4 Years in Poland!
We know it very well. Time flies, and it makes no discounts to anyone. Today marks exactly four years since the day I left Italy. Often during these years I have heard the usual typical clichés, often repeated many times: "You're an idiot, you're crazy! Giving up everything like that... And then the language..." etc... Well, in the end, since I like challenges, and I had a good opportunity and several reasons to make this difficult decision, one day, at the SPIP in Parma where I was working at the time, I prsented myself to my boss, with a Polish contract in hand, and I resigned. I was shaking thinking how it will be after my departure every time, even if I was waiting for such occasion since long time.
The remaining month that I had, I organized myself to prepare: during this time, the help I received "remotely" from Poland was fundamental and comforting: I received a lot of psychological support, something I didn't have in Italy, except for a little encouragement from some few friends. What is it like living in Poland? Well, you definitely lead a normal, decent life, as it should be: in Italy since 2019, a normal life no longer exists. Here in Poland, there have been no major restrictions except for the first periods of 2019 and anyway reasonable: we were not locked in our homes by force and, much more importantly, we were not blackmailed with an experimental "vaccine" to be able to have a job and a salary: this already gives Poland a 1000-point advantage!
For the rest, the quality of life in Poland is definitely good: the cost of living is reasonable (despite everything becoming more expensive). A big advantage is definitely the Zloty: this is the currency used even though we are in a European country belonging to the Schengen area: Poland still sells a lot of its products and is not always forced to import them from abroad. In Poland, moreover, you can freely circulate even with a "scruffy" car from the 1980s! It doesn't matter if it's a euro 10 or a euro less 1000: there are no restrictions on circulation, another notable advantage.
And the Police? Well, the road rules are stricter here than in Italy, but the Police are often friendly, and a solution can always be found. You don't find the typical hidden patrol in perfect Italian style ready to "celebrate" you. Police cars are always well placed, and they rarely stop you (I would say never) for a normal check, unless you have committed an infraction or worse. Generally not only the police, but the Poles in general are very calm people, leading a comfortable and quiet life.
The food: you eat very well, and as is traditional in Eastern countries, soups are very popular, accompanied by good bread or other things. Breakfast is more similar to the English one than to the Italian one: Poles don't have a sweet breakfast based on coffee and croissants, but rather with meat (sausages, cold cuts), meatloaf with bread and some vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, etc.). During my previous job in Poland, there was a company group on Skype, created specifically to receive communications related to the arrival of food in the company: we went down to buy sandwiches, ready-made dishes consisting of salad, rice, meat or combined, This was our breakfast break at 9 in the morning. Of course, some people brought food from home, including myself.
The weather: most strange thing in this country! It changes often from sunny and warm to wet and cold or dry and cold. So, don't take an unbrella with you, because even in the worst weather day, sun can come out without advice (and vice versa). Generally weather in Poland is dry, but there are some exceptions.
A question I have often been asked: "Would you go back to live in Italy?" My answer is simple and categorical: "NO!" I would not go back to live there, for several reasons, and above all because it has become a country where life is unsustainable: no other country in this world imposed the vaccination to receive a salary!
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