Language / "Leje jak z cebra" [11]

I believe you're right tomekcatkins.
The french also say 'raining buckets' as opposed to the English 'raining cats and dogs'.
Jamiro, for an explanation, go to: joe-ks.com/phrases/phrasesR.htm

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

I agree with you Torq- the political/economic system in Poland is a 'burdel', or as we say in the states, a 'total mess'.
There is too much bureaucracy in Poland for healthy Capitalism.
Also, there needs to be a seperation of church and state.

In response to Ola 123:
It sounds to me as though someone did a very thorough job in brainwashing you to make you think that Brits, etc. are buying up all of Polish land.

Most of the land and property in Poland is bought by Poles who either came back from living overseas, like my parents, or sent money back to their families so they could buy a descent place to live.

The way the law stands now, only Polish citizens are allowed to buy multiple properties there; foreign investors are limited, and it's not easy for a foreigner to buy property.

I bought a condo for my parents 3 years ago and the paperwork was a nightmare.
The Polish people DO want Americans, Brits, etc. investing in the country. That's why Poland joined the EU!
Did you think that all of these foreigners were going to hand over money and not get anything in return? Wake up! Communism is gone, thank goodness!!! Stop being a homophobe and learn how to reap the benefits.

It is foreign investment that is helping pay for infrastructure, new and better quality houses, etc. and I happen to know for a fact that your way of thinking is in the minority.

I was born in Poland and left with my parents for the states when I was seven years old.
We left because my parents wanted a better life and freedom to think as they wished. They also wanted to own their own home, which by the way, was next to impossible when the Commies had control.

Now with Communism gone, my parents moved back full-time and I live there part of the year. And you know what? The real estate office was delighted to see my dollars.

The Poles are a smart people and they know that the only way for Poland now is to move forward and not look back, because those were not good times back then.

I'm proud of the strides Poland has made since 1990 and it would not have been possible without foreign money backing the couragous Polish people.

That same foreign investment has made it possible for my family and other Polish citizens to live in relative comfort there.

Life / What should be done to make life in Poland better and more enjoyable? [94]

I don't know what would make the average Pole happy, but I would consider Poland a great place to live if there were policies to:

1) STOP the Vandelism
2) CONTROL the skinheads
3) have less paperwork and bureaucracy
4) institute non-paying public bathrooms
5) widen roads and add passing lanes to avoid the drunks
6) not allow alcohol in public places
7) have mandatory alcohol treatment
8) make and enforce laws for people to clean-up after their pets
9) get the church out of politics
10) provide more funds for hospitals and clinics

Life / What should be done to make life in Poland better and more enjoyable? [94]

You're wrong Matyjasz: There ARE a lot of skinheads in Poland.
I live in Gdańsk part of the year and see them on the streets vandalizing property and terrorizing people. Last winter I witnessed five of them in the back of a tram drinking and terrorizing young men that got on the tram calling them queers, etc., and throwing them off of the tram. Then one of them vomited all over the back of the tram. I was incredilous that the driver ignored the whole incident.

I was defenitely uneasy around them. Punks, spreading hate and discontent. And they are a problem!
To stay on the subject though, I did forget to mention that Poland could do a lot better with their emergency response-when all of this went down on the tram, I kept trying to call the police on my cell and got so frustrated with getting a busy signal that I just gave up and got on a different tram.

Incidents like this should not be allowed to happen. So....
11) get more people on the police switchboards

Life / Hot Spots / Internet / WiFI / Cable TV in Gdansk/Gdynia/Sopot Area? [13]

There are no cable companies that will rent service by the month that I know of. They all have contracts.
One option is:
Satellite on your PC/Live - Install&Pay Just Once Worldwide Watch TV Shows/Sports/Any Language
SatellitePcBox.com

Life / Wroclaw has too much Graffiti [8]

I agree with mafketis.
I also think graffiti to is vandelism; Polish kids seem to be bent on destroying anything and everything. Seems like lack of pride for their country and lack of respect for other's property.

Maybe it's all about new found freedom and they just don't know how to handle it.
And as for not spraying all over churches, well they're good little catholics after all.

Life / Poor people / street children in Poland? [34]

I see a few gypsy beggers-mostly children during tourist season in the old town in Gdansk on ul. Długa.
There are periodic stories on the news telling people not to give money because the kids are being exploited by gangs.
There were also gypsy families kneeling with cans at the entrances to the cemetary on the major holidays. They sure seem to know the best times to go out and practice their trade.

Poland doesn't seem to have the problem with street kids like Russia-not yet anyway.

Life / Looking for an English speaking doctor in Gdansk [3]

When my mother was in the Akademia Medyczna hospital last year, I spoke with her doctors in English since my Polish isn't very good.

Also, when I went to the local clinic, most of the doctors spoke English.
What I would suggest is either going to one of the local clinics or one of the hospitals and ask for an English speaking doctor.

The doctors that work at the clinics and the hospitals have private practices also.
I go to the clinic because a visit costs around 3-40 PLN where you would easily pay 100PLN to the same doctor in his private practice.

Good Luck
If you need more help, pm me.

History / Gdansk and it's history with Poland [116]

There's a book available called:
Beautiful Historic Gdansk ISBN 83-916078-4-4 Copyright Excalibur 2005
It's published under the auspices of the president of Gdansk and it has full history along with history of the architecture there.
I bought a copy at a local bookstore in Gdansk.
There is also a lot of this info on gdansk.com

Life / What should be done to make life in Poland better and more enjoyable? [94]

Thanks for the info Grzegorz.
I thought that if it looked like a skinhead, and acted like a skinhead, then it was a skinhead!
Had no idea about the look and act-alikes
Those punks terrorizing people on the tram that day will always have me looking over my shoulder-I don't think this could be considered a good way of life for anyone.

I think Poland would be a much more pleasant place to live if these hoodlums were dealt with.

Life / Why do a lot of Polish people stare and why is good personal hygeine shunned? [108]

Here's my 2 cents worth:
Not washing with soap and water frequently enough is not what makes people so offensive to our delicate western noses.

I think the real culprit is wearing the same sweaty clothes, especially shirts, over and over again. Bacteria from our sweat gets into the fabric and grows very rapidly, especially in hot weather. It's the same principal as yeast.

Water, electricity and detergeants are fairly cheap in the US so we do laundry at least once a week. Most Americans put a clean shirt on every day after bathing or showering; we have dryers in every home, or a laundrymat on every block, so throwing a washed shirt into the dryer and having it virtually wrinkle free is handy and westerners tend to change often; if we get sweaty, the shirt goes into the hamper.

If an easterner's shirt gets sweaty, it goes on a hanger or a clothes line to dry because Eastern Europeans don't have electric clothes dryers handy and everything, especially utilities are expensive. So even though they may bathe daily, if they put the same bacteria ridden shirt back on, well, what do you expect? No amount of deodorant will disguise the odor, just make it more offensive.

I'm not suggesting that all easterners do this, but I know for a fact that many do.

Life / Prescription Medicines - Do Polish doctors get Commission? [7]

I think you're very wise to ask if you may have been over-medicated.
Most people take all of the meds prescribed, then suffer the consequences of side effects, which can include organ damage later on: There is no such thing as a safe drug.

Finding the cause may be worthwhile since this attack came on suddenly. You may have come in contact with something that triggered the attack.
Good Luck

Life / I'm an American who lived in Poland for 6 years. I'm not welcome anymore. [169]

kitty_the_kat Yesterday, 14:35 #36

Honestly I think michaelmansun is troll

If he's even real at all... I think this may have just been a joke thread to see what kind of reaction he'd get. Perhaps some sort of social experiment? Because I really don't know anyone who would brag openly about being an illegal immigrant...even an American...especially an American. =P

I think you've hit the nail on the head kitty_the_kat!
The only thing I would add is: I don't think he's Japanese at all-what would a Japanese want with Poland ??-more likely Indian, Pakistani or Turkish.

I really don't think it's any sort of social experiment, he doesn't sound intelligent enough. I think he's hard-up for a new subject.

Life / Looking for heartburn remedies in Krakow. [36]

jump_bunny GOLD MEMBER Edited by: jump_bunny Jul 8, 09, 16:39 #5

Just go to Apteka and speak English. In case they don't understand (which would be rather strange) say: Czy może mi pani coś polecić na zgagę? Nie mówię po Polsku i ładnie pani dziś wygląda. LOL

Sorted.

Only say the last part of that sentence in Polish if you want a date!
-------------------------------------------------

Try a teaspoon of baking soda and vinegar in a small glass of water- It may not be the best tasting stuff in the world, but it's guaranteed to take care of the heartburn.

Genealogy / Polish Contract labor in Hawaii 1896 to 1899 [15]

I read Count Pawel Strzelecki's "Physical Descripiton of New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land".
This book has nothing to do with Hawaii. It's a compilation of mainly British, Dutch and French explorers mapping the geology, fossil fauna, etc. of New South Wales ( Australia )

and Van Diemen's Land ( Tasmania ).
I would say that just about all of the written 462 pages deal with mapping and colonization of Tasmania. The remainder are drawings and charts.
I have a love of anthropology, so I was interested in reading this book: The only pages that acrually deal with natives are pp.333-355, which are interesting reading.

swstout, what on earth made you think that this book was on Hawaii with a title of "Physical Descripiton of New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land". ?

I googled Polish contract labor in Hawaii 1896-1899 and got quite a bit of information.
Perhaps you should try google also?

Life / Looking for heartburn remedies in Krakow. [36]

You are mistaken Cardno85.

The bicarb works together with the vinegar.
The problem with heartburn isn't too much acid, in fact, it's not enough.
When you take prescription or over-the-counter antacids, you're disturbing the natural flora in the gut.
What causes indigestion is excess alcohol, refined sugar, processed food, white flour, etc.- all the crap we all love and crave.

Don't want heartburn in the first place? Take a teaspoon full of apple cider vinegar daily either in water, or on a veg- problem solved! You then don't have to resort to a bicarb-vinegar combo.

Life / Looking for heartburn remedies in Krakow. [36]

jihozapad, No, No, No....Use of antibiotics is intestinal suicide!

Check these links out, then decide...of cousre- if you're a med student, then you are being brain-washed by your instructors having you believe that a pharmacudical, especially an antibiotic, will cure, or even help gut troubles.

What you need is an in-depth study on Holistic Medicine and Neutrition.

My 80 year-old dad mixes a teaspoon of plain-old vinegar with a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water when he over-indulges with food/alcohol. He has never been sick a day in his life.

I have not experienced any heartburn after I began taking the apple cider vinegar 15 years ago for IBS. It works! The only thing I caution is that it be real, raw cider vinegar ( not the flavored stuff ) for optimal benefit. One of the links talks about this.

What I'm suggesting is a cure, and immediate help for simple heartburn or indigestion. A licensed Naturopath or Holistic Practitioner should be contacted for more serious issues.

Life / Looking for heartburn remedies in Krakow. [36]

jihozapad, here is my rebuttal to treating H. Pylori with antibiotics ( for you who are unfamiliar with H. Pylori- it's a nasty little bacteria that causes stomach ulcers- this is the only bacteria that can survive stomach acid ).

mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69197.cfm
sheknows.com/articles/805355.htm

There are many other studies on the research also.

I would caution all of you out there about the use of antacids- especially if you're munching on them everytime you over-indulge- OTC antacids are a drug and they will cause damage to your body with long-term use.

Life / Looking for heartburn remedies in Krakow. [36]

True...True, jihozapad- just trying to help a little...

Cheers