UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]

As mingin as Manchester, as nudny as Nottingham, as lame as Liverpool etc. Just kidding!! I've never been there but I've heard that they ain't pretty

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]

England has such a difference between its countryside and its cities. Name a city, it's probably ugly as sin but the countryside is really something. England should be proud of its green areas. Scotland, on the other hand, has less of a divide between the cities and countryside. I'm referring to Edinburgh and Glasgow only. Dundee and Aberdeen are not so nice. The countryside is quite spectacular too. If u get a good golf course out in the sticks, all the better. Playing at Muiryshade (Forres), Hardhillock (Elgin), Cullen and Grantown were just pure heaven. I guess English courses are also top notch out in the woods

Life / "I can spot a Pole a mile away" - Polish fashion? [146]

isthatu, that was simply brilliant!! The moral of the story being never assume others can't understand u. I was at the A-bomb dome one time and this Japanese guy was cursing away at me for taking photos, being the American that I am, NOT!! I retorted by telling him, in Japanese to let him know, that I was from Scotland and reviled what the Septics did there. He bowed repeatedly and uttered, 'mooshiwake arimasen, mooshiwake arimasen' (I'm very sorry x2). Forgiveness is divine but I told him to be careful in the future. I love stories with language, we should open a thread

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]

I was born in Banff, Scotland so I had a bad start, lol. I lived in Aberdeen for 23 years, should I stop now? The UK has great natural scenery, Cumbria/The Lake District in England for starters, the Highlands of Scotland and, eh, some fine hills in Wales. The scenery, that's where it's at!!

Life / Polish man finds wife working at brothel [43]

Man, that was a hilarious story. He was stiffed, hehehe. I bet she came down on him like a ton of bricks, lol. Which woman will it be, sir?

UK, Ireland / Advice for my Polish friend who came to the UK to work [22]

BubbaWoo wrote it's grim up north, it's pretty grim down south too. Anyway, this is tit for tat. Just do ur research and think ur options through carefully. Do learn English as we are not the Dutch and will expect English to be spoken. It's just like here in Poland when I must liaise with the insurance company ZUS. I've been helped out a lot even though my Polish is reasonable enough. They don't bend. The number of times I should have received documents in English in this country and haven't is incredible. People are just making their own lives easier without thinking about legal obligations and decency

Life / Polish dentists - good and cheap? [84]

I agree with plk123, Poland has very good technology and a well respected dental industry. Their dentists are much sought after in Sweden and in the UK as elsewhere I'd guess.

Life / Polish dentists - good and cheap? [84]

My ex was a dentist. Her e-mail address is asiawl@poczta.onet.pl. She'll be able to, eh, fill u in. She now works in London

Life / Do Polish people tend to stick together? [49]

Let's put it this way, they don't stick together like Japanese do. They are joined at the hip. My girl was in Britain and she felt that Poles tried to cheat one another. They drift apart when abroad which is weird. On the other hand, there are clubs where Poles can learn English together and integrate more fully and, from what I've heard, the level of participation is quite high. Overall, I'd say that Poles feel a certain comfort in being with fellow countrymen. Asides from some exceptions, they feel uncomfortable using foreign languages and prefer to stick together.

UK, Ireland / What's So Great About The UK? [416]

I do have to ask the Poles on this forum, why temporary? Many foreigners come to Poland for a year to teach and then head for other shores. That's the nature of the situation though. Is it the case that u operate on short term contracts with no renewal options in the UK?

Life / JOKES ABOUT POLISH. Have we deserve it? [68]

3 soldiers were caught in Iraq. A German, a Frenchman and a Pole. They were all lined up in front of a firing sqaud. They were instructed that they'd be set free if they could successfully name an element in English. The German is first forward, eh, 'water' he says. They let him go. Up steps the Frenchman, eh, 'earth' he says. They ponder a little but let him go. The Iraqis stayed true to their promise but they were beginning to regret it. Up steps the gallant Pole. Oh, k**wa, eh, fire!!

Life / "well-off" income in poland [26]

Coming back to their family as they feel duty bound to do so. Dropping lovers sometimes has to happen but it should be done tactfully. I don't think the number of Poles who have affairs is as high as some may claim but I've never done any empirical research, it's just a hunch. Their return also depends on their contractual stipulations. Britain has more and more short term contracts, jobs popping up here and there with no permanence or stability. Poles often accept such positions.

Life / "well-off" income in poland [26]

It's possible but it's very competitive to get into jobs using English to liaise with foreign companies. The money often buys time to scout around if nothing else sometimes. I think it's the family aspect that is bringing Poles back in their droves.

Life / "well-off" income in poland [26]

2500PLN is officially the national average.

Life / "well-off" income in poland [26]

2500 PLN a month is about 500 pounds. But u can't see it that way. Doing well is 5000-6000PLN, my bracket. Well-off is upwards of 8000PLN

Life / Polish couple from Legnica live in a Fiat [13]

A Mexican family in a Maluch, hehehe, daj spokój!! They'd fall through the bottom of it. U'd have to watch ur rear end on the gear stick, lol. Some people live in tents or in huts, it's just another way of being. I bet they are worried to open the doors in case they fall off

Love / How can I conquer a Polish woman? [84]

Seanus is right? Not so sure, just a suggestion that I've seen to be effective in the past. Making an effort to use their language impresses them. Show an interest also in how she corrects u and helps u, don't merely use it to show u want to get in her panties. Try it out, what's the worst that can happen?

UK, Ireland / Advice for my Polish friend who came to the UK to work [22]

They perceive it as companies investing in their staff. Classes are conducted by volunteers in Poland so the issue of expenses hardly rises to the fore. If black doctors are in such great demand, u should stand by ur decision and prepare them in the best way possible. Take them on board and give them the linguistic tools they need. 2000 pounds is way too steep, do u have a link to prove this?

Love / How can I conquer a Polish woman? [84]

Speak some Polish to her. They think it's cute when we, as guys, are really trying to pronounce words correctly but we say it softer than they do. They may have a giggle at us but inside they will like it.

UK, Ireland / Advice for my Polish friend who came to the UK to work [22]

I agree with noimmigration, as part of local community based initiatives to integrate foreigners, we fork out to facilitate this process. I'm not saying it's wrong outright but it's done almost without question. Local govt officials, in the comfort of their offices and with a 35k salary behind them, make these decisions rather hastily. However, the flip side is that the Poles offer the same here. 30 years ago, Poland helped many black would-be doctors by issuing free lessons. It just goes to show that there are 2 sides to every story.

Life / Racist violence in Poland [172]

I know so I thought I would pitch in with the Asian aspect. We use here not only to refer to concrete, specific places but also in general. Here, as I used it, means when discussing this general issue. The knee-jerk response is to mention that it happens in other countries too, which it unquestionably does, without confining the focus to Poland. Hence, my comment in being over defensive

Life / Bloody Priests in Poland... [58]

Dice is right, hiding behind the cloak of religion is inexcusable. You can't vigorously shake children, a teacher would likely be dismissed for that. Look at the stink that was kicked up in the case of Louise Woodward (I seem to recall that was her name) who shook the child excessively. The law tread a stern line.

Life / do they have GAP shops in POland ? [15]

And their clothes are produced cheaply too. I never pay much for clothes these days, true to my Scottish roots. If u take ur time, u can always hunt down bargains

Life / do they have GAP shops in POland ? [15]

I'm wearing a GAP polar at the moment but I'm not sure if it was from a GAP shop here in Poland. The best bet for GAP stuff is in 2nd hand shops. My friend also picked up some stuff when he was here a couple of years back. There is sure to be a GAP shop in Kraków or Warsaw

Life / Racist violence in Poland [172]

There is a tendency to get over defensive here. I'm glad I'm white in Poland, I can tell u that much. Football matches bring out the most frustrated critters. There is an undercurrent of xenophobia here, it cannot be denied. There's an ignorance about Asian people, it's really embarrassing. This is not solely confined to Poland. Very primitive, based on lack of understanding

UK, Ireland / Rules on Car Tax on Polish vehicle in UK [20]

Funny u mention that Michał. My mate in Poland was gonna do exactly that, punt it off in London for a decent sum and go back to Aus, his home country.

Life / Who's thinking of moving to Poland? [67]

Oh, I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong. It covers all the bases and some. My rent and utilities come to a max of 750PLN, a minor dent. Oh, telefonitika, did u manage to dish up some łazanki for urself? I had it today, it's really nice. It's cheap and cheerful.

Life / Free shopping in Asda [17]

finT, gee bro, where do you shop, Piast for the bourgeoisie? 90pln for a good drop of red!!?? 50zl will get u sth more than decent. I buy wines for 25zl IN PIAST which translates to a fiver but is more like 9 quid. 9 quid in the UK and I had a bottle of top Chilean wine like Errazuriz or Carmen.

Life / Free shopping in Asda [17]

It is possible that Tesco are doing this on a small scale as they received a bad rap from certain aspects of the press in the UK. There has actually been a fairly hefty book written on their malpractises there. Personally, I like Tesco and their own brands. My student wrote that they also did sth wrong here in Poland too, he didn't elaborate though. Asda have really improved in recent years. Their own products are pretty classy. All the chains engage in various pricing strategies, relative to their respective positions in the market but free shopping represents bad commercial acumen. They are too shrewd for this.

Life / Who's thinking of moving to Poland? [67]

It's not good to see it in terms of pounds. It's actually more like double that in real terms. Or even take it from the perspective that the minimum wage in Poland is 5zl and over 5 pounds in the UK. According to the logic of conversion, it should equate to 25zl if they were to be equal. It'd be something like a 35,000-40,000 pounds salaried job in the UK