Surely, no one else is able to understand how hard the struggle for a survival and a normal life in a foreign country is, but an other expat. People think I am simply crazily adventurous, people think I am fine being out there, because this is, what I chose for myself. The thing is not many people are aware of my everyday struggle to function in this strange reality, trying to be a part of a society, who's language I can barely speak. Forgetting that, I already everyday speak a foreign language, and I struggle a lot to be understood, and I don't get, as you say, decent conversation. It does feel painful since I consider myself an intelligent person, a person that has a lot to say about different subjects and somehow my thoughts en up unheard.

 My day to day reality is feeling like a retarded child, not knowing what and how to manage the life passing by, constantly asking others for help, smiling, when I don't understand and pronouncing Portuguese word with a wrong accent which makes me say "shit" instead of "coconut". Yes, simple, everyday life tasks are challenges. Nothing is easy, everything requires a certain amount of focus and preparation.

 And yet, those few people around me, that I consider my Portuguese family have sometimes so few understanding and compassion. From what I know, it is only my fault, the fault of hiding my fears and pain behind a hard shiny shell of I-can-take-it-all-Kasia. 

And everyday I wake up to face more and more challenges. Do I complain about the life I chose? No, I only get to complain about my incapabilities.

“THE DETAILS ARE NOT THE DETAILS. THEY MAKE THE DESIGN.”

— CHARLES EAMES

elektrofach / website

Here's a website project I made a while ago in collaboration with Denise Design Studio for Elektrofach, a Poland based company specializing in heat treatment and electrical-wiring mostly for clients like refineries and power plants.

elektrofach.com

stare, ale jare: xmas illustration

an illustaration designed in order to be presented on a PunktK xmas card and to be sent to the clients and friends in 2009.

illustration by Kasia Kaczmarek

Freddy

Would be 66 today

Coming soon

Illustration for an upcoming website... more coming soon!

Diamond

Ron van der Ende is a sculptor living in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He specializes in wall mounted bas-reliefs constructed from found wood. The original color and texture of the wood is utilized to form a gripping and realistic mosaic.

ronvanderende.nl

Ron van der Ende, Taylor-Burton 2009
bas-relief in salvaged wood, 165 x 95 x 11cm