Things to do while stuck at home

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Fed up with the home office and binge-watching Netflix alone afterward? Take a look at our list to get inspired on how to spend the next days of social distancing.

1) Keep fit with home practices

Exercising at home helps to relieve stress and keep us in good health. You don’t need much space and several websites are offering special coronavirus discounts. If you are into yoga, check out Bulldog yoga which offers great online classes and a 30-days free trial.

2) Save your favorite restaurant

You’ve done your share of cooking this week. Cut yourself some slack, save time for other activities, and order food at the weekend.

In this period local businesses are struggling to keep open, but you can still support them by ordering online. Below we list websites and apps which offer contactless delivery (the courier will leave the food in front of your door and knock).

  • Wolt: use code N2BE4 for 3 free deliveries
  • UberEats: use code eats-annak6359ue for 15 PLN discount on your first order
  • Pyszne.pl: contactless delivery if you pay online
  • KFC: add comment KFC POD DRZWI for contactless delivery

3) Glovo: get anything delivered to your home

Getting anything at a physical shop involves waiting in line outside. If you want to avoid that, you can use this awesome app called Glovo. A courier will deliver from any store including pharmacy, grocery shops, and more.

Use code RQCUF5E for a 15PLN discount on your first order.

Download: App Store, Google Play

4) Groceries at your fingertips! (currently unavailable)

Check out online grocery delivery options if you want to avoid the lines and the risk of getting infected (or spreading the virus). This is also the best way to stock up on non-perishable which are usually quite heavy to carry (please don’t overstock though!).

We particularly recommend Auchan Direct, which frequently updates delivery dates. It is also available in English. Click here to get free delivery on your first order.

5) Support local designers

Głowa pełna marzeń - plakaty - Pakamera.pl

The current economic situation is very difficult for small local businesses. You can support them by shopping for their products online.

On Pakamera.pl you’ll find hundreds of trendy items made by local artists e.g. clothes, accessories, furniture, decorations, organic cosmetics etc. They provide an option for contactless delivery to “Paczkomat”, a locker that you can open yourself from an app on your phone thus avoiding touching any surfaces.

6) Learn a new language

Are you tired of everybody asking when are you gonna learn Polish? With the extra time on hand, there is no room for excuses. It’s now or never! A fun way to learn new vocabulary are the Fiszki cardsCheck it out!

7) Sign up for an online course

Times like this show how fragile the job market can be. One skill that cannot be overrated in the increasingly digital world is programming. Coders Lab offers intensive online courses that can teach programming in as little as 3 weeks. Who knows, maybe it will be the beginning of a new career?

Looking for other skills to learn? Check out the lists on FreeCodeCamp and Coursera.

8) Throw a Polish-themed Netflix party

Why watch series alone if you can do it with your friends? All this without violating shelter-at-home orders. It’s enough if you install Netflix party (or HBO Sync for HBO GO) extension in your browser. Then the whole gang can sync up and watch a movie together while staying home.

In that case, why won’t you give Polish movies and series a shot? HBO GO offers the best two series of the last two years – Ślepnąc od świateł (an abysmally dark smash hit following a quick fall of celebrities’ drug dealer) and Wataha (a politically complex story of border guard officers in South-Eastern Poland). Netflix, on the other hand, sports an interesting collection of award-winning movies such as Kler (discussing pedophilia in Polish catholic church), 7 uczuć (showcasing the trauma of growing up) and Ostatnia rodzina (a bio-pic of the Beksińscy family).

9) Read books written by Polish authors in free apps

Polish writers have already been awarded 5 Nobel Prizes in literature. The most recent winner is Olga Tokarczuk. Even though the demand for Tokarczuk’s books is on historical height right now, Amazon offers ebooks from as little as 2 pounds. Other Polish authors you may want to research are Andrzej Stasiuk and Magdalena Tulli. If you are looking for reading apps Scribd offers a 30-day free trial giving you access to over a million titles and JSTOR opened up their library to everyone. Should you choose to try reading in Polish, Empik.com offers free 60-day access to their collection of ebooks and audiobooks.

10) Gorge on immunity-boosting Polish delicacies

While you will be stocking up for the weekend don’t forget about pickles. Both ogórki kiszone and kapusta kiszona are not only the pillars of Polish cuisine but also boost your immune system and work miracles for intestinal microflora. What’s super cool about them is that you don’t really need to process them later to produce delicious dishes. Eat them as a snack, use them to make a side dish or even a main dish – everything will be ready in a matter of minutes. This will be a valuable prep for your post-quarantine Polish cooking class.

11) Visit operas, theaters, and museums without leaving your sofa

Staying in a domestic lockdown can be an opportunity to enjoy cultural resources that otherwise are simply out of reach while living in Warsaw. The Metropolitan Opera and Vienna’s Staatsoper invite to the daily streams of their hits. You can also explore TOP 10 Museums Worldwide thanks to Google Arts and Culture. Similarly, museums often stream on Facebook video tours guided by exhibition curators. For example, Warsaw’s Royal Castle, Warsaw Rising Museum, and POLIN Museum do it on a regular basis.

12) Challenge yourself to make your own pierogi

In a similar vein, you can have a try at another staple of Polish diet – pierogi. You will find many YouTube clips and recipes explaining how to make them at home. You don’t need any special products, basically, flour, water, a pinch of salt and just anything you have in your fridge will do. They are also perfect for freezing and defrosting later on. So if you are about to spend this weekend at home, why not prepare them for later and not worry about lunches for upcoming spring weekends?

If you feel that you can’t manage on your own or you try and fail, bookmark our pierogi workshop for a post-pandemic activity.

13) Go for a walk in Warsaw parks and botanical gardens

The weather is becoming rather sunny and quite warm. Get your share of physical activities and vitamin D while discovering Warsaw’s magnificent parks and botanical gardens. Choose the ones that are close to where you live, so that you can walk there and avoid public transport. If you choose to walk with a friend or partner, please remember about keeping at least 150cm distance.

14) Spark the love for the computer games from your childhood days

Super Mario Bros., The Sims, Diablo, SimCity, Heroes of Might and Magic, and Deluxe Ski Jumping – this weekend is perfect for some nostalgic reunions with the sweethearts of the 90s children. You don’t need the newest gamer equipment to enjoy them, a regular laptop should do. Check out if it is still so much fun to build a pool for your Sim and… well, you know what we all did to them later. What is more, Steam, GoG, and PlayStation Plus right now are offering significant discounts for dozens of newer games such as The Witcher 3 or Sonic Forces.

15) Try your inner mixologist

Eggs, spirit, condensed milk, and sugar. A shopping list of a survivalist? Maybe, but more importantly, these are the ingredients you need to prepare your own cognac. This and other drinks might well make your weekend a jolly ride. Don’t be afraid to experiment, after all, that’s how most mixologists started their careers. Having that as a warm-up, once the epidemy is over consult Warsaw’s best mixologists on cocktail workshops and Polish liquor workshops.

16) Check if this year’s Veturilos are better than in 2019

Veturilo Bikes

If you are not so much into walking, try a Veturilo tour. Totems for bikers premiered last week on Wola and it’s a joy to check out how they work. They indicate how fast you should ride in order to have a smooth passage through traffic lights. The system is one-of-a-kind in Europe and will grow this year. Once you’ll have started a biking season, the next step is signing up for your Warsaw bike tour that will show you the ins and outs of the city.

17) Make your own board game

If computer games aren’t your thing, then maybe try out DIY board games? You can find a plethora of Monopoly templates on Pinterest or you may just use your friends’ FB photos for a home-made version of Guess Who.

18) Unleash your creativity with free apps

Maybe it is time to connect with your inner artist? Apps such as Minimoog Model D Synthesizer and Korg Kaossilator are free until the end of the month. They will allow you to compose pieces you will want to show off on your next Zoom conference with friends. If you are more into visual arts, check out the now free features in Affinity by Serif and Zencastr. In search of inspiration, it is worth to give meditation and mindfulness apps such as Headspace or Balance (free for a year now) a shot.

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