I am amazed at the way Europe is increasingly becoming one big ‘village’. The countries seem to be getting closer to each other. Now that Poland is a member of the European Union, for example, we can travel without restrictions. Not so long ago, it was very hard to leave Poland for Western Europe or the United States — especially to work or study.

I remember the problems faced by my father when he wanted to work abroad. My generation has incredible freedom by comparison: nearly all of my colleagues from my days as an undergraduate are abroad doing PhDs, or have simply moved away with their spouses or partners.

On the one hand, this is good — I now have friends in many different countries and can visit them whenever I want. But I do wonder what the future holds for Polish science. I understand that there are better opportunities for young scientists outside Poland, but will these well-trained scientists ever return home to work?

I hope that the answer is yes, although I have my doubts. A few of my colleagues and I rejected PhD posts abroad and stayed here, partly because we wanted to prove that it is possible to become a good scientist in Poland. What effect this choice will have on our careers remains to be seen. But at least we did what our hearts dictated.