Love / Confused English man: is she stringing me along or is she confused? [62]


So simplistic ...

However Sokrates, I think I love you. Thank you. Brutal as that is, it's a good thing to have posted.

Love / Confused English man: is she stringing me along or is she confused? [62]

Speaking as someone who has burned all my bridges to free myself, and who is out here getting my own perspective on a long distance relationship which may or may not ever go anywhere I do feel for you. Forgetting is not easy and you're throwing everything you can into it.

If you want to talk to someone with some insight into the highs and lows of long distance just drop me a private message.

Life / Decently priced gym or health club in Warsaw? [17]

I actually tracked down and joined a gym which is women only.

galaxysolar.pl

I went for full access which is 130 per month, and I am delighted that there's a bus right back home from virtually outside. :)

Life / So it's hit me too, isolation in Poland [46]


Like I say, half Polish :)

Life / Americans in Warsaw (and things from home) [6]

You're way better set as an American than as a Brit in terms of TV etc but there's a few places sell things from over the water. There's a world food shop near the Carrefore in Arkadia ...

Life / So it's hit me too, isolation in Poland [46]

Half Polish ... just don't speak it yet (the main problem, to be honest).

Seamus ... uh, yes. You also make a wise point about isolation even at home.

I do work but since I speak exclusively English at work not learning much Polskiego. I'm going to join the gym first and foremost and also to trace my father's family tree if I can.

Life / So it's hit me too, isolation in Poland [46]


LOL

Every year my dad used to get bottles of the terrifying overproof alcohol and throw in lots of sugar and tons of cherries - come Xmas it was ready and I wasn't allowed to have any.

Besides Darek, this one was bought for me at random by someone who just arrived at our table. How do you get much more Polish than that? :)

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


I think if you're going to start playing the supremacy card it's best to be erudite, eloquent and able to use correct grammar. Also, the correct spelling comes in handy. Rather undermines your point otherwise.

(There's always one, sadly, isn't there?)

Life / Women in Poland dyeing hair red [30]

I had mine red in the UK maybe it's time to go blonde!

Life / So it's hit me too, isolation in Poland [46]

I'm not saying the obvious!

Mind you I did have Cherry Vodka last night and that was very very nice.

Life / So it's hit me too, isolation in Poland [46]

Thanks guys.

The bridges are burned, Guest ...

There's three things eating at me: I want to lose weight and get healthier, I want to learn the language and I want to meet people. So, gym, Polish classes and getting out there is the plan.

I guess today is a good day - it's absolutely horrible out there, raining, cold, miserable and I have been at work for hours after a night out last night and a lunchtime dinner date with a friend. Maybe tonight I will go out for museum night, maybe not, but my little flat seems welcoming at the moment rather than lonely. Plus, if you can look with city-affection in weather as nasty as this ...

It does help, yes. Thanks guys x

Life / Culture Shock Since Moving to Poland - Anybody Dealt With This Before? [52]

Mid 20s and already have a boyfriend here who speaks Polish?

You'll probably love the place!

Life / Thunderstorms in Poland [44]


Yay, recent! Anyway in those storms it was mainly wind damage.

I thought there was going to be a storm last night with the colour of the skies over Warsaw but no. Don't worry, those in Warsaw who are scared of storms, as long as I am here waiting eagerly to see these amazing storms you probably won't get any :)

Life / Thunderstorms in Poland [44]

"Do something" about them? Like what exactly? LOL

Anyway I love storms, they were always weedy and short lived in the UK.

Life / Thinking of moving to Warsaw - hoping to find a better lifestyle there. [8]

This is very true but tends to be the Polish teachers more than the native teachers.

Real Estate / Foreigners: Please don't buy Polish Land! [823]


My goodness this is specious to say the least. So the Poles who came over after World War II now have resulted in an influx of Polish people to the UK as a direct result huh? That's the implication from the way you have written things.

That's incorrect. My dad simply was not allowed back here, he went to the UK as an asylum seeker after doing his time at the Arnhem landings etc - he had no family left in Poland to send money to other than my late Grandmother from a family with 9 brothers and sisters - but he worked bloody hard every day of his working life and raised three kids all of whom also worked bloody hard and have had professional careers. I think you were being ironic to Ola (I hope so) when you were saying scrounging Poles.

I find it ironic actually - people misunderstand being stared at - you don't think you are an exotica speaking English on a bus? I get stared at all the time, bus or not, admittedly in a different way if I am actually speaking English, but I often find out afterwards that people are just curious about me in general as I clearly am not local but clearly am not causing a problem. Ola darling, I have bad news for you, Polish DO want me here (some are a bit too keen that I am here to be honest LOL).

Oh to everyone English writing here as if you are mashing the keyboard with a crayon in your fist - unless you are dyslexic you should be ashamed of yourself for your lack of ability to even express yourself in your mother tongue.

News / Is Poland ready for the swine fever stuff? [59]

Wow caused a storm unintentionally! I'm actually more worried about my mum who was in hospital recently but Shelley is right that I am a little bit concerned. Mexico in general has a lot of people living in quite run down conditions who have this flu, looking at the footage it appears to be mainly affecting people without the benefits maybe some of us take for granted.

I didn't realise that you can buy Tamiflu, so thanks, I will have a chat with my folks. Personally I think it's godsend for the news programmes rather than a real threat.

(I do maintain good hand hygeine :) and it's not me who hawks and spits in the street outside :) )

Life / Nice place to buy art prints/posters in Warsaw? [5]

Thanks Isa. I'd been looking at the English version of that site.

Not sure if this is the shop mentioned above, but here's a link I found: poster.com.pl

Life / Thinking of moving to Warsaw - hoping to find a better lifestyle there. [8]

He's right about that, you might well find you don't make as much. Do you speak any Polish? That will probably help with a job search.

So yes, less money but then again things are cheaper here and compared to London the quality of life is great. Be aware though that what you are used to and take for granted will not be so easily to hand ... the casual buying of a magazine, familiar processed foods, the TV stations you veg out in front of. If these things define happiness for you then you need to do some soul searching, and your girlfriend can help you explore this.

However, one thing Warsaw does have in spades is a culture of it's own, lovely parks, a nicer way of life in general and also the craic ... not called that but I am sure it needs no explaining to an Irish guy :)

Oh yes redundancy. Take anything you can screw out of BT ... I worked for them once ... vile company!

Food / Cost of Nescafe coffee in Poland. [49]

If there is one thing you won't be short on it's good coffee. How the hell can you be a coffee purist and WANT to drink Nescafe? LMAO ... there's much better here.

Life / Nice place to buy art prints/posters in Warsaw? [5]

Dziękuja bardzo

Life / Wandering through Warsaw [6]

Maybe not but go and look at the Vistula from the Old Town.

Polish spring rocks, thanks Mike, and also for the reminder to get batteries in my camera for next Sunday's walk around the city. If I take any pictures which come out nice I will send them to you so you can use them.

News / Dealing with constant insults against Polish [323]


I have some more careful highlighting to do maybe :)

News / Dealing with constant insults against Polish [323]


Just seen this thread but this line made me smile, my dad often ran into difficulties at work because he worked way too hard and made the English guys look lazy. I had the same problem in the UK myself.

I had a delightful class a few weeks ago where this was exactly what the guys all said when encouraged to speak English. Other comments other than "I'm lazy" were "I don't like language" and "I am bad at English so I hate it and don't speak". And they really didn't either. Alrighty then, why spend all the zl on the lessons (aka their boss or their mother has paid for them, probably).

I spent years being insulted for the name my father chose to "Anglicise" the family. Unfortunately he chose "Kraft" as it has the same first letter, so I was Margarine, Dairylea etc for years. People are generally herd animals, if you are different then you must be made to pay so if you have to be different be proudly different :)

Poles don't like Jews coming over, English don't like Poles, we don't like Mexicans... will it ever end? - sadly not, krysia ... (wish you could do two quotes in a post!)

Life / Culture Shock Since Moving to Poland - Anybody Dealt With This Before? [52]

How do they rate compared to Dominicks?

Aha ... I spot the sound of Illinois there :)


Exactly. I don't think that's the way most people are on the thread. Just settling in there's bound to be this period. The friend I came over and stayed with said after a few weeks he was desperate to get out - that was 10 years ago now and he says he'd never live anywhere else by choice because after a week or two more he woke up one day and thought "This place is WONDERFUL". Which puts him at the six week mark, about where most people seem to acclimatise if they actually are living life here and not in the UK.

Some ducklings swim like Mama easier than others :)

So give people a chance to deal with their own relocations and any associated or non-associated side issues a chance (I notice not many people picked up that the OP is disabled, trust me a medical issue to be worried about adds a new dimension to feeling that you can call a place home).

I get all obsessive about certain food items (did exactly the same in the UK and I would have done the same in a Dominicks too - I did in Walgreen). I'd use diabetes as my excuse but it's actually known as plain old piggery LOL. What I haven't said is the near ecstatic joy I experienced when I first saw Nik-Naks here as they were a rare exotica from Germany for me for years. Suffice to say, the easy availability of smoked cheese peanuts has made me go "meh".

I've found Wyke Farm Cheddar in Carrefore (recognised by their barcode reader too) so tbh in food terms I am happy. I can get good fresh veggies, pulses, grains, cheese (talking about other cheeses here) and excellent quality breads and chicken. I'm good :)

We had a very similar (and vodka fuelled) conversation last night in fact, where my friend said he found all the cultural differences difficult at first - I really had no problem with anything being strange except the lector (and the lector was well after my father sought asylum at the end of WWII or I'd have known about that too). I love everything, I just hate not being able to speak Polish yet.

However thank you ladies and gentlemen, those who have not misconstrued what I was trying to say anyway. What this thread has done for me personally is make me even MORE determined to learn this language whether I stay here a year or the rest of my natural. Dziękują bardzo! :) With that I will look forward to today's adventures, a "Sunday Best" moment as it will assuredly be!

Life / Culture Shock Since Moving to Poland - Anybody Dealt With This Before? [52]


Really really lazy :) After all typing Carrefore is such hard work for some people. Sorry, sum ppl.

Life / Culture Shock Since Moving to Poland - Anybody Dealt With This Before? [52]


Actually I said that it was exacerbated because *I* can't speak Polish yet after three weeks. Not even remotely about them not being able to speak English, I made no complaint about that at all - mainly because it would have been totally unreasonable to expect English.

Please, read something properly before making comments which make other people out to be dicks - my complaint was with their barcode reader which, to my understanding, reads 0 and 1 in any language.