Life / Contact details for hospitals in Lodz. [18]

Where do you live? This is against privacy laws. If you actually have some relationship with this person, certainly you could get the info you want.

Life / Contact details for hospitals in Lodz. [18]


Haha what country in the world is this legal? Certainly not Poland.

Life / Internet connection with MAC computer in Poland [11]

I have a mac, never had an issue with my router/modem (bought my own) and my service from TP. I think the issue could be using the free modems like TP's Livebox (what a piece of crap that is). I'm not really familiar with the service you use.

History / WWII planes in Poland [38]

When I lived in Katowice there was a 'sport" aviation airport. Mostly gliders, but I would see from time to time a few ww2 era planes doing acrobatic maneuvers over the city. I'm sure they exist, but couldn't tell you where.

Life / How much do you HATE POLISH PEOPLE and POLAND [1260]


My Polish girlfriend likes to call this a lack of "lick your ass syndrome" that we have back in the States. But in reality it probably has more to do with the left over soviet era customs.

Granted service usually is horrid in Poland. Asking questions and getting answers is pretty hard to find here. Sometimes I wonder what kind of screening process they use to hire some people. The worst company to deal with has to be TP by far. Some places are changing and younger workers tend to be more helpful. However it's years away from the customer is always right theme back home.

News / I love Poland because... (in 10 words or less) [182]


Well some people like lody, some people polish girls in skirts. :)

On a serious note then, I love Krakow and it's scenery, it's rich history and great food.

I could make a much bigger list about things I can't stand about Poland though.

Travel / Going to Poland this summer -- US dollar prediction... [34]


The dollar has lost a lot of it's value in the past 2 years. More drastically in the last year. Prices of consumer products have stayed the same in zloty, but since the dollar has dropped so much it makes things more expensive. These products were already at a premium to begin with. The only thing that is somewhat cheaper is food, but food prices are going up, so the price of most things is pretty much the same as in the states or more. Sadly looks like the days of the rich dollar in Poland are done. Another note is a lot of places of accommodation usually list their prices in Euro, which makes things even worse for someone who uses the dollar.

News / I love Poland because... (in 10 words or less) [182]

Summer is coming and that means Polish hotties in skirts!

Travel / Going to Poland this summer -- US dollar prediction... [34]


I think about this everyday. Man 2 years ago I was a 1/3 richer in Poland.

Travel / Overstaying on a Visa in Poland [25]


That could work technically I guess. Sadly the crossing the border check to reset your 90 day visa doesn't work anymore. Lots of Americans who have lived here for an extended period of time have gotten caught out by this. So like myself we had to actually apply for temporary resident permits. You might want to check what the requirements are to enter the Ukraine though. That I have no knowledge of. Can't imagine it's much different then how Poland used to be though.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]


You could be right. This is how I see things, however you could maybe enlighten me. I have no problems with being shown a different view point. This is how I see things and if it is incorrect please show me how.


Fair enough. Assumptions are not always the best way to judge.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]


I live in Poland. I listen to the news and I see what kind of effect PiS and their policies have on Poland. Why do I need to be Polish to understand this? Polish will gladly tell me how my country is and how our policies are. So that gives me every right to form an opinion of a country where my daily life is. You keep throwing this evidence remark out there, but you have yet to say anything. Why don't you tell us something that might be of substance to your "argument". PO's victory shows a lot about how many Polish feel about the influence of the Church. Many Polish tell me about their animosity towards the Church dictating what they can and can not do. PiS is directly connected to the Church's policies.

Judging by your avatar your a Nationalist who believe in the policies PiS is putting forth. The irony of PiS is that they want to create a Nationalist Poland under the flag of the Church. That is no different than communism. It just religious totalitarianism.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]

This is a much better way to put it.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]


Yes they do. They do it in the U.S. all the time. However in Poland there is no separation of Church and State. This is why governmental offices like Customs for example have Priests, Priests in schools, both payed for by the government and attempts to enforce religious ideals on a population. I understand Poland is a predominately Catholic nation, but this gives one religion the right to shape policy by being directly and legally involved in politics. When the Church declares one party to be the one you are obligated to vote for as a Catholic, it changes the idea of being just a way of guidance. They have to much power, which in turn lets them manipulate opinion of believers. The result of the election actually shows how much the country is not Catholic.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]


What do you consider evidence? Reports in the media? Please, if you think because it is on the news it must be true, your living in a fantasy world. If you believe the Church has no influence, especially the Catholic one, your also out of touch with reality. The Catholic Church in Poland has an agenda, and PiS is their best shot at achieving that. The Catholic church has stated to their followers to not support any liberal leaning party. That party being PO.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]


Well seeing as the majority in the U.S. voted for PiS, that could be one reason. I don't think they know certain political aspects like this in Poland. The Church has more influence than the parties themselves. That's not to say everyone abroad doesn't know, but the majority probably don't. They read what is in the headlines, but don't see what is actually going on in real life. PiS used the anti corruption/communist office to go after political opponents. Not really what is was designed to do. They see PiS in power and some aspects of the Polish economy getting better, but that is due more to the openness of the EU, not PiS. PiS was trying to kick out foreign banks, isolate Poland from the EU and Russia and place the Church's agenda as national policy. If your a Nationalist I guess it makes sense, but in reality that doesn't help Poland. The U.S. won't save Poland, they just want to use the country.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]


GF's grandmother who goes to church every Sunday. This is what she was saying prior to the election. It was actually one of her arguments in favor of PiS.

Life / Why are Polish people cheap? [126]

Polish know how to make their money go further. They also know the difference between broken and worthless. When was the last time an American took something to a repair shop? My gf forces me to see if I can fix something first before I go buy something new. Can't say it's been all bad, most of the time it gets fixed for very cheap. TJMax or Walmart doesn't exist because Polish shop there, it exists because almost everyone shops there.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]


That might have more to do with the politicians themselves and not the voters. Let's not forget the Church as well. They were telling their congregations that it was a sin to vote for PO prior to the last elections.

Life / Gay scene good in Poland? [66]


Which causes more hate than good.


You mean like AIDS, syphilis, STDs etc? Last time I checked that happens to heterosexuals and gasp, Christians as well.


So are you stating that being gay is natural? Or are you saying it's not?


I don't see much logic in your statements at all. I see a lot of regular talking points pushed by the Church.

Law / Visitor In Love with a Polish girl, UK marriage/Polish residence question [17]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Agreement

Dealing with the Polish offices will probably be a complete pain. Just ask your girlfriend about dealing with the offices in Poland. Both countries will have separate restrictions as well. Good luck, won't be easy.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]

Think part of it is not traditions and culture. What matters to them is more of a common experience of life within a country. Sure you can take the good from the culture and celebrate it, but if you don't experience the hardships they experience as well, your not "Polish". It's hard for me to understand to be honest. I'd argue Poles are not the only ones that think this way. If you were to ask a German or French they most likely will say the same. Do French consider those in Quebec to be French? Probably not. I would presume it's very similar. Americans and Canadians are immigrants. We are all people from another country. So for us it makes perfect sense to call ourselves Polish, French, Japanese whatever. To everyone else we are American or Canadian.


No but they are strong supporters of the U.S. policies in world affairs. They also tend to fight against the EU and Russia essentially isolating themselves. There more than likely is a strong backing from American Poles based on their support for the U.S. and their stance against Russia and the E.U.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]

I agree actually. However they don't feel this way. Just because you speak and write in english doesn't make you English in their minds. This is what they say to me.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]


No that is a problem with PiS.

Law / Visitor In Love with a Polish girl, UK marriage/Polish residence question [17]

Correct. It will however be easier to get residency in the UK married to a EU citizen. She would however need to be working legally apart from some other requirements set by the UK authorities. Seeing as he is now on a tourist visa to the UK, he'd have to first get another visa for Poland since the UK is not a Schengen country. Seems like he'd like the easy way and to be honest there is nothing easy about dealing with Polish Authorities.

Life / Animosity between Poland vrs. Polonia? [98]


That kind of thinking is probably why they don't like Polish abroad. I've argued with Polish here that Polish in U.S. are Polish. To them if you've never lived here, your not Polish. Their thinking is you really have no idea what it's like. Many believe that although you might share some certain culture similarities, your not paying taxes here, your not paying anything to support the country. I'm American so I do know what it's like to have heritage and country. But from most of the conversations I've had it doesn't work the same here in their thinking. "Getting out of dodge" wasn't exactly an option for everyone.

Now you can have a Polish citizenship sure, but does that mean you really have any clue of the daily issues going on here? It's the same with Polish talking about their American brothers, they have no clue what life is like in the U.S. They have bits and pieces, most of which tend to be more positive. However you can't really decide what is best for a country you don't live in. PiS for example and more specifically the twins were making Poles look pretty bad across Europe. Yet in the United States they were the highest voted party. When inside the country it was completely opposite. The U.S. was the only country outside of Poland that voted this way.


Why the future? Why not now? Because most likely they never will move back. It's the same as Cubans in Miami, they won't move back. They say they will but they won't.

Life / Gay scene good in Poland? [66]


Well comparing the gay scene in Miami to the one in Krakow for instance, no Poland is not the place for gays to be planning a great weekend. Sure there is a scene, but it's very hidden. You never see openly gay people on the street. I know a few lesbians here and they really don't like their life here being gay. They always have to hide the fact from their employers and most of the people they know. They are treated as outcast here. Sure they try and have Gay Pride festivals and the result is usually people spitting on them and the presence of riot police or outirght banned. One year the riot police actually attacked the gay marchers. So if this is in some way a good sign, I doubt it. They exist but it is by no means "open".

News / Alchemy Polish vodka commercial - "Polaks innovations" [48]


I have Black and Jewish friends back home and we always tell these jokes to each other. Sure there are always people who are going to get offended, but the majority don't. It doesn't become a huge issue like it does in Poland.

Travel / Poland at Easter. [12]

There was a law passed in the fall of 2007 that forces every business to close on Catholic holidays which includes Easter. Absolutely nothing is open. You might find a gas station or select trains and transportation working, but on a limited schedule. Poland essentially becomes a ghost town on these days.

Life / Moving to Poland from Dubai, living on 22,000 PLN a month [13]

Do you really need to ask? With a salary that much you'd think you'd have more of a clue.