Portraits – Stories Category
“Promised City” project description:
Almost half of the citizens of Warsaw are the newcomers who have arrived here to make their dreams of career and better life come true. It is Warsaw where the unemployment is the lowest, the salaries are the highest, the schools are the best, the offer for consumerism is the biggest in the country. I have been living in Warsaw since I was born, but lots of my friends are strangers here. I asked them when they arrived, what for, whether their dreams came true, and what they think of living in the capital. I wanted to portray each of them in their professional environment but some chose other places which had become important for them in Warsaw.
this photo description:
Wayne van Reenen, English teacher, portrait in the city centre near the getto wall
“I came to Warsaw to teach English in October 1991 and have lived here ever since. It has become my second home.
I studied film as a mature student in London and after graduating I felt the need to see something new. IÕd heard a lot about this new Poland from Polish people IÕd met in London and decided it would be a good place to experience the countryÕs history, and changes that were in progress since the fall of Communism. IÕm still experiencing the continuing dynamism of the city and country, and every day IÕm pleasantly surprised when I see something changing for the better.
PeopleÕs entrepreneurialism here has ensured that life in Warsaw is now on par with any major world city. There is also still the ongoing sense that if you have good ideas, this is a great place to develop them, a land of opportunity.
Furthermore, the people are friendly and very hospitable. It is they who make staying here really worthwhile.
The location of my portrait is of importance for me on three accounts: firstly, itÕs in the centre of the centre of Warsaw and there is always something interesting happening; secondly, in the 7 and a half years while living here I h