History / Saturator in polish history [6]

the communists were as often as not normal working people... not an alien race from outer space ;-)

News / Microsoft Poland whitens a black face in its advert [130]


???
I have personally known many Polish women in very high managerial positions. Unless things have drastically changed since 2005 (when I left Poland) it seems you're either trolling, or talking through your hat ;-p

Food / What Polish food or drink do you not like and why? [37]

Michallikes

Just one thing - it's not FAT, it's gelatine (the same as what you get in fruit jelly, but of course minus the sugar and fruit flavouring).

I understand gelatine might might gross you out... but please stop picturing bits of food in a mound of fat... please! Note that if it WAS solid fat, there is no way it would stay translucent like that. And BTW, I used to hate the sight of this dish until I tried it - and I'm hooked now :-)

News / French and Poles [146]


That's what you like to believe. I prefer to think that a certain percentage of Jews in Poland stopped thinking of themselves as Jewish only, and became Poles of Jewish extraction. Much like in the US nobody claims that American art, literature, intellect, music, science is in fact "Jewish, Chinese, German, French, Polish, British, Indian [insert any immigrant nationality]". I hope you get my drift.

Language / PRONUNCIATION OF ENGLISH WORDS IN POLAND [24]


The damage here has been done by the English speakers themselves, I'm afraid. Even in the UK or USA, a lot of times the general attitude is that "English no grammar" (to worry about in school). This was perpetuated a lot in the second half of the XX century in English language teaching.

Add to that the linguistic theory that "anything a native speaker says is correct" - and you can expect to get it washed down to "whatever utterance, as long as it looks/sounds English, is correct by definition" ;-P

News / Does Poland count in Europe or is it ignored? [428]


A very good alternative to fur coats in the depths of winter, I wholeheartedly agree...


They wore sheepskin coats, padded winter jackets which didn't really offer a lot of comfort or warmth, or regular wool coats - stylish, but not not very warm either, being meant more for the autumn/spring seasons.

I spent most of my childhood and teenage years either feeling cold, or freezing, or being bundled up in 100 layers and unable to move in the winter. ;-(

This only changed with the influx of new, lightweight and warm materials in the early nineties. Have never owned a fur coat, BTW. Only a 30-year-old sheepskin monstrosity dyed green for some reason ;-p

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


Did you use public transport as much in the UK as you do in Poland? Think about it.

I for one often wish I could get off my London bus or tube and walk, but the distances involved make it impossible. Also, after a while, the smell kinda drugs you into a helpless stupor ;-)

News / Does Poland count in Europe or is it ignored? [428]


Do you even know what ortalion was? <shudder>
And by the way - Cossacks would not be too happy if they knew you lumped them together with the Russian Empire they were in conflict with for several centuries ;-p

And seriously - all those women (and men, too) who have worn fur throughout the ages: they were Russian symbolism-carriers, right? I thought expensive fur like mink or seal were status symbols for the rich the world over, and cheap, nasty furs like rabbit or even squirrel were a desperate attempt made by the poor to look "classy" and stay reasonably warm.

Well, the more you know...

News / Does Poland count in Europe or is it ignored? [428]


I know I'm just barging in here, but since when is fur a symbol of Russia? I thought fur coats used to be coveted by women the world over till not so long ago? Also bear in mind that in a colder climate any type of fur covering is well-received during the winter ;-) And what has all that to do with a national identity anyways?

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

Of course not. You're just being a tiny bit silly now, you know it, I know it, and you know I know it ;-P

In other words - showering more than once a day would not be enough. You would need to shower every single time you went to the toilet. A bit extreme, huh? Do you practice that? If yes - respect to you!

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


??? In the LATE nineties? And we're not talking about farmers coming home from the fields, or suchlike? I must have lived on a different planet then.

BTW, this has really made me wonder for some time now - how come most expats are so hoity-toity about Polish hygiene or alleged filth on Polish streets, but never seem to mind (or realise) that where they come from is not all that great either?

For example, to put things bluntly - London public transport smells horrible. Not all the time, not all places, but I'm thinking the Central Line in rush hour or a typical crowded bus. Sweat, vomit, little old ladies unwashed for months, unkempt hair extensions smelling of old hair oil and God knows what else - why are then some of you so surprised to catch a little whiff of BO on Polish public transport? I haven't been to the US, but I can't imagine the NY underground, for example, smelling of roses and violets in rush hour.

Is it the "foreign factor" of these admittedly rather noxious smells that offends some of you so much?
Also, showering twice a day, unless you do manual labour, is not necessary and actually strips your skin of important stuff like friendly bacteria. ;-p

Life / Top 3 Most Important Things about which polish dentists will LIE to you bigtime [46]


OR maybe your were simply unlucky? I have not had a bad dentist related experience in Poland for the last 30 years or so... And believe you me, I am one of those unfortunates who simply must have work done all the time ;-(

Life / City heating system, any ideas on how it works? [15]

Get over it. It's summer. :-)

Life / Top 3 Most Important Things about which polish dentists will LIE to you bigtime [46]

...have never had that experience. On the other hand, when I show up with a very bad tooth and beg for it to be saved (treated, not extracted) the dentist bends over backwards to save it. I am a lousy patient and my teeth are forever acting up, but the only root canals I have had were fully justified and I still have those teeth, actually no extractions yet :-)

If your teeth are so wonderfully healthy, why do you spend so much time visiting dentists, BTW? The five small cavities could all be filled in one go, that's what I usually have done if there are only minor problems.

Food / Why do Poles just not "understand" healthy eating ?? [82]


...who does? I almost never use the stuff, and neither do my relatives, friends, other people I know... Little old ladies probably do, but little old ladies the world over have weird cooking habits, don't you agree? ;-)

Life / School holidays in Poland - do 'half term hols' exist? [10]

As far as I remember mock matura examinations used to be conducted sometime in April... At least mine was (1986).
Of course, the run up to the ferie is a stressful time, as you have to wrap up a whole semester of school work, so there's loads of tests and stuff to endure, while the students still haven't quite realised the Christmas break is over ;-) On the other hand, once the ferie start you're good. I can still remember the exhilarating feeling of freedom.

Life / School holidays in Poland - do 'half term hols' exist? [10]

[quote=Seanus]
It comes at a time when many students are preparing for mock MATURA tests.

I don't think ferie have anything to do with it, esp. that university students have ferie as well, at approx. the same time. It's simply a winter break between the two semesters of the school / academic year.

When I was little, everyone had ferie at exactly the same time, the current approach is quite recent - introduced maybe in the last 10 years or so.

Language / WHO AND WHEN COINED THE TERM DUPEK? [13]

It's much older than that, probably way pre-WW2, and has nothing to do with półdupek. Most European languages have this sort of ass-associated term for a nasty, stupid, arrogant person.

News / Poland..wake up to a multicultural world [1059]


THIS.

Imagine anyone saying that every country MUST have white people. GASP! :->

News / Poland will take half a century to catch up with the West [240]


I hope you realize I was winding "away guy" up with this one. And no, I cannot just buy stamps and drop my letters in the letterbox because I use Special Delivery.

BTW, why do you assume I had a terrible life in PL and ran off to the UK? I had a good life in PL, but was curious about the UK - 2004 was my first chance to visit the country whose culture and literature I studied all those years ago.

News / Poland will take half a century to catch up with the West [240]


Up until summer this year a bank transfer from one British bank to another took up to 4 working days to clear. Now it finally only takes several hours. You can read more about it on the internet.

guardian.co.uk/money/2008/may/27/banks.currentaccounts


It took me much longer than 15 minutes to open my account at Lloyds TSB - about 2-3 hours. And it took me under an hour to open my bank account at PKO SA.


WTF is that?! ;-)


I spend at least 30 to 45 minutes waiting in a long line snaking outside my local post office / corner shop to post my letters. Every day. In London. I think it's damn crap!!!!!! ;-p

Life / Are Polish People Hypochondriacs? [50]


Overall, where your health is concerned, I guess it's better to whine than suffer in silence ;-)

Life / Are Polish People Hypochondriacs? [50]


I kept saying British here, because I frankly do not know who they are exactly. It's less of an ethnic thing, more of a mindset, I'd say. The English, or British, patient, has this "grin and bear it / stiff upper lip" attitude, which means they don't complain enough, I think (even when they're really poorly) - and the GPs take advantage of that and tell them that "it's just a virus, absolutely normal at this time of year", and rarely stop to think about other, more sinister possibilities. And a good time is had by all. ;->

Overall, this attitude to illness and health care seems quite alien to us eastern-central-whatever Continent-dwellers.

Life / Are Polish People Hypochondriacs? [50]


I thought we were comparing Polish and British? But to make you happy, let's see... I was treated in the Czech Republic, in India (private health care, very high quality BTW), Poland, and the UK. That's about it.

I think I can generalise about PL vs UK national health care, at least to some extent, because obviously I have seen quite a number of Polish doctors in my lifetime, and I doubt there are more than several surgeries I haven't repeatedly visited as interpreter in a certain borough of east London ;-)

So, naturally, patterns tend to emerge.
Oh, and one exception: hospital doctors in the UK are typically quite the opposite of GPs. All due respect to them.

Life / Are Polish People Hypochondriacs? [50]


You pay them - they come to expect it. Simple as that. Don't pay. I never did.


Never said that. But I don't like being called a hypochondriac just because I happen to have had direct experience with several serious illnesses, and just might know the symptoms. I don't like being called a hypochondriac just because I think it's normal that if I do feel very unwell, the doctor should take me seriously. From my personal experience, Polish doctors as a group tend to be more interested in the patient and much more ready to examine them. A typical British GP will not touch you, look in your ears/throat, or listen to your chest unless strongly requested to. But of course, there are some lousy Polish doctors out there (personally met them), and hopefully some wonderful British ones (though I haven't had the pleasure).

Life / Are Polish People Hypochondriacs? [50]


Believe you me, I am working very hard on this. Hopefully this is my last year in the UK. I do not regret coming here, as I have learnt a lot. But my home is elsewhere.


Never ever bribed anyone in Poland, including the medical profession.


Yeah, for example a high fever, wheezy cough, severe pain around the ribcage, dizziness... Sure, a paracetamol or two will fix that right up.


This is the flip side of the coin. Some people get so annoyed with being ignored by their GP, or not being able to get an appointment when they need it, that they prefer to turn up at A&E instead. Shouldn't the triage nurse be able to get rid of those?

There are many things I like and appreciate about the UK but the NHS is definitely not one of them.

Life / Are Polish People Hypochondriacs? [50]


I think that the British have been brainwashed by the government into thinking that they don't really need medical attention for most ailments, as this attitude saves the NHS massive amounts of money. I hate going to the doctor myself, but I KNOW when I am really ill, and in my job as community interpreter have seen many genuinely ill people sent home with some paracetamol. By ignoring the early stages of a serious illness, the NHS may initially save some money and a bit of the doctors' time, but then complications often set in and the patient needs a lot more treatment in the long run.

And as far as antibiotics are concerned - I am surprised to learn that things like pneumonia, bronchitis, tonsilitis or inner ear infections are viral and will go away untreated. Are these illnesses unknown in the UK? Antibiotics have been invented for a reason, they should not be prescribed without good cause, but they serve a purpose! Nobody prescribes antibiotics for the common cold, not even in Poland for chrissakes.

The same goes for stuff such as smear tests, which are performed once in 3 years in the UK, while the Polish recommendation is once a year. I would rather have two tests too many than one too few.

News / Poland will take half a century to catch up with the West [240]


How about UK banks, where only this year instant bank transfers were introduced as a wonder of wonders? (Something I had been used to in Poland since at least 1998). How about UK post offices, which are basically glorified corner shops (most of them)? I also see nothing wrong with the Polish health care system. Heck, ever since coming the UK I have apologised to all Polish institutions that I had thought badly of in the past! Speaking of health care - my father had unexplained pains in his lower abdomen, and within a MONTH he has had several ultrasound scans, two consultant appointments (one neurologist and one cardiovascular specialist), an x-ray, at least 5 GP check-ups, and ongoing rehabilitation (all under regular Polish health care - he is retired). I am well and truly impressed. In the UK, he would maybe have gotten past the "take a paracetamol and come back in a week" phase with his GP by this time.

Life / POLES' ENGLISH COMPARED TO EUROPE AS A WHOLE? [39]


I used to teach English at university. I really worked my *ss off to make a contribution there, but most of the students had this really idiotic attitude that they were signed up for costly English courses outside uni, so would not bother to work during my class, because my class was free, and therefore crap by definition. They actually told me that. And they absolutely HATED any practical activities such as listening comprehension / talking in pairs / discussion as a group. They would be happiest when I relented and reviewed grammar with them for the zillionth time, or wrote long lists of vocabulary on the board.

Law / Paypal, moneybrokers etc. - payment options for online Poland's store? [10]

My father is already retired (and so - presumably - old-fashioned) yet he's got at least several debit cards and one credit card and uses them all the time, also online. Paypal exists in PL as well, I often send money that way.