office.

The meeting was organised by the Students' Council of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology and foreign students of Medical Biology with the support of the Faculty authorities, Prof. Joanna Czarnecka – the Dean of the Faculty and Prof. Małgorzata Wójcik – Vice-Dean for Student Affairs.