Language / Recommend a text book for learning Polish... [10]

I think the two best are:

Teach Yourself Polish (the original by Patkaniowska, the newer version is just your standard confusing conversation textbook)

Among Poles (I forget the author)

Language / Pronunciation difference between Ź and Ż / RZ [83]

Voicing is not distinctive for Polish vowels (that means all things being equal they'll be voiced) but unvoiced vowels definitely occur in everyday speech, especially in unstressed syllables surrounded by unvoiced sounds (especially in the s,c, ś, ć and sz, cz groups) or in final position preceded by at least one consonant form the above group or two or more consonants one of which is from the above group.

Language / Pronunciation difference between Ź and Ż / RZ [83]


Yes it is in practical auditory (what you hear) terms.

There is a structural difference between a consonant that's normally unvoiced versus one that's normally voiced but de-voiced in certain circumstances.

Basically rz is pronounced just like ż. They're both pronounced (roughy) like French j or the ss in 'fission'. Sometimes this is written 'zh' in phonetic transcription in English.

The hard thing is that rz and ż have different voicing assimilation rules.

This means that the combination krz will normally be pronounced 'ksh' but the combination kż will normally be pronounced 'gzh'

On the other hand both żk and rzk would be pronounced 'shk'.

Bierz sounds like byesh (rhymes with fresh).

Finally, a long time ago in the past rz and ż were different and rz was like the modern Czech ř (sort of like r and zh pronounced together). Some Polish people still think that rz and ż should be distinguished and might claim that rz still is like ř (though I know of know dialect of modern Polish that does this).

Love / My polish girlfriend will not leave [47]

Chances are that she thrives on fights and scenes and emotional encounters. As long as she can provoke you into an emotional reaction or physical desire, she figures, she's got you. She's probably right.

The way to get rid of her is to practice Buddhist detachment. First tell her it's over. You no longer have strong feelings for her and you're going to start seeing other women.

Then (this is crucial) maintain a sustained, consistent show of polite indifference (no matter what she says or does). Be courteous and distant with no verbal or physical affection (no more sex with her!!!)

Imagine her as a troublesome elderly aunt who have to be civil too but no more (and toward who you have no sexual desire). Treat the (inevitable) tearful shows of remorse with the same lack of overt emotion (perhaps the slight distaste you would show a stranger who tried to engage you in an emotional encounter).

Warning: Be sure you can carry that off. If you try and fail (especially if you have sex with her) then it'll be ten times harder to break things off.

Language / nazywam sie vs na imie mi - the difference [11]

nazywam się "I'm called ...." (my name is but usually first and last name are given)

mam ni imię "My first name is ....." imię is 'first name, personal name"

Jestem "I'm ......." in the phone context, it's a little like saying "This is (name)"

Life / The people of Poland are wonderful!!! [26]

I know it might seem nice to you, but knowingly or not your post comes down to "Polish border controls are really unfair, but they're unfair in my favor, so yaahoo!!!"

I know people from Russia and Ukraine who need to come to Poland for week long education sessions and the way they're treated is not very edifying (like having to go to Kiev for a visa and wait for a week when Kiev is farther from their hometown than Warsaw). I know some Vietnamese people and the horror stories I've heard about how Vietnamese are treated by border guards is completely disgusting.

It's not wonderful that Polish border guards treat so many people so badly even if they're nice to the occcasional resident of a rich country.

USA, Canada / MARTIAL LAW IN THE US AND POSTPONED PRESIDENT ELECTIONS? [33]


Two points:

1. "a gossip" is a person and not "a piece of gossip". Sorry I usually avoid teacher mode but using non-count nouns as count nouns drives me crazy (the same say "dwie mężczyźni poszły" might drive a Pole crazy).

2. this isn't new, it's an old bit of conspiracy lore that reappears every four years. there's a lot of crazy people in the US and they have _very_ strange ideas about what the government is up to. these are the same people that say the 9/11 was carried out by the US government to gain more power. for a long time they've been saying that the government would engineer a massive financial market disaster as a prelude to declaring martial law (and then it gets really strange, look up 'amero' 'garden plot' and/or 'new world order' in google).

Life / Comedy of communist absurd 'Mis' by Bareja [13]

The thing is I don't think subtitles would help. To understand Miś you need either to have lived in an Warsaw Pact country in the 70's or 80's or lived in Poland for at least a year or so (outside the English speaking ghetto).

I've known non-Poles who love Miś but they inevitably have been in Poland a while.

Anyone who's worked in Poland knows the last minute of this scene all too well.

"Zawołaj tu tego pana, co tu był!"

Work / Working in a Polish Office [13]

I completely second Siegfried's post. AFAIK the situation hasn't really changed (and is also found in larger companies).

Getting a job through connections "znajomości" is standard procedure and until you have a _really_ good idea of what connects X to Y (liable to not be visible or obvious) it's best to be a little Pollyanna and only say nice things about those not present or at least be non-commital and don't join in the criticism.

Also (while we're here) Polish people are often surprisingly good at establishing functioning working relationships with people they don't like personally (the feeling is mutual and open - nothing two-faced going on) or have very strong disagreements with and often surprisingly bad at establishing that kind of relationship with people they like and/or agree with about most things. This means a lot of the signals of alliances, antipathy etc that you're used to can be deceiving.

Eventually things will shake out and you'll get a clear picture (faster if you know Polish) but don't make any assumptions based on friendly office chats or arguments.

Work / Working in a Polish Office [13]


MISTAKE!!!! That should be 99% of the time they're _not_ talking about you.


Bad? I'm just describing my observations and experiences about differences.
I did not intend to criticize Polish ways at work (which I often prefer).
I focused on the things that are liable to be difficult for someone used to UK office culture because that was what was asked for.

Work / Working in a Polish Office [13]

Bits and pieces from my encounters/observations of Polish offices, warning some of it could be dated and/or not apply as much to Poles who've been in Britain for a long time.

1. Always say hello to the room when entering (first time in the day, later not so important) and goodbye when leaving (for the day). Even if everyone seems busy you should do that and they'll notice you won't.

2. Polish people mostly don't celebrate birthdays or namedays at work. Usually the person whose day it is will bring cakes to the office but office birthday parties with gifts aren't the norm.

3. Don't be too quick to make coffee or everyone will assume it's 'your job'. Always qualify that you're making coffee for yourself or will be glad to do it 'this time'. General suggestions that someone less busy than you should make coffee are okay.

4. Polish people mostly don't socialize after work with colleagues. People you work with aren't necessarily friends (they can become friends, but working together isn't enough to establish that).

5. Don't be too familiar or too friendly too quickly, if you start off reserved and professional you can always go back to that when/if you need to. Start off too friendly and you're stuck and no one will take attempts to be reserved/professional seriously.

6. If this is a group that's already used to working together you'll be a newcomer. Newcomers are not necessarily made to feel welcome. Don't take it personally.

7. Polish work places are both more and less hierarchical than US ones (what I know, I don't know so much about the UK). On the one hand, formal deference to the boss is expected, on the other hand, you're free to chase down the boss with your personal problems no matter where they are or what they're doing.

8. Accept small courtesies from male co-workers, opening doors etc. If they get fresh, treat it as a joke (being very slightly confrontational).

9. Find an ally who'll keep you informed (let this happen naturally don't push it). Polish offices usually don't have much in the way of written communication, it's all oral and it's easy to miss stuff. So you want someone who'll keep you apprised of any important announcements while you were out (and you'll reciprocate of course).

10. Don't get upset when they speak Polish to each other in front of you. Trust me, it's almost always because that's easier. 99 % of the time they're talking about you.

11. Don't bring up work problems on breaks. Polish people are very good about leaving work problems at their desk and not talking about them during breaks unless there's no other possible shared topics of interest. Feel free to talk about family, that's always okay.

12. 'Ambitious' is not necessarily a label you want, it's always two-edged for Polish people.

13. Religion, money, politics and sex (or 'relationships' if you will) are okay to talk about _much_ sooner than for British people. So are racial issues (you'll probably want to head that kind of talk off before it starts). If they say bad things about Poland and other Polish people DON'T JOIN IN!!!!! that's a game only Polish people can play.

Travel / How can I stay for longer than 90 days in Poland? [26]


Wow, not everyone would be so .... open in admitting to such negative, sociopathic feelings.
On the one hand, thanks for sharing (I guess) but we really don't need to know every nasty emotion you experience.

Food / Polish National Dish [54]

Bigos is sort of the "official" national dish, but people don't eat it very often, maybe a couple of times a year on average.

"Kotlet schabowy" a breaded and pan-fried pork chop is more the real national dish in that people eat it a lot more often.

UK, Ireland / All That Manners Business [I'm Polish, moved to UK as an au pair.] [87]


Well in this case, intentionally or not, you _are_ being impolite. You know what the greeting rituals in Britain are and you're purposefully not adhering to them.

Not adhering to traditional standards of courtesy _is_ impolite, it's the very definition of 'impolite'.

Greeting rituals never make rational sense (saying 'dzien dobry' when it's awful weather?) you go through them to signal to other people that you know how to behave in polite company. When you disregard a culture's greeting practices because they don't measure up to your standards of logic or whatever, you're expressing disrespect for the culture (whether that's your intention or not).

Yes, it does sound like she's not a very nice person, but if _he_ matters to you then you need to make more effort than you've been making to establish a truce with her or your relationship will break up (if it comes down to a choice between the two of you, your chances are .... not good in the long term). Remember, older people find it harder to change the burden of adaptation in this case is on the young. Think of it as a kind of noblesse oblige.

My advice: apologize for not greeting her properly in the past and make sure it never happens again. And don't try to explain, an apology with an explanation isn't an apology. Just say you're sorry if your behavior made her feel bad and you'll try to do better.

Life / 90 days soon expire - where can I go? [33]


Oops, you're right, I was thinking of the old system. But that still doesn't mean they have to let you back in. I agree about having as many documents about the application for residency as possible.

Life / 90 days soon expire - where can I go? [33]

The '90 days' means 'up to 90 days' and can only occur in one lump period of time, it ceases to exist once you leave Poland, whether you leave after 1 or 89 days. YOu can't necessarily leave after 80 days and expect to have another 10 days when you come back, the clock starts again (if they let you back in, which they should if you have the papers to show you have a pending application for residency).

Study / a big problem! exam document not accepted in Warsaw. [25]


They probably assumed you'd acted as any Polish student in the same situation would (accepted the place in Lublin while trying to get into Warsaw).

And 'no' is almost always the first answer in Poland. It doesn't mean 'no' it means 'convince me'. Always keep talking (asking, pleading, persuading) until they physically run away or have you thrown out. Endurance and persistence counts for a lot here.

Life / 90 days soon expire - where can I go? [33]


Where was this report? It sounds kind of bogus.

The urząd might not want to oust a native speaker (or generally speaking Americans) but if you haven't started work yet, be aware that a lot of Polish teachers of English really don't like native speakers who they generally regard as unqualified and causing trouble (by not knowing how things work here). They're not the majority but they do exist and can cause problems, forewarned is forearmed.

If you have an application for residency pending you should have a letter that can be used at the border to help you get back in too. I had one when I was in a similar situation.

Life / 90 days soon expire - where can I go? [33]

Have you considered the possibility that they're telling you that you can get right back in to get rid of you? (not you personally, but people in your situation)

News / What is the future of Catholic church in Poland. [154]


It wasn't religion per se, it was his religious views on a particular issue he would have to deal with in his public capacity (enforcing positions he's opposed to). It's called "Conflict of interests".

An analogy: Let's say there's a EU commisioner for religious discrimination and a protestant nominee for the position is on public record as saying that Roman Catholicism is an evil religion and that all Roman Catholics are doomed to an eternity in Hell for worshipping a mortal man and a woman(!) over Jesus Christ.

Of course, he reassures you, those are his personal opinions only and would not influence how he carries out his duties at all. Are you going to support him?

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

TRANSLATION (which I linked to previously and which you obviously didn't try to read):

"Work may also be performed by foreigners without the need for a work permit in the following cases:
....
4) foreigners who are teachers of foreign languages performing work in preschools, schools and institutions stated in the regulations on the educational system... if they are citizens of ...the United States of America... if the language they teach is their native tongue"

Is that too hard to understand or did you even read it before? As for your "friends, they're either illiterate, too stupid to understand legal regulations, blew you off by not even trying to read it or they're trying to get rid of you. If it's the last I'm not sure if I blame them.

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

Okay you're making me mad now.

YOU DIDN'T EVEN TRY TO READ THE LINK I POSTED!!!!!!

Allow me to quote:

"Rozporządzenie określa przypadki, w których powierzenie wykonywania pracy cudzoziemcowi na terytorium Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej jest dopuszczalne bez konieczności uzyskania zezwolenia na pracę.

.......
4) będących nauczycielami języków obcych, którzy wykonują pracę w przedszkolach, szkołach lub placówkach, o których mowa w przepisach o systemie oświaty, .... którzy są obywatelami ....Stanów Zjednoczonych Ameryki, .... jeżeli język, którego nauczają, jest ich językiem ojczystym;"

If your Polish isn't up to reading that I posted a link to an unofficial translation (there is no official translation as only the Polish version counts).

That's as clear as it gets. That is the answer. There is no more answer. Yes, there is a possible hole in the regulations that YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FILL.

If you can't understand that then maybe you don't belong in Poland afterall or you're just a troll who I've wasted too much time on already. Stop bothering people with your inability to cope.

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]


I don't think one exists and "it depends"* is as close as you're gonna get (reread that a few times until it sinks in).

For an American on their own, living in Poland for the first few years requires a high tolerance of uncertain and ambiguous situations. It does get easier over time.

Just file the application without a work permit. After printing out the info that Americans don't need a work permit to teach their language in a 'school' for the people in the immigration office (again try to avoid mentioning that it's a private school) and hope for the best. If the people at the immigration office don't hate you they'll do what they can to help you stay.

*if you really want to know, my guess is that "it depends" on the person that makes the decision, Poland hasn't completely caught up with the 'rule of law' concept and instead goes with 'rule of boss'.

Polonia / Polonia in Portugal [5]

I don't think there's many Polish people in Portugal. Until it joined the EU, and probably some time afterward, Portugal was probably poorer than Poland and it's still not an .... affluent country though far better off than it was.

Polish people abroad are mostly interested in better off countries and though Portugal seems like a very pleasant place to live (based on a _very_ short stay). The levels of pay and a very hard to understand (spoken) language probably don't make it very attractive to many Poles.

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]

"the question not answered"

Excuse me? In the other thread I pointed you directly to the Polish government's own page with the relevant regulations (including links to any changes to said regulations). How much more of an answer do you need?

I'd suggest breaking out the słownik and improving your knowledge of (shudder) legal language in Poland (first rule never use 10 words when you can use 100 and never use easy to understand vocabulary when you can be obtuse). It's not fun but it's probably necessary in your case.

As for wording things correctly, it's probably best to just call the school a school and not mention that it's private unless you're absolute forced to (and/or look for a second job at a public school).

Food / Vegetarian food in Poland? [83]


not that there's anything wrong with that ....

Life / Doing laundry in Poland [66]

One big difference in wash times has to do (I think) primarily with the amount of water used. The pipes are much bigger in the US for both bringing water into the machine and taking it out again. The pipes and hoses used in Poland (probably Europe in general) are just much smaller and it takes longer to fill and empty the machine.

There are probably other scale differences (the machines themselves are smaller to fit into apartments) and it all adds up.

Also IME clothes come out of the machine drier in Poland than in the US (where they're often sopping and dripping). Since in the US you have dedicated driers the clothes don't need to be as dry as if they were going to be hung (as they usually are in Europe).

Also, you don't do the laundry as a single thing in Poland. You put the clothes in the machine and then do other stuff until its done then you hang it up to dry. The overall time from beginning to end is longer but the person doing laundry doesn't necessarily spend that much more time on laundry.

Work / Do American English teachers need a Work Permit for working residency? [14]


Actually his problem IINM is not that he's avoiding getting the karta, he wants that, he's trying to find out if he needs a work permit (not so easy to get) to get the karta.

Work / Do American English teachers need a Work Permit for working residency? [14]

Found the Polish government's own site with the laws. Bottom line:
Some foreigners who are teaching their native language do not require a work permit but it's not immediately clear to me if this applies to teachers in private schools.

But don't take my word for it, go to the government's site, print it out and see it you can make it apply to you:

isip.sejm.gov.pl/servlet/Search?todo=open&id=WDU20061561116

Also look around for later additions (most of the additions I saw didn't change anything regarding language teachers)

this page has a translation (WARNING: only the Polish version is enforceable so as much as possible stick with that).

europa.eu.int/eures/main.jsp?acro=free&lang=en&countryId=PL&fromCountryId=DK&accessing=1&content=1&restrictions=1&step=2

powodzenia!

Law / Renewing Karta pobytu in Warsaw [35]


Okay, apologies for thinking you're a newcomer.

But my basic advice still stands. The problem is that _they_ are not sure what the rules are now and that makes Polish bureaucrats _very_ nervous. With Poland's entry into Schengen, the old system isn't really valid anymore but no new system has been put in place (and I know of no plans to put one in place).

When Polish bureaucrats know just what the rules are, they're much more confident about waving and/or bending them. When things are unclear they retreat to "Everything you've done is wrong" mode (so that they won't be held responsible in the face of regulations that eventually do show up).

It sucks that this has come up while you're trying to get your paperwork in order but I still think the best you can do is store up your patience and contain your rage (and never let them see the latter) and keep plugging away at it, smiling and thanking them for letting you know about the latest paperwork they've asked for.

If you're seeing the same people more than once, then that's good. Once they come to recognize you (and know you're not gonna be making nasty scenes) they'll be much more inclined for your paperwork to finally get through.

On work permits: From what I recall (this might be dated) foreigners don't need work permits to teach their native languages but this might depend on the level you're teaching at. Unversity level instructors definitely didn't need a permit a few years ago (when helping a co-worker jump through some hoops) but lower than that I'm not sure.

But again, Polish laws are almost always badly written (without thinking through all the consequences) and/or ambiguous. It's usually up to the local person in charge of how to interpret bad and/or ambiguous regulations.