The opportunity to receive a quality education in a quickly burgeoning academic environment. In addition to its high-quality education institutions, low tuition fees, and equally low cost of living are also added advantage.
Could you tell us your story?
My name is Abdirizak Abdulahi from Kenya. I am a master's student at Poznan University of Technology pursuing MSc Civil Engineering. I am a NAWA scholar under the Ignacy Łukasiewicz program. I did my bachelor's at Istanbul Aydin University in Istanbul, Turkey. I came to Poland in October 2018. I first lived in Krakow for one semester where I was learning a polish language at the International Centre of Education of the Cracow University of Technology. Then I moved to Poznan in February 2019, where I am currently doing my masters.
In a nutshell; I left Kenya when I was 18 years old and I have been living abroad ever since except for the summer holidays I go back to visit my family. Through my time abroad, I managed to pick up skills, which has enabled me to adapt to any environment or culture. I enjoy traveling during my holidays. I have been to 20 countries so far worldwide. I plan to grow that list hopefully in the near future. Ever since I was a kid I had dreams of traveling and that dream started to get realized when I moved to Turkey for my Bachelors's. During my travels, I have learned a lot of new cultures which was made easier by my social personality. I consider myself a free spirit and a global citizen. That is why I am not enticed by the idea of staying in one particular place. I believe the world is there for us to explore and get to know each other. I also make the effort of learning the language of the country I live in. I currently speak 6 languages i.e. Swahili, Somali, English, Turkish, Polish, and some German. From personal experience I have learned when you speak someone’s language you get to connect with that person in a friendly way. My other hobbies include cooking, reading, watching, camping, and hiking.
Tell us why you have chosen Poland as your study destination?
Well, the main motivation was that I got an offer to study under full scholarship. Well, this did not come as a surprise to me because I always found myself in Poland a few times in the past. I first visited the country back in 2015 as a tourist and was intrigued enough to visit a second time. When I got the scholarship offer, I did not hesitate because I knew that was the perfect opportunity to explore the country and her people from a different perspective since I will be living within the country.
How is your experience in Poland going so far?
Life in Poland turned out to be more interesting than I expected. I have been living in Poland for the past 1.5 years now. Within that period I have met amazing people both local and foreigners. I got to learn some of the most amazing polish traditions. My favorite being “Tłusty czwartek” which translates to “Fat Thursday” whereby people consume donuts on this particular day. I have to say I had never seen that much donuts consumed in one day in my entire life. However, I enjoy tradition and cannot wait for the next one. Polish hospitality is undisputable. Poles tend to overdo it when it comes to hosting a guest, which is a good gesture. I was invited by my dorm roommate’s father to his hometown Kolobrzeg in the summer of 2019 for a weekend. During my stay in the beautiful coastal town, I got to experience a polish home setup in the countryside. The family prepared traditional polish delicacies just because I was coming over. The people in the town were super nice and treated me kindly. I have enjoyed traveling around Poland, which has allowed me to connect with Polish history at first hand because I get to visit historical sights and museums. While I am not done seeing most part of Poland, I have learned a lot from the few places I have been to.
What do you like the most about studying in Poland?
Polish universities have bilateral agreements with other institutions in Europe and outside Europe. These agreements come inform of double degree programs or exchange programs. I got the opportunity to take part in the Erasmus exchange program in Germany, which was an eye-opening opportunity for me. I learned a lot from the semester abroad both academically and nonacademically. This was a good opportunity for me to be able to study a semester in another country and come back to Poland and continue to the next semester. There are also a lot of social activities within the university whereby students get to interact outside classrooms. For instance sports and festivals. This makes the universities a conducive environment for growth both academically and socially. My friends and I performed a Kenyan dance at the Vigilia 2018 in Krakow organized by International Centre of Education of Cracow University of Technology
What would you tell students in your home country to encourage them to come to Poland?
Students who choose to study in Poland will have the opportunity to receive a quality education in a quickly burgeoning academic environment. In addition to its high-quality education institutions, low tuition fees, and equally low cost of living are also added advantage.