Living In Poland For The Expat

Sound advice, Misty. Or start stretching at the counter and smack them, pretending you didn't see them. It's a global phenomenon, I guess. Not only here.

I think I'll take the Misty approach next time.

It's very effective. You also get less harassed by them because you're doing it deliberately. ;)

Hi all,
can anyone tell me is life in Warsaw expensive? Will 4k EUR be enough for family there?

Its really what you make of it. It can be just like the States or Uk if you spend you weekends at the shopping mall. Or it can a very different experience if you spend your time with your family on an outing.

I think the people are nicer than the Uk for example. Maybe not on the surface but overall. In the States people are pretty friendly so I think Poles are about the same. Americans smile more but Polish are very nice when you get to know them.

Prices, cheap compared to the West.

Prices were much cheaper 5 years ago. Some of the prices here are ridiculous when compared to the average salary.

Ridiculously high or low?

I guess it works both ways but I was thinking ridiculously high. I had a couple of shops in mind. I was chatting with a Polish guy who came back from Leeds. He described the prices in the deli as a "skandal". They are pretty scandalous.

However, overall, you can get some real bargains at fruit/veg stalls and also in shops like Biedronka and Plus.

Just checked prices in Biedronka...are they in EURs or in local valute?

Local currency

well...in that case I can say its very cheap comparing to the prices that we are paying here

In general it is.

just one more question: Is it possible to rent 2 or 3 bedroom apartment in the center of Warsaw for 1.000 EUR?

Ok lets compare. (I know Krakow) A tram pass in Boston 1 month is about 150 dollars. In Krakow 90 pln. I rent a flat for 1000 pln Thats 350 dollars. In the US or London you can not do that. But maybe 1000 dollars or GBP.

Tomatoes 1 lbs in the states is equal to 5.99 (reasonable quality) That means 3 dollars a kg. In the Poland I buy them 3.50 pln a KG. So its about the same if the PLN and dollar were the same. But they are not so its about 1/3 cheaper.

Moves 20 pln Poland or 20 dollars in Boston

Aha but salaries are paid in PLN not dollars. so it equals out.

Of course... I think that you will have to pay around ~700 EUR... but it depends on flat standard.

For example this is what you can get for 1k EUR: 4 rooms, 110 squere meters, parking place... close to subway station.

use gumtree and find what you need....

thank u esek...that site helps alot

Hmmm. Weather and language. I lived in San Diego for 25 years and have had no problem adjusting to the long but not so cold winters in Gdansk. Just dress warmly and you'll be fine.

But the language is difficult. My degree is in French and I speak some Italian, a little Japanese and Spanish. They were easy to learn. Polish is much more difficult, but if you try, you can learn it, although it takes a while. You'll find that in larger cities a lot of people speak English, so don't let either the weather or the language deter you from coming here. It's far from perfect-what country is?-but I love it here.

My wife and I moved to Poznań a year and a half ago from Chicago. The reason is family. We love Poland and don't find the weather much different from that in Chicago. It can get boring if you don't make an effort to get involved with people outside of your flat. I do some private teaching of English and that gives me the contact.

The roads in many places are not good and travel time takes longer that you would think. Plus, the drivers have little regard for other drivers. We make it a point to go somewhere outside of Poznań every weekend just so we can get to know Poland better. We don't forsee a reason to ever leave. I have a permanent resident card now and that is almost as good as being a citizen as far as health insurance. Every individual is different so I can only talk about our experience so far. I write a blog each day about our life in Poznań since we arrived. polanddavid.blogspot.com. People are friendly but we have found more rude ones here than in the U.S. We were very surprised by that.

And a darn good one it is. I read it often! Keep up the good work!

What's the correct web address the link you provided doesn't work

change the = to a -

Thanks!

No sweat.

Thanks Shawn.......And a darn good one it is. I read it often! Keep up the good work!

[quote=ianaus]
However, what is Poland really like for the expat? Of course I have heard a lot but would like some different opinions as I have never been there.

What are the people like? Friendly?...............in the small towns they are great...once they get to know you!!...Warsaw is great...people are very helpful...you can have a great social life

The, well, bit grim weather?...it was a scorching summer...man I'm still tanned!!!
The language? I have started learning but it seems a bit more difficult compared to my French and Spanish learning days.....don't do it!!!....I'm 10 months in and I can say hello...and well goodbye!....perfectly btw!

And how do you guys feel who live there compared to your previous countries of residence? I am interested to know.....I'm from Oxford England!!...england was full of uptight...tight wads!..lol...this place is as good as you make it...if you live like a hermit everywhere will be awful..if you actually get out,explore..and put yourself about a bit its fantastic!!...oh wait...one or 2 negatives....you can't find a good piece of angus steak...and your liver is going to get a pounding!!...these Polish dudes and dudettes sure know how to drink!!

Hi
I am French and I speak (well try to speak) English and Spanish which are, quite easy languages to learn, I think.
I've recently decided to start to learn Polish and at the beginning I was scared and discouraged when I looked at some books and when I listened to Poles talking. It sounds so different from what I already knew that I thought it would take me ages to be able to have even a simple conversation in Polish.

But it was not the case, now that I had several classes, it does not sounds alien anymore! Ok it has nothing to do with your language but never make a comparison with it and just try to learn as a child, by imitating what the others do, their accent, their way of talking, the words that come often etc.

If you are really motivated, that you get involved and of course that you live with Poles with no other choice than speaking their language to be understood, you will have no problem learning the language.

And this is your girlfriend's mother tongue so she will help you and you will soon discover that it is a very beautiful language :)

I've never been to the United States, but people can be terribly rude here. But I think part of it is accepting it and being rude straight back at them. For instance, while waiting at Wrocławska in Poznań for the tram, some old guy decided to push pretty much right in front of me. So, I took advantage and when the tram doors opened, I pushed right back in front of him and claimed the only free seat. His loss :) The worst thing about it was that if I'd gotten on first and claimed the only free seat, only for him to have to stand up - I'd have given him the seat.

But in some respects, people are much less rude - old people routinely get given seats on the tram, for instance. That happens much less in the UK, or at least in my experience.

I agree, they play ball and you do likewise. I agree with the convention of giving up your seat for older people. They are frail and the tram rattles along anything but smoothly. However, it' s their recalcitrant ways that cost them. Skipping queues is just not on, it could lead to anarchy if accepted on a large scale.

This negative me-me-me attitude is, frankly, pathetic!

However, young ones seem to be better.

Oh yes. My favourite is when they stand and glare at you, while invading your personal space to make you give them the seat. Of course, I sit there and smile to myself like a lunatic, safe in the knowledge that with such rudeness, there's no way they're getting my seat.

I tend not to give my seat to any evil looking pensioners as well, but :P

I just gaze out of the windows, I don't even attempt to make eye contact. I pay a lot of tax here so I feel ok not putting my ticket through the machine and leaving it as insurance for the next time. As long as I have a ticket on me, I'm safe from fines.

You lucky bugger.

They 'lock' the validators in Poznan, so if you're caught without a validated ticket, boom, fine. But seeing as I carry my UK driving licence and a copy of my passport as ID, I still want to know what the consequence of being caught actually is. I was caught by some other bus company - but giving them 'no polish' and smiling broadly when they threatened me with the police if I didn't pay drove them crazy (and let me go for free!).