DutchNews.nl put 10 questions to Malgorzata Bos-Karczewska editor-in-chief of Polonia.nl to find out that she is fascinated by the Delta Works and feels more Dutch than Polish at times.
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10 questions
Malgorzata Bos-Karczewska editor-in-chief of Polonia.nl
1. How did you end up in the Netherlands?
I met my Dutch husband in communist times in my hometown of Gdansk. We were both economic students. He came in 1978 on a student trip because he was very interested in what was going on behind the Iron Curtain – something which was pretty rare at the time. We got married in Gdansk a month before the birth of Solidarity in August 1980. I left Poland legally on a consular passport for Amsterdam, where I continued my study of economics at the University of Amsterdam. A new chapter in my life began. I enjoyed freedom in every sense of the world. I was absorbing knowledge like a sponge, learning by doing. I was also demonstrating against martial law in Poland and cruise missiles in the Netherlands. It was a great formative time for me, it shaped me.
2. How do you describe yourself – an expat, lovepat, immigrant, international etc – and why?
Now, with Poland in the EU, I feel I am part of the European family and no longer a stranger from the grey under-developed ‘Oostblok’. Now I am a European with Polish roots and some Dutch traits. I never considered myself as an immigrant, which is an outdated phrase in this mobile world. The sense of belonging comes partly from your roots and your childhood, and also from how people treat you in the new place where you live, and what you make of it. When I come back from holidays or from Poland I feel at home here. At the same time, the geographical borders are artificial, but the mental barriers still remain – you can see that when the Dutch still talk about the ‘Oostblok’.
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Opublikowane na portalu Polonia.NL 02.06.2014 © Polonia.nl
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