EVS in Pomiechówek

Cześć and halløj! I’m Nora, the new volunteer at the library of Pomiechówek. “New” should be emphasized here, considering I’ve only been in town for a week and a half. And yet, I’ve already fallen in love with this place that I’m to call home for the next year. While Copenhagen truly is wonderful, there is a unique charm to Pomiechówek that can’t be found where I come from. I first stumbled upon it after my 18-hour bus ride (or rather, 17 hours and 50 minutes. But you’ll have to forgive my sleep-addled mind for not keeping better track). Here I was, brand new to Warsaw, and a volunteer from Stowarzyszenie Promocji Wolontariatu (SPW) was ready to help me with getting on the right train, actually buying the ticket and not just select it in the app, and—bravest of all—carrying my oversized luggage.  This kindness was not just a nice beginning, but seemingly the most positive of omens for what life in Poland has been like so far. My mentors have taught me about the village and how eve...

I am approaching the end of my volunteering experience and I wanted to come back to something that is really important to me: how to be sustainable and careful of our carbon footprint while traveling, more specifically here in Poland.  It goes without saying that we are facing a challenge that is far bigger than any of us, that is impacting absolutely everyone and yet not in an equal way. The fight against climate change is an absolute necessity if we want to remain under the 2°C of rise in temperature and therefore limit the effects of it. So here are a few tips for future volunteers interested in sustainability but also for anyone reading this.  Reduce your meat consumption or how to eat vegetarian/vegan One of the biggest positive impact you can have is by reducing your meat consumption or even stopping it altogether. Being myself a vegetarian, I was nicely surprised to discover how easy it was to be a vegetarian in Poland. You can find vegetarian options almost everywhere,...

 For  International Women's Day (or rather International Day for Women's Rights), I have created posters for the library to put the spotlight on the work of female writers. Indeed, when talking about the literature of different countries, we are usually more familiar with male writers rather than female writers when their works are as significant as their male counterparts'.  For this reason, I chose female writers from around the world and from different times. Some of them need no introduction, as is the case for Agatha Christie also known as the "Queen of Crime" but also Jane Austen, whose books have been adapted in films and series a large number of times.  Others are reknown for their feminist writings, sharing a glimpse of what it means to be a woman. With their strong political opinions, they fought in their own times against prejudices and for women's rights. For this, I could name Simone de Beauvoir, George Sand and Olympe de Gouges.  However, the fem...