UK, Ireland / Do you know any Polish war emigrants living in UK? [7]

Hi Dagens,

My grandparents and parents came over to UK during the war and settled in London as did many others; I would agree with inkrakow that POSK would be a very good place to start as well as placing an advert in Polski Dziennik.

There are a number of organisations which have kept in touch such as SMO ( Szkoły Młodych Ochotniczek) to which I believe my mum belongs to. They have gatherings annually but as you can imagine there are less attending as each year goes by.

There are Polish clubs all over UK as well as Polish parafie such as Sw Andrzeja Boboli here in West London.

Try checking out this webiste which has details and links of various Polish organisations : aniaspoland.com/polish_london.php

Feel free to send me PM if you want any more help,

Polanglik

Real Estate / How Much for an apartment to buy in poland? [10]

Hi,

try the following websites:

krn.pl
tabelaofert.pl
oferty.net

32k euros seems unrealistic; however i suppose it depends on the location and size of the apartment.

Life / Polish Kids - Polish speaking? Bilingual? only English? [56]

We were born in London in the early sixties & my brother and I were brought up speaking only Polish at home where we lived with my mum, grandfather and grandmother, so when we went to nursery school we really didn't know any English at all apart from a few essential words like 'yes', 'no', 'toilet', 'please' & 'thank you'.

It's amazing how quickly we picked up the English language. At home we predominantly spoke Polish, but also English to a lesser degree.

I now speak, read and write in both languages fluently, although I'd have to say my primary language is English as I make a few errors when speaking, reading, writing Polish. I never went to Saturday Polish school (I preferred to play football!) but kept the Polish language going by having reading/writing in that language checked by my grandparents - I passed 'O' Level (if anyone remembers those exams) in Polish without attending any formal lessons/classes.

I have done the same with my kids - we live in London but my wife (native Pole) and I spoke to them only in Polish from the moment they were born; they went to nursery school equipped with some essential English words and now aged 7yrs and 5yrs they are bilingual.

Kids at an early age are like a sponge and will pick up languages with great ease. I have spoken with parents at my kid's school who are of a mixed nationality and these children at 7 yrs of age are bilingual and some even trilingual!

At the school they have even started Italian language lessons once a week and I believe that next year they will be able to learn French.

It would be a great opportunity missed if children did not learn the languages of both parents ...... I believe learning languages later in life would be much harder.

Life / DYNGUS DAY PARTY [16]

'Bucket of Water Song' from Tiswas ...... wow, that brought back some happy memories :o)

A very young Chris Tarrant , Lenny Henry ....... and what about Sally James in her knee length leather boots :o))))

I used to love Smingus Dingus ..... my friends and I would get together and walk around to houses of girls that we knew and get them absolutely soaked ..... and this was with the cooperation of the girls' parents.

We used to run into other groups of Polish kids from another parish and that escalated in a 'friendly' water fight on the streets of West London ..... the English people stared in amazement not knowing what the hell was going on !

We used to finish up at our local church where anyone was fair game ..... but we mostly targeted attractive young girls, although I do remember one older lady getting sprayed with water when she complained that her daughter had got her new dress soaked !

All in all, it was and still is harmelss fun, young people trying to keep an old tradition - alive :o) my two young kids aged 7 and 5 yrs woke up early at around 6.30am on Easter Monday and soaked myself and my wife while we were sleeping soundly in our beds.

I believe that the cut off point for soaking is midday on Easter Monday.

this is something I found which explains the soaking associated with Easter Monday.

Real Estate / Where can i buy a cheap house or a flat in Poland? [43]

Bolek, if you check when maverick made that statement , it was March 2007, so he was probably referring to prices of flats in 2006.
Around that time, flat/apartment prices were going up quite considerably.

Presently (2009) there is quite a different situation regarding pricing of flats/apartments and I expect prices are some 20-30% lower than they were last year (2008).

News / Poland to make cuts amid gloomy economic forecasts [30]


true ... in UK one votes for a particular party who has a leader, and that person will become Prime Minister if that party wins the election.

I think the point mazzstaffordsh is trying to make is that when the UK people voted Labour in the last election , they were voting for Tony Blair & not Gordon Brown. If I remember correctly, and I'm sure someone will put me right if I'm wrong, Tony Blair said he would see out the full term as Prime Minister if Labour were to win that election. :o))

The UK people were voting for Tony Blair to be their Prime Minister ..... had Gordon Brown been leader of the party would the same people have voted Labour ?

News / Zloty goes down, good news for ex-pats in Poland [18]

excellent rate if you're converting £'s to zł.

just checked on xe.com and the exchange rate was 5.255zł : £1

will the rate get higher ? I wish I had a crystal ball :o)))

Genealogy / Why would someone lie about their age? [26]


I'd have to agree with Osiol


..... I know that my grandfather lied about his age, pretending to be older than he was, so he could join the army.

Work / A list of English Schools in Poland run by a UK citizen? [24]

Try this website .....


english-schools.org/poland/american-school-warsaw.htm

here you will find the American School & British School; however I would say they are expensive, not a problem if a company is relocating you to Poland and will pay the fees but if you will be funding your child privately expect to pay in the region of £8,000-£9,000 per child per school year.

Life / Brits moving to live in Poland [88]


Have to agree with you ...... even though I was last in Canada (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton ) over 15 yrs ago , I found it to be one of the most beautiful countries I had ever visited.

The fact that major Canadian cities always come up when lists of 'best places to live in the world' are drawn up is no surprise :o)

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


Hi Ash,

in many contracts, there is a clause that allows for delays if this is due to extreme weather conditions which prevent building works to take place.

in reality a delay of 3-4 months is not a great deal and most investors will not bother taking a developer to court over this ... going to court is an expensive and also very time consuming route.

Contracts would of course be in Polish ..... but when I had clients purchasing property in Poland I provided a service where the contracts were translated into English,that way everyone was clear what they were letting themselves in for, and also checked by a lawyer who would try and negotiate better terms if at all possible. In the boom property period, negotiations were quite tough and developers would not concede on many points, however now the tables have turned, the buyer is in a much stronger position and has a much better chance to have his conditions met:o)

It's true that there were unscrupulous developers who


However if buyers had their contracts signed in notarial form then there was nothing the developer could do to demand an increased price.

You signed a contract (was this in notarial form?) on 10/90 payment terms, but in the meantime prices have dropped , it's just your bad luck that the property market has turned this way. Like yourself most people expected prices to continue to rise and were hoping to make a substantial profit.

Just accept that you purchased at the high end and unfortunately have overpaid for your apartment in today's prices.

I'd be wary of pulling out of the original agreement , because as someone has already mentioned your credit rating could be affected, and would have an adverse effect on any mortgage application.

.

Work / Teaching English in Poland, no degree just certificate [41]


not a great advertisement for someone who wants to teach English .... surely this should read 'are there a lot of job opportunities'?

News / Polish economy, the US Dollar, the PLN and the Polish real estate bubble. [25]


According to the Warsaw Voice : warsawvoice.pl/newsX.php/7118/876856072

I think you have to register to read the full articles.

Hungarian crisis sends the zloty into a tailspin
Warsaw, Poland October 23, 2008
Polish equities and the Polish currency were hammered by foreign investors on Wednesday as part of the ongoing global panic. Sharp drops on the WSE were in line with the steep declines on virtually all global bourses.

The blue-chip WIG-20 index fell 7.60% to close at 1,683.66 points. The broad market WIG was down 6.24% to 27,282.25 points. Turnover was fairly low at PLN 1.14 bln.

The zloty fell sharply as institutional investors dumped Central European currencies. Hungary was forced to hike interest rates sharply to defend the forint.
PLN/EUR: 3.714
PLN/USD: 2.881

As I live in UK, I am keeping an eye on £:zł exchange rate and yesterday it reached 5 złoty to £1 :o)

UK, Ireland / Bobski the Builder ... Channel 4, 9pm Thursday16th Oct 2008 [20]


very true .... the Polish and English builders that I know ... who are very good, never seem to have the need to advertise, as they get recommended through friends & family and are never short of work.

UK, Ireland / Bobski the Builder ... Channel 4, 9pm Thursday16th Oct 2008 [20]

What did you all make of the programme ?

Having seen the workmanship of the two builders, I'd have to say I probably wouldn't employ either of them !

I know of many Polish builders who have the same work ethic as Jarek, but the quality of their work is much better; having said that Jarek was a chocolate seller seven years ago, and his quality of work was no worse than the English builder whose family have been in the building trade for much longer !

I have had experience of English builders who have been extremely good and also Polish builders who have been exceptional; the difference is that the Poles seem to put more hours in and are more eager to please !

Where I live (West London) I have noticed a lot of English building companies are employing Polish builders.

On a likeability scale ... for me Jarek the Polish builder wins hands down !

News / US DOLLAR = 2.47 on 2 Oct 2008? [54]

I have been checking the £ : zł exchange rate recently, and whereas many were saying that by Christmas it might be £1 : 3zł, earlier today the exchange rate was £1 : 4.48zł.

Which way do most of you think the exchange rate will go in the next few months ?

Life / What nation Poles like the most? [56]


For many Poles, the US is seen as the land of opportunity .... a place where if they work hard, they can be rewarded handsomely.

Obtaining a 'Green Card' is quite hard, so finally getting one is seen as a great achievement; there was a programme a few years ago on Polish tv, called 'Zielona Karta' (Green Card) which followed the lives of Poles who had won Green Cards via the Immigration Lottery. If I remember correctly, nearly all who had been awarded their green cards said they had a better life, materialistically than if they had stayed in Poland.

Life / What nation Poles like the most? [56]

I asked my wife (a native Pole) this question and she reckons that Poles have always liked Americans/Canadians :o)

It seems it's a dream for many Poles to move to the US or Canada.

UK, Ireland / UK bus company boss jailed for hiring an incompetent Pole [71]


True ... but the company in question on this thread has been shown to be totally incompetent ...agreed ??

UK, Ireland / UK bus company boss jailed for hiring an incompetent Pole [71]

Polanglik: the employer is responsible for the safety of the vehicles/equipment


The question of how incompetent the driver was?..... I am not arguing this point ..... if he does not possess the appropriate skills nor had the necessary training to do the job, then he should never have been driving the bus in the first place - the fault/blame lies ultimately with the owners/directors of the bus company !

Check out the following website ..... this applies generally to all work places /environments : direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/HealthAndSafetyAtWork /DG_4016686

If you check then you will see that :-

The employer's duty of care in practice
All employers, whatever the size of the business, must amongst other:
1.make the workplace safe
2.ensure that plant and machinery is safe to use, and that safe working practices are set up and followed
3.check that the right work equipment is provided and is properly used and regularly maintained
In addition ,
Making the workplace safe and healthy
So that the work premises provide a safe and healthy place to work, your employer should amongst other:
1.keep the workplace and equipment clean
2.keep the workplace and equipment in good working order
3.let employees take appropriate rest breaks and their correct holiday entitlement
4.make sure that employees who work alone, or off-site, can do so safely and healthily

A competent bus company would ensure all the health and safety issues were adhered to, and in the case of UK North and GM Buses Enterprises Ltd they clearly were not - employees were known to have worked up to 31 consecutive days without a proper break. Even though it may be part of the job requirement for bus drivers to check the road worthiness of their vehicles, it is up to employers/management to ensure that employees are trained for this and carry out the checks.

It is the simple solution to lay blame for accidents at the person(s) closest to the scene of any accident; however in many cases the problem lies much deeper and when the cause of the accident is researched, usually it is management which is to blame!

I speak with some authority on these matters as I have studied and worked on such issues for a number of years - I possess postgraduate qualification in Organisational Psychology, and have done work on Risk Assessment, Causes of Accidents & Blame, Health and Safety etc.

Apologies for the long post !!

USA, Canada / Why aren't Polish people immigrating to Canada instead of the UK? [148]


I have to agree with you Franek .... I was in Canada in the 90's and absolutely loved it out there. I stayed in Vancouver and then went across to Edmonton, stopping in Whistler, Vancouver Island, Calgary, Jasper and Banff along the way.

Canada is definitely one of the countries I'd consider settling down in; but at the moment we're going to do Poland, but you never know where you'll end up !!

There's a big push to attract people to Canada at the moment, especially the Alberta area !


Which part of Canada would you move to .... Vancouver ... Toronto .... Montreal ?

UK, Ireland / UK bus company boss jailed for hiring an incompetent Pole [71]


Well said ShelleyS .....that sums it up perfectly ....

If you're an employer, and someone applies for a job but clearly does not possess the ability or skills for that job , there are two courses of action the employer can take ..... either don't hire that applicant or train him/her so they can carry out the job safely and effectively !

In addition , the employer is responsible for the safety of the vehicles/equipment that their employees use, which was clearly not the case in this bus company.

noimmigration .... do you spend most of your time searching for articles where you then try to pin the blame of Polish people?

Life / HeadShops in Warsaw? [22]

.....hmmmmm good question !

Could he mean a barber or hairdresser ?

Food / Krakow Restaurant Recommendations [17]


I have always had an excellent dining experience at Chlopskie Jadlo .... the food and service has been first class :o)

Check out their website .. chlopskiejadlo.pl/main.php


good quality food here .... mmmmmmmm makes me wish I was in Krakow and not London !!

Life / Retail outlets in Poland that are also in the UK? [10]

Yes .... IKEA, Marks & Spencer ... but unfortunately not the food dept., BHS, Tesco,

Life / Why can't Poland recruit Polish soccer stars? [42]


5 out of the 8 examples you have given are not involved in team sports, but individual sports, so in sports like tennis, golf, boxing, athletics etc. it is perfectly acceptable to judge who is better based on the number of championships/tournaments he/she has won over the years, or on the record of wins/losses between two individuals.

The same cannot be applied to team sports …. Would Podolski be as prolific if he was playing in the Polish national team as he is with the German national team ?? Having witnessed the Polish team at Euro2008 I would have to say no :o)

A striker relies on receiving good balls from midfield or good quality crosses and this was severely lacking from the Polish players.

Another example, take Alan Shearer, England’s centre forward for many years …. He played for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle …. and if I’m correct he only won one Premiership title in his whole career … no FA cups and no League Cups … yet he was considered the best forward in the country at that time :o) He represented England but did not win any trophies at International level.

When comparing strikers … one looks at the goals scored, goals per game ratio, appearances for their club/national team and not necessarily the number of trophies they have amassed :o)

Life / Why can't Poland recruit Polish soccer stars? [42]


This is a very simplistic view of whether one player is better than another .... the number of World Cup's or trophies the team he was playing in won :o)

Everyone would agree that George Best was one the best players of his generation, maybe even the best there has ever been (Pele has said that George Best was one of the greatest players he had ever seen !), and if he were playing now he would definitely be amongst the top players; yet because he never graced the World Cup or European Cup tournament, by your criteria he would not be considered one of Britain's greats of football.

When comparing players .... look at their overall ability, skill etc.. and not just what trophies their country/team has won.

Everyone has their own opinion as to who is or has been the greatest footballer, and up to now nobody can agree...... and it appears that the only thing we will agree on ... is to disagree !!

Life / Visiting a Polish friend who's just given birth? Flowers, gift? [23]


you can hardly go wrong with flowers :o) ..... and this would be appropriate from a male work colleague ..... or maybe some disposable nappies, sleepsuit for the new baby.


The basket of fruit is a good idea, maybe not chocolates as some new mothers are worried about their weight ..... i know a few close female friends who after they'd given birth said they didn't want anyone to bring chocolates :o)