Posts by Qacer

Qacer

9 Jul 2007

News / Grumpy diplomacy hurts Poland [43]

Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twins who are the country's president and prime minister, are outraged that the European Union is treating Poland as a new member of a club. Of course Poland won't meet all the EU's standards (and, the Kaczynskis note, many old members break them too). But does not western Europe owe it a huge moral debt? The twins almost brought a recent EU summit to a standstill by insisting that a new treaty give smaller countries greater voting rights, rather than have such rights determined directly by population size.

economist/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9431900

Qacer

9 Jul 2007

Real Estate / How to get direction-am into Real Estate Investing [8]

There is a good show about "flipping" (buying houses, renovating them, and selling them for profit) on The Learning Channel (TLC). The show is called "Flip that House." If you don't have access to this channel in Europe, try going to The Piratebay (piratebay.org) and search for "flip that house".

Basically, the show profiles different real estate investors and follows them in the whole process of renovating the house to selling it in the end. It's quite an interesting third person perspective. You'll get to learn from other investors mistakes and other things that you need to take into account.

Qacer

9 Jul 2007

Law / Shipping port hubs in Poland? [9]

I've heard that Gdansk is a major shipping town. Is it a safe assumption that any city bordering the Baltic Sea has excellent shipping facilities?

Also, is there a website that I can go to find out about export/import laws, tariffs, etc. in Poland?

I am entertaining the idea of exporting furniture to Poland, but I haven't fully researched this market, yet. I know the Swedish Ikea brand is known in Europe, so I guess I'll have to find something different from them.

Thanks!

Qacer

15 Jul 2007

Travel / I need budgeting assistance for a vacation [10]

Dzien dobry! I will be traveling to Poland this August. I am planning my basic budget for a day's worth of necessities. I'll be visiting Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Eblag, and Frombork. Lodging will not be an issue because I will be staying with friends.

How much should I budget for food per person per day? Since I get free lodging, I figured I'd pay for my hosts meals when we go out.

For a Polish beer or a not-so fancy mixed drink, what should be the expected price range? For some places, we may go out to the bar or club for drinks.

I'm also interested in figuring out the average cost for these services:
- hair stylist / barber shop
- spa / massage
- dental cleaning / possibly wisdom teeth removal
- pedicure / manicure

I've already read about kantors for currency exchange. I plan on carrying some US dollars with me for exchange, but I suppose I'll have to withdraw the rest at the bank as to avoid carrying too much cash.

Thank you so much in advance!

Also, for other visitors, I found this nifty website:
frommers.com/articles/2599.html "VAT Chance: How to Cut Your Vacation Costs with Tax Refunds"

Qacer

16 Jul 2007

Travel / I need budgeting assistance for a vacation [10]

Dziekuje!

By the way, do I need to get temporary health insurance while in Poland? I'm not sure what the health coverage is for tourists.

Qacer

16 Jul 2007

Life / Catholic Church services in Poland [10]

Are the Catholic masses in Poland structured like the ones in America?

I've only observed Catholic masses in two countries: America and the Philippines. In the Philippines, people greet each other during the peace greeting portion by looking at each other and bowing their heads. In the US, people greet each other by shaking their hands.

Also, when I go for communion I normally say "amen" after receiving the bread. Is there a Polish word for this?

Another thing, when the "Our Father" part comes, all parishioners hold hands. In the Philippines, I remember people just sticking their hands out as if they were receiving the Holy Spirit. I wonder what parishioners do in Poland.

Lastly, what times during Sunday are mass services shorter than usual? If I had the chance here in the US, I would go as early as possible to avoid extra songs normally injected during midday services.

Thanks!

Qacer

18 Jul 2007

Life / Catholic Church services in Poland [10]

Thanks! If I don't learn any prayers in Polish any time soon, I'll just do what I do here. I'll just move my mouth without saying anything. It works every time. :)

Qacer

18 Jul 2007

Food / Are there any 24 hour establishments (stores, restaurants) in Poland? [12]

Do restaurants or stores like Denny's, Walmart, etc. exist in Poland? I would assume that in Warsaw they would have something like that, but I'm not too sure about other areas like Krakow or Gdansk.

Qacer

18 Jul 2007

Food / Are there any 24 hour establishments (stores, restaurants) in Poland? [12]

Czesce, Wroclaw! Are those stores 24 hours?

Qacer

21 Jul 2007

Love / I'm upset - you encourage foreigners to take the Polish women away [94]

This is my theory on the original poster's issue.

If you look closely in the early 80s and up till the early 90s, Poland had a very high spirits (i.e. liquor) consumption compared to certain countries in Europe. It is also describe by Moskalewicz in 1993,

"As a predominantly spirits drinking country, Poland is characterized by infrequent, but heavy, drinking with high levels of intoxication among males, leading to high rates of acute problems associated with alcohol consumption, and a lower prevalence of chronic problems."

I don't have any data regarding spousal abuse, but based on other data that I've seen, alcohol consumption had a significant affect on the rates of domestic violence cases. These episodes of domestic abuse had a traumatic effect on the wives and daughters of many men, and thus, made it more convincing to the female population in the later years that maybe marrying a foreigner would not be a bad idea -- if that will get them away from an environment laced with domestic abuse.

Just my $0.02.

Qacer

21 Jul 2007

News / There is no Muslim in Poland [116]

How did the "black genus" play into your topic title regarding Muslims in Poland? I'm utterly confused by your post. I reckon you must be drunk.

Qacer

21 Jul 2007

Life / Stereotyping in the Polish culture: Are Polish blondes really dumb? [130]

The Polish blonds that I know have degrees in Business, Neurology, etc. I can safely say that not all blond Polish girls are dumb.

Really, dumb is every where. I have a brunette friend who is kind of air-headed. One time, I was feeling jovial and told her about a dead bird while pointing my finger up in the sky. She looked up without hesitation. Common sense would tell an average person that there are no dead birds in the sky. ;-)

Qacer

23 Jul 2007

Life / Internet access via Sony Ericsson GC89 and cellphone provider [11]

Czesc! I think I may have a solution on how to maintain Internet access while I'm in Poland. I was thinking of getting a Sony Ericsson GC89 PC Card. It can accept a SIM card and connect to the Internet via a cellphone provider.

I would like to know what my options are in terms of using this PC card with a temporary SIM card. Do providers of these SIM cards allow Internet access via their network? If so, what companies' SIM card should I get?

Thanks!

Qacer

23 Jul 2007

Life / Internet access via Sony Ericsson GC89 and cellphone provider [11]

Actually, the purpose of the GC89 device is to allow your laptop to surf the Internet using your cellphone providers network. I already have a phone for use for calling. I just need a means to access the Internet while I'm outside from the populous areas.

I found a company that has prepaid services: simplus.pl. But I am not too sure about their rates for Internet access (via GPRS data transfer). They do say that their prepaid services have the Internet option.

Qacer

23 Jul 2007

Law / Shipping port hubs in Poland? [9]

Thanks for the response everyone! I didn't realize that Poland is a major furniture exporter. I will have to re-think my business plan. Currently, the Philippines and Poland has an established trade partnership. I would like to take advantage of this relationship, but I suppose I need to scour some more research data.

My ultimate plan is to establish some an international trading business using goods from Poland and the Philippines exported to the US.

Thanks!

Qacer

23 Jul 2007

Life / Internet access via Sony Ericsson GC89 and cellphone provider [11]

You can use your cell as a modem to connect to the internet. Just take a look whether your phone support gprs (which in almost cases is true) and optionally edge or umts

It's funny because I was actually thinking about this, too. I have a V195 and it says it supports GPRS, but I could never figure out how to make it work with my laptop to get Internet access.

Thanks everyone!

Here It is but seems to be damn expensive.

iplus.pl/en_offer_simdata_modem.html

Yikes! I can get a compatible modem on Ebay for less than $100. But since there is a possibility that I can use my phone as a modem, then I'll try to figure out how to do that.

Qacer

24 Jul 2007

Travel / Warsaw Etuda airport? [10]

I just read the reviews in the link provided by BubbaWoo. Is Warsaw airport really that bad? One comment stated that you should not check in any luggage; you should only have carry-on. How true is this?

I've never been to Warsaw airport. I'll be flying from Chicago to there soon. Will I expect the same experiences as the reviewers?

Well, for those who have flown from the US to Warsaw, do you have any tips as to how to make things smoother? I really don't know what to expect.

Thanks!

Qacer

11 Aug 2007

Travel / 2-week vacation in Poland - it was awesome! Culture shock interesting. [29]

I just came back from my two weeks vacation in Poland. I had such a blast that I want to go back soon. I stayed in Zakopane and near the tri-city area (Gdansk, Gydnia, Sopot).

A few things I learned:

- You have to pay to use the toilet.
- Meals are structured differently than the US (light sandwich or fresh veggies for breakfast, huge supper (late-lunch), and a light dinner).
- Polish people are CRAZY drivers especially the young ones.
- It gets chilly (21 degrees C) at the beach (Baltic) especially towards the afternoon during summer season.
- Not all Internet cafes are safe. I got a virus in my USB drive when I visited one of the cafes.
- It is tricky to find a power transfomer (US standards to European) especially in smaller towns.

A few things I really like:
- Grossly obese people are in lower numbers compared to the US.
- The FOOD! Flaczki (sp?), Blood sausage, Peirogies, warm beer, spread made of 100% fat, and all the rest!
- The awesome views! Castles, beaches, farm lands, mountains, etc.
- Overall friendly attitude.
- The beer and drinks selection!

I'm sure I left out a few other stuff, but the bottom line is that I really enjoyed my vacation. I did have trouble communicating with the older crowd because my Polish is very limited, but regardless of the barrier I got away with using primitive sign language.

Qacer

11 Aug 2007

USA, Canada / Purchasing online from Polish website while in USA [14]

Merged: Online Polish stores?

Hello! I want to send a small thank you package to some people in Poland. However, if I send a package to UPS it will cost me $200 USD. Is there an online store like an Amazon.com version for Poland?

I think it would be better for me to order it online and have it shipped locally than from across the Atlantic. I also read the other shipping threads, but some seem hesistant of shipping goods via the post office.

Dziekuje!

Qacer

12 Aug 2007

Food / Are there any 24 hour establishments (stores, restaurants) in Poland? [12]

Usually when a shop has 24hr written on the door it means it closes at midnight / 24:00

Haha. Your post just made me realize that all the skleps and zajads that I saw with a 24H marking were not really open 24 hours. I was telling my friends that I saw a little store on my way to Gdansk that was open 24 hours. I told them that I was very impressed to see a little store located in the middle of nowhere that was open for 24 hours.

Qacer

12 Aug 2007

USA, Canada / Purchasing online from Polish website while in USA [14]

Thanks! I was thinking more of a flower shop or a place that delivered packaged goods like a cheese and wine set. But the sites will surely be helpful to me in the future.

Qacer

12 Aug 2007

Life / Internet access via Sony Ericsson GC89 and cellphone provider [11]

I tried an Internet connection via bluetooth thru a Nokia handset. It was extremely slow for my needs. It was only good for checking email and not for sending documents that were over 500kB in size.

Also, I am not trusting checking my email or connecting anything thru one of the Internet cafe computers. I used my USB thumb drive to send pictures. When I got home and connected the USB drive to my laptop, it detected a trojan horse / virus. Tsk. I hope they weren't able to grab something from my email before I was able to change my password.

Qacer

12 Aug 2007

Travel / Warsaw Etuda airport? [10]

I haven't been to many international airports. However, I've had my fair share of being in domestic airports in the US. From my perspective, Warsaw's airport was not as bad as described. Although the lines were somewhat disorganized, it didn't compare to the extremely exaggerated picture that I had in mind. I was able to get to my gate in less than 1 hour and the restrooms were abundant and clean.

Qacer

13 Aug 2007

Love / The sounds of Polish porn [74]

I'm sorry if anyone will be offended with this posting.

On my recent trip to Poland, I noticed that late night TV channels show naked women. I found this surprising because I never see nudity on public TV in the US and the fact that Poland is mainly Catholic, the church would have thrown a fit already.

It makes me wonder. In the US, porn actresses are normally depicted as screaming "YES" multiple times while being rammed. Do Polish porn actresses scream "TAK" multiple times as well?

If that were true, for non-Polish speakers, I would imagine it as sounding like cackling hens.

Qacer

13 Aug 2007

Language / Things Polish people who speak English language say [180]

Try getting some non-English speaker to say the following: hippopotamus.

Listen to the pronunciation m-w.com/dictionary/hippopotamus.

I've tried it with my Filipino and Polish friends. The first try is always tricky. :-)

Qacer

13 Aug 2007

Love / The sounds of Polish porn [74]

hmm, this must be quite a funky experience, for a Norwegian guy makin love to a Polish girl who keeps on thanking him, loudly :)

Hahaha.. That's if a Polish girl would actually scream "Tak" multiple times. I don't know the answer to that, yet.

Qacer

13 Aug 2007

Love / The sounds of Polish porn [74]

I forgot that Poland is 6 hours ahead of Florida. Isn't it the case that the amount of nudity on TV increases proportionally the later the night gets? If so, some of you must be watching those shows. ;-) You guys are funny.

Qacer

19 Aug 2007

Food / Pozdravy - What kind of food is this? [11]

I think that's the name of it according to the picture's comments. What's in it? I've never had this before. It seems Polish.

Qacer

20 Aug 2007

Food / Pozdravy - What kind of food is this? [11]

That thing is making me really hungry right now. It does remind me of siopao, a Filipino delicacy stuffed with meat, but without the sauce. I think I'll attempt to make the dish in the picture above once I find a recipe online.

Qacer

20 Aug 2007

Law / Setting up an internet gaming cafe in Poland [9]

Are video games popular in Poland? If so, do most prefer console-based or PC-based gaming?

While on vacation there, I tried finding a power adapter for my Nintendo DS. None of the stores I visited in the Zakopane and Tri-City areas had any. I did see some Xbox and Playstations, but didn't see anyone browsing the game aisles.