The best of both worlds
It was 2003, Dr. Dominika Zalewska remembers very clearly, when she and her husband decided to make a fresh start. Two doctors' incomes – she as a gynecologist, he as a trauma surgeon – weren't enough in Poland at the time to provide for their family as they had hoped. The two had met while studying medicine in Wrocław; two of their now three children were already born. This made the decision to live apart temporarily during the week all the more difficult. Jarosław Zalewski quickly found a position at the Niederlausitz Clinic in Senftenberg, prepared himself for a long commute, and accepted the offer.
“It wasn’t an easy situation for the family,” says Dominika Zalewska, “so in 2005, initially without any prospect of employment, I moved with the children.” She searched for a year, then found a position at the Cottbus Hospital and was finally able to complete her specialist training in gynecology and obstetrics at the Görlitz Municipal Hospital, where she still works today in addition to her position at the Rothenburg Medical Center.
“That was the moment we felt we had finally arrived,” the couple nodded in agreement. They built a house in Görlitz and are completely absorbed in their work with patients. “That was only possible because we had a truly loving German nanny for our children.” The children, they both agree, have benefited most from growing up between the two countries. “They move across borders with ease.” After graduating from high school, their eldest daughter spent several months in Canada seeking direction. Now she has decided to pursue university studies and is leaving Görlitz for the time being.
The middle child is the only Polish student in his year group accepted to the St. Afra Gymnasium for gifted students in Saxony, near Meißen. The youngest attends primary school in Görlitz. All three are extremely outgoing, their parents say, attributing this to living in two cultures. "We take the best of both worlds." For the house, it was the reliability and quality of the German construction companies; for food, they alternate between the two; and Dominika Zalewska prefers to use services like her trusted hairdresser in Poland.
Jaroslaw Zalewski has now infected his entire family with the windsurfing bug. After work, the medical director, orthopedic surgeon, and trauma surgeon can be at Lake Berzdorf, just outside Görlitz, in a few minutes and appreciates the consistently strong winds there. In winter, he goes skiing in the nearby mountains of the Czech Republic and Poland. For him, this is an important counterbalance to his professional life. His wife is already preparing for her next change. She is setting up a private practice with Polish colleagues in Zgorzelec, just a stone's throw away. "My medical license is valid in both countries. I already have patients from England, Ireland, and Switzerland every week. They take time off work to be treated by us. We're certain: We're staying here."
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