The interviews Zespół Szkół Nr 1

Alina Sinclair, a former student of Zespół Szkół Nr 1 in Kłobuck, born in 1980: ,,I live in Grantown on Spey, Scotland. Nowadays I don’t work. I studied the direction career counseling and job placement in Poland.” How long have you been abroad so far? I have been abroad for ten years now. Why did you migrate? I left Poland to find better working opportunities and life comfort. How do you like your life abroad? I like living in Scotland as this country has a lot of advantages such as beautiful landscapes, fresh air, friendly people. I met my husband here and started my own family. Do you miss your country? Sometimes I miss my country. I often come to Poland to visit my family and friends. Is it easy to live and work abroad? Well, that is a very individual question I think. It was very hard for me in the beginning. Now, after so many years of learning the language, other tradition, customs and mentality my everyday life doesn’t not make any difficulties for me. Do you consider coming back to Poland? Do I consider coming back to Poland? Yes, maybe one day when I retire and my children won’t need my help. I think I could buy a house here together with my husband and settle down for good. Was it easy to make the decision about leaving your country? My decision was quite fast, however I planned to leave only for a few months or a year, but I didn’t expect I would stay here for years! What were you afraid the most when you were leaving Poland? The thing that I was afraid the most was the poor knowledge of English. Of course, I had English lessons in the secondary school but I didn’t feel very good at it.

Anna Król , a former student of Zespół Szkół Nr 1 in Kłobuck, born in 1980: ,,I come from a small village Grodzisko near Kłobuck. In Poland I studied in a department of economy, direction International relations; I have lived in Leeds for 12 years now and here I have finished a college, direction English language for speaking and writing; I have worked for 9 years now for Lloyds Banking Group in a mailroom. ‘’ 1. How long have you been abroad so far? 12 years and 3 months exactly. 2. Why did you migrate? Well, I had to start paying the student loan and I couldn’t find a job in Poland. 3. How do you like your life abroad? Life abroad is completely different than in Poland. What I mean is a different culture, mentality but generally I like it and it had its pluses and minuses. I can say that you can get used to everything. 4. Do you miss your country? I miss a lot and I thought that it would be easier year by year but now it is still the same feeling as in the beginning. What I really miss is my family of course, the customs and traditions, the tastes of my childhood and everything connected with Poland. 5. Is it easy to live and work abroad? In many ways it is easier but in some cases more difficult. In my opinion, if you know the language, work really hard and you are an honest person, it is easy to work and live abroad. Of course, you must respect other people and their culture. I admire the system that is here – the way that the country works, taxes, banks. Everything is much less complicated than in Poland. 6. Do you consider coming back to Poland? I think about it every day but year by year it is more and more complicated. Anyway, I still hope that one day I will come back to Poland. 7. Was it easy to make the decision about leaving your country? The decision about leaving Poland was one of the most difficult in my life. It is not easy to leave everything and start from the beginning. 8. What were you afraid the most when you were leaving Poland? I was afraid that I wouldn’t find a job, that I wouldn’t be able to communicate with people. The most stressful moment was when I had to speak with an English native speaker.

Małgorzata Kasprzyca, a former student of Zespół Szkół Nr 1 in Kłobuck, born in 1980: ,,I live in Ireland, Cork. I finished marketing and management studies in Poland. I don’t work as I take care of my little children. Earlier I have worked in hotel industry. ‘’ 1. How long have you been abroad so far? I have been abroad for 9 years. 2. Why did you migrate? I wanted to find stabilization and get married 3. How do you like your life abroad? Of course there are good and bad sides of living abroad. I can say it is much easier to live in Ireland as you don’t have to worry about earinings. What is more, you don’t need to worry about losing your job becasuse losing a job here is very difficult – you would have to do something really serious 4. Do you miss your country? There are moments in your life that you miss your country, but not so much as in the beginning. 5. Is it easy to live and work abroad? I think it is much easier to live abroad. You work 39 hours per week maximum and you have time for your family, friends or entertainment. 6. Do you consider coming back to Poland? Probably when I retire. 7. Was it easy to make the decision about leaving your country? I didn’t think about it too long – I Just packed my things and left. 8. What were you afraid the most when you were leaving Poland? I was trying to stay positive and have a good attitude.

Mariusz Koziński, born in 1980 ,,I come from Kłobuck Mariusz Koziński, born in 1980 ,,I come from Kłobuck. After finishing the secondary school I studied at various universities and different directions trying to find my way. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to finish any direction as after one year I was expelled from the studies. That is why I decided to migrate from Poland as I didn’t see any hope for me.I went to Cyprus but I didn’t stay there long. In 2006 I decided to go to England where I stay up till present. I work as a driver in a food retailer company for London and areas.’’ 1. How long have you been abroad so far? I have been abroad since 2004. 2. Why did you migrate? I have migrated as a young man with ambitions who wanted to find a better life and adventures. 3. How do you like your life abroad? My life abroad I can divide into two stages of migration – the first one was strictly connected with earning money and coming back to Poland. The second part is the stabilization, family. Living abroad is much easier financially but the other aspect is that my children are far away from their grandparents which is sad. 4. Do you miss your country? What I miss the most is the nature, landscapes …. There aren’t any lakes, mountains here. 5. Is it easy to live and work abroad? In my opinion there are more possibilities here …. Life in Poland was a monotony for me. I wanted to change something in my life and I did it. But you must remember that for my kids – England is their home, like for me it was Poland. The home is where your family is. 6. Do you consider coming back to Poland? Me and my wife when we retire want to go to some warm countries. Poland will be only a place for visiting. My wife comes from Slovakia so we don’t feel a strong connection to it. 7. Was it easy to make the decision about leaving your country? It wasn’t difficult for me – I wanted to change the environment and see what it’s like abroad. 8. What were you afraid the most when you were leaving Poland? I have finished my relationship in Poland and I was afraid of being lonely – what is more – I knew I would feel even more lonely abroad. But there was also some kind of excitement – the feeling when you realize that you can change everything.

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