Moving to Poland

From 2020 to 2023 I worked as a software developer and enjoyed my work a lot! I got to work on interesting projects for big companies, my income was sufficient to cover my expenses and I had great friends to hangout with on an almost daily basis. This might make you wonder, why did I choose to move to a different country, start studying again and give it all up!?

Life is about experiencing and trying new things, and also making mistakes along the way, but I am convinced that people regret the things they did not try more than the mistakes they made and I have always had the dream of living abroad for a while.

Many people are born in a country and accept that country as such an amazing place that they don't want to leave. I get it, I still agree that the Netherlands, which is my country of origin, is an amazing place to grow up and live. But my scientific brain wants proof of this and the best way to test this is to experience living in a country which is different to the one you were born in. In this blog post I will discuss my experiences moving to and living in Poland and the lessons I have learnt during my stay here.

Moving to Poland

Since I wanted to move to a country which would be decently different to the Netherlands but still close to home, I chose Poland. I have always had a fascination with central and eastern Europe and decided that Poland, a country which I already loved going to for holidays, was a good fit. In hindsight I didn't do a lot of research about my choice but I am happy that I made it since I enjoy life here now. Moving to any country will feel weird and different at the start, and feeling lonely at times is a guarantee.

The reason that I had the courage to move to a different country alone is because I am a big believer in the adaptability of the human mind. Yes we do not like change and it feels very uncomfortable at times, but on the other hand once you throw yourself into the deep and force yourself to have no choice but to accept change that eventually this different way of life will start to feel normal. I even experienced this feeling when I moved from my hometown to Amsterdam after my studies. While this experience was less stressful than a whole different country. I have had moments in Poland where I was very close to quitting my studies and moving back home again, but that was a while ago now, but I think most of these feelings occur in the first 3 to 6 months of moving somewhere.

Understanding different cultures

After moving to Poland I noticed that the core values in most people are very similar, but there are also some key differences in how people and societies see the world. This of course is not a very groundbreaking conclusion but when experiencing it, it opens you up to the idea of challenging your own beliefs more and finding out that some of the things you considered as truth were mostly based on where you are from. This gives a new perspective that makes you able to more easily realise when you hold an idea based on what people around you think and not based on your own thoughts about it.

Another very enriching experience with moving to a different country where you don't speak the language is that, you get a better understanding of how people feel in your own country that immigrated there. Since you know how it feels to be the outsider and not speak the language. Of course I am trying to learn Polish but as a person who does not speak any Slavic language it will take some time.

By feeling like an outsider I don't mean that you are excluded from society however but more that in some situations it might be difficult while in your own country this would not happen for instance when ordering something, when trying to talk to or asking something from someone or when in a group of people that will start to speak a language that you do not understand. I don't feel sad about this though I see it more as a big motivation to try and learn the language faster, but I do completely understand how it might make people feel excluded and very lonely, I think everyone feels like this to a certain degree.

Trying new things

I think life is about trying new things and I think having lived abroad for a while is one of the most enriching experiences. For me personally and most people I've spoken to with a similar international adventure. I've spoken to many people before I made the decision to move abroad that have lived abroad themselves during an exchange or even for multiple years for other reasons and they all conclusively told me that it broadens the way you view the world and makes you a more globalised person.

I know for many people trying new things like this might seem scary and they will not dare to do it but I think the anxiety that is induced by making such decisions is something that you can overcome by exposure. I am not sure however because I, most of the time make the decision without giving it too much thought since I believe that with hard work and ambition any situation can be turned into a good situation.

How to feel at home

In my experience when moving to new cities in the Netherlands but also when moving from Amsterdam to Warsaw the moment where I started to feel at home was triggered by the same things. They are all very logical but are often overlooked by people moving to a different city or country. These things for me are

• Having a comfortable living situation: I think it is important to live somewhere that makes you feel comfortable and where you can retreat to after having a hard day of work or just when you want to relax.

• Having enough to do: longterm boredom feels horrible, it lowers your energy and it just feels bad. I always try to keep myself busy by at least having three things in my life which are, work or university, sports especially a sport where you can join a sports association and find friends to hangout with.

• Having friends: as mentioned above having friends is not only good to have something to do but are also important for those moments when you are not feeling good and want someone to hangout with. It might sound a bit cliche but I think having good friends is the single most important thing about feeling at home somewhere. A very good tip I have found to find friends is to join a sports association. It has consistently been my best way to meet new people that already have in common that you play the same sport. In Poland I have found friends through my waterpolo association, university and by meeting my wonderful girlfriend when going out.

Differences in opportunities

Moving abroad is a great way to increase your opportunities on the global market as well, since you will meet people from different cultures and have a more broad and diverse network of people and businesses that you can get in contact with to try and find work or do business with. I have found that in some ways the world is already very connected, but in others it still is not. One thing that surprised me in Poland was that the job market can be tight at times, while in the Netherlands this is very rare. This in itself is already a business opportunity to connect people in Poland to companies in the Netherlands who are comfortable with their employees speaking English and working remotely from another country.

Conclusion

Moving to another country for multiple years is not for anyone, I still think sometimes I'm crazy for doing it. But I have become convinced that exchange programs like the Erasmus program is something that is recommended for anyone to try! It is only a one semester program of 4 to 6 months where the exchange program also grants you a certain amount of money, depending on which country you are from, to live and enjoy your time in the country of your choosing.