Life / Expats in Poland: Are you going to live in Poland long or short term? [65]


Sorry for the delay in replying. The answer is not much. I know you have to register not-for-profit organisations at the KRS (court of registration) and the rules are a bit stricter than in 'western' countries. Some lawyers will advise for free if it's a genuine not-for-profit operating on a small scale.

Food / Is there McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut etc in Poland? Food survey. [222]


When that post was written, it was true. Now it's not, most of them (except a few in out of the way places and some shopping malls) do breakfast.

McDonalds have identified Poland as one of their key markets. They seem to be everywhere now.

Perhaps nasty cheeseburgers are the new national dish of Poland. That and ketchup, eaten with everything, even pizza :-) and frozen French fries.

Life / Should we bring our truck or go small? [15]

About on-street parking. You'll probably have somewhere secure to park, but if not, most of Mokotow is outside the paid zone so there won't be a meter. A lot of people park on the street and Mokotow is considered a safe part of town.

At least the part where I live is quite safe to park in.

Life / Shopping (clothes, bedding, etc) on Budget in Warsaw [6]

In the shopping arcades under Central Station there are a couple of haberdashery shops which should stock Dylon dyes. I bought one once from an artists' materials shop, but sorry, I've forgotten which one.

Empik has fabric paints, if you're brave enough to try one in your washing machine :-)

Life / How much is the Internet service in Poland? [11]


But be careful of Play Mobile (sometimes PlayOnline) - they have frequent system problems, like today when customers can't top up their accounts, and their customer service department can only be called macabre.

News / Death Sentence in Poland, when was it abolished? Last executed? [26]

Remember that being found guilty by a court isn't the same as actually being guilty, vide the Timothy Evans case.

And that in certain states within the US, especially in the deep south, mentally handicapped people, including some with a very limited capacity to differentiate between right or wrong, have been judicially murdered.

Life / Big foot trouble in Poznan [7]

From Poznań it's just a short and enjoyable trip to Berlin, where there are shops which specialise in larger sizes.

Life / What to bring, ship, pack for our move to Warsaw [67]


I've heard well-travelled diplomats' kids say that the American School in Warsaw has some of the nastiest kids they've been to school with, talking only about money and possessions.

A word of warning about schools. The British School is near Sadyba, and is run by a company called Nord-Anglia, who for many years have run schools round the world, and are generally considered respectable.

A school with a very similar name operates near Piaseczno, but is run by a private local company and has standards which fall very far short of the minimum one might expect. So much so that a few years ago many of the parents (including most of the expats) withdrew their kids en-masse.

Life / What to bring, ship, pack for our move to Warsaw [67]


Usually next to the flour, and called 'Skrobia Kukurydziana'.

As for Kuchnie Świata, they have a lot of things that the supermarkets won't ever stock, like soft drinks and processed foods from the US.

If you live near a Piotr i Paweł, thry have very good Cheddar (from a farm not a factory) and MiniEuropa have plenty of 'western' products, albeit at a price.

UK, Ireland / Poland Flying the Flag at Gay Pride in Manchester [75]


Depends where you are I suppose, though the Manchester village was certainly quite provincial when I lused to hang out there. Mind you, that was back in the 80s :-)

UK, Ireland / Poland Flying the Flag at Gay Pride in Manchester [75]


Why not? Equality doesn't mean the same as uniformity.

And as for gay Poles, there are plenty - about 10 bars in Warsaw, a few in Katowice, Tri-City, Poznań, Krakow, Szczeciń and Wrocław, the odd one or two in smaller places, lots of gay bathhouses, bookshops, cafes, in warsaw a Taxi Service.

Compared to provincial Britain, there's a very thriving scene here. More and more prominent people in public life and the arts are openly gay, though some (Jarosław K, Tadeusz K, Zbigniew Z, Rubik, Żebrowski etc) stay in the closet so as not to offend their more red-necked fans. There's even a closed internet chatroom for priests who want to get to know other priests better.

Really, providing you aren't in a village or backwoods town, there's not much of a problem here.

News / Poland Remembers start of WW2 [200]

I think you'll find the disagreement between the London Polish gov't and the Warsaw one has quite a lot to do with it.

Out of interest, were British troops and airmen invited to the formal Victory celebrations in Poland? Admittedly the parades here in Warsaw were on a different scale here for very obvious reasons, but it would be interesting to know a bit more about them. I know the British War Memorials here didn't start to appear until after the PRL ended.

News / Poland Remembers start of WW2 [200]

I think there were a lot of things too sad and tragic to remember. In Warsaw, it's perhaps better not to know about some of the things that happened - on a cold grey Monday morning, walking down your street, it's horrible to reflect on how people in this apartment building or that hospital suffered.

Life / What to bring, ship, pack for our move to Warsaw [67]


I would agree with that, but remember that the voltage here is 240 not 110, so use an adaptor (from any Radio Shack or similar). If not your equipment will fry.

Delphiandomine's post is correct - anything you need can easily be found. There are a few big shopping Malls in Warsaw and plenty of big supermarkets. The Best Mall in Sadyba is especially good, and since a lot of the US and Canada embassy personnel live quite near, you'll find most things you want are there.

There are also a few grungy coffee shops here. Plenty of good bars here, but the restaurants (at least from a British point of view) are often disappointing. A few good ones though.

One thing you'll like is a shop called 'Kuchnie Świata' (Cuisines of the world) in a few of the Malls (best one, I think, in Złoty Taras). They have a US/Canada section (and some Mexican food), with quite a few products you'll know.

Oh, and The American Bookstore's branch on Koszykowa (just west of pl. Konstitucji) hace a bargain section with selected books at 10zl.

News / Poland Remembers start of WW2 [200]


That isn't true. The Poles were invited to take part!

Those loyal to the government-in-exile refused to take part because the Warsaw government had been invited, and the Warsaw government pulled out at the last minute on the orders of Moscow.

History / How Poland Created the 'Jewish/Khazar Problem' [11]

Amen. These people are paranoid.

Probably believe in aliens too.

News / EU elections in Poland: excuses for not voting please [43]


What planet are you from? He's a really nice guy

News / EU elections in Poland: excuses for not voting please [43]


I voted in central Warsaw too, and wavered for a week about whether I'd vote for the guy you mentioned (the choice of my heart) who is indeed a nice bloke, SLD (a tribal vote) or Trzaszkowski (the choice of my head). In the end Trzaszkowski won. And just about scraped in...

Life / FEMENINE HYGENE PRODUCTS AND STUFF in POLAND....help needed.... [11]


Even called Tena man

@ Wildrover, if you need to, you could always call the manufacturer (called SCA, head office in Warsaw on ul. Pulawska) and they should be able to direct you to your nearest stockist.

UK, Ireland / Polish language lessons wanted - Bradford area [5]

Bradford College runs Polish courses at three levels, at their main campus (I think that's the Horton Road one, behind the Alhambra)

Here are details - bradfordcollege.ac.uk/courses/course_view?id=pt351 - Bradford College - Polish - year 1

Life / IKEA in Warsaw [30]

@ Harry and @ Newexpat, thanks for the info!

Life / FEMENINE HYGENE PRODUCTS AND STUFF in POLAND....help needed.... [11]

Tena lady (one n) is sold in most chemists. They are actually made in Poland, near Wrocław. Remember they come in various sizes and types, so be sure to buy the right kind.

Life / IKEA in Warsaw [30]


Existing ones can be recharged until 2010

@ NewExpat, which office did you buy it at? People are saying that some ZTM offices require a PESEL and some don't. It seems to be up to whoever is behind the counter. I'd like to know because I really need to get one.

As for IKEA, Poland is one of their largest markets - from a handful of stores 10 years ago, they've really grown. A lot of their production is outsourced here too.

News / Euro Elections 4th June - Who will you vote for ? [110]

Centrolewica should do well here in Warsaw - and they've got some good candidates. They get my vote

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

Magdalena is right - it's a good shop. There's also the Sue Ryder shop on Bagatela - that's where diplomats take their old books. A charity shop rather than an exchange, but the books only cost 9zl so not a big problem. Sometimes they've a big selection, sometimes hardly any - it depends who's brought/bought books.

Yo can also join the British Council Library - they've a small selection (better in Poznań) and some public libraries have a foreign language section, but you need to have a zameldowanie.

Life / IKEA in Warsaw [30]


Exactly. Did you know that they're changing the travelcards to one with a photo in. On the one hand it saves having to write the serial number of some photo id on, but on the other hand, they need a PESEL. Discriminatory to foreign residents without a PESEL? Maybe. Irritating? Yes.

By the way, for the original poster, of the two big IKEAs (I think the third one's closed, unless they relocated it somewhere) the one at Targówek (Marki) is less crowded than the one at Janki, and the journey's a little easier.

Life / Women in Poland dyeing hair red [30]

About five yhears ago, multicoloured highlights were big here. So many women in Warsaw were doing it that it got a bit silly and went out of fashion fast. You can still see it though, in places like Targówek or Stegny.

Life / Queering Krakow's Culture - Same-sex pairs of iconic Greek sculptures [16]


It's an art exhibition. Ars gratia artis. No longer connected to the Human Rights event. There are thousands of exhibitions, wernisaży, wystawy in Poland every year. Why is this one so interesting to you?

And check my original post to decide if I'm calling you names or making a general point. I'd also refer you to your original inflammatory post.


Do people often force you to attend events? Good God, where do you live? North Korea?

Life / Queering Krakow's Culture - Same-sex pairs of iconic Greek sculptures [16]


So stay at home and don't go to the festival. Nobody's forcing you to go. Though rednecks are welcome too.


Why not become progressive and enlightened, instead of just imitating?

And what's the connection between a Kraków arts festival and your quote about Dutch paedophiles? Not that a country with so many RC priests has anything to learn about that subject!

Life / Would you intervene in a mugging on a street in Poland? [16]

A few year ago, when I'd just arrived here and spoke no Polish, there was a fire in the building opposite our office. I rushed to the Polish staff and asked them to ring the fire brigade. The answer from each of them was the same. "It's not our problem".