Wieszcz
10 Mar 2006 / #1
Why is that?
We are all different. Likewise, no Pole is like his neighbor, but on the other hand, no matter what you say, there are some typical characteristics that are specific for each nationality. You can call it stereotyping, you can show that it is not true for some of the people, but as a whole, nations have a distinct character. If you have lived in several countries, you will notice, that although, a lot is the same, a lot is different. Each country stamps its national character upon its citizen.
This is what allows us to use stereotypes to describe different people: the Scotts are stingy, the Germans are authoritarian, the Russians impulsive, the Poles - spontaneous and unruly. Some also claim, in the first place the Poles themselves that besides that, they are also fast learners and can accommodate fast to changing circumstances. This might not be true in regard to each and every Pole, but as a rule the statement should be valid.
The main reason for this can be found in the Polish past. Placed in the middle of Europe between superpowers, like Russia and Germany (also Austria for a time), Poland has a long history of wars and occupations of its territories by foreigners. For a long while the country was even totally gone divided into three parts. No wonder that the Poles had to learn the art of adaptation. Learning how to survive in a foreign environment was a major part in the art of survival for hundreds of years. Also, the years behind the Iron Curtain have contributed to this ability. You had to adapt to the new "socialist" reality or perish. In fact, thanks to the communist regime, most Poles had a chameleon mentality.
Being one person at work, in school, in office, another at home. For not conforming, the punishments were severe. You had to learn to play it by ear, and not make any mistakes.
No wonder that most Poles do adjust fast and well to living overseas, which is in principle a similar situation in which you are asked to be two different persons and personalities at the same time. Yourself, when at home with your family or friends, the happy and well-adjusted migrant, when you are at work. Compared to many other nationalities the modern day Poles adjust pretty fast and well to foreign circumstances, the best proof being that their children, as a rule, are well adapted, even assimilated to the new culture of their country.
They find new friends at the workplace, their children have new friends born and bred in the country they live in. The Poles are so well adjusted in fact that they on average have a much lower rate of crime than most other nationalities, and they're kids score consistently high on school tests. This shows that the Poles as a group have some kind of special talent for finding their way to living abroad, which absolutely is not everyone's cup of coffee.
Also, unlike the previous generations of Polish migrants that preferred to live in a Polish speaking community, the new, educated Polish migrants do not feel the need to staying within their own language group. They are better prepared when it comes to their education on linguistic competence, which makes them stand out as a group.
Nowadays, in part due to those factors, the Polish migrants are very flexible, happy to live anywhere and everywhere, if only the place feels right, which only confirms they're capacity for learning and adjustment. Although, not every Pole will become the US Secretary of State, like Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, many of them or their children will set a mark on the land they live in.
We are all different. Likewise, no Pole is like his neighbor, but on the other hand, no matter what you say, there are some typical characteristics that are specific for each nationality. You can call it stereotyping, you can show that it is not true for some of the people, but as a whole, nations have a distinct character. If you have lived in several countries, you will notice, that although, a lot is the same, a lot is different. Each country stamps its national character upon its citizen.
This is what allows us to use stereotypes to describe different people: the Scotts are stingy, the Germans are authoritarian, the Russians impulsive, the Poles - spontaneous and unruly. Some also claim, in the first place the Poles themselves that besides that, they are also fast learners and can accommodate fast to changing circumstances. This might not be true in regard to each and every Pole, but as a rule the statement should be valid.
The main reason for this can be found in the Polish past. Placed in the middle of Europe between superpowers, like Russia and Germany (also Austria for a time), Poland has a long history of wars and occupations of its territories by foreigners. For a long while the country was even totally gone divided into three parts. No wonder that the Poles had to learn the art of adaptation. Learning how to survive in a foreign environment was a major part in the art of survival for hundreds of years. Also, the years behind the Iron Curtain have contributed to this ability. You had to adapt to the new "socialist" reality or perish. In fact, thanks to the communist regime, most Poles had a chameleon mentality.
Being one person at work, in school, in office, another at home. For not conforming, the punishments were severe. You had to learn to play it by ear, and not make any mistakes.
No wonder that most Poles do adjust fast and well to living overseas, which is in principle a similar situation in which you are asked to be two different persons and personalities at the same time. Yourself, when at home with your family or friends, the happy and well-adjusted migrant, when you are at work. Compared to many other nationalities the modern day Poles adjust pretty fast and well to foreign circumstances, the best proof being that their children, as a rule, are well adapted, even assimilated to the new culture of their country.
They find new friends at the workplace, their children have new friends born and bred in the country they live in. The Poles are so well adjusted in fact that they on average have a much lower rate of crime than most other nationalities, and they're kids score consistently high on school tests. This shows that the Poles as a group have some kind of special talent for finding their way to living abroad, which absolutely is not everyone's cup of coffee.
Also, unlike the previous generations of Polish migrants that preferred to live in a Polish speaking community, the new, educated Polish migrants do not feel the need to staying within their own language group. They are better prepared when it comes to their education on linguistic competence, which makes them stand out as a group.
Nowadays, in part due to those factors, the Polish migrants are very flexible, happy to live anywhere and everywhere, if only the place feels right, which only confirms they're capacity for learning and adjustment. Although, not every Pole will become the US Secretary of State, like Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, many of them or their children will set a mark on the land they live in.