Name: Robert Kubica

Born: December 7, 1984 in Krakow, Poland

Team: BMW Sauber

Height: 6'

Weight: 160 lbs.

Hobbies: Bowling, computer games, indoor karting.

Previous F1 Teams:
2006 - 2007 BMW Sauber

Victories: 0

Background:

Robert won six Polish karting championships before he moved to Italy at age 13 to pursue his kart racing career in the heart of world karting. He continued winning races and championships in Italy and elsewhere, racing as a salaried driver for a kart team.

First Polish F1 Driver:

In the middle of the 2006 season, Mario Theissen, the BMW Sauber team director, decided to try a daring, if

unorthodox test. He invited Jacques Villeneuve, one of the regular BMW drivers, to hand over his seat to Robert at an upcoming race in order for the team to see how Robert could handle a race. Villeneuve, a world champion with more than a decade of F1 experience, decided to retire rather than to cede his seat. Robert became the regular Grand Prix driver. At his first race, the Hungarian Grand Prix, he finished eighth and would have scored a point, but post race scrutineering found the car to be under weight. Even so, by his third race he finished on the podium, taking second place at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

BEETROOT SOUP (Barszcz)

This is a classic beetroot soup.

2 litres beef stock or vegetable stock

2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 bouquet garni

1 can mushrooms (or fresh)

3 uncooked medium-sized beetroot, peeled and sliced thickly

300 ml kwas

1 tsp sugar

Heat beef stock in a large pan. Add the onions, bouquet garni, mushrooms and beetroot. Boil for an hour. Strain the soup and stir in the kwas into the clear soup. Add sugar to taste and reheat, if necessary without boiling. Serves 8.

HUNTERS STEW (Bigos)

Poland's national dish, and one of my favourite dishes. There is a variety in ingredients, some have mushrooms and juniper berries, while others contain apples, venison, lamb or beef. It is best made a two days in advance and reheated on low heat before serving. This enhances the flavour.

50g butter

2 onions, peeled and chopped

1 jar sauerkraut

1 can tomatoes, peeled

1 small white cabbage

300 ml strong beef stock

250g smoked sausage

5 to 6 pork ribs salt and pepper

Melt butter in a saucepan and fry the onions until golden. Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water, drain thoroughly and mix with the onions. Add the tomatoes. Chop the cabbage finely and mix in. Add the stock, stirring well, and then the pork ribs. Slice the sausage and add into the stew. Allow to simmer on low heat for one hour. Season to taste. Remove from heat and leave covered for 24 hours. Refrigerate and reheat before serving. Serves 8. Note: If you prefer the dish to be more sour, add more sauerkraut.

Primary and secondary education in Poland

Kids in the photo are in a kindergarten. They will stay there until they are seven.
Pupils of 7-12 attend primary school .In the lower grades one teacher teaches all subjects, while in the higher grades each subject has a different teacher and usually pupils change classroom for each subject.

After completing primary school pupils go to secondary school, called "gimnazjum". General secondary schools provide students with general education.

In Opatówek Gimnazjum students learn Polish , mathematics, physics, geography, chemistry, history, music, art, English ( compulsory), German ( optional), P.E, religion, biology, computer science, crafts and technology, they also have family and society education.After 3 years they have two final written exams.

Students normally start lessons at 8am and finish at about 3pm. The school year starts on the first Monday of September and finishes on Friday, usually before the 25th June.

John Paul II - the Great Pope

John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła) was born on 18 th May 1920.
His mother died in 1929. His eldest brother died in 1932 and his father died in 1941. A sister, Olga, had died before he was born. During the Nazi occupation young Karol had to work in a quarry (1940-1944) and then in the Solvay chemical factory .

In 1942 he began courses in the clandestine seminary . After the Second World War, he continued his studies . He was ordained to the priesthood and sent to Rome . He finished his doctorate in theology and returned to Poland as vicar of various parishes as well as chaplain to university students. In 1951 he again took up his studies in philosophy and theology. Later he became professor of moral theology and social ethics .In1964, he was appointed archbishop of Krakow and a cardinal in1967 .

He was elected the Pope on 16 October 1978. His pontificate, lasted nearly 27 years. He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy . He established the World Youth Days and the World Meetings of Families .John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with the Jews and with other religions. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies. His most important Documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters. As a private Doctor he also published five books of his own.

On 2 April a.D. 2005, at 9.37 p.m., while Saturday was drawing to a close and the Lord's Day was already beginning, the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday John Paul II departed this world for the Father.

Famous ski jumper - Adam Małysz

Adam Małysz- born on 3.12.1977 in Wisła. He is a Polish ski jumper and the olympic medallist.

Adam is a four-time winner of the World Cup.

He is a three-times winner of Nordic Competition.

Małysz has won the chapionships of Poland seventeen times.

In 2001 he made the longest ski jump.

He has been chosen the best athlete of Poland three times.

Gimnazjum in Opatówek

In our school there are twelve classes and about 300 students. Each subject has a classroom (classrooms are new and they are good equiped) . From September 2007 students will have to wear uniforms. Next to our school there is a big sport's hall.