Here is the new Volunteer 2022-2023

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Cześć!

 

My name is Julia, I am the new volunteer in Pomiechówek, and today I have been living in Poland for exactly one month now.

First of all, a brief introduction of myself: I'm from Austria, where I live in a small village in the Tyrolean Alps. Recently I graduated from a technical college for art and design, therefore I enjoy being creative, especially painting and drawing are my thing. I am a bookworm that loves good stories, whether they are told while listening to the lyrics of a great song or watching a charmingly illustrated animation movie. Besides that, I love to cuddle with my cat and go skiing (it's my Austrian duty to serve this cliché ;) ). 

I have always wanted to go abroad for a year, and since I have just finished school as well as needing a break from studying, now is the perfect time. - And that's how I ended up in Pomiechówek. 

 

Pomiechówek might seem small at first glance but there are some wonderful places to discover here. One of the places I like best is the nature park especially the riverside. At the beginning of my stay, I really enjoyed reading at the beach but now it's getting too cold. But luckily there’s a really nice coffeeshop, where I can go to which also became one of my favorite places as a true caffeine addict. What I really didn't expect but find very cool is that there is a small cinema here! 

I enjoy the village life, as I’m used to it from at home but when Pomiechówek gets too small I can easily go to Warsaw and breath some city air. So I think that’s a great deal. 

 

When I arrived, I was immediately warmly welcomed by my landlady and her two dogs Toffick and Momo. As she only speaks Polish, but is very chatty, we communicate with our hands, gestures, and language translators which sometimes works better and sometimes worse. But at the end, we always manage to understand each other, with a few laughs and hurdles. (I had some very funny translator fails). My language course hasn’t started yet, but I really want to learn Polish to at least understand the great stories of my landlady and order some coffee (my lifeblood).

 

At the beginning of my stay, I had an orientation training with the other volunteers together and first friends were made. We stayed in a very charming house directly located at a pond in the countryside, surrounded by lots of different animals. The owner even gave us a little tour to show us the area. The best thing was feeding the deer, so we got really near to one of them. They always cooked us traditional polish dishes and so far, my favorite one is Pierogi, especially the ones filled with cheese. I already made some on my own because they're just delicious.  On the second evening the mentors of the volunteers joined us for a barbecue, and it turned out into a very nice meeting with lots of chitchat and exchange about our home countries and their culture. Everything from words, names, food, and famous music artists where not only discussed but also listened to. 

 

I really looked forward to the work in the library as a book loving person, I am excited to do something I'm passionate about and where I can pass on my enthusiasm for literature. Moreover, in the library I have the opportunity to meet locals and get to know Poland and its culture. After the orientation training I started my work at the library, which involved lots of different tasks. So far, they showed me librarian's work as singing new books, making stamps and covering them (which sounds easier than it is) as well as taking pictures of the books and creating social media content to promote them. Besides that, I also made some decorations and a poster to bring the fall vibes in the library. Because in autumn, there's nothing better than snuggling up in a blanket with a steaming cup of tea in your hand and reading a book!

 

So, the past month has been very exciting, filled with new places, people, and experiences. And I also conquered the one or other challenge as going grocery shopping for the first time without speaking a word Polish. I am really exited what's about to come, so for the next time I really look forward to travel a lot and visit many places in Poland!



PS: Here are some impressions of my past month (:D)





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