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Help my son with a school assignment on Poland [35]
OK. Since nobody is helping you I will say what I know.
I'm not in Poland anymore but I grew up in Warsaw and Krakow, where I attended schools.
They don't have school buses in Poland because they have good transportation like tramways and buses. Many people walk and spend time waiting for buses. I lived in Warsaw in a high-rise building ( budynek) and I walked to school there because it was close by. Students share a desk with another, unlike in the US where they have their own desk. Start up times are different in every school (Usually in high-schools) because they all have different classes and the last class ends at different times. They are more strict in Polish schools and demand more from you.
There are a lot of little grocery stores everywhere and kiosks called "budki ruchu" where you can but everything from newspapers, post-cards, toys, books to bus tickets.
Heating type in the apartments is done through hot water (kaloryfery) and most floors there are wooden. Homes outside the city are built primarily from cement blocks (pustaki) and most have a fenced in yard. Rarely you see a wooden home, unless it's in the Zakopane region, where they have their own distinct way of building with peaked roofs.
Popular polish foods are gołąbki (cabbage rolls), bigos, pierogi, kopytka and the soups, salads and vegetables are out of this world. Not even mentioning the pastry! Pączki taste different than in the US unless you buy them in a polish store, but still better in Poland. They don't bakes pies like in America, they make 'placki" with fruits and tortes. Hazelnuts are very popular in tortes and candies.
Mushroom picking is a huge event every September. Most Poles know their mushrooms and dry them or marinate them or turn them into delicious mushroom soups.
There are lots of long-coat German Shepherds (I'll be getting one soon), dachshunds, ratlers, poodles and gaining popularity are the ugly pit-bulls. At dog shows in Poland they get medals, in the US they get ribbons.
All female first names end with the letter "a", if the last name ends in a "ski", it is for a male, "ska" is for female.
Poland has many castles and ruins full of history, many old churches and beautiful architecture. They keep building more and more churches, while in America they are shutting down more and more ( at least in Wisconsin)
They celebrate Christmas and Easter like in the US but not Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Labor Day or Memorial Day. They do have Nov. 1-st "zaduszki" similair to memorial day, where masses are performed in the cemeteries and prayers for the dead are recited. It is a very popular holiday and people burn candles (znicze). The cemetaries are totally different than in the US. They are not flat but are raised above the ground like a tomb made from marble (marmur) those who have the money, and people plant flowers or whatever they want on them.
I can write more if you want.
