It depends. Even though the sayings are true, they don't mention it's terribly hard to have a good Polish neighbor. Some of them are jealous of each other and interfere into your family matters...
I would disagree. Poles are very specific in their social contact with other Poles, especially their neighbours; invite your Polish neighbor for a dinner and the next day you may be treated as a family member (in both good or bad aspects). A Polish neighbour sometimes knows more about you than you do about yourself :).
I mean Polish neighbours between Polish neighbours (not Poles between a foreigner where the barrier is usually thicker).
My Polish neighbour is fine, she mostly keeps to herself, which is fine. It's the Scottish ones we could all live without. The husband is loud and comes home drunk, shouting in the street...sigh.
However, there are a couple of Polish guys living down the street who were loud for a while. They'd put loud music on late at night. Someone called the police though and they came and spoke to them once and there's been nothing since. They're both nice lads.
U can't generalise PolskaDoll. I know many Scots who are appalling neighbours, like in most countries. What is a Polish neighbour? What is an English neighbour? What is a Japanese neighbour? The answer to the third question, much quieter than the rest. Let's all be thankful that we don't have gun-toting neighbours like in the US
I 'm in Canada, my neighbours are exactly like that and none of them is Polish.
I don't know if you're Polish.. but would your neighbors invite you to their kid's wedding party the day after you met? Or go and try to borrow $500 the day after you met? Or try to get married their daughter to your son (even though they haven't met yet)? Or try to borrow your car to go pick up someone from the airport? Don't think so..
Just because you had bad experiences with neighbours does not mean that all of them are like that. Yes I am Polish and I had plenty of polish neighbours in my past and have yet to meet one that even remotely comes close to the above.
Having a Polish neighbor/landlord means that they will always have the nicest looking house/yard on the block. Also the nicest car. I am Polish and most of my friends are the same like me. We keep the cleanest houses and the nicest yards.
I live in Boston and I can honestly say that I DO HAVE the nicest house in the neighborhood. I do all of the work myself and not hire illegals to do my chores like some of my neighbors.
Well Poles are specific. Like every other nation. But u can't generalize.
Tehere are 2 kinds of polish immigration. Those who are students or have finished universities and they're pretty cool, know the west , communicate in english. And the other kind of people from lower class, with no university degrees - but still having pretty good knowledge of the world (polish secondary schools are pretty hard, realise wide program) and being very good workers.
Now - to help you understand few things about poles.
1/ History is the most important thing poles like to talk about. They fought for London in 1940 and on all the fronts of II WW, and had the 4th largest army in western alliance made of polish emigrants. And at the end had been betrayed by Churchil and Roosevelt and sold out to Stalin. Many of them (exept of the youngest) were born in communism, in poor country, just because of those incident.
Be carreful as you talk to pole about history of europe - they'll not like you and get very emotional if you are ignorant and don't have the basic knowledge.
But if you'll read a little about history of Poland and for example know that Polish Aircraft helped to save UK in 1940 - Poles will love you. It's pretty simple :) Just buy yourself a book of Norman Davies and read and You'll earn 40 million fans in central Europe ;) They really appreciate foreigners who know about Poland's historical role. And it will definitely help You to deal with them.
2/ Poland's been 50 years under comunist regime. In this time private business activity was forbidden. To survive people had to cheat the regime and avoid the law. It became kinda traditionin Poland and'll take another generation to get back to normal. That's the deep reason of the fact that some of them resist to follow local rules in first period when they come to foreign country. Just to express their independence -and because it had been normal behavior in Poland 20 years ago, when the communism was in power.
Just give them a break. Show them you respect them as people. The'll recognize you as a friend and they'll follow all the rules.
If you'll be honest to Poles and respect them You can count on them 100%.
3/ Poland always claimed to be a part of western (roman) civilization. History again - Poland alone stopped Bolsheviks huge invasion for western Europe in 1920 (the invasion was intended to bring communism to entire Europe). And in 1683 Polish cavalry (called the best in the world) sopped Turkish great invasion of Europe in bloody Vienna Battle, in Austria.
They know western culture and history, they find themselves very well in western conditions and can become in short a valuable part of local community.
Unlike immigrants from different parts of the world they have knowledge and respect of western culture and feeling the're a part of it. Just show a little patience. It's always hard when You move to another country. Especially when you move from the country where the state and the law meant in the past a bloody regime and is still in the process of fast evolution - to the country where people never experienced how does it feel when your own state is your enemy.
4/ Poles all have something in common. They'll work really hard. You'll be satisfied of them. Just keep them in some dicipline and respect them. And you'll find no better employees.
5/ There are single people in every nation that bring shame to themselves. Don't judge millions because of the few You had problem with.
6/ Polish immigrants have changed in comparison with the past ('80s, '90s). They're educated and ambitious. Work hard. They're the generation of young who have mostly grown in new, free country wchich changed it's orientation completely to the west right after getting back its freedom.
Regards.
PS Oh, one more thing. Especially to british, americans and french. In general (I don't mention exceptions) your ignorance in history is a shame to yourself. I mean it.
I'm opened person, well educated, I traveled to many countries in my life. But I still get furious when I talk to westerners who don't heva a bloody idea on Polish role in their own history.
Well - here is the deal. My grandfather died over London in 1940, in the aircraft battle whith Germans. I consider myself to have right to feel a citizen of London and will not ask for permission to come :-)
I'd like some of you to realise how much my family have done for You - because honestly, I'd prefer my Grandpa to stay in Poland, be quiet and take care of our properties after war and secure our future. He didn't and my family lost almost entire wealth after war.
Instead of that he fought for UK, died in UK and nobody in UK knows about it. I think it's fair you know that guys! It doesn't cost much to read a little - unlike to give your life for foreign country as thousands Polish soldiers did.
I think Polish neighbors are utter **** personally - they are loud, dirty, smoke excessively and have no sense of decency and show no courtesy to their neighbors. They come from **** holes and move into nice communities and then bring the level down to what they are used to living with.
hi evryone , i felt i just need to share this ... 1st im not polish im married to polish living in warsaw so, in warsaw we have strange neighbors from the 1st day i moved to poland i can hear them screaming and fighting and lot of k*rwa even there is a baby few months and they shouting on his head like animals and you can hear the baby crying as hell !!
as im not polish i didnt know how to deal with it , even when im going out of my flat i was afraid to even say good morning they look strange !!! some of my friends told me to call the police for this baby ! and i have to say i live in really good area in warsaw ! and it's hard to find the same . but these ppl really look like a virus in good body ..
the other side in my wife's city and it's small city very close to warsaw totaly different they have amazing neighbors simply because her parents house is rounded by their families's houses so totaly nice and safe and for sure you will have a good morning , too friendly , but what i dont like in small cities that they are soooooooooooooo nosy and rumers are running faster than bolets!
