Volunteering in Poland

Did you ever feel stuck? Like your life isn't going anywhere. Like you are not sad, but at the same time you are not happy about what you are doing with your life. Maybe you're just living day by day waiting for destiny to show up. What if he never does ? What if, when it does will be too late ? Do you believe in such thing as destiny? Maybe you are destined to something better, or bigger, or just different. But sometimes destiny needs a little push to emerge...
What I mean is, if you realize you're not completly fulfiled just do something in order to achieve what you want, in time, destiny will do the rest for you!
I know I've been living some good experiences, but I am always looking for more, something that will make me better in every way, something that I can learn from! For the last month I've been doing volunteer work in a hostel in Warsaw, Poland. Once again it was a great experience, I didn't meet as much people as I wanted, but I met some really nice quality people that helped me a lot. What do I have to say now that is finished ? THANK YOU! Thank you for the people that received me there; thank you for the people that taught me new things; thank you for the patience and thank you for the friendship! Somehow, I'll bring with me something from you that, certainly, will be helpful in the future.
So, I was living in the polish capital for a month for free and in exchange I just needed to work a few hours a week at the hostel, easy peasy, no ?

How did I get there ?

So, there's some websites that allow you to look for volunteer work around the world. The work is about helping for a few hours a week in exchange for bed and, sometimes, food. It's a very good way to travel without spending tons of money! This volunteer work allows you to gain job experience, knowledge, meeting new people and growing as an individual. You can also meet other volunteers and make some real friends.

My experience in Poland

How can I start ? Poland is a very cold country during the winter. There, snows and the temperatures reach the negative side of the thermostat very often.
I arrived in Warsaw and my first thought was that maybe it wasn't a city for me. I can't really explain why. But, in time, Warsaw revealed itself like a flower during spring, and it completly got me.
It's a city that has been reborn from the ashes after the war. You can find a mix of architecture there. They have very modern buildings and a very comercial side of the city. However, they also have the old part of the city (my favourite), with an unspeakable beauty that can provide you magical moments. There, they have a small market full of lights and comfort where you can taste street food by the fire or skating on a small ice field. It looks a little bit like Christmas.

Old Town Market

Old Town

Old Town

What else? Hmmm, they have a very beautiful palace, it's known by "The Palace of Culture and Science". That was a gift from Stalin, but people say that he also wanted to compete with the USA, that's why he demanded it's contruction. It's possible to go to the top of this building and have a panoramic view over the city. Of course it's not the most beautiful city in the world, but I assure you the it's worth it to reach the top.

Palace of Culture and Science

Palace of Culture and Science (top)

In Warsaw, they also have many parks. I visited the "Lazienki Park" that was covered by snow, the lake was frozen and it's possible to hear the birds singing. They also have a japanese garden with some kind of temples! It's a very beautiful place!

Lazienki Park (japanese garden)

Lazienki Park

At the Hostel

The hostel's name is "Hipstel Hostel" and is considered one of the best hostels in the city of Warsaw. There I learned a little bit more about the hostel's life. I was responsible for the night shift at the reception where I needed to check in guests, receive payments and help them if something was wrong. It was a very easy and funny work. All the recepcionists were always ready to help me and to teach me and I learned something from everyone of them. I want to say "thank you" to them, because they were the most responsibles for my good experience there and I hope to go back to Warsaw and meet all of them again.


So, that was my experience in Poland! At the beginning I was a little bit uneasy, but at the end everything was worth it and I returned to Portugal as a better and wiser person.

If you have any question about these kind of programs feel free to contact me, I'll be glad to help.