lola782
24 Sep 2008
UK, Ireland / "Angry swan eater" - The British media view of Polish immigrants? [63]
I am not a pole. . .I am worse. . .I am from Yugoslavia and slightly Albanian. I have been in the UK for 14 years.
First of all a lot of Brits really do just read the Sun Newspaper which although charming is rather lacking in real evidence based news.
Secondly many Brits lack a hinterland.
It is hard but, try to make British friends it makes all the difference. Also do not be afraid of being honest about bits of your culture are different eg. .where i am from knives and violence was used as a means of resolving disputes. I work in a busy A&E, so when co-workers are rude to me I instantly think to myself, how much damage could i do to this person! Not healthy but effective!
As for the SWANS. . . . do not be afraid to point out that although you have never eaten a swan, you have seen ANIMAL HOSPITAL and that it looked very hard to catch them and that the people form the RSPCA seemed to need a team of people to do this. . .then ask the Brit in question if they have ever seen a group of (insert ethnic origin) chasing swans in their area? The Brits are not afraid to be confronted on their own ignorance.
And finally, if you live in an area where lots of Poles settled after 1945, Bristol, Nottingham, Sheffield, London, Southampton, Most Northern towns etc. Do not be afraid to ask to join the local polish community club, they frequently have social clubs, although these people are poles who have not lived in Poland for 50+ years they will remember how hard the transition was and may provide an introduction into life into the UK. I spent the first 6 years in the UK only mixing with other Eastern Europeans and my life changed when I made English friends. I am now assumed to be a Londoner from my accent. Yet i still amintain my cultural identity.
As for the media, never give up reading the Mail/Sun as you need to know what the enemy is thinking.
Also when I arrived Kosovan's were satan's spawn, give it 18 months and it will be someone else's turn and never forget how a group of Romanians/Moldovans or Russians would be treated if they arrived in Poland, not speaking the language and understanding the cultural nuances of Poland.
Lola
I am not a pole. . .I am worse. . .I am from Yugoslavia and slightly Albanian. I have been in the UK for 14 years.
First of all a lot of Brits really do just read the Sun Newspaper which although charming is rather lacking in real evidence based news.
Secondly many Brits lack a hinterland.
It is hard but, try to make British friends it makes all the difference. Also do not be afraid of being honest about bits of your culture are different eg. .where i am from knives and violence was used as a means of resolving disputes. I work in a busy A&E, so when co-workers are rude to me I instantly think to myself, how much damage could i do to this person! Not healthy but effective!
As for the SWANS. . . . do not be afraid to point out that although you have never eaten a swan, you have seen ANIMAL HOSPITAL and that it looked very hard to catch them and that the people form the RSPCA seemed to need a team of people to do this. . .then ask the Brit in question if they have ever seen a group of (insert ethnic origin) chasing swans in their area? The Brits are not afraid to be confronted on their own ignorance.
And finally, if you live in an area where lots of Poles settled after 1945, Bristol, Nottingham, Sheffield, London, Southampton, Most Northern towns etc. Do not be afraid to ask to join the local polish community club, they frequently have social clubs, although these people are poles who have not lived in Poland for 50+ years they will remember how hard the transition was and may provide an introduction into life into the UK. I spent the first 6 years in the UK only mixing with other Eastern Europeans and my life changed when I made English friends. I am now assumed to be a Londoner from my accent. Yet i still amintain my cultural identity.
As for the media, never give up reading the Mail/Sun as you need to know what the enemy is thinking.
Also when I arrived Kosovan's were satan's spawn, give it 18 months and it will be someone else's turn and never forget how a group of Romanians/Moldovans or Russians would be treated if they arrived in Poland, not speaking the language and understanding the cultural nuances of Poland.
Lola