How did I become an expat in Poland?
My story really begins during my study abroad semester back in 2010. I spent the semester living it up in London, a city I grew to love, but traveled a lot on weekends to various countries in Europe. One of the major draws for me to study in London was how easy it was to get around! I traveled all around England, visited Scotland, Wales, France, Italy, and spent my Fall break in a lesser known country called Poland. I fell in love with it - pierogies, doughnuts, great beer, beautiful architecture, gorgeous wildlife - what's not to love? Little did I know I would be moving to this country permanently 7 years later!
Lighting a candle in Notre-Dame, Paris in 2010
Fast forward almost exactly 6 years and I'm getting married to the love of my life, a 100% SUPER Polish man - like was born in Poland and speaks the language fluently kind of Polish. My husband and I met online (yes, one of those "success stories" - how else do you meet people in NYC?). We got married on a grey October day in Greenport, Long Island surrounded by all of our friends and family and a pizza truck. It was perfect.
Best day ever! Photo credit: Tom Schelling Photography
I think it was always in the cards for us to move to Poland at some point. Even before we got married we used to talk about it being a possibility in the future. Despite the differences, it never scared me. Perhaps because I love my husband. Perhaps because my 20-year-old self actually experienced this unique country and really enjoyed it. Either way, after a series of decisions (mostly ending in "yes"), I've now been living as an expat in Poland for a month. The past month has held highs and lows, happiness, saddness, nostalgia, homesickness, feelings on feelings on feelings. But I'll leave that for another day!
xoxo,
Tat