When I first moved from Poland to Austin, Texas, for a short-term internship in my mid-20s, I never intended to stay.
As a new graduate, my goal was to get some hands-on experience in international business practices before returning home to work with my dad and teach fitness classes on the side.
Then I met the man who would become my husband. We crossed paths in downtown Austin, both waiting for a taxi after a night out. We started talking, felt an instant connection, and from that night on, kept finding reasons to see each other.
When the internship ended, I returned to Poland as planned. A long-distance relationship wasn’t easy, but we made it work. One month after I left, he flew to Poland, proposed, and suddenly, the life I thought I was building there no longer felt possible.
I left behind a clear-cut path and rebuilt my life
Karol Dugan
When I moved back to the US and we got married, I left behind more than my country. I walked away from a defined career path, my family business, and the comfort of knowing exactly where I belonged.
Starting over as an immigrant was harder than I expected. As soon as I got my work permit, I took the first job offer I got. I felt pressure to prove — to my family, my friends, and myself — that I was succeeding in America.
Getting a job quickly felt like validation. In hindsight, it was a mistake. The role wasn’t right, but I stayed longer than I should have. As a new immigrant, I didn’t think I could afford to be selective.
When I became pregnant with my first child, I quit my job and made a difficult but necessary decision: I went back to college. I earned a degree in computer information technology and eventually started a new career in tech.
For the first time since moving to the US, I felt stable again. I had rebuilt my confidence and proven to myself that starting over didn’t mean starting from nothing.
Still, something was missing. In Poland, I had always envisioned myself running a business. That dream never disappeared.
Alongside my tech career, I started my own fitness coaching business. Through it, I met inspiring women in the US — entrepreneurs, mothers, immigrants — who helped me rediscover my ambition and sense of purpose.
It took nearly 10 years, but slowly, the US started feeling like home.
While I was building a home in Austin, my husband was falling in love with Poland — but we’ve found a compromise
Karol Dugan
Just as I felt rooted, my husband started dreaming of the life I once left behind.
Throughout our marriage, we traveled back to Poland often. Over time, my husband fell for the things I once took for granted: the slower pace of life, the food, the walkable cities, the mountain views near my hometown, and the old architecture layered with history.
Eventually, his curiosity turned more serious. He began talking about what daily life there might look like, bringing up how it would feel to enjoy slower mornings and spend more time with my family. After one memorable visit last year, he asked if I’d be open to planning a future in Poland.
The idea no longer felt abstract. I agreed to start looking at property — maybe a piece of land, or even a small house — sometime in the next year or two.
We had a lot of conversations. We discussed our careers, finances, children, and what we wanted our future to look like.
In the end, we compromised: We’ll stay in the US for the time being, but buy property in Poland within the next year or two. We’ll visit as much as we can and plan to eventually retire there, about three decades from now.
Moving countries for love taught me that rebuilding takes time, and clarity doesn’t come all at once. It also taught me that home isn’t just about geography, but choosing each other, no matter where you are.
