The past and future of Poland. Poland is lost.

So you lived there when you could feel rich with your American dollars.


Sounds like you are describing the US.


Again sounds like sour grapes!


It has never worked anywhere, what planet are you on? In China they are becoming more of a capitalist society than most western one's.


I would say after living here for eight years, that the older generation are really proud of the younger generation in taking the opportunities that are open to them now. Why on earth would they join the Army which offers them little, as compared to University?

In fact most parents will do anything they can to avoid this, going to the lengths of even bribing the medical army doctor to rate their children as medically unfit to join the Army. And I think most Poles will agree that you will never see a poor Army inspection doctor.


Agreed, to a certain point and being British myself it angers me when this happens.


Rubbish!!!
I have lived in many countries in the world, and I have never met such a society in the western world that cares for and has so much respect for it's elder generation.

Summing up, I just think you are a sore American who cannot come to Poland any more and exploit it as you did in the past, which is just plain hypocrisy, because all the way through your rant here you talk about being used, when in truth your just pizzed off that you cannot!!

Much of what you say here is true, and therefore offensive to many on this board.

It's not about how expensive it is, it's about value for money and at the moment Poland in many respects is starting to price itself above the value it provides.

People will put up with low quality and poor service when the price is right, but when you can get better for the same price elsewhere the choice is obvious.

Reminds of something said to me by a Pole a couple of weeks ago - why should I spend my vacation in Karwia when I can go to Sardinia for the same price?

time to go somewhere else ?


reminds of something said to me by a brit some time ago-why should i spend my vacation in great yarmouth,cornwall,anywhere in the uk when i can go to spain/france/italy or so many other countries for less.

Exactly

stop talking and do it then.zloty is so strong.sell your properties.buy buckets of pounds.go back to your beloved country and invest there.what keeps you there?i don't really want unhappy brits in my country.

Who's unhappy? :)

I havent said anything about being unhappy.

Just said that Poland no longer offers the value for money it did previously. Which it doesnt. Undeniably. When you finally go back to your own country you will be shoked how far your zloty no longer goes.

Ive made fuk loads of money from Polish property and what I still have I will sit on until the time comes to sell. Not for a few years I imagine. Ive partied hard, drunk bucket loads of beer, enjoyed good company, avoided the women and beat the locals at their own game.

Ive paid more tax in Poland in the past 12 months than you have probably earnt in the past 24, taken nothing from the system, dealt with shoddy workmanship, paid over-inflated prices and laughed in beaurocrats faces. It's been fun. It's been an adventure.

But Im starting to agree with the growing number of expats who say they no longer want to work with the Poles. It's just not worth it

As a Pole, you would like that to be the case Del Boy, wouldnt you?

my grandpa had palac once in Poland but commies nicked him nearly all, only a few books left. Lancut they call it

Thats just the way the cookie crumbles dude.

there is no secret that a lot of expats went to Poland to make money, have some fun and experiance some challanges. Once the novelty wore off, it is time to move on.

Give me a break, can anyone here remember what Communists did to Poland? 1989 was not that long ago. It's not like they were thinking of Poland's future when holding her hostage. Then for others to sit back and think rebuilding a free Poland is a task that happens in the blink of an eye is just plain ignorant.

agree. But the initial poster doesn't know, doesn't care and never will.

It is just his perspective on things and it doesn't meant that he has a full picture obviously.

Well if thats the case Carol explain to my why Poland thinks its up there with the rest of Europe

she is, maybe instead of condeming how about the rest of Europe give some support vs. stabbing her in the back?

With respect VaFunkoolo who thinks this?
As most Poles I know, understand that they still have A LOT to achieve, and are always saying that it's easier in other countries than Poland.

Your contradicting yourself again Carol

And how many billions of euros does the rest of Europe have to give before the knife has been taken out of Poland's back?

Sorry, how many was that...?


Well obviously Carol for a start

Many have posted on this forum that Poland is as good, if not better, than the rest of Europe. This has been discussed at great length at various times

WOW! You've all been very busy! I probably lived in Poland before many of you finished High School, Liceum, Tech School, A Levels, whatever you call it where you come from. Again, I was not an American who came to spend dollars. I came to Poland with nothing. I earned zlotys and spent zlotys. I worked like a fool for 6 years and left with nothing as the exchange rate just got worse and worse. When you think about it, no one feels like a prince in Poland. I never felt like a prince. When I lived there, it was an terribly inconvenient place to live. And cheap? Krakow was a bit cheap, but Warsaw was never really cheap.

Sour grapes? You Polish guys sound like you were mad when you saw the Americans or Brits with your women. Be mad at your women, don't be mad at us. You believed way too much in Hollywood movies about rich Americans, and now you feel vindicated in some way? It's really very petty.

My main point of this post was simply that Poland got in a big damned hurry to be in the Union and gave your own country away to the speculators who have made it impossible for normal average Poles to enjoy the fruits of their own country. A few get rich, and the average Poles gets sold out for cheap to Western Europe.

Poland is an average country now. It used to be rather isolated with its own seperate identity, culture, personality. Perhaps you just never liked Poland, Rafik. Maybe you were ashamed of old Poland. My wife's family comes from near Naleczow. The are rather poor village people. They use money, but not so much. They trade, raise their own food, make their own alcohol..and they don't really speak very good Polish. Not very well eduated either. But my father-in-law served in the Polish military and he is proud of that. My mother-in-law works for the local government..now over 25 years.

They never had money, and neither have I. So, no. I never went to Poland to feel like a Prince of Persia. I went to Poland to live among people I liked better than my own countrymen. I struggled in Poland harder than any of you advantaged Poles. I never owned a car in Poland. I always rode second class on the trains, I froze to death in the winters as those stupid radiators never could keep a place warm. I lived in fu*cking Nowa Huta Dz. 303. I rarely bought tickets for the buses or trams and had to dodge the kontollers constantly. I gave private English lessons when I could for extra money..yeah..10 zlotys. wow. And I struggled. OH! And I ate in lots of Milk Bars, and cannot actually ever remember eating in a restaurant...a Turkish Place once maybe.

I left Poland because I saw Poland selling herself to Western Europe..that is..your politicians and their rich friends. AND, I got tired of hearing from Poles like yourself Rafik about how the rich Americans can always go back home, but Poles must stay here, and so, the good jobs must be reserved for Poles.

I got tired of being treated like a rich foreigner. Of Poles trying to overcharge me based on my passport. I got tired of the ever increasing greed of a few Poles who owned everything, and of being told after university,

"Teach English! It's a good JOB!!" I am trained in Finance and Logistics. I studied and lectured at Jagiellonian University, Institute of Business Management.

I am no old git come to Poland to throw my money around. I'm probably more Polish than most of you, and most of you are just Europeans now. Good luck with that.

Are you offering? Prior to 89 can you show me what this money did to update Poland? No you were really handing the money into Communist hands that took it next door and invested it for her (in themself).

*DELETED*

He is not an american in terms of to be born in US, lived couple of years in Poland, had Polish wife and was communist, dont spek polish properly so probably he is Soviet man. Michal, highly probably.

Carol you are unable to keep a coherent conversation going which is why I have never bothered. It's possible you have wothwhile things to say but you have problems keeping your thoughts on track

lets not get paranoid here. I just think that his descriptions are quite appropriate to the times when he was living there.

Just because people are not capitalists, it doesn't mean they are communists.

It is a good account on what was happening at that time. Nothing more, nothing less. Things never stay the same.

I watched all five of the videos and wanted to ask if this is close to the truth?

I lived 6 SIX years in Poland, Del boy. It's a long time to live as an adult in Poland with high inflation and low wages...and you were probably a child during this time and didn't notice even what was happening around you. You were probably just out of diapers when I came to Poland to live. You proabably dont even work now as you have been on the computer all day. Oh, BTW. I am no communist.

They always were and you say that like it's something to be ashamed of.

LOL Ive got a friend in the video :)

The description of Sopot during the summer is spot on

If you follow the links the other four are really interesting.

Well I live in Puławy not very far from Nałęczów, and I don't know when was the last time you were in Nałęczów or Poland come to think of it, but the description you provide of the place is totally alien to me.

Nałęczów is full rich people from all walks of life from Businessmen to actors and such like, and to buy a house there you are looking at least a Million zloty, and that's a basic one.


Sorry to be pedantic here, but it's education not as above lol

Sorry I just read it again and saw "near Nałęczów", where exactly ?