Reflections

Poland is indeed a land of contrasts. If you only visited the tourist parts of the cities, you would likely be impressed by how cosmopolitan they are. So much fine dining, hipster coffee (see our Kraków neighborhood spot below) microbrews. But moving outside these areas, particularly in the rural parts of the country, you see another world, seemingly trapped in a much earlier time. Through Habitat we learned that close to 15% of the population lives in poverty housing (no roof, no toilets or heating) and 44.8% of Poles live in overcrowded spaces. Having the opportunity to see these housing challenges, and these marked contrasts, would have never been possible as a typical tourist. It lended much greater insight and understanding into this fascinating country. Thank you Habitat for Humanity!