News / Organized Crime: Polish Gang Is Making Profitable Business Of Robberies [60]


I've never heard about any polish gangs in canada/usa. The top news stories usually focus on islamic extremists/terrorists. Mexican gangs in the south as well.

Life / Germans and Poles - Fiction or Myth? [127]

Zankel,
Poles are usually quite successful in assimilating and integrating themselves in their new countries. There are many poles in my part of canada and all of them speak english and interact with everyone of all different backgrounds - we very quickly become canadian. Assuming that this happens in Germany as well, this is probably why you have a favourable view of Poles in Germany.

But Poles in poland have a limited contact with ze Germans and as a result they continue to have negative views of them. The classic stereotypes of Germans continue to spread. You also have to admit that Germans tend to look down on Poles and give them a hard time, especially the police/border guards. This doesn't help with relations either.

Although i must say, from my many trips to poland, i don't seem to notice any hatred of Germans, rather it's more of a distrust or language barrier that keeps the 2 apart.

Btw, the twins may think they are elite, but to many poles they are nothing more than idiots!

Life / HOW CAN POLISH PEOPLE AFFORD IT?? They are said to earn very little..? [43]


This was VERY common under communism. I have relatives who built houses during that era and since there was shortage of building supplies (like everything else but vinegar), they resorted to stealing from construction sites. It's not very common to steal from work. On my last trip to poland last year i noticed that construction sites had full time security guards (especially highway construction sites) on duty at night:) I've never seen this in Canada.

USA, Canada / advice on where to live in Canada [64]

I would avoid Toronto like the plague. I think Toronto is highly overrated by people who have never lived here or only visited a couple of times. By far one of the least attractive cities i've visited in north america. Houses are expensive and don't expect to get a nice backyard. I have some family in downtown TO and although their house is nice, it is practically touching the one next to it. Maybe i'm a little biased as i live near TO.

As suggested above, the Niagara region is a great place to live: smaller cities, cheap houses and close proximity to the USA. You can start up your own wine business:) I wouldn't mind living in Montreal either.

Life / HOW CAN POLISH PEOPLE AFFORD IT?? They are said to earn very little..? [43]


Your wages are a bit off, but someone else has already corrected you.

Also you have to learn one Polish word to help you understand how poles can live off low wages. The word is: "Kombinowac", in english it is something like "to scheme."

Wages in Poland are lower but people want to live like people do in the west, so Poles think of ways to make more money. One of my uncles for example, has some advertisements on the wall surrounding his house. He also managed to get money from the city for some underground pipes/cables that were installed without his permission before communism fell.

Sometimes people collect one of their parents' (if both are still alive) pension and use the money for themselves/their kids/rent. Or they have the retired parent(s) move it with them AND collect/use their pension money.

Futhermore, apartment rents are cheaper for poles. I could find a place to rent for no more than 600zl in wroclaw (a nice place too), but a foreigner will probably end up paying up to 1000zl. Prices always go up for foreigners.

Eating out is not a very popular past time in poland. Have you noticed the scarcity of restaurants, especially in the 90's? And when they do go out, they eat at "off the beaten path" restaurants. When i went to prague, everyone complained about the expensive restaurants. Their mistake was to eat at restaurants in the tourist areas. I paid no more than $8-10 for dinner each day, instead of the $30-40 they were paying. And i bet my meals tasted better.

Credit card debt, like in the USA, is also on the rise. I read an article on this on gazeta.pl a little while back, if i find it i'll post it.

Finally you have to understand that wages in poland are going up and many people earn fairly decent salaries.

I can't think of any more examples, so i encourage other poles to post their ideas/experiences in "kombinowanie." :)

History / Where do Polands non Jewish victims go? [64]

Well, unfortunately the Holocaust is slowly becoming a Jewish remembrance day. Increasingly, even over the course of my short lifetime, i've been noticing that teachers and books are downplaying the deaths of non-jews by hitler. In some cases they only give the numbers of jews killed and don't bother with the rest. Shame. But jews have the power!

Life / A Brit living in Poland (update) [14]

Wroclaw boy, your life in poland seems very stressful. Maybe you should help yourself by going back to the UK.

Life / Indian moved to Poland [532]


hahahahaha this made me laugh!

Have you come across many drunks in wroclaw?? If you think wroclaw has lots of drunks, you should take a trip to a smaller town/village! LOL

Life / How do Polish people view themselves? [92]

Every country/ethnic groups thinks it's superior to other groups! It's called nationalism.

Travel / Czestochowa - what is it like? [30]

Czestochowa = the mecca of poland:) My grandma lives there so i visit often. It's just an average small city, i don't think i would like to live there though. I'd prefer to live in wroclaw - more young people, vibrant city etc. The main street of czestochowa has been renovated recently so it looks great but there's really not much else. The monastery is nice to visit, but after 1 or 2 visits you will find it boring - unless you're religious:) It seems like a quiet city except on religious holidays when people from all over poland swarm the city.

News / Polish leader promises compensation for confiscated propery in Poland [17]


lol i think the money will come from the EU.


It is a bad/not fair idea, especially since poles won't get anything for the kresy, but remember were dealing with the jews. They want compensation and they will get it. I read an article in the paper here a couple of days ago about a group of jews getting $50 million compensation in belgium.

Life / To all of you who are Polish - where did you learn English? [64]

I learned in Canada. My family emigrated when i was 2.5 years old. Within a few months I was enrolled in a daycare where surprisingly (and good for me), there were no polish children. I vividly remember my conversations with the other kids - i would speak polish and they would respond in english and no one seemed to mind haha! I picked up the language quite quickly and by sr. kindergarden i was fluent and by grade 1 i was accent-free.

Life / Poles in Poland: How did you learn your English? [60]


Now i know how you got married. Man, she must have been desperate. :)

News / Happy Birthday Mr. Fascist (ie. Roman Giertych) [37]

Roman is one strange man. I would like him to retire from politics and completely disapear.

Study / AGH Studying (Computer Science) in Poland [20]


During the communist era it was very important to have a "magister." In Poland, there were (and still are) two different kinds of universities - free government unis and private paid universities ("night classes"). Students who attended the "inferior" private unis could not get a magister while those who attended the former were eligible for the magister and generally better jobs. Today the government school (i think they're called dzienne) degrees look better on a resume and many still look down on the private unis. One of my cousins graduated from a private med school in poland, had some problems finding work initially, but he's doing fine now.

I guess nowadays students from both schools can get a magister... right?

Life / Indian moved to Poland [532]


Your point of view on this is that of a typical immigrant/foreigner competing for work here - not a bad thing at all though. Immigrants feel they have to prove themselves, my parents once thought this way.

My answer is no. Why? Why should i work harder for the same degree? I have no plans of leaving canada, and my canadian degree will get me the job i want. One of the best standards of living in the world and no stress. You would love to be in my shoes!

Most indians that come over are dirt poor. Trust me there is a huge indian population in the greater toronto area. I know MANY, i always ask questions about india and their life there. Ticket out! Classic rags to riches story (well for most, not all, ~95%).

Study / Advice / Info on attending Jagiellonian Medical College [13]

My cousin went to med school in krakow. He completed his studies in polish, but on his campus there were many foreigners studying in english. Most of the foreign students were from Norway, where apparently this polish med school is recognized.

As for coming back to canada/usa, it's possible but a bit tricky. My cousins friend (a polish canadian) studied in krakow and after graduating he went back to canada where he had to go through some kind of transition program. I believe it was 1 year long and included many exams, followed by the usual 2 year (i think) internship program where the newly graduated doctor works along side a qualified/experienced doctor. It is not very easy at all. That's all i know, if i talk to my cousin sometime soon i'll update my post.

In the meantime you can contact the college of physicians (or whatever its called in the usa) and find out how it works.

Also, if i remember correctly it's a 6 year program.

History / Polish-German history book for Schools [28]


Not sure what you mean, maybe you should re-read my post. I was talking about a sci-fi tv show, not reality.

Life / Would this be viewed as okay for most Polish families? [38]

Everyone is different. This sort of thing is common in all countries and cultures, especially in north america.

The individual you are talking about is a lazy bum. He will always be like this unfortunately, and this will lead to marital problems.

I live at home and go to school, but i also cook my own meals (often times i cook for the whole family) and as for laundry we take turns. I clean my room and the bathrooms.


This is quite common in canada/usa, but not in poland. Parents only "kick out" their kids once they've finished college/uni and found work. This is not "babying" or "mooching." Many of my friends (all canadians) were kicked out after high school or during college and this has greatly hurt their career goals. Some, although smart, had to drop out of uni and do something else as their debts were going through the roof. Such as waste of talent and life. Parents just want to get the kids out and they don't care about their lives. I feel sorry for them. Some manage, though, very few from what i can see. Different cultures, different customs i guess.

History / Polish-German history book for Schools [28]


Laptops:)


All the more reason to standardize history books. History is very dangerous because it is too often manipulated or misinterpreted. Unfortunately we will probably need a few more devastating wars to get to that point. Like in one of those space shows on tv (star trek? star wars? any trekkies out there?), all humans live in peace and have set aside their differences.

History / Polish-German history book for Schools [28]

Excellent idea. Hopefully all of europe will have one history textbook sometime in the future . Maybe this will end some problems.

News / Poles bring new life to eastern Germany [14]

It's either the poles or the turks. I think Mr Schödinger understands that.

News / Polish/Croatian Relations [70]


That's because of the role the croats played in ww2. They were just as bad as the ukrainians and german ss. Stupid i know, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

As for relations, i think poles enjoy vacationing along the dalmation coast:)

Travel / Eastern Part of Poland - Bialystok [5]

Yeah Bialystock is a city. Nothing special really. But Just 75km or so north/north west of bialystock there is the Biebrzański Park Narodowy (Biebrzanksi national park). This is a natural, wild area with forests, lakes, swamps, sand dunes(mini desert?). It's basically the polish version of "cottage country". My family has a cottage up there in a small village on the border with the park - i love going up there to swim, fish and canoe.

It's also very popular among western europeaners, especially the dutch since they don't have this kind of nature back home and germany is too expensive for some. Many have bought land up there or houses to rent out to tourists and/or to retire in.

News / Undertakers in Lodz :( [24]


Monday, Feb. 04, 2002
Old news. And yes it is very disturbing.


Would it make you feel more at home?
You should go back to your african union.


OMG hahahahaha i hope this is a joke! Maybe a selfish lover. Google this and learn: Cunnilingus aka "dining at the Y". Do it and do it right, and your wife will "love you long time." :) Trust me on this one.

Love / What make Polish girls better than American girls [106]


Bullseye!

Besides that, Polish girls are more family oriented.

Love / Polish men with Scottish Girlfriends [66]

Once in a while i get outrageously drunk, but i never hurt my girlfriend! Maybe he has a drinking problem? Why don't you help him by sending him to alcoholics-anonymous.org

Give him a chance.

Life / Who has moved to Poland in the last year? Swap stories. [115]


We'll see how blessed you feel when you run into a group of polish skinhead-neonazis with that cocky attitude:) What goes around comes around.

Life / Indian moved to Poland [532]


I don't agree, it depends on what you study.

Plenty of canadian engineers work in the usa earning incredible salaries. Mind you there are good jobs in canada so not many leave. There is a huge demand for engineers there and they seem to like canadians. They also like our engineering degrees. Hell i have family members here in canada with engineering degrees from poland making more money than many canadians. Besides, the average canadian doesn't want to leave this continent as his/her quality of life will diminish and their "american dream" will go down the toilet! But indians are desperate to get out so they go to these "great" schools, since its there only ticket out of their country.

HOwever, some of these indians appear to be into IT - not surprising, since our idiotic leaders outsource these kinds of jobs (taking advantage of cheap labour). Others are probably into business/economics or something similar which, i agree, is important to have a degree from a reputable university to succeed outside of canada (and even in canada).

Work / Engineering Opportunities in Poland [7]

Here's a similar thread:

Having studied engineering myself and having visited poland many times (family) i can tell you that there are engineering jobs in poland, but they do not pay very well. What's worst, the polish workplace is a much stressful (employees treated like garbage and laid off freely - doesn't always happen, but its quite common) environment then the one i'm used to here in canada.

As i've mentioned before on these forums, it's best to find a foreign company in poland to work for, since quite often they tend to pay better and treat their employees much better as well.