Paulina Olszanka

is a Polish-Australian journalist with political and anthropological inclinations. She also works in research.

A Splash of Pepper Vodka

Soul + Body

Wellbeing

A Splash of Pepper Vodka

In Poland, a number of folk remedies exist for treating common health ailments. Far from being useless, these remedies do have health properties and help people deal with the drag of being unwell.

Paulina Olszanka

Borsch, Cabbage, and Fish

Soul + Body

Good Food

Borsch, Cabbage, and Fish

Growing up as a second-generation migrant entails finding one’s identity among mixed customs. This was especially the case for one daughter of Polish parents, who grew up celebrating Polish Christmas Eve (or Wigilia) in Australia.

Paulina Olszanka

Reconciliation by Light

World + People

Dreams and Visions

Reconciliation by Light

The Christian celebration of All Saints’ Day is not usually practised in the Anglosphere. But for Poles (and others in Central and Eastern Europe), it is an important holiday that puts death in its place and looks towards life.

Paulina Olszanka