Originally drafted in Oct 2020.
What can I say about Radom? It’s a transport hub, half way between Krakow and Warsaw. I recently went there for an interview with a nursery school and what l thought was a near perfect offer – a great wage and a house nearby – turned out to not be enough to convince me to stay.
Getting to Radom was easy. The Intercity (IC) train goes directly from Krakow Głowny and it takes about 3 hours each way. I have to commend PKP for their comfortable trains and easy ticketing system. You can book via their website, choose a seat and carriage and it cost me less than £10 each way to go over 250km. Madness.
What was also madness was the fact that the English announcements are done by the same guy that is on the London Underground announcements, the dude that tells you to “please, mind the gap”. That almost gave me whiplash the first time I heard him on the overhead. I can’t begin to imagine how I’d have reacted hearing his voice in China – suffice to say, it would have been the most spectacular sight.
Speaking of China, Radom reminded very much of Hengyang and that was in essence why I was quite keen not to stay there for long. There is a definite vibe with the tall concrete tower blocks of houses and the precisely placed areas of greenery. It doesn’t feel anywhere near as organic as Krakow. There is less variety in the architecture, and certainly much less history.
Radom is a large industrial city that offers few traditional attractions for visitors. That said, its main pedestrian thoroughfare, ul Żeromskiego, is diverting and dotted with historical sights. Radom’s efforts to buff itself up lag behind other Polish cities (the Rynek is bedraggled), which is somehow fitting, given the city’s gritty history.
Lonely Planet, Radom
That said, there was a sweet little park opposite the train station with benches and birds. Unfortunately, that is the only thing I can think of – alongside the ease of which you can leave – that is attractive about the place. I’m sure that if I spent longer there I would find things to love but that initial impression of USSR oppressiveness was very difficult to shake.
What all of this is alluding to is a surprisingly clarity that came from my visit to Radom. On the train ride back to Krakow, I thought about what I really wanted from a job in Poland. Honestly, even now, I’m still not sure exactly what makes that list. However, what I did realise were the things that I didn’t want. I came to Poland with the view of finding a place that actually made me happy, that felt like a home rather than just being another city to live in. For all of the small joys I found in Hengyang, the people around me making up a large proportion of that list, I know I was putting up with the city and counting down the days to leave. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
I guess what I’m saying is that it’s so important to get a feel of a city before accepting a job. Working in the ESL/EFL market, it’s very easy to be drawn in by job offers with great benefits like a great wage, medical insurance and housing. However, if it’s in a place that drains the life out of you, none of that is worth it. So, yes, having been to Radom I know that it wasn’t for me. But I am optimistic that I will find a job in a city that I can vibe with, a place where I can be happy and work a job that still meets my financial requirements. Only time will tell where that will be.
Tales from Around the World 