“At the start of 2022, Poland was experiencing a chaotic, and transformative moment in history; a moment that will be written about in textbooks for centuries to come. Polish borders were opened to Ukrainians fleeing russian bombs, russian shelling, russian terror and russian extermination. Ukrainians were welcomed at the border without identity documents (many left their homes with nothing but clothes on their backs), bus-loads of women, children, animals and the elderly crossed with no questions asked. Russia started a war in Europe in February of ‘22 and invaded a sovereign nation; Poland responded and welcomed Ukrainians-in-need.
Since February 24, 2022 more than 11.3 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed the Polish border, with the largest number entering Poland on March 6, 2022 - more than 142,000 people on that day alone. Polish homes, school gyms, auditoriums, yoga studios, bar spaces and expo centers were filling rapidly; food tents were erected, warm clothing and strollers given out. I saw it all and it was overwhelming. Polish volunteers, young and old, mobilized, organized, poured hot soup and drove Ukrainians to safety. During that horrendous month of March, I fell in love with Poland.
As I rushed from one place to another in Warsaw, my heart ached for suitcase-clad Ukrainians traversing every inch of the Polish capital. My people were everywhere; pouring out of the train stations, filling cafes, sidewalks and McDonalds; if there was a wifi available, you could hear Ukrainian or russian languages in the vicinity. Women were desperately connecting to their husbands, brothers, sons and fathers back in Ukraine. To this day, May 2023, russians are bombing Ukraine and men of fighting age are not able to leave, expected to remain and defend their motherland. They continue fighting and pushing the aggressor out of Ukrainian cities, towns and villages. Ukrainian heroism ignited and inspired Poles and the rest of Europe, and continues to this day.
I met Ms. Krystyna Fiszer, a Polish citizen, in March 2022, stress-smoking outside a restaurant in Warsaw. It was the end of a long day for both of us and we were freezing. Immediately however, Krystyna captured my heart with her wit and charisma. I am drawn to women who are unapologetically curious, because child-like curiosity keeps the soul young. However, the moment I knew she was the real deal was when she revealed she was sharing her apartment with a stranger, a youth whom she barely knew, a refugee from Ukraine. “It was something I had to do”, Krystyna said, “to not help would be inhumane”.
Krystyna is a wise, kind woman with a wonderful sense of humour. Much is between the lines in her answers, only letting a glimpse into her character; it’s enough to intrigue me though. A successful architect, Krystyna runs an architectural firm, is a self-starter, a heedful romantic and French through and through.”
- Olga Shmaidenko, Founder of WOW Woman.
Krystyna Fiszer in Warsaw, Poland. Summer 2022.
Architect, A Kind Heart, Warsaw, Poland
1. Name.
Krystyna Fiszer.
2. Where is your hometown?
Good question. I’m from Paris but now live in Warsaw.
3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation? What does your average day look like?
I’m an architect. My days are made up of every possible of task of an architect business owner; I deal with project issues, client meetings and brainstorming, discussing and going over financials, organisational and team management, and of course the one-offs “put out the fire” issues that happen when one is an entrepreneur, from the morning to the evening.
4. What did you study in school?
I studied architecture in Paris’s Belleville school.
5. What was the journey like to get where you are (in life and career-wise)? Write about some of the achievements that you are most proud of. What was the moment for you that changed your life (in your personal life and/or career?) that set you on the current path in life?
Difficult to say in a few words. I’m proud of the learned ability to go through life at a slower pace or manage to speed up when necessary (especially around deadlines).
6. How is your life different from what you pictured at 20?
When I was 20, I never had a precise picture of what my life would turn out to be. Then I was a teenager in France, although I had Polish roots from my father’s side, I never imagined that I will live in Warsaw, speak fluent Polish (at the time I knew five Polish words), run a professional architectural firm, read Polish construction regulations, negotiate contracts with Polish men, or argue with them in pure vulgar polish. It’s like if you told me that I would be fluent in Mandarin; it was that foreign to me. Who knew, anything is possible I suppose.
7. Was there a time when life knocked you down or out and how did you get back up on your feet?
Yep. Life, as we know, can be as cruel as it can be wonderful.
What gets me back up on my feet is the idea that I cannot allow myself to behave as low as those people who hurt me. Staying on the bright side of the moon, as they say, takes a huge effort sometimes, however.
8. Advice for other women?
When the fire inside you is almost out, just blow on it slowly, to re-ignite it. Energy is endless in the universe.
9. Knowing what we know now in a current political climate, can women be "all that we can be" in today's world? What is the way forward, as you see it, for "feminist values"?
Have never thought myself as a feminist, but I have to admit that I am natural feminist. Whether you’re man or a woman, lets consider respecting our fellow human beings as our first priority.
10. Where in the world do you feel “tallest” (i.e. where is your happy place)?
Maybe exactly now, in this moment, because I am finally taking a three-day vacation in Italy. It is here that I can finally answer these questions, my dear beautiful Olga.
Where I feel my tallest? I would say that I feel tallest anywhere abroad, when travelling; at the start of any trip.
11. What extracurricular activities/hobbies are you most proud of? Why?
I enjoy singing lyric opera (*Lyric opera is lighter in tone and often features non-tragic plots).
I also play tennis. Why? Because I love it .
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Future goals/challenges?
I feel that I am now at this exciting moment in life, before a fork in the road. I am currently planning a new chapter for myself. It’s been around 20 years in France and 20 in Poland; I feel that new horizons must be discovered and conquered. It is now time to do it.
13. What fears are you still hoping to overcome?
Lack of self-confidence; this feeling of not being good enough.
14. Anything you'd do differently, if you had another go at life?
Probably many things, but luckily I don’t remember them.
15. What/who inspires you?
Sun, moon, horizon, nature. Great scientists inspire me. Also big and interesting personalities throughout history, such as Albert Einstein, Maria Callas (an American-Greek soprano), Alvar Aalto (Finnish architect), Carlo Scarpa (an Italian architect), many others.
16. What are you hopeful about?
To continue being useful; this feeling is not only good for others around me, but also for me.
17. What are some ingredients to a good life? How did COVID, and now the Ukraine/Russia war change your perspective about the world, about your life, your goals and dreams?
Good life means having an everyday that brings you satisfaction and a feeling of harmony; not an easy feat to achieve. What else - simplicity, good-natured interesting people, work that you love and being surprised about things in life.
This awful war is showing us that the human nature is composed of extremes without limits. Unfortunately, the social structures that were build until now do appear to have limits. As such, we have to react firmly and with courage against evil. We need to react with a goal re-establishing the world balance again.
18. What advice would you give your 14-year-old self? What advice would your 14-year-old self give you in return?
Think of what makes you heart flutter with excitement and follow that direction. Sit and slow down, even for just a few minutes a day, to understand and feel what makes you excited.
19. What are you reading now? (what books do you gift most and what are your favourite reads?)
I am reading the Indira Ghandi biography, Connelly and criminal books. I’m also enjoying Daniel Joseph Boorstin, who was an American historian who wrote on many topics in American and world history; I haven’t finished reading his books since I was 20 years old.
20. Who are some WOW WOMEN who inspire you?
Maria Callas, Marie Curie, Tina Turner.
Bonus Quick Round Qs:
1. What and who is worth suffering for? Our desires, staying human, keeping a positive side of reality .
2. What would you do if you knew that nobody would judge you? Good question. Probably a lot, for example I would leave all my responsibilities and go for a trip around the world with an open-ended ticket.
3. Who is/are your mentor/s (men or women)? In my profession, architects like Alvar Aalto, Louis Kahn and Carlo Scarpa.
4. If you didn't have to work anymore what would you do with your days? Travel.
5. If you could be anyone for a day who would you be? Would be everybody for one day, just to understand more about being human.
6. If you could relive one year in your life, which one would it be? No idea.
7. What bothers you most about other people? What do you love most about other people? What bothers me in people: egoism, cruelty. What I love in people: diversity of thought and being - the fact that everyone is unique but also basically similar.