“Your accent? You must be from the other end of the world” - I’ve heard this phrase so many times since I arrived to Durban ten months ago. Indeed, my English accent traces back the story of my wanderings around the globe. You might be wondering what brought this Polish girl miles away from her homeland to the motherland... A passion. Passion for people and cultures; and the richness of African cultures has always appealed to me. To this day I remember the first time I saw the map of Africa and how amazed I was discovering the fabulous albeit imaginary places, and already then I knew I would have to come here one day.

It took me longer than I expected and the path has not always been straight and easy. I first wanted to study in Paris, not only because it offered much richer academic perspectives, but also because I wanted to be immersed in its multicultural society, and Paris is the world in miniature. However, it was not possible at the beginning and I had to wait for the right opportunity a couple of years. I started my studies in political science in my hometown in Poland, but I didn’t give up on my dream.

By the time of graduation, I was already working for a multinational company, not so much for my interest in the corporate lifestyle as in order to save money for the French adventure. In the meantime, I applied to the French Institute of Political Science (Sciences Po) in Paris. Not only was I surprised to get accepted to this renowned institution which has produced many notable alumni, including five of the last six French presidents, but I was also granted a scholarship by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I am still wondering how I managed to convince them to give a chance to an anonymous girl hidden away in a lost corner of Europe.

The doors to the world were open. I completed master’s degree in international economic policy at Sciences Po, then a master’s degree in development economics at Sorbonne University, and finally, I started my PhD. Working on my thesis has been quite a journey in itself, not only in intellectual, but also in spiritual or emotional sense. It also allowed me to meet like-minded people from all over the world at various conferences, to spend a couple of months at Columbia University in New York, and, most importantly, it gave me the opportunity to come to South Africa.

My stay in South Africa has been possible thanks to the newly created EUSA_ID program financed by the European Union and promoting academic exchange between South African and European universities. I was free to choose any local institution participating in the program, and I decided on coming to UKZN, mainly because the areas of specialization at the university’s Development Studies Discipline correspond best to my own research interest, especially in areas of population, labor markets and climate change issues, and I knew I could take advantage of the knowledge and insight provided by many great researchers. What I didn’t know was that I would get such a warm welcome as a bonus, and it has made the time I’ve spent in Durban truly memorable. I believe this year in South Africa has opened up new horizons to me in ways that I hadn’t expect.