niedziela, 3 lutego 2013

Winscho Airlines flies high!


(Wrzucam, bo minął już rok od tej, najulubieńszej mej, angielskojęzycznej publikacji.
Bo tradycja nie może być zapomniana.
A co najważniejsze, bo "once Erasmus, always Erasmus.")


When you are on exchange, the International Students House you live in quickly shapes your lifestyle. In Groningen, every students house is different and every each one of them has its own atmosphere and tradition. Those are the places which become your home for the few months, where you meet people who you will spend the most of your time with; studying, eating, partying together. A bunch of International Students in Winschoterdiep Students House found their own, very unique way to stand out of all the other places. They set up something called “Winschoterdiep Airlines”, famous now all around the city. But what is it, exactly? A new party association? Group of crazy students who just drink every day and night? Well, for the members of Winscho Airlines Crew it seems to be more serious than just this...



There are thirteen of them. Two Pilots, the Entertainment Manager, the Security Manager, the Human Resources Managers, the Press Man, the Healthy Manager, the Headwoman, the Photographer, the Law Enforcement Managers and the Oracle. Sitting around in the circle on the floor in the Captain's room, eating peanuts and chatting about everything, they seem just like a group of good friends. And from that similar kind of a chilling-out meeting one evening three months ago, they came up to the idea to set up their own “organization.” “As we all were flying high already, we figured, why not make it official?”, recalls Karol, the Captain. So it started with the Facebook group. Every member of the Crew got his profession, which they take very seriously. “When you have a Winscho Airlines profession, it's a lifetime job”, they all agree. “It's a huge responsibility!”, says Timo. “As the Security Manager, I have to take care of everybody's security. Only thanks to me it is now so safe in this room”, he smiles.

Still, at the beginning it was just a joke. Everybody in the house loved it from the very moment it created. “Also, a lot of girls asked if they can be our hostesses...”, Karol recalls. It was supposed to be just another excuse for partying harder, but soon it turned out to be so exciting that they wanted to expand their activity. Now they even have their own special t-shirts with Winschoterdiep Airlines' logo on them and the caps of which they are very proud. The biggest part of their job takes, of course, organizing the parties. “We already threw one big party in November, which was a big success. We had to leave the common room before 1 o' clock, because of the house rules. But we all met in Snow Valley club, which is our sister airport”, they all recall. Why Snow Valley? “Well, it has very cheap fuel”, Jake, the Human Resources Manager, replies immediately. But it's not just the legendary parties that makes Winscho Airlines so special. The Facebook group operates very dynamically. “People like to add posts like: “Who stole my pizza??” or simply “Who wants to party tonight”?”, says Richard, the Photographer. Nick, the Press Man, adds “We all help each other with simple, day-to-day problems, like for example fixing the internet or repairing the bikes, printing pages or correcting essays”.

Suddenly, as we are talking, the doors open and two people come in. “Hey Crew, what's up? Just wanted to say hello”. They chat for a while and after few minutes they go away. It looks like Winscho Airlines people have their own special status of being the coolest people here; they are The Elite! The Crew doesn't deny it. “We love it, everybody knows us”, they agree. But with the fame it comes the responsibility. Timo tells the story of how he fulfilled his mission of being the true Security Manager. “One day my girlfriend saw a strange guy, not leaving here, who was sitting next to her room, sniffing cocaine. She got very scared, called me and I, with the help of two bodyguards, removed him from the building.” The Crew also take care of each other. “Every time when we are having too much turbulence, we help each other to land safely”, says Karol. When Beom, the Oracle, passed out on the way to his room, he got rescued by Abidal, the Healthy Manager, who took care of him and gave him the vitamins.

It seems that Winschoterdiep Airlines created something new out of nothing. They connected all the  small groups together so the whole house can feel like they belong to one community. They even produced their own language! Now nobody in Winscho says “I'm drunk”. They are just “flying high”. Instead of “going to another students house”, they “visit the other airport”. But what will happen when they all leave Groningen, when their exchange finishes? “I guess it will die in natural death. The next generation of Winscho students will have to come up with something new”, says Karol with melancholic voice. For sure Winschoterdiep Airlines will be something that they, as the exchange students, will remember forever. “Working for the Airlines will be the best memory of my Erasmus”, the Pilot adds. Paul, the Co-pilot, feels the same way. “I had a possibility to meet a lot of great people. And it also made me drink more than I've expected”, he smiles.

Winschoterdiep Airlines was supposed to be just another way of having more fun. But as they all got friends with each other, sharing all the good and bad moments of the exchange, it became something more than just drinking and partying. They will have great memories and... probably, eternal fame in the tradition of the Winschoterdiep International Students House. Last but not least, their motto stands: “The party can't start without the captain!” And remember about the next big Winscho Airlines party this Saturday -  it will be the best flight of your life!


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tekst opublikowany w styczniu 2012

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