Natalia and Bastien

„It was really Greg’s idea to spend New Year’s Eve in Krakow”.

Greg was a long-time friend, one of the first that Bastien had in France when he arrived to Strasbourg. Bastien, born in Toluca (Mexico), is as a son of a Mexican mother and a French father. Since childhood he was used to travel a lot and make friends from both countries. „Even though I spend most of my youth in Mexico my father kept telling me that one day he will send me away to Europe for studies. And so it happened. After I completed my education in Mexico, I was sent to France.”

„I remember that I met Greg in an empty room of our Master Programme. We were the only ones to appear on that particular course and that brought us closer”. They both chose studies that required studying for a year abroad.

So it was New Year’s Eve of 2009/2010 that Bastien among other friends came to visit Greg in his new city, Kraków.

„At the beginining I wasn’t really too keen on coming to Kraków I must say. I had no idea of Poland and of Kraków and more importantly I did not have much money to spend on a trip like this. But then my mother told me: ‘Come on! You have no better things to do. Just go!’ And so I decided to give it a chance.”

They met in ‘Cień’.

„It’s funny coincidence that we met, as first he didn’t want to come to Poland, and me I didn’y want to go to ‘Cień’ on that night at all.”

They are still unsure whether they actually met before or after midnight.

„When he told me that he was from Strasbourg I knew somehow, it won’t last long. He lived so far away. Yes, we talked a bit. And yes, he asked me my phone number, but I was sceptical from the very begining.”

They met on the next day in front of Mariacki church. „You know it happened so instantly, it was so unpredicted. You know, when I came here I didn’t expect anything. And then I met her on one day, met again the day after, and fell in love on the third day. We spent the remaining few days together”.

But after these few days Bastien had to leave for France. They did not expect anything from this story.

„What happened on these few days was so much different from all others experiences I had before. When we were listening to the trompetist play on the top of Mariacki church on the last day of my stay in Kraków, we both felt so sad, sad that it’s finishing.”

But then after 3 weeks Bastien managed to return to Krakow. A couple of

months later Natalia also went to visit him in Strasbourg. „I was very positively surprised by the way Bastien treated me when I was there.” While they were together, Bastien’s father called from Mexico, telling him about a great internhip opportunity back home. Knowing that it is only going to last 3 months Bastien decided to take it. But before he left for Mexico, he came with another visit to Krakow. And that is when he proposed Natalia to go with him to Mexico.

Trying her best to speed up exams at the university she planned how to make

it possible to at least visit him there. Once she was done with her studies, she decided to leave her job in a boutique and fly on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. First she spent a week at her familiy in Los Angeles after which she moved down to Mexico.

„Strange and exciting”

When Bastien first presented Natalia to his parents was a bit afraid as they never liked his former girlfriends. But this time they liked Natalia from the very begining.

After 2 weeks in Mexico Bastien was offered a very attractive job. His mother was obviously happy. They spent last weeks of her vacation on Playa del Carmen, unsure about joint future as Natalia had to return to Poland to finish her University studies. And then again, soon after she setlled back in Krakow, Bastien came after. Even though he had a promising job in Mexico with great prospects, he looked for a job in Poland. During the following 6 months Natalia and Bastien tried to see each other at least every second month. Until May 2011, when Bastien moved to Krakow with intentions to stay with her. Instead of going to Mexico they decided to try their chances in Poland. Bastien was still being offered a fixed position at the French company in Mexico, but decided to fulfil his promise and come to Poland. Still not sure if ‘the whole thing’ was going to work out.

„Yes I might have sacrified a lot, but you know these are always tought decisions to make. There are lot’s of hard decision throughout our lives.”

Now they are both happy living in Krakow. Both work in Kraków Business Park in Zabierzów. Maybe one day they will try some other place, but as they say for now they are fine.

„I stil did not get bored of Krakow. They are so many things to do, so many things are constantly happening arround. It would be a pity to leave it behind”