Life / Culture Shock Since Moving to Poland - Anybody Dealt With This Before? [52]

i get depressed living in this country every winter , 4 months of hardship as far as i'm concerned . my depression seems to lift at the first signs of spring & the ability to look forward to the summer months & what they may hold .

Real Estate / Foreigners: Please don't buy Polish Land! [823]

disagree, great time to buy polish property, bargains everywhere you look !

Life / Wandering through Warsaw [6]

nice blog & I would agree that Warsaw is one if the greenest cities in europe . as a warsaw resident for over 4 years now I am amazed at the number of parks that the city has to offer & also the fact that I am still finding new ones on a regular basis.

Food / Baking soda/wodoroweglan sodu - where do I buy it? [7]

kuchnia swiata shops in warsaw stock it ... expensive , but they stock it .

Real Estate / Current price of Homes in Poland [41]

USDPLN is 3.38

Life / Thinking of moving to Warsaw - hoping to find a better lifestyle there. [8]

not when some of the english schools in warsaw are cutting their staffing numbers this year !

Real Estate / Mortgage prices and rates in Poland [28]

lending criteria has tightened significantly with almost all Polish lenders . "Real" buy to let mortgages were never available in Poland & if you are a non Polish resident then most Polish banks won't even consider lending to you.

Real Estate / Mortgage prices and rates in Poland [28]

your optimism is commendable Daniel... if a little misplaced.

Life / Thunderstorms in Poland [44]

Thunderstorms in Poland are quite commonplace if you ask me ... I remember last summer that every friday night for weeks on end there seemed to be the mother of all thunderstorms , lasted a couple of hours & then gone !! ( or maybe I just had too much to drink after work !)

Real Estate / Budimex Murano development (central Warsaw) Phase I [38]

Has anyone succeeded in their negotiations with Budimex in getting their deposit ( or part of ) back ?

Real Estate / Property purchasing for non poles- change in rules? [3]

1. Ministry approval no longer required for foreigners to buy house/s .
2. Notatry fees vary but for property values at PLN 180k , you're probably looking at PLN 2k notary fee. Court registration is PLN 400.
3. Polish vendors expect you to negotiate & will drop price by at least 10% , maybe more for a cash buyer.

News / LOT (Polish Airlines) headed for a crash? [8]

they've hedged on fuel prices for the next three years at $140 a barrell !! , so this years losses are just the tip of the iceberg..

Life / Where can i get a real good piece of juicy steak in Warsaw....? [15]

The best steak in Warsaw can be found in a butchers on Pulawska ... I just can't remember the name or number of it ..
I can , however , give you directions.. so , driving south on Pulawska( ie in the direction of Wilanow ) , when you go past the left hand turn for Idzikowskiego , on your right , just past the post office building & under a big yellow canopy you will find yourself in meat lovers heaven.

Life / 1st ex-pat assignment advice needed about settling down in Warsaw. [16]

Warsaw is in no way a hardship posting ... all the comforts of home ( almost !) ... go for it .

Real Estate / Flexible payment arrangement for land purchase in Poland [30]


YES

Life / Bookshops that will exchange English books- Warsaw [13]

There is a second hand english bookstore in the University building on Dobra . ( go in the front door, down the stairs & past a few shops, then it's on your right ).

They have a lot of stock so not sure if they are buying or exchanging books yet , but they certainly have lots of very reasonably priced english books.

Work / Move to Warsaw and will teach English (advice needed) [23]


Expect to pay PLN 35 - 40 psm .

( I'll have new 75m2 two bed unit ready to rent in Bemowo in July/August for similar money if that's of any interest you .)

Travel / Where would be good for this long weekend in Poland? [12]


Two suggestions :

1. Stay in Warsaw ... the city clears out & as a result the place becomes so much quieter & laidback.
2. Terminal 2 at Okecie ... get out of the country for a few days ( as travelling around Poland on any bank holiday is an absolute nightmare ) .

Life / I live in Warsaw and my hot water is brown!!! [32]


Welcome to Warsaw ... this is perfectly normal , water pipes around the city are old & rusted .

Life / Where to find BEEF in Warsaw ? [14]


The best steak in Warsaw can be found in a butchers on Pulawska ... I just can't remember the name or number of it ..
I can , however , give you directions.. so , driving south on Pulawska( ie in the direction of Wilanow ) , when you go past the left hand turn for Idzikowskiego , on your right , just past the post office building & under a big yellow canopy you will find yourself in the best butchers in Warsaw.

Work / Move to Warsaw and will teach English (advice needed) [23]


Are you sure you're Irish ???? or maybe it's just a typo.

Dia duit is the correct spelling ..

Travel / Where would be good for this long weekend in Poland? [12]


Ha! See you at the airport then !

Life / Why do a lot of Polish people stare and why is good personal hygeine shunned? [108]

Thank God I'm not the only one who suffers from the the staring phenomenom ... thought there was something wrong with me for a while !!

As for personal hygiene ... the lasts couple of posts are all pretty defensive ....In this day & age I don't believe anyone doesn't have access to running water , poor personal hygiene is nothing short of disgusting & should not be tolerated .

Life / Why do a lot of Polish people stare and why is good personal hygeine shunned? [108]


With all due respect , your over reaction is frightening & you come across as very insecure.
I suggest that you go in search of some anger management courses before it all boils over for you .

Life / 1st ex-pat assignment advice needed about settling down in Warsaw. [16]


Just do my best to help...thank you very much !

In relation to Sky TV ,you can actually get Sky from a company called Sky Satellite services who are based in Warsaw. They supply sky box, dish & installation. Thy are very reliable & english speaking also . It is also possible to pay them monthly by direct debit charged to your credit card. ( still can't get BBC,ITV without the 2m dish though... try justin.tv ( free streaming site ) for any sporting events that BBC/ITV cover that Sky don't & then there are plenty of websites that you can download all the usual Sat. night BBC bubblegum for the brain light entertainment shows.)

Life / Why do a lot of Polish people stare and why is good personal hygeine shunned? [108]

Dear Seanus,

1. There is nothing in the forum rules that state that ones username should reflect one's gender.

2. Now that we're jumping to conclusions ...Seanus .. sounds like anus ...therefore you must be an arse.

3. Your comment is a bit rich coming from someone with the picture of a sheep on his profile .. but then I guess it can get a bit lonely in Gliwice...

4. I recommend you brush up on your Johnny Cash...( this may be a bit too cryptic for you ..maybe ask somebody to help you with it ..)

Real Estate / Cancelling Tenancy Agreement Before End Of Contract Query [10]


This does not apply unless you've registered the property as your permanent address ... you probably haven't.

Irrespective of this , you now find yourself in a very uncomfortable situation.
Your landlord seems quite unreasonable but nonetheless you need to talk to him again & try to resolve the issue ( he may have calmed down by now & be more open to discussion ) as the prospect of a couple of heavies calling to your door is not a nice one .

The utilities are also probably still in the landlords name so he could in theory have them cut off .
Do not allow the situation to fester , talk to the landlord again & see if you can resolve it .

Life / What's the weather like in Poland? [81]

It's like bloody october in warsaw today ... with heavy rain forcast for the rest of the week...great.

Travel / Gdansk OR Poznan for a weekend? [12]

No contest ... Gdansk.