I met Tomasz Alen Kopera in 1997, in the Polish city of Wroclaw, under quite unusual circumstances. I studied at the University of Economics in Wroclaw and lived in the small dormitory with the idyllic name “Oasis,” that belonged to this university. There was truly a family atmosphere in it and everyone knew each other perfectly. Now, only memories and photos have been left of the dormitory; in 2008 it was completely demolished.
The year of 1997 was tragic for Wroclaw. The “millennium flood” that came that year destroyed many houses and housing estates, and left many residents without the roof above their heads. Wroclaw University of Technology allocated people affected by the flood waters into their dormitories, and in turn, relocated their own students into dorms of other universities. Tomasz, who at that time studied at the Wroclaw University of Technology, was assigned to a substitute dorm belonging to the University of Economics, the aforementioned “Oasis.” This is where our paths crossed for the first time.