Weeks after PWBA Tour champion Daria Pajak made the decision to return to her native Poland in early March of 2020, the world had changed. Shutdowns swept the globe from one country to the next as a 100-year pandemic took root.

Which is to say that it has been nearly a year since Daria set foot in the country in which she lived for nearly a decade, first bowling alongside Verity Crawley at Webber International and then on the PWBA Tour. Like Crawley, who was forced to fly home to her native U.K. earlier this month after her application to renew her visa was denied, Daria is crushed that visa delays have prevented her from joining her fellow touring pros in Arlington this week for the PWBA Kickoff Classic.

She spoke with BJI Editor Gianmarc Manzione about that, the surprising first thing she hopes to do when she does get to come back to the U.S., the resourceful ways some businesses in Poland are adjusting to COVID restrictions there, and much more.

Listen to the conversation here: https://soundcloud.com/user-658733792/podcast-daria-pajak-on-missing-the-pwba-kickoff-classic-due-to-visa-issues