Being a trainee in Warsaw, Poland

Being a trainee in Warsaw, Poland

Before coming to Poland, I was hesitating about my choice. Because I heard a lot of stereotypes such as: "weather in Poland is very cold", "language is very difficult", and "Poles are not the friendliest people in Europe", etc. However, I took a risk and I chose Warsaw for my Erasmus+ traineeship after graduation. And I can say that it was absolutely the right decision. So, let me explain why in the next few paragraphs.

I arrived at Warsaw in early October. Weather was very nice and pretty warm. It is worth to mention that Warsaw is extremely beautiful in autumn: very colorful and romantic. The whole city turns into apricot, sand-pink and gold colors. Every weekend I explored new parks and gardens because one third of Warsaw is taken by green areas. The largest park is Łazienki Królewskie and for me it is the most beautiful one. There, you can spend very active time by riding a bicycle, jogging, picnicking, and feeding animals. Other parks and gardens are Pole Mokotowskie, Saski Garden, Park Skaryszewski, Las Kabacki.

Another thing which made me happy is food. I think traditional Polish cuisine is one of the most delicious in Europe. Dishes look very plain and basic; however, their taste is very delicious and mouth-watering. What I like about the Polish food is its big portions and variety of soups such as barszcz, żurek, rosół. The same with pierogi: there are wide selection of pierogi, for example with spinach, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, and even with fruits. And of course, Polish doughnuts- Pączki which also can be filled with different flavors but the traditional one is rose jam.

Of course, I enjoyed the city itself very much. Warsaw is very diverse city: old architecture meeting new modern buildings in perfect harmony. Warsaw is very international: there are a lot of Erasmus students and people from foreign countries who came for career purposes. City is vast but despite it you can reach from one corner to another in 20 minutes thanks to its amazing means of transport. Moreover, Warsaw has awesome nightlife and party districts. You can find anything depending on your style of partying and taste of music. Apart from parties and bars, you can spend your free time in museums. All museums have free admission on certain days of the week. Must-see museums are: Fryderyk Chopin Museum, National Museum, Royal Castle, and Wilanow Castle.

However, the main reason which made the whole experience very positive is my traineeship company-VocApp. In VocApp I gained a lot of skills as well as friends. The workplace has very friendly and multicultural atmosphere where colleagues learn from each other. This was the work experience along with cultural one: together with interns, we explored Warsaw; traveled to other cities like Krakow, Gdansk, and Zakopane; we discovered Polish cuisine and learned some Polish language basics. For example, every Friday we had one-hour class of Polish language organized by our project manager. Moreover, we had unlimited access to language learning courses of VocApp. Of course, all these good memories and vibes build positive experience. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude: Dziękuję bardzo, Poland! Warsaw! VocApp!