Language / Dlaczego/Czemu - What is what? [22]


That's right, the meaning is the same and one is more formal. "Czemu" is considered a bit rude, an evidence of lack of manners. Well bred ladies / gentlemen do not ask "czemu?" or "co?", they use "dlaczego" and "proszę? / słucham?" instead :]

History / WW1 poetry in Poland [8]


Why? They were soldiers after all and got their own kind of poetry reflecting the spirit of the times and specific circumstances. If you try to compare German and Polish poetry of that time you have to keep in mind that theatre of war did not reach too far East and Poland was to a large extent excluded from it; that people's lives were influenced in different ways (for example draft procedures were different); that soldiers and recruits came from various backgrounds and waged their small wars in dramatically different circumstances.

I would say that you won't get much stuff resembling Owen's style till WWII, when war really hit Poland and left its stamp on everyone.

Life / What is the best Polish book ever written. [23]

Kodeks Boziewicza

and, close second: Trędowata

News / Peculiar opinions about Poland [33]


Because it shapes neurons nicely :D

And, seriously, as far as I know you can get pretty extensive economics courses as well in most schools.
But pure maths, especially in part relating to logic, is truly invaluable. Haven't you seen people who undoubtely lack any education in this matter? People who cannot comprehend the idea of logical implication? Maths is an entirely symbolical language, you can't get a better exercise for the brain (quantum physics, maybe, but it also requires a good mathematical base). What's more, maths also explains the language processes nicely (generative / transformational grammar relies on some nice symbolical equations). Great tool, nowadays more useful than opposite thumbs.

News / Peculiar opinions about Poland [33]

Well, I prefer tomato soup to minestrone.
Still, I think that Polish schools tend to feed students with useless dates, facts and names, geography lessons as I remember them being the best example. Biology was not very far away from this syndrome (I can still entertain people by naming 12 nervi craniales and meiosis phases, usually they seem to think it's really funny that someone can do it - and it actually is an utterly funny nonsense, comparable to being able to move your ears or one eyebrow only). It does not teach you any kind of logical thinking and does not allow you to see things in wider perspective either.

As far as "intelectual communism" and "two boys loving each other" arguments are considered - putting this into this discussion assures me that your logic has been shaped by geography lessons.

News / Peculiar opinions about Poland [33]


I must be really old.
Never heard of subject like this taught in schools. Never heard of logical functions on geography lessons either.

News / Peculiar opinions about Poland [33]


Don't you think that maths is slightly different than some crossword puzzle geography knowledge? Math can shape the neuron connections, I agree on that. Memorising random stuff in excessive amounts rather distorts and misleads them.

News / Peculiar opinions about Poland [33]


Do not underestimate the power of all these shitty American movies; you have exported all these names and popularised them all over the world. Oh, yes, and I do not forget about the massive impact of Cody's circus tricks on the world history :D


Have you ever watched Friends? I really recommend the episode when 6 proud, well educated, mostly WASP, American citizens cannot name all the states forming their own country. Yes, knowing all states surely determines the value of one's education... I would say the probability of finding a person knowing all this bullshit like "all capital cities of the world" / "all US states" / "all active volcanoes over the world" / "steel / potato / oil production per capita in Asian countries" is much higher in Polish schools. The teachers quite often tend to act as if there were no encyclopedias / guides / internet.

Food / MIÓD PITNY = MEAD / dwojniak - trojniak [13]

Also, the more honey you add (półtorak is the best one, 2 parts of honey and one of water) the longer the barrells / bottles need to mature, up to 8-10 years. The strength is rather similar to all of them - around 10%.

News / WHARTON AND COELHO IN POLAND? [10]

I read it. I read everything, including shampoo labels in bathroom and jam labels in kitchen :D I think it might be quite good for 13-year-olds - simple, not too long (60-90 minutes of reading? I wouldn't say it's much longer), positive (which is interesting having in mind all the gloomy 19th century Polish novels read in school). And it's one of the books kids really like (beside Harry Potter and Eragorn of course).

As far as the lists are considered there are so many of them that almost every teacher can choose something to his taste. All the changes (so called "reforms") messsed with the eductaional system so badly that no one knows what should be taught and if there is any standard at all. All the hope lies with the teachers...

News / WHARTON AND COELHO IN POLAND? [10]


My mistake. It's not high school, it's gimnazjum. I keep thinking my sisters are older than they actually are :)

bel-gim-3.strefa.pl/Bibliot-strona1/lektury/lektury.htm

News / WHARTON AND COELHO IN POLAND? [10]

Coelho's (and Wharton's as well) books are generally considered a good thing to read while you are waiting for your doctor / dentist appointment. Easy, simple, the appropriate Polish word would be "łopatologiczne" - extremely unpretentious. If I tried to compare that to anything it would be Barbara Cartland / Danielle Steel, Robert Ludlum or Graham Masterton - everyone read that on some stage but no one is going to admit this.

Coelho's Alchemist used to be one of the compulsory books read by high schoool pupils in Poland. Shame.

Language / Ponieważ and "bo wcześniej " [11]


It is, even with native Polish speakers.
I think the only one more popular would be "także" (=also) written as "tak, że".

Language / Ponieważ and "bo wcześniej " [11]


It's actually "zróbże". You cannot split that.

Love / Ring Size - Polish - British conversion [8]

size conversion chart
wec.com.pl/e4u.php/1,ModPages/ShowPopup/60

Size 10 is K. Known from own experience.

Language / What exactly all these grammatical terms mean! - feeling frustrated [19]

cukiereczku = (my) candy
słodki = sweet

News / another proof that Poland is a confessional state [18]


Priests?
There are not enough of them in Poland.
Usually they will be terribly undereducated poor men and women who will be totally ridiculed by everyone in the class. As they already are. Bullied or ignored. Even by 10y.o.

Have you been in Polish school recently? The only thing you should be worried about the moral / ethic / religious education is the lack of any.

Life / What is kolęda? [11]

Not until very last family is visited. It is supposed to end before Candlemas.

cjjc: basically the priest, together with 2-3 altar boys and sometimes some other helper (vicar, organist etc.) is supposed to visit every household in his parish every year.

As not everyone is keen to experience such visit the procedure might differ: some parishes require you to put your name in advance on the list of people who want to welcome kolęda visit (especially in large cities where in general it is expected that there may be many reluctant residents). Sometimes the priest just rings the bell - and if noone answers he proceeds to the next door / house. Again, in general, if there is K+M+B mark on the door it is generally assumed that you are catholic and you would like to see the priest.

If the parish is quite large there may be a few different priests visiting the households. It also looks different in the cities (there are many people to visit in relatively short time and they live close to each other) and the country (there might be fewer people and they are scattered on larger area - remember that the winters in Poland can be quite harsh and travelling between farms is not particularly enjoyable. That also means that the priest will probably enjoy a vodka short once he arrives :D ).

In general it's all about small talk, maybe small cross-examination of the little children on how well they do with their religious education, blessing for the house and the family members (they should get the holy water in advance from the church) and last but not least - an envelope with money contribution. As this is split later on it comes as no suprise that assisting the priest during kolęda is one of the greatest priviledges for altar boys and matter of tough competition between them :)

Also, at the end of the week the priest sometimes stays a bit longer in the last household he visits, has a dinner there etc. and this dinner might be attended not only by the family members, but their friends and neighbours as well.

Life / What is kolęda? [11]

Generally between 1st Jan and 2nd Feb, schedule is being announced every year so that every household know when to expect the Spanish Inquisition :D

Life / What is kolęda? [11]

Kolęda - Christmas carol.
Also: annual visit of the priest from your parish.
Also: Polish version of Halloween trick-or-treat game, but the costumes are different.

Which one do you mean?

Life / Illegal drugs enjoyed by many of the young male Poles. Availability? [24]


There is a movie about Ryszard Riedel "Skazany na bluesa". Speaks more than a thousand words.
Amphetamine and opium poppy have always been quite popular, that hasn't changed much. And people have always been resourceful, everything based on Trichloroethylene could have been used for getting high (every single Polish person has heard about Butapren glue).

...and 30 zł is waaay too much, especially in large cities like Kraków, Warsaw or Wrocław.

Language / Verb patterns 'BYC' [29]


I drive to Warsaw twice a week (regular basis).
Sometimes, but not very often, it's used for sth you do right now and I would assume that if you use "jeżdżę" you have no particular purpose / reason / destination and you are just driving around.


That's either:
1. "ja jadę teraz" - right now I'm in my car on my way to Warsaw (or train, bus etc)
2. "ja jadę jutro / w niedzielę" - in the future, but once only. I'm going to Warsaw tomorrow / on Sunday.


Starting from the easiest one:
Pójdę - future. Again, only once - I will go for a long walk this evening (not something you usually do).
"Pójdę sobie" may mean "I will go away".

Idę:
1. "ja idę teraz" - At the moment I'm in the park walking.
2. Future, happening again only once: "Ja idę odwiedzić ciocię w ten weekend" - I will go and visit my aunt this weekend.

And "chodzę"....
1. Right now, at the moment: I cannot sleep so I keep walking in my room.
2. On regular basis - "ja chodzę do pracy / szkoły / na jogę" - but it's not exactly the same meaning. Instead of "walking" it's rather "attending".

3. Also: standard regular basis - I go for a walk every morning / Ja chodzę na spacer co rano.

Life / Kashubia, Kashebe and Kashubians. . . [23]


Juniper, to be precise. And you absolutely rock if you wake up early enough to slap bare feet of sleeping family members with juniper birches :D


Try this:
csb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prz%C3%A9dn%C3%B4_starna

Znóny lëdze pòchôdający z Kaszëbsczi (w dzysdniowëch greńcach), abò z nią zrzeszony

* Günter Grass - runita
* Gerard Labuda - dzejownik
* Czesław Lang - kòłownik
* Paul Nipkow - wënalôzôrz
* Janusz Reiter - diplomata
* Danuta Stenka - aktorka
* Donald Tusk - pòlitikôrz
* Edmund Wnuk-Lipiński - socjologa
* Andrzej Wroński - bartkòwnik
* Rafał Mohr - aktór
* Józef Rogala Wybicki - ùsôdzca słowów "Mazurka Dąbrowskiego" (pòlsczégò nôrodnégò himna)

* Andrzej Lepper - pòlitikôrz
* Ryszard Krauze - biznesman
* Marta Żmuda-Trzebiatowska - aktorka
* Maciej Miecznikowski - spiewôk
* Roman Paszke - żéglôrz
* Jarosław Sellin - pòlitikôrz
* Sylwia Gruchała - florecëstka
* Klemens Bronk - pòlitikôrz, zakłôdôrz TOW Gryf Kaszubski /Gryf Pomorski
* Andrzej Bronk - filozófa z KUL
* Thomas Kantzow - runita, dzejopisôrz

Language / How do people mispronounce your Polish names? [60]


My Kaszëbsczi (Kashubian) name with distorted German phonetic spelling is being butchered equally bad by both English and Polish speaking people :D

Genealogy / How can I find a phone listing of a friend from Warsaw? [11]

You may try here: ksiazka-telefoniczna.com

(3 fields to the right are: city, street and name)

Or here: pkt.pl - for companies / business numbers

And yes, of course there are hard copies of phone books and yellow pages (usually called "Panorama firm") :|

Travel / My trip to Poland - I hated Katowice, loved Krakow, and adored Bielsko [59]

...jeeeezz... Now, that's what I call ugly :D

Travel / My trip to Poland - I hated Katowice, loved Krakow, and adored Bielsko [59]


It is IN Krakow.
Take the tram no. 18, 19 or 22, get off on Kapelanka (near the UFO-like bank building), go down Twardowskiego St (5 minutes walk). Enjoy.

USA, Canada / FIRST POL-AM CATHOLIC (?) PRIESTESS [72]

Every time I try to explain that I hear: Oh, you mean Matrix? :)

There is a thing called language competency and I definitely lack this when it comes to philosophy in English. Fortunately wikipedia can help me out: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solipsism

USA, Canada / FIRST POL-AM CATHOLIC (?) PRIESTESS [72]

I don't believe in Thor
vs
There is no Thor

I prefer the solipsistic way :)

USA, Canada / FIRST POL-AM CATHOLIC (?) PRIESTESS [72]


That seems to be rather ultimate assertion to me. And, to be honest, I don't think human beings are capable of anything ultimate.

That's my ultimate assertion :D