Anna: “I sent an email to say I wasn’t coming back to Poland”

Anna Raflik knew one thing for certain: one day, she would move to the Netherlands. “My grandmother lived in the Netherlands, so as a child I would always come here on holiday. I absolutely loved it!” Eighteen years ago, she left Poland behind when she – somewhat unexpectedly – enrolled in an ICT degree. “I was in the Netherlands for the summer holidays when I saw signs along the road saying you could still apply for the course.” For Anna, it was a no-brainer: “Why not? Eighteen years ago, Facebook wasn’t that big yet, so I sent my friends an email to say I wasn’t coming back.” Just like that, her life changed in an instant.

 
Back then, her Dutch wasn’t nearly as good as it is now. “I didn’t get much further than ‘good morning’, ‘how are you’ and ‘I’d like a sandwich’. Those typical holiday phrases. Luckily, my Dutch has improved a lot over the years.” Also at school, there were quite a few differences compared to the education system in her home country. “Poland is very traditional. At school, you’re expected to memorise the entire book. During my ICT studies, that wasn’t the case at all – it was all about learning how to apply things in practice.”

Without any star attitude

Still, not everything was immediately better in the Netherlands. Anna missed being creative. In Poland, for instance, she had her own band and performed in various musicals. “It was the best time of my life. It was ‘just’ a local theatre, but we had a group of actors who were all incredibly passionate about it. It was my first experience on stage.” The last musical she performed in before leaving Poland was a tribute to the well-known Polish songwriter Agnieszka Osiecka. One of the songs that still holds a special place in her heart is Wielka Woda.

Fortunately, Anna gradually found creative outlets in the Netherlands as well. Through the crowdfunding platform Sellaband, she managed to raise enough money to record and release her own album, which she did under the name Anne Marie Sunshine. “The album is still on Spotify. I’ve lost my login details though, so there’s not much I can do with it now.”
 
Anna doesn’t necessarily have the ambition to release a new album. “Roughly every five years, I get the urge to create something new again. But more as a way to express myself than to try and become famous.” She describes herself as very realistic about her singing and skills. “I just do what I enjoy, without any star attitude.”

Polskie Gniazdo

Together with Artur Olszewski, she founded the organisation Polskie Gniazdo. “That means Polish Nest. We’ve both lived in the Netherlands long enough to feel nostalgic about Poland, and we both love creating new things. That’s really how the foundation started.” It’s an organisation that also aims to stand out from many other – often more traditional – groups for the Polish community in the Netherlands. “We want to be young and modern, and connect with the generation of Poles who are coming to the Netherlands now.” They do so with a wide range of activities, from children’s days to gala events. “We want the Polish community to feel at home at our events, but we also want to introduce other communities to our culture.”
 
Anna also finds it important to involve Polish people in Dutch society: “Many Poles still only go to Polish supermarkets and only spend time with other Poles. We want to encourage them to get to know the Netherlands and truly integrate.”

A close bond

And recently, there’s also the Polskie Gniazdo Band. “For a long time, I had the dream of creating something with the same feel as the musical group I was part of in Poland,” Anna explains. “So as a foundation, we held auditions for the Polskie Gniazdo Band. We received responses from all over the Netherlands and even from Belgium.” She adds, “I’m really proud that we’ve brought together a group of singers who truly connect – they share the same passion, dedication, and nostalgic feeling.”

“With the band, we performed all over the Netherlands. We sing lots of well-known Polish hits that everyone can sing along to.” Still, the most special moment is linked to her time in Poland. “Recently, I sang Wielka Woda by Agnieszka Osiecka again for the first time – the last time I performed it was during the musical. It was a beautiful and emotional moment for me.” Another song that always goes down well is Balkanica by Piersi. “That song is pure energy! It combines folkloric elements with modern sounds. When we play it, everyone goes wild. It’s a guaranteed party!”

Soul of the music

“When I scroll through my playlists on Spotify, most of the music is actually quite old,” Anna admits. “Lyrics used to be much more meaningful and filled with emotion.” That’s very different now, she feels. “These days, song lyrics often lack depth. They’re either about nothing or just poorly cobbled together.” In her view, there are only a few artists and bands left who still truly value the soul of the music.
 
One of the artists she deeply admires is Krzysztof Cugowski. “He has one of the most beautiful voices in Polish music history. Cugowski is a true classic – even a legend.” And that opinion is shared around the world. “Just look up his name on YouTube and you’ll find countless videos of vocal coaches reacting to his singing talent.” There’s really no one quite like him, Anna concludes. “He should come to Muziekgebouw Eindhoven! Although he might be a bit too old for that now.”

Witaj Eindhoven

Anna is, together with her Polskie Gniazdo colleague Artur, involved in organising the Polish cultural festival Witaj Eindhoven at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven. “What’s great about Witaj Eindhoven is that it partly aligns with why we founded Polskie Gniazdo in the first place: creating meaningful activities and memories for the Polish community, but also encouraging integration.”

But as far as Anna is concerned, the festival is also an excellent calling card. “It’s a way to show the Dutch just how beautiful Polish culture is. Many people think they know what we Poles are like, but in reality they have no idea.” The need for such a festival became clear last year, when the very first edition sold out straight away, with the legendary rock band Lady Pank as the headliner. This year, that honour goes to Myslovitz. “I hope Feel will one day come to Witaj Eindhoven,” Anna says dreamily. “They’re my favourite Polish band. Their music motivates me every single time. On tough days, I turn it up loud and remind myself to keep chasing my dreams.”

Keep doing

Even so, Anna finds it hard to name specific dreams she still hopes to achieve. “I already consider myself very lucky to have accomplished in a year what takes others ten. I hope I can keep doing that and continue to grow and become more professional in organising events. But really, I’m just incredibly grateful to be able to do what I do now.”

Hidden message

We end the conversation with the final song on Anna’s list, a piece by singer Stan Borys. “The song is about a swallow being held captive. It’s said that Borys was singing about the lack of freedom during the communist era,” Anna explains. “But in an indirect, poetic way. Very emotional. It’s really a symbol of lost freedom.” That said, Anna doesn’t have many personal memories of that time. “I just love the hidden message in the song. It’s beautiful, but also surreal to think that, for instance, my parents can relate to its deeper meaning much more than I can.”