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

Well, I've been here a year. Gone through all the stress of arranging a wedding here - for the benefit of my husbands' grandmother, who never bothered to show up, claiming she was too ill (but my rellies, who are genuinely sick managed to travel from the UK). Being left broke by unscrupulous companies who forget to pay their staff for months on end. Being stranded in places because the buses are so awful they can't even make it out of the garage behind the bus station without breaking down (or it taking 7 hours to do a 65km journey). Not being able to get a bank account because I can't get my karta pobytu (a little tip for people:- while mBank may only need a passport as ID to open an account, so far I have waited 3 months for them to sort out the paperwork and still no joy... however Pekao need passport and your karta pobytu, PESEL only required if you have one). I also can't get my NIP because I can't get the karta pobytu. I can't get my katra pobytu because there are about 15 people registered as owning the property I live in and they all need to confirm I live there with their permission - not an easy task as several of them live abroad and are not in contact with the family, 1 is dead and another isn't speaking to the rest of the family.

However, after spending all my life living in London, it is such a refreshing change and I wouldn't want to go back - at least to live.

Now if I could just get to grips with the language.

Life / Customer Service in Poland, what are your experiences? [106]

I find customer service interesting over here. In the majority of places it's ok, just what I would expect, people are polite and very obliging when I ask for something in my minimal Polish. Some places are excellent and others are horrendous, bordering on offensive when they hear you speak English - even if you speak Polish to them.

I'm lucky though, even though it's not a small town I'm living in, there is very much a village feel and so most of the shops and bars I go to know me and don't mind if I totally screw up my Polish.

Life / Karta pobytu help - property ownership problem [13]

Got the local, then had to go to Warsaw to get paperwork for the regional one. When I went back to pick it up from Warsaw I was given a slip of paper and told to go back to the local office to get the actual card.... it's driving me insane.

Life / Karta pobytu help - property ownership problem [13]

Nope. It's a private family home. Unfortunately, my husbands' gran passed away without making a will and so they registered all those who survived her as owners which has made it impossible to even get gas hooked up to the house.

Life / Karta pobytu help - property ownership problem [13]

Been trying that too, but everyone is in the same situation here... normally the school I'm working for rents an apartment for teachers, but they haven't for me - that said, they haven't helped me at all with any of the paperwork.

I think I might keep the bottle of vodka for myself - or see if I can by a 1% share in the property or something.

News / British... do they have clubs or organisations in Poland? [13]

There seem to be a few small organisation here, mainly common interest groups, but nothing on the scale of the Polish ones abroad as far as I can see.

Life / Karta pobytu help - property ownership problem [13]

I have done. Most of our street is owned by 2 families and rented out. Have even offered to rent an apartment for a couple of months from one of them just to get it sorted, but she doesn't want anyone else registered at her address. The only other one I know in my area is owned by an ex-pat living in the US and she said she would think about it then disappeared back to the US for another year. Have asked my boss, but as long as I haven't got the card he doesn't feel any pressure to register me at work (which is a bit stupid given that my name appears on a lot of the official documents as an employee).

News / British... do they have clubs or organisations in Poland? [13]

I don't know. I think it is just the British mentality, I spent ages before I moved over here trying to find groups so I could meet up with ex-pats, but other than an English language theatre group, there was nothing. You'll find plenty of Scottish associations and, of course Irish, but not British or even English - which is a shame.