An ESC Volunteer’s Guide to Warsaw

It has already been 10 months since I became an ESC volunteer at INPRO. Time flies so fast; it’s unbelievable and heartbreaking that my volunteering in Poland will end in just 2 months. However, the memories and friendships I’ve made here will stay with me forever. As the time for goodbye hugs draws closer, I find myself reminiscing about the fun times I had with Kiko, Gaia, Erij, Mariem, and Adrian and all the places we visited together. One of the most memorable weeks we spent as volunteers was our on-arrival training in Warsaw.

On-arrival training is mandatory for every ESC volunteer. It prepares you for your ESC journey and ensures you’re ready for any challenges. In Poland, it takes place in its beautiful capital city. Six of us went to our training in pairs. In mid-September, it was Mariem’s and my turn to explore Warsaw for a week. After arriving in Rzeszów at the end of July, we had already spent a month together and became good friends, but our friendship grew even stronger during that week.

I have to admit, I’m probably the worst travel companion ever. I have a terrible sense of time and an even worse sense of direction. Most importantly, I get carsick easily, even on a 30-minute drive. After 6 hours of struggling on the Flixbus and torturing Mariem with my constant movements, we finally arrived. Our hotel was next to one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen. Even better, from our cosy room, we had an amazing view of the park and a beautiful small castle. 

After some rest, we all met in the training room. Our trainers created a very friendly atmosphere, and with fun energizers and icebreakers, we started getting to know each other. 

The first day of training went smoothly. We learned 16 new names, faces, and characteristics. We also developed a plan for what we wanted to do over the next few days, discussing our general interests, our interest in Poland, and our expectations for volunteering. The training was very successful, but the most exciting part for me was exploring Warsaw with new friends.

One thing that amazed me about Warsaw is that museums are free on specific days of the week. These days vary, so within a week, you can visit almost every museum in the city. As new city explorers, we had Wednesday and Thursday for exploration. Separated into small teams of 4-5 people, we visited the main square of Warsaw and the castle, which was destroyed during World War II and later rebuilt with the care, love, and dedication of the Polish people. We also visited the Geology Museum and Chopin’s Museum, where we heard his beautiful compositions. One of the most fun visits was to the money museum, where we touched real gold and saw amounts of money we had never seen in our lives.

In the evenings, we spent time in the city centre and near the river. We shared our volunteering experiences so far and truly enjoyed each other’s company. Even now, we keep in touch, even though some of us have already returned to our countries or started new adventures. 

The week we spent there was memorable in many ways. I didn’t have to worry about what to prepare for breakfast, lunch, or dinner because professional cooks made a variety of meals for us. We made good connections, and friendships, learned more about facilitating and training, and just enjoyed being participants this time. Now, with Erij, I am more than ready and excited to go to my mid-term training in Toruń. I am sure it will exceed my expectations as well.

Best wishes

Mariami