Life /
BEFORE Poland.. what did you do then and what are your plans now? [29]
Ok, my turn.
Education. University of Washington, Seattle. BA in French.
Residences. Born in California, then lived in Virginia, California, Japan, California, Virginia, Japan (high school), Washington State (university), California (university), Washington State (university), Virginia, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Vietnam (not exactly fun in those days), Washington State, California. My father was in the navy and I was in the Marines, which is why I moved so much. I guess I've got itchy feet.
Jobs. 12 years as a Marine officer, then 25 years in sales and sales management prior to coming to Poland.
Why Poland? 1. As a US citizen, it's almost impossible to get legal residency in the older EU countries, eg France, Italy, Spain, etc. They were the countries I first looked at when I decided to move to Europe since I speak French and some Italian and Spanish. 2. I've been interested in Poland since I started reading WWII history when I was about 10. I visited 3 1/2 years ago to see the country firsthand, liked it, and moved to Gdansk 2 1/2 years ago.
Plan to stay forever? Yep. My girlfriend is Polish and we plan to get married this year or next. I met her on an internet site 6 years ago, met her during my initial visit and we clicked. She's not the reason I came to Poland, and even if it doesn't work out, I'll stay here. I have a lot of Polish friends here, and I really like the people. Lots of other reasons as well, but that'll do for now.
Did I speak Polish before I came here? Not much. I had Polish in 4 Weeks (it's not possible) and knew a little, but I've learned a lot since I got here. I now know four words in Polish: tak, nie, piwo, but I've forgotten the other one. Actually my Polish is OK, and I learn more every day.
