From family law to Polish learning: a restless retirement journey

From family law specialist to restless retirement

After 36 years as a family law specialist, Dagmar sold her practice in March 2023. Rather than traditional retirement, she describes this new phase as a restless retirement filled with purpose and discovery. “I deliberately made a clean cut,” she explains. “I don’t want anything to do with the office anymore. I’m consciously leading a different life now.”

The demanding world of family law, with its emotional custody battles and complex financial disputes, required strong boundaries. “You have to be able to distance yourself,” Dagmar reflects. “The saddest cases were always those involving children – when parents fought over them. Children always feel guilty.” Now, at 67, she’s embraced a completely different rhythm that includes twice-weekly gym sessions, weekly yoga, volunteer work at two hospice organisations, and caring for her daughter Isabel’s horse after her own beloved Nandoo passed away last August. Her two daughters – Nine, an architect, and Isabel, a makeup artist – are both busy with their careers, though the family maintains close contact. Dogs have always been central to her life too – though she recently lost her 15-year-old companion, she still cherishes time with her spirited 17-year-old Yorkshire Terrier.

Finding purpose through Polish stable hands

Dagmar’s introduction to Polish came through an unlikely source – the riding stables where she kept her horses for decades. The facility employed several Polish men, along with their families and young Polish students earning money while studying. “They always made tremendous efforts to speak German,” she remembers. “I think it’s simply a matter of respect that you then make an effort yourself to learn the other language.”

This gesture of mutual respect gradually evolved into something deeper. Watching these workers communicate naturally in their native tongue while adapting to German for her benefit sparked Dagmar’s curiosity about Polish culture and language. What began as a practical consideration – wanting to show appreciation for their efforts – became the foundation for a genuine linguistic adventure that now occupies part of every day.

The challenge of Slavic sounds and structures

Initially, Polish felt completely incomprehensible. Dagmar had previously attempted Croatian years earlier when she owned a holiday home near Split, but that experience provided little foundation for tackling Polish. The grammar structures proved particularly challenging, with their complex case system and verb aspects completely different from German patterns.

However, the sound of Polish itself captured her imagination. “The language simply sounds beautiful,” she says. This aesthetic appreciation helped sustain her through the initial difficulties of grappling with case endings, verb aspects, and the complex pronunciation patterns that make Polish notoriously challenging for German speakers.

Breakthrough moments and growing confidence

The first real breakthrough came when Dagmar attempted to actually speak Polish with her stable colleagues. “It was simply beautiful to see how happy the others were,” she recalls. “We’re the same way – when we notice someone can’t speak German at all but at least tries, we’re pleased too.” This mutual appreciation created a positive feedback loop that motivated further study.

Her private Polish lessons at Let’s Learn Polish have become a cornerstone of her learning journey. The one-to-one format provides focused attention that group classes simply cannot match. “In a course you can say, okay, I can’t do it, I haven’t learned or whatever,” she explains. “That doesn’t work in individual lessons.” This accountability, combined with the personalised approach, has accelerated her progress significantly and given her the confidence to take risks with the language, even when perfectionist tendencies made her worry about appearing foolish.

Daily practice and digital discovery

Dagmar’s approach to Polish has evolved into a sustainable daily practice. She’s discovered that social media algorithms work in her favour – regularly viewing Polish content on Instagram means receiving a steady stream of Polish videos. “There are very sweet things among them, and you can pause, you can even write down a word if you want and look it up,” she explains. This modern approach complements more traditional methods, providing exposure to everyday Polish rather than just textbook examples.

Netflix has become another learning tool, offering Polish films and series, often with subtitles. The contrast between formal lesson recordings and natural speech patterns fascinates her. “It’s different whether you hear some text in a textbook that you can listen to, where it’s specifically spoken slowly and nicely, or whether you hear everyday Polish.” Her cultural immersion extends to the kitchen too – she’s mastered traditional dishes like pierogi and kluski dumplings, and even baked a Polish Easter cake for her stable colleagues. This multi-media approach keeps her engaged while gradually building comprehension skills that formal lessons alone couldn’t provide.