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Posts by stevepl  

Joined: 8 Dec 2009 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 27 Feb 2010
Threads: Total: 2 / In This Archive: 1
Posts: Total: 49 / In This Archive: 12 		From: Poland
Speaks Polish?: Almost

Displayed posts: 13
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stevepl   
8 Dec 2009
UK, Ireland / Poland vs. UK - how the manners differ [48]

Definitely the shop assistants here are terrible. They seem to take particular delight if they can reply 'nie ma'.
In the UK it would be pretty standard to say they were sorry they were out of stock and offer an alternative or let you know when it would be available.

Apart from that I find people much more polite here, but then again politeness and formality are still part of the language here.
stevepl   
8 Dec 2009
UK, Ireland / Poland vs. UK - how the manners differ [48]

That's true enough. Prosze Pana ... Is usualy delivered in the most condescending tone possible when someone is just about to tell you why they think they're right and your wrong.
stevepl   
8 Dec 2009
Language / Not sure if I will be able to speak Polish [53]

Learning to pronounce most polish words or to read aloud polish texts isn't that hard to master ( a few months of practise ). But that's a long way from actually learning the language.

It is very difficult, I think it's even more difficult for english people who haven't learnt any other foreign languages. English people generaly have no sense of cases or declination.

One of the best ways of learning is to put yourself into situations where you are forced to try.
I was learning polish on and off for 3 years. Then I started working for a polish company where almost no one else speaks english. That improved my abilities very quickly.

If you are just starting out though I would recommend some structured approach, otherwise you can end up in the same situation as I'm in. You understand almost everything, you can hold a sensible conversation but you are virtually illiterate. (of course I could write something but I'm so ashamed of my grammar and spelling in polish, that I avoid it at all costs).
stevepl   
10 Dec 2009
Life / Consider going back to Poland? [90]

I've been living in Poland for ten years now. I have a Polish wife and a young son. So I consider Poland my home at the moment. I really don't miss England very much ( apart from the lake district and the yorkshire dales, I was once a keen walker / climber / caver ).

Things aren't easy here but I've always had the impression that it can only get better. When I was in the UK I always had the impression that it was going to get worse.

The huge decline in UK industry, consumerism gone mad, and the glorification of the service / financial sector being my biggest gripes.

The only sad thing is, that I can see the same **** begining to happen over here. (In most small towns a huge amount of the commercial properties in the town squares have been taken over by banks etc). Crazy increases in property prices and the lambs being led to the slaughter of 'releasing the equity in their property '
stevepl   
10 Dec 2009
Life / Share your Polish Christmas experiences. [20]

Christmas eve (wigilia)
for me this is terrible, I like most polish food but unfortunately I don't like
Beetroot soup (barszcz czerwony)
Pickled herrings (śledż)
Pierogi (don't know the english translation)
Carp

So for me this is one night when I usually go very hungry.

Maybe there is one more thing I miss about the UK! Christmas eve in the pub, rolling home **** faced , downing 'Santa's glass of sherry, half his mince pie, and unfortunately a few bites at rudolph's carrot. Followed by the kids diving into the bedroom at 05:00 screaming that ' he's been', whilst your suffering the mother of all hangovers.

On Christmas day we usually do the English bit with the turkey etc. Which is just as well as I'm starving from the night before.
stevepl   
14 Dec 2009
UK, Ireland / Applying for Polish citizenship; problem with old style UK birth certificates [7]

I'm in the process of applying for RP citizenship.
One of the qualifying tasks is to get your birth registerd in Poland at the local USC.
I was married in Poland several years ago and as part of that process my birth certificate was presented to the USC and after checking with them they agree that they have an original copy of my birth certificate but as the nice lady explained, she couldn't use that copy and I would have to present a new one (no older than three months of course).

So I obtained a fresh copy from the UK, had it translated by a sworn translator (40 PLN, very reasonable I think). Next stop the USC, filled in the forms paid my money and thought that's that.

Next day I get a phone call asking me to go to the USC, the lady wouldn't explain over the phone what the problem was. So off to the USC where the nice lady explained that my birth certificate was unacceptable. I explained that they already accepted it for marriage but she explained that they wouldn't accept it to register my birth here.

The reson being is that on the older style certificates there is no field for the surname of the child. There is only a column stating name (if any) refering of cource to the first name(s) of the child. I explained that this is how UK birth certificates are.

Then the nice lady, with a flourish and a proszę panna, produced a UK certificate in 'portrait' format not 'landscape' like mine, which indeed does have the surname of the child. I explained to the nice lady that this is how my childrens birth certificates are but old farts like me have the older type. She then told me that they had certificates like this from even old people (I hate to think how old that makes me if 'older people' have the new type of certificate).

She then explained that these other types of certificates were obviously trancripts whereas mine was just some kind of scan of the original. I explained that even if I got a transcript it would only be a handwritten copy of the same sort of landscape certificate with exactly the same details on it. So in the certain knowledge that she understands the UK system better than me refunded my money returned my certificate and told me to come back with the proper one and a fresh translation.

One quick phone call to the Register office in the UK and it transpires that on the 1st April 1969 the UK system was changed. Before that date there was no surname of the child. It's also not possible to get anything from them other than a copy of the original or a transcript of the original in the same format.

I rang the British Embassy in Warsaw where another nice lady asked why the hell I was ringing them and what did I think they could do about it. She then went on to explain that I should just ask the registrar in the UK to sort of 'add' the extra information on the certificate. (not an option I'd already asked them).

So a quick phone call to the nice lady at the local USC to explain the problem. All credit to her, she'd already checked with the British Embassy and was aware of the change in 1969 but she still couldn't accept my certificate. After some discussion she agreed that if I obtained an official letter from the UK registrar explaining the change and how a surname of a child was assumed to be that of the parents, then maybe (with a sworn translation of the letter) she could accept this.

So any old farts out there be warned.
stevepl   
14 Dec 2009
UK, Ireland / Applying for Polish citizenship; problem with old style UK birth certificates [7]

I wouldn't be surprised if she was just being awkward for the sake of awkward - or even more specifically, she'd never seen it before.

Funily enough, I didn't get that impression (and I often do). I think the problem stems from the fact that she can only enter information as stated on the certificate, I think it's part of their remit, the same as the UK registrar can't add any information that's not on the original. He wrote an explanation without any problem so he wasn't being awkward as the letter was more work for him (I have a very short surname).

The lady at the USC also said they sometimes have problems when they have to enter older Polish birth details on to the new system but for this there are at least established procedures.

Another interesting detail is that on the polish certificate there are also entries for the mother and fathers place of birth and dates of birth which are not on the UK certificates. She suggested I produce their UK marriage certificate but those details aren't on that either (shoddy brits). You would have to produce the marriage certificate and their birth certificates ( copies not older than three months and with sworn translations). I think she must be on a kick-back from the UK registry office.

This information doesn't have to be on the certificate, it's just that I'll probably appear to be what my wife already thinks (a complete bękart).
stevepl   
17 Dec 2009
Work / Job Opportunity for Non Polish speakers in Warsaw [27]

Try reading everything on the page dingbat

The pool of workers who qualify as resident workers. A resident worker is a person who is a national of the European Economic Area (EEA) or is legally settled in the United Kingdom with permission to work here.

You can't empoy anyone outside the EEA until 28 days have passed.

I know this is the case because I can read and understand what I've read.

This is obviously a move to protect european jobs for all the european workers who are entitled to apply for them first.
stevepl   
19 Dec 2009
UK, Ireland / Its strange that there arent many Poles who live in the UK on this Forum [102]

posting on a Polish language thing called britishforum.co.uk

Probably complaining about British shopkeepers psyching them out by being friendly and helpful!

If you are bored in Wrocław, don't try Gliwice. Definitely don't try Skierniewice (I heard a rumor that once they had a bar here).
stevepl   
30 Dec 2009
Law / New ID 'card' in Poland [19]

I've been through the same crap for over ten years. It's a lottery when you are dealing with banks etc. Had the situation where my wife had to take the mortgage in her name and with worse terms because they wouldn't take my income into account (because I could return to the UK at any moment).

I thought it would improve once we joined the EU but to be honest It's not much better.
I was already eligible for a 'karta stałego pobytu' when we joined the EU only to be told that these didn't exist any longer for citizens of EU countries (I was re-applying only a few months after we joined the EU). The next year I was applying for a loan only to be told by the bank that 'stałego pobytu' was needed and of course seeing that in the meantime they'd changed the rules I had problems once again.

I've given up and am in the process of applying for citizenship (of course I have to apply for stałego pobytu first).
Just one more thing, I was once pulled for speeding on one of the major routes 'Poznanska' and even though I have a polish driving license and had been living here for over 6 years. The police officer insisted on payment of the fine immediately because I didn't have permanent residency in Poland. I didn't have any money with me and he told me that the regulations were that anyone not zameldowania na pobyt stałego had to pay or be detained until the payment was made (luckily enough my passenger had some cash). He radioed through to his controller to check but they confirmed that he was correct. They new all my details as well. I went to the town hall later and persuaded them to give me 'poświadczenie zameldowania na pobytu stałego' but again without 'karta stałego pobytu' it was a struggle.

I've been pulled by the local police a couple of times and just got a ticket that can be payed later (before I changed my residency status). What the actual laws are concerning this I don't know. But be warned!