Diary
Travelling is exhausting. I am not sure that humans are made for being ripped out of one setting and being thrown into another. I am tired.
The past weeks have been full of planning and events. Some events have been happy, and some have been sad. As for the planning, some were completed and produced results – others cost time and energy and went nowhere.
What’s wrong with Poland?
I wanted to leave Poland for more than one reason. I never felt accepted. It started with something small: I was not able to get a free bank account online. It continued with the Polish laws regarding restrictions when it comes to buying property. There was me losing all motivation to learn the Polish language due to things like this keeping my mind occupied (and the fact that all Polish words look like someone had thrown consonants together randomly). Of course, the pandemic did not help, needing to isolate for a period, where making new friends would have been so important for the process. But then I also notice changes in the way foreigners were accepted and treated. There is a noticeable decline of acceptance, which might have started during the 2015/2016 refugee crisis, extended during the pandemic, and the war. First, they did not like Arabic or African people; now they don’t like Russians. Who will be next?
Yet I also had good times in Poland – more than I can count. Little moments of joy and pure happiness. My landlords have been amazing. There was not a single Christmas or Easter without an invitation to join the family in celebration. There was help when needed and acceptance for when I wanted to be left alone. I loved my summer in Rabkoland: the walks to the ice-cream place, sweets and cakes from the cake shop next door, and so much more. And only in the last few months, I was finally brave enough to try out local hairdressers, and I explored new stores and parts of the town. For a short while, I felt at home.
The decision to leave Poland was made on a whim. Only in December, when I had decorated my place for Christmas, I had decided that I should put more effort into decorating and make the apartment my home. Therefore, in the new year, I had bought some new stuff – a teapot and teapot warmer, a printout of my 2023 vision board, among others. But when I decided to attend a wedding in Germany, and it did not make sense to go for only two to three days, the idea came up to make it the starting point to explore some new countries (which had been on my 2023 goal list but planned for later in the year). And it was another coincidence, the fact that “my” apartment was then let for a longer period of time, which made me decide to cap all roots, deregister, and leave it all behind. But it has not been easy.
Ideas, research, plans, getting more information, ...
As always, I had a lot of ideas: Georgia, then Romania, then Bulgaria – then Romania again. So, my first step on the new journey was decided. However, even before getting on the plane, I had more information – and it made me wonder if the time in Romania would bring me closer to my final goal: finding a new place to settle.
Then there was Paraguay, which lured with low taxes, low prices, easy immigration laws, and a lot of sunshine. It was supposed to be my next step. However, by now, I know there is no way I can work there (you cannot run a business if no one can transfer money to you).
Where to go next?
I have only a week or two at most to decide, and it stresses me out. Travelling is exhausting.
Author
Britta
I have been an au pair, a tourist, an explorer, and a nomad – looking for nice places to visit and the one place I want to stay forever.