Language / "polish pig" - is it offensive? [41]

Nazi Germans used to call Poles "polnische Schweine" (Polish swine) and I do not think calling Polish people pigs - especially in a WW2 context as mentioned in the initial posting - is a very good idea or especially sensitive.

Food / Cost of Nescafe coffee in Poland. [49]


I personally knew people (young professional Poles) who could easily afford that kind of stuff. I hope some of the glory rubs off on me ;-)

History / Zygmunt Szendzielarz, Polish Innocence [25]

...and...?

History / Zygmunt Szendzielarz, Polish Innocence [25]


No, I have not missed it, but I do not see any sense in posting this info with a heading like "Polish Innocence". War is war, and (extremely) nasty things happen. Otherwise, we would need to post similar threads with titles like "Jewish Innocence" - Koniuchy, Naliboki (my ancestors were directly involved on the victim side), "American Innocence" (Hiroshima, Nagasaki), "Allies Innocence" (Dresden, Hamburg) etc. etc.

"Between 20-27 Lithuanians were shot in Dubingiai on 23 June, 1944, during World War II by a local Armia Krajowa unit.[1][2] The crime was supposed to be a retaliation by the Polish commander for an earlier massacre of Polish villagers in Glitiškės by colaborationist Lithuanian police" - from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubingiai

- seems like war is not a clean-cut thing at all, at all. Which does not make it any less terrible.

Rather than discussing who was "innocent" or not, I would rather discuss the choices people had / hadn't when in the army and trying to fight the good fight within constantly shifting borders and changing political alliances, as was the case in the Polish Kresy at that time. Mistakes were made - and paid for, in blood.

History / Zygmunt Szendzielarz, Polish Innocence [25]

Have you read my post? I said it makes no sense in trying to find out who was more "innocent" in a war (regardless of nationality). Apart from the fact that the Russians did kill considerably larger numbers, and were the aggressors, sorry but it's simply true. Check your history books.

History / Zygmunt Szendzielarz, Polish Innocence [25]


17 September 1939. Discuss.

Love / My polish girlfriend has changed following death of dad.. [153]

absolutely nothing's fishy here. the gf has quite openly said that she doesn't know herself what's going on, and having lost my mother in my early twenties I absolutely understand what's she's going through. fixed "mourning periods" have nothing to do with what's going on in your head at a time like this.

basically you're trying to have one last long conversation with the departed loved one, of course it's actually a monologue, but it has to be done.

the fact that she hadn't invited the bf to the family and dad's friends party sounds quite understandable to me as well - it was more of a wake than a ball to be sure (and the bf didn't even know him). and she was honest about that as well.

quite frankly - if you had a Polish gf/bf, and your dad died, and your aunt Mildred and ancient uncle Arthur and cousin Joe and dad's army friend Ed and all your other relatives wanted to have some time together to remember and cry and smile about your dad's life - would you invite the gf/bf? I wouldn't. It would be a major faux pas towards both your family and your partner.

Love / My polish girlfriend has changed following death of dad.. [153]


Of course NOT - you do not form romantic relationships with family members, do you? With time, your partner sort of "grows" into your family, but in this case, when the bf did not even know the father, I think the situation is quite clear.

Love / My polish girlfriend has changed following death of dad.. [153]

Give her time to start missing you. Don't worry, it will very probably happen ;-)

History / Zygmunt Szendzielarz, Polish Innocence [25]

I don't get your drift. I thought you wanted to give me your side of the story? I'm interested, I am waiting...

Love / My polish girlfriend has changed following death of dad.. [153]


...interesting. hmm.

Love / My polish girlfriend has changed following death of dad.. [153]


Face the facts:

1. His son is the late father's grandchild
2. He knew the father
3. He once constituted a part of this family (see 1).

Don't be paranoid. Just chill and let things happen. Don't try to rush anything, or force a decision one way or another.
The Wise Woman of the Internet has spoken ;-)

Love / My polish girlfriend has changed following death of dad.. [153]

Call her in a day or two, or text her... But try to stay in the good friend mode for a while. That's what I'd do, at any rate. And try no to confront her. Just go with the flow. I honestly don't think this is a question of your relationship falling apart. Her world has fallen apart, more or less. This is why you and your relationship seem small to her by comparison.

History / What Happened in the Danzig Corridor 1939? Poles Slaughtering Germans? [133]


...is a movie based on a novel by German novelist Gunter Grass, and concerns the German inhabitants of Gdańsk, a city with an uneasy history and complicated ethnic makeup since the Middle Ages. The novel describes the rise of Nazi ideology among the ordinary people of German extraction living in Gdańsk, the way nasty things become acceptable when spoon-fed with a lot of sugar. I read it, I should know. Poles are mentioned of course, but more in passing, as a backdrop to the main story, and I do not remember them being portrayed as anti-semitic.

Actually, maybe reading a few books by Gunter Grass would be a good way for you to start learning the history of this area.

UK, Ireland / Life in the UK for some Poles (sad article) [124]


I am sorry to say this, as I am Polish myself and feel embarrassed by the truth, but this article talks not about "hardships" Poles go through, but describes the utmost stupidity of those who won't even register at a GP "because they can't speak (the language)" and then go on to buy some disgusting mixture of herbs (?) from a suspicious individual to abort a child that was conceived by accident, even though Family Planning Clinics hand out free contraceptives and Polish interpreters are readily available - I assisted at pre-abortion interviews and suchlike many times myself. Even worse - some of these ladies actually have backstreet abortions done by conmen, entrust their bodies and future health to someone they had never even seen before, just because this person is Polish, and so seems more reassuring. Is this stupidity or what? In a country where abortion is free, legal, and easily available until the 24th week? I am flabbergasted. And truly ashamed of my countrywomen.

- Not that I am so hot on abortion, because I am not. But I cannot judge another woman's decision. It's just that if she really wants to get rid of the baby, doing it the way described in the article not only threatens her health on so many levels, but also degrades her, as if she were not a real human being and unworthy of normal health care. But nobody is passing such judgment on these women, except themselves. SAD. :-(

News / My Tribute To Poland [29]

I have never found gays to be oppressed in Poland. They have the same rights every citizen has. Yeah, I know, they can't get married. But marriage is a tricky thing legally and socially. It's supposed to create families and new children, that's what at the back of everyone's minds. But being denied marriage does not equal oppression. Many famous Poles are and were (also pre-WW2) gay or bisexual and it was never a terribly big deal, they definitely did not go to jail for that or get prosecuted. I have a gay friend, hang out with him a lot in Poland and he never seems oppressed or timid or wary or in any other way shy to express his sexual preferences ;-)

(And doesn't get into trouble for it, either).

History / What Happened in the Danzig Corridor 1939? Poles Slaughtering Germans? [133]

OK OK, we actually started WW2, Hitler was our puppet, he didn't actually know what he was getting himself into, the poor darling...
<laughs diabolically, rubs hands with glee>

Life / The strangest things in Poland [468]

[quote=Threegigs]

Washing machines with no hot water hookup.

- the washing machine heats the water inside all on its own, you see... I've heard it's actually more efficient that way.

No screens (skeeters, I think they call 'em here) in the windows.

- skeeters? Well, never mind. I hate them things either way. Windows are there to be opened wide and leant out of, and if I hate flies so much, I can always install a screen, they're available.

Shops where you have to tell someone behind the counter what you want. Everywhere.

- Where do you live? Out in the country somewhere? The counter style shop has been in decline in Poland for many years now. I'd say supermarkets are the norm now.

No 24 hour convenience stores.

- ??? There's lots of 24 hour stores... again, where do you live?

Paying your bills at the post office.

- How's that different from any other country? You can pay your bills online or at the bank if you want to...

An entire supermarket aisle dedicated to ketchup (catsup, whatever).

- so there are supermarkets after all! ;-P

The near absence of, or extreme prices for stainless steel kitchen utensils.

- all my friends have them, personally I hate the stuff, but never found it difficult to buy.

Air conditioning in a house is unknown.

- in the Polish climate, you don't need AC, you need a good heating system ;-)

Freezers and ovens seem optional in kitchens, as do ?washing machines?.

- Washing machines are put in the bathroom, where they rightly belong - or in the laundry room, if someone has the space. A medium sized fridge has enough freezer space for the average family, and cookers come with ovens, so where's the option (of not having any?)

Maluchs(Maluchy?), those little Fiats.

- those are Italian, actually...

Buying milk at room temperature, that doesn't expire for 3 months.

- UHT processed. You do need to put in the fridge after opening, though, and it'll not last three months opened anyway ;-P

It's preferable to dig around your pockets and spend a minute and a half giving the cashier exact change, instead of them making change for you to speed the line along.

- I flatly refuse to hunt for change and the change is found for me pronto. I just don't get all flustered about it. On the other hand, if I do have the change and know it, I am happy to hand it over. Never been given a dirty look or anything. Just don't act guilty when you say "no".

Bribing your doctor.

- never have, never will, have been very happy with my healthcare.
If people believe they must bribe doctors, who's to blame when some doctors succumb to the temptation? I just refused to acknowledge this, and have never been pressurized into bribing anybody.

Life / The strangest things in Poland [468]

Why didn't you ask? Had she run out of regular towels, or is it the newest in hair care?
By the way, are you happy with the way she did your hair?

Life / The strangest things in Poland [468]

THIS :-)))

osiol: The Fiat 126p was the Polish version, produced in Poland (I think).

They were produced in Poland on an Italian - what's the word I'm groping for - licence or suchlike. I've seen pictures of Rome with those little buggers parked all over the place, seems really outlandish, but when you think of it, it's their mother country ;-)

Travel / Who do you use to make calls to Poland? [33]

This number I used to call the Polish Ministry of Justice, and it worked like a dream:
0844 861 25 25
- it's 1p per minute and has never let me down in three years. Enjoy! :-)

Travel / Who do you use to make calls to Poland? [33]

Keep trying several times. The line isn't always good, but it works in the long run.

Travel / Who do you use to make calls to Poland? [33]

I don't know then... :-(
I can't say the service I got was seamless, but I did get through any time I needed to call - sooner or later, but still did.

Law / About foreign names registration in Poland [4]

There are transcription rules for each language, set down by an official body. These rules apply to languages with non-Latin alphabets only, of course. So if an African language is written in the Latin alphabet, the names should be left as they are. Diacritic marks might be omitted for obvious reasons, but this applies to other European languages as well.

I know there are international transcription rules e.g. for Chinese, so the Polish spelling Peking is being replaced by Beijing, but I'm not sure about other languages in this respect.

Life / The strangest things in Poland [468]

Some anecdotes about the naive American in Poland: I used to interpret for a lady from Texas, she was a certified accountant with a university degree, so no laughing matter intellectually.

1) One day, she told me she was surprised because there were no potatoes in Poland. Is there a potato famine, she asked. I thought Poland lived on potatoes, but I can't seem to be able buy any, she added.

I must admit this really sounded outlandish to me. We were in a small town surrounded by villages, and potatoes were everywhere. I took a walk and made note of all the fruit and veg stalls, overflowing with the stuff. I then asked her to come out and pointed out this starchy abundance. She was genuinely shocked. She had looked for potatoes ONLY in the local small supermarket, which did not bother to stock most vegetables because you could buy them fresh on every street corner. And blinded by her assumption that you bought stuff in supermarkets, she somehow subconsciously chose not to see what the reality was.

2) I was accusingly confronted by her one day: your stupid Polish washing machine has totally ruined my laundry!
The facts of the case were:
- she had put in white and black stuff at the same time
- then turned on the 90 degree Cent. cycle
- the washing machine was actually Italian (which doesn't mean anything, but was fun to point out to her) ;-)
I know she was intelligent, or smart at least. She did know that Poland uses the metric system. How could she have possibly assumed the 90 degrees were meant to be in Fahrenheit? And most interesting of all, why was all this perceived to be my fault - or Poland's?

3) Sour cream was another ongoing problem, she couldn't find it anywhere, but when told to buy fresh cream and keep it in the fridge for a day or two, she recoiled in horror because it would be "spoilt". Whereas as far as I know, sour cream is just that, it is "soured cream". You cannot scoop sour cream fresh from a jug of newly collected milk. The poor soul rather went without.

Every day was a source of new, unexpected culture shocks of this caliber. I tend not to sympathize with people who get so upset over such minor and frankly stupid issues. I have lived in several different countries myself, and while adjusting is not always easy from day one, it is really rude to assume that if anything goes wrong, it is "their" fault.

Real Estate / Prawo Odkupu [8]

How can you get "caught out" on it when it's right there in the contract?

Law / About foreign names registration in Poland [4]

There are definitely rules in place for the official transcription of place names and probably given names as well. My father, as an Orientalist, does on/off work for the Head Cartographer of Poland (yes, there is such a person), and this work consists precisely of agreeing upon or disputing the transcription of place names in South-East Asia (not the Far East, a Sinologist would do that). The popular method of using English or French transcription is both outdated and frowned upon. People in the street might say Pekin, but maps should not. I think this applies both to Asia and Africa.

Related: Registering a newborn in Poland. Names on Birth Certificates.


If at least one parent is not Polish, the rule is waved. However, some registrars will still refuse to register any female name which does not end with the letter 'a'.

Life / Cultural readjustment... returning to Poland from the West. [58]


I must be a zombie myself then, because I find life in the so-called West boring and stale, but when I visit Poland, I feel joy and energy, and am extremely happy to jump right into the middle of things, even if this does include completing my dad's annual tax return (yes, I always did it when living in Poland, and I am still expected to) ;-)

What is this a lot of you seem to have about unsmiling Poles? Polish people do not grin needlessly, but smile when they mean it, and laugh when they are happy. A "smile for everyone" usually means no really warm feelings for anyone. This has been said before on this forum, if I recall.

I have always had fun chatting to the lady at the local store or to the old man waiting for a tram with me, and I can assure you we are all smiles and giggles then. It's a question of reaching out to a real person as opposed to expecting everyone to be overjoyed to see you just because you happen to be there.

Yeah, some of my Polish friends go to Poland and come back complaining of the dismal melancholy of the place. So when I visited last year, I took extra care to track this terrible depression down and have a closer look. No such luck. I was exquisitely happy and hated going back. And this is definitely my last year in the UK.

Work / Moving to Poland with my work - which town should I choose? [25]


They don't need to smile just to make YOU happy. From reading your posts, I am beginning to think it might be you who is having a problem. BTW, I have been to several European countries (Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, the Czech Republic), and as a casual observer have not been able to detect any great mirth within the general populace either. It's only when you start actually interacting with people on a one to one basis that you can really see what they are. And most of them DO smile. But not indiscriminately. BTW, have you ever been to Finland or spoken to Finns?

Real Estate / Why are homes in Poland more expensive than in the USA? [27]

Have you considered buying Polish products? Zelmer and Polar are very good choices in the appliance section, for example. Zelmer vacuum cleaners are excellent quality, I have had one for years. Same goes for shoes and clothes, you need to shop around and go less for the big brand magic, more for the actual feel of quality you might get. I can't give you any brand names off the top of my head, nevertheless I know these products are accessible and affordable. Apart from that, you might actually consider visiting a dressmaker, as they are comparatively very cheap, and you can easily buy wonderful fabrics and really go to town. One of my American friends went back home with a mountainous bag full of brand-new tailored clothes :-)