London Volunteering @ Hostelle

When you get an idea, or an intention you must follow through something incredible might just happen. One day, I saw on Instagram that a hostel I had stayed at in Barcelona was looking for volunteers. In exchange of working at reception and hosting activities for the guest, you get a free accommodation. The hostel company I stayed at is named Hostelle and they are a black women owned hostel who cater solely to female guests. I messaged all three locations on Instagram and London reached out to me. I had an interview. By October 1st, i knew where I would spend January 1st. I announced the idea to my mother who wasn’t enchanted about it at first, but she gave me the approval to purchase my flight ticket.

I would like to state that I 100% funded this trip by myself, which I am very proud of.

After an amazing 6 hour flight, I landed in Heathrow and took the Elizabeth line to Bethnal Green, which became home for a month. Immediately I met Meg the receptionist who was extremely kind hearted. We talked about her studies and her life in Cornwall. I went to rest. My first two days were free, therefore I made some friends who were staying in the hostel and did some sightseeings of Oxford street with the Christmas lights and the British library. My new friends were Tintin from China and Asyushi from India, this volunteering experience was the first time I made friends with people from all around the world, from Europe to Latin America to Asia. It really opened my mind to the similarities we all have in common, especially as women.

The youngest friendship I made was Léhane, a French girl living in Rennes who is also in business school, I believe she is 19. My oldest friendship I made, well I couldn’t really tell you because there were three and I did not dare to ask their age. One of them was a fifty something phD student in Austria, on a scholarship. She definitely taught me a lot.

Now for the fun part, work. One of the reasons why I wanted this experience is because I would like to be in the hôtellerie business  in the near future. I learned about the systems they used to stay organize, the different shifts, I learned how to be a receptionist and answer emergencies. Every staff member was effective at their jobs and the Hostelle London location was  incredibly well managed by Charlotte and Abigail. Working there was such a beautiful experience that I had a confirmation that I would enjoy owning a hotel, as long as I’ve got the right staff.

This experience will be forever embedded in my heart as one of the best experiences I’ve had so far. Not only I’ve grown as a person, but I learned intangible knowledge I would not have received at any institution.

For your information, I volunteered 24h a week, so i worked 4 days a week and had three days of. Accommodation was provided.

All the pictures were taken during my shifts.