Life / Please recommend pre-paid sim card that will work in Poland and Germany. [11]

cant remember how much for the sim card but you buy that seperate, i meant buy higher top ups and get more freebies.

as for cost i am not sure what it is now, at least with polish sim card you dont get charged for incoming calls (whilst in poland). i used to spend 300-400zl a month on calls but that was to various countries.

Life / Please recommend pre-paid sim card that will work in Poland and Germany. [11]

i have era TAKTAK buy top up cards everywhere, buy 100zl cards and get free sms etc works in germany as well, some kiosks you hand over money and they give you reciept which you dial into the phone and tops up that way.

no problem buying pay as you go sim card in poland,

Law / How do I get Permanent Residency in Poland? (Required for mortgage). [10]

i am not sure why you have to have permanent res. for mortgage, i got, once i filled out pages and pages of information filled out a credit check from uk and the polish bank wbk gave me the money. the problem i had was i was building a house they couldnt/wouldnt believe i only needed to borrow 1/2 of the build. they came at each stage took photos and then released the money in stages to suit that point, i also had to have the banks assessor who came and valued land etc. for buying property outright should be easier. 1 thing though the interest rates (although have dropped) went high.

check with a selection of banks, if you live in non major city they will have to get permission from pozan or such like which is a pain waiting for answers or decisions. in my bank i think i was there first foreign person to do this,

News / What did Poland get out of the wars and struggles for others? [1108]

hindsight is a great thing,,,

same as he said,, she said,,, we said,,,

as i wrote earlier history is written by the winners, truth is always twisted, which ever country you come from will have its own take on history,

i am sure noone could comprend in the 1940's what the outcome and consequences would be,,,

all we can do is learn from from the mistakes in the past and hope it never happens again, it doesnt matter which country you come from unless you believe in unity and peace it brings shame on all the people who fought and gave their lives so that a forum like this could exist,,,

i wish i could ask my grandfather some questions regarding this, or even my wifes grandfather, but i think some of self opionionated bullshit written here would have sickened them both,,,

Life / A trip to a Polish supermarket [136]

but,,,

i thought men dont carry loose change, i dont, took me ages to find a wife with a big enough hand bag :)

but on the odd occasion i ever did i was quite lazy and held my hand out with change and the staff took what was neccesary...

News / What did Poland get out of the wars and struggles for others? [1108]

i have tried to read as much as possible on this thread,,,

to add a 'one persons view'

my wifes grandfather said the russians were 10 times worse than the germans??

also the problem with Wałęsa (again 3rd party story) was that when he went into power he handed land etc to his family and friends enabling them all to get rich

these are 2 stories i heard whilst living in poland but to get back to the original thread i have only read one book on polish history 'Rising '44: The Battle for Warsaw' pretty harrowing reading. so my views are basic.

to much time is spent dwelling on the past instead of learning for the future, any war is wrong but history is generally written by the winners,,,,

UK, Ireland / WHY DO POLISH PEOPLE THAT COME TO ENGLAND CAN'T SPEAK ENGLISH? [118]

the biggest problem the polish people had from their 'english' lessons previously was it was learned from books the teachers themselves could not actually speak it and from what i have been told they were also told that if they couldnt speak it properly then theyd be laughed at, this certainly did not help them also they never encountered a true english speaking person,

where i lived the 2nd language was german because of tourism, when ever i went into a shop (and sometimes still happens) somebody would be dragged forward to try and speak to me in german, my german is worse than my polish and that is no mean feat!

my wife used to teach kids english i went a couple of times to speak and answer questions the next generation will have the ability to speak both languages something their parents never had the chance to

further west from me Sczcien had loads of english speakers, gdansk the same it depends on the area.

as has been mentioned a lot of 'tradesmen' have travelled to britain and where ever in the world these people are less likely to be bilingual now before shooting me down, that is my trade also (electrician).

when ever there is a large influx of people they generally stick together the brits do it, so on and so on. i have heard some polish say that in uk they do not have to learn english as everything is in polish (or a great deal), certainly the polish government could learn a thing or 2 about that.

english is the universal language it does make some people lazy i for one hold my hands up for that, its all relative many of the poles probably wont speak proper english i have a few mates from my home town who could have the same said about them!!

Life / Deadly Roads - "Are polish roads really THAT dangerous?" [139]


Poland is nothing compared to China or India, not even on the same page. lived and worked in china for 3 years i seen more people killed than i ever want to see again. been to india for work again no comparison, italy mental drivers my god have you ever driven in paris??

Life / A trip to a Polish supermarket [136]

ha ha must admit never seen anything like that, when i was single i would have bought it in a flash, now id get a slapped ear for glancing at it, sure it was supposed to be oct 2008.

i used to buy fresh bread and rolls every morning sweet heaven but then i just had to walk downstairs to the shops, now not so easy,

Life / A trip to a Polish supermarket [136]

i feel cheated , never had such a lousy experience, yes in some of the supermarket chains the vegetables leave a lot to be desired but there are som many fresh vegetable kiosks that doesnt bother me, my wifes family seem to pick a shop because it has best meat/bread for certain time then after few months its a different one, bread bought in local baker gorgeous fresh like france has to be eaten in a day, not like uk which will last 9 days with all preservatives, queues are good and sometimes when feeling really evil i like to let somebody before me when i have laden trolley, causes no end of confusion.

2002 i shopped on my own not with a trolley but using the stores pallet truck to buy drink for my wedding i think my wife and family thought it would be a good test of a) my patience b) my resoursfulness. thankfully i passed ... just!

customer service? am i only the only one to remember spar or coop i dont remember anybody who smiles much when working at the till where ever they may be.

just smile and be friendly its worth it for the confusion it causes , although they probably think british w**ker.... :)

Life / Deadly Roads - "Are polish roads really THAT dangerous?" [139]

stopping at a zebra crossing is a no no,,, the car behind you will overtake you almost every time,,,

i dont actually think polish drivers are that bad yes they will not let you out of a junction unless you force your way out, yes you can be overtaking a car whilst somebody overtakes the car coming the other way but the roads (in the north) are much wider than most places,,

i wrote else where

1/2 polish drivers are suicidal other 1/2 or homocidal

remember that and no problem

i have driven in china it is 1000 times worse than poland, singapore oh my god , any asian country in fact especially if they believe in reincarnation,,,

1 last point poland drink allowances is a hell of a lot less than uk ,, unless i am mistaken 1 drink would probably put you over the limit.

Love / Are (most) Polish unmarried people virgins? [60]

personnally,,

would you buy a car without a test drive first? both male or female,,, most of the people i know unmarried are in a relationship ,,, no sex before marriage is an out dated train of thought,,, some may still believe in it and good on them but i bet % wise it aint a lot,,

it would drive me nuts :)

Love / Are you in a Polish-nonPolish relationship? [150]

Ricky if you are over the age of 16 thats almost called stalking,,,,

the grass is always greener on the other side if you come from uk you find women from other areas more attractive as it something new, something exciting, i married polish girl not because she was polish but because she was my half, i always say i married her because her english was poor so less arguements (1/2 joking).

few years ago north of poland it was very unlikely to see an over weight woman under the age of 40 , the men in poland generally take better care of themselves and are heavily into keep fit

the problem mainly with uk from looking back was you lived for the weekend drank to get drunk be you male or female, try walking up union street (aberdeen, scotland) on a saturday night without somebody trying to pick a fight or throwing up on your shoes, something in 7 years Poland i have never seen.

polish family values from my experience are very much higher you see familys together and my wife does more for my family than i would ever bother.

one last point was when we married my wifes friends could not understand why she wanted to stay in poland, we could have left, her reasoning was Poland was her home and she didnt want to leave, for me it was hard at first as it was a huge culture shock but the place grew on me. i love the spring and summer you can keep the winter. at the moment we live in asia but we still have a home in poland because it is where my heart is not uk.

News / The most useless things in Poland [140]

it becuase the sockets in poland have the stupid little clips, but on some it is possible to screw the socket as well into the backing box,

as with all countries workmanship can be hit or miss, i built house it drove me nuts the difference between uk and poland (i used to be sparky uk) plastic conduit (pipe) along wood and nothing when plastered over, loads of photos taken to show all cables pipes for later.

try asia where wires hang out of the walls, even singapore the electrics are shocking excuse the pun,

to get back to the thread useless things in poland

dog mess bins... nobody uses

zebra crossings... stop at one and the person behind you will overtake you

moaning expats who complain it aint like home!

:)

Polonia / Polish working in Singapore [5]

i am in singapore with polish wife who is on a dependant pass, we havent met any polish here, apart from passing through marine crew. The actual starting wage for a working visa for an expat is very low something like S$1800 min a month, the advisors at MOM are usually very helpful, we have people here who have a job and their partner gets a dependant pass all organised through the company, its slightly more drawn out but easily doable without marriage.

sorry havent really answered your question but phone MOM direct, it may be easier to get here look for a job then change visa,

good luck