Visiting Europe is actually something most of us should consider. I'm not talking about the conventional western-European cities like a Paris, Rome, Milan, London, Berlin etc. I'm talking about those cities which are usually not talked about as much...the hidden gems throughout the continent.

This time, I've decided, for numerous different reasons to check out a really beautiful city in the south of Poland. It's called Katowice. Known for recently hosting the World Cup of e-games 'Intel Extreme Masters'-something that I think most of us would love-, Katowice has become a city with a lot to offer. As surprising as it may be, the city's well organized, has some great shopping malls, some really nice parks, and quality infrastructure. The transport system is also really well-connected.

Language

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Knowing some polish is an asset, but English is actually used throughout the city.

One evening, I spent some time at a cafe doing some writing (a cafe called Zielnik Krystynki), the waitress was really kind and spoke great English. Many countries in central and south Europe draw a hard line when it comes to speaking English (as universal as the language may be). They've developed sort of a complex, and place a great deal of emphasis on maintaining speaking their own native tongue as frequently as possible -even dubbing over Hollywood movies in their native language (it's weird watching Denzel Washington speaking in polish that's for sure).

Have someone with you as a guide

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It's always useful to have a guide, friend, girlfriend, or buddy who speaks the native language of the place you're in, especially if you've personally got no training in the specific language. Luckily enough, I was with someone who spoke polish and was actually studying polish language and culture over there.

How are the People in Poland?

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It's important to note however that the city isn't as diverse as say London for example. Quite frankly the country of Poland isn't diverse at all. As a black guy, you're guaranteed to get some stares here and there. Fact is, they're not very much accustom to seeing different races in these parts. For the most part however, people are generally friendly.

When it comes to the cost of living, Poland is actually quite cheap. They use a currency called zloty, it converts to about 3 US dollars.