What is good about being in the UK?

I'd sure like to know some Poles opinions.

:)

There are lots of Poles to keep you company.

I am not a Pole but I am not from the UK, so I am not entirely cheating am I?

The Museums and the Theatres.

Boys, I value your opinions and I encourage you to post but I'd really like to hear from Polish people on this.

:)

Hehe, may I?

1. Language as it really works - it's very rich and very beautiful. With every book or article I discover something. 'Flabbergasted', for example.

2. Quiet countryside - with those little country parks, with coffee shops, visitor centres and deckings. I go couple of times each week, I feed ducks and other birds.

3. Old buildings, thatched cottages, walls almost caving in, 'gothic' churches with tiny squares. Not only they are picturesque, they also create an atmosphere.

4. I actually like shepherds pie, and most of all stew and dumplings. I wish there were more of real old traditional dishes around, because that's what would be exotic for me. Not hamburgers.

5. Real ales with real pubs and real ale festivals - that's a huge part of the culture, and the pubs look very otherworldly for me. Love them.

6. I don't really know many English people personally (before you shout - I have tried), but I like how they express friendliness, with that chit-chat, friendly banter, going out for a pint, mocking etc.

7. Theatres and all things about them. Excited people, some wearing rags, some in Sunday best, who all come in and get drunk on wine and are very well communicating - love it.

8. And the infrastructure -roads, internet, change energy provider, pay bills by card online. That bit I think we will soon have, but for now I envy.

9. Hills in Peak District and mountains in Snowdon -but I don't know if Wales counts?

To catch a swan?

And eat it :>

Everybody knows that roast swan is English Christmas dish.

I welcome your post with open arms.

I am curious why you don't know many English people living in England... when you say you have tried what do you mean?

Also why do you not post these things in a thread yourself? Why did I have to create this thread?

Just curious.

:)

A lot of my Polish friends spend their days off visiting somewhere outside of the city. They keep telling me of places to visit but forget I've usually been there before. ;)


A couple of my Polish friends have said food and history. They explore both. ;)

Thanks PD.

You're welcome.

I'll harass more of them for answers if you like. ;)

Please do! I want info info info!

The Polish friends i took to the UK couldn,t find any English food that they could eat....They thought it was all rubbish.....!

To be honest there is nothing really special about living or being from the UK, this is my home and probably (unless duty calls) will be for the large percentage of my life. I love the UK but the strange thing is i cannot tell you why, i guess its just the everyday things i have and can do here that i cannot when i've visited other countries that are not so lucky as my country.

Cool. I just spoke with my friend on Skype and she gave me a few reasons.

Her mother has given her more independence since she moved to the UK. She says when she lived in Poland, even though she had her own flat her mother always fussed around her but now her mother is more relaxed. This is a plus for her and actually when her mother visited a couple of weeks ago they visibly got on better than in previous years.

Language. My friend has had to learn the language properly because this is now her home. She's had good fun learning proper English and the colloquialisms of here and in Ireland where she lived for a few months.


Interesting. Lots of Brit food is nice depending on how it's cooked. I'm surprised they didn't find something. Not even baked beans? ;)

My friend said food was one of the good things in the UK. Why? Because of the diversity of it all. You can eat food from any corner of the world almost.

Mixing of cultures. My friend said to take a look at her Facebook friends. So I did. She has friends in Edinburgh from France, Spain, Italy, USA, Canada, Norway, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa and Scotland. She met them all here.

Hang on there is one good thing about living in the UK, i can play cricket here :)

not a tea for sure

lol, you wouldn't know a good tea if it smacked you in the face or warmed the back of your throat :) Honestly mate you have to try it first....

sweethearts - there were supposed to be ten chapters, but after the last one he forumers just went too hysterical to continue. If you read them with understanding, you will get 9 compliments and 1 frown in each, except the 5th.

The compliment thing - in out culture compliments are not a good thing. One can't praise oneself at all, and giving them to others is tricky. So god things kind of go without saying. If you know your worth, you don't need them. If somebody says a good thing about Poland, you will get answers like 'but we have huge unemployment'.

But - English people love them and even two young mates compliment one another (very unsoldierly). so Lefty - it's not that you had to ask for compliments, it's that you go around asking for them. I understand that you took action to straighten up the opinions on the forum - but in my eyes that was self-centered. Anyways, I hope that now you are at peace. There's good in the UK!

I honestly don't understand this statement, I see more like 9 frowns and 1 compliment. In fact compliment is a stupid word to use here, I don't think it's needed, I just don't want you to be biased... which I think you are.


If this were true then my answer would be that you are living within the bounds of our culture now though aren't you? So surely you want to integrate? What makes you think that you have to stick so strongly to the Polish mindset? Again a lack of open mindedness, a lack of understanding and all mixed up with a some arrogance.


This means nothing. In England there are much worse problems than Poland but my point is that I (Who has lived in Poland for a period of time) have seen bad things in Poland, too, but I do not feel the need to write a diary, either looking for attention and/or being negative about someone else's country, specifically, if I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to live and work there, after all this is not your god given right but one our country has allowed no?


I've never once met an English person who goes around asking for compliments and I don't understand how you have reached this opinion, this reminds me of the "Hi, how are you?" thing that apparently makes us disingenuous in the opinions of other countries which I believe is a lack of intelligence and understanding of culture on their behalf.


No it was not self centred. Let me put this to you, I am sick of threads like yours! You sit there on your high horse and talk to me about how 'bad' England is about how English people are racists and the food is terrible, that life is hard and you make it sound like Poland is some kind of paradise well you know what? It's not. When I was in £ódź I saw 3 kids spit in a Chinese woman's hair on the tram in a clearly racist attack. I also got abused being called "Angielski cymbał" and was told to "wypierdalaj" in a clubb because the bouncer "Nie lubię Anglik" I also didn't care too much for some of the foods too but do I didn't come home and make a series of threads about these things. In fact I did the opposite and said the things which I loved about Poland.

Why? because I'm not negative and I'm not attention seeking and looking to point out the flaws of another country especially not one which is doing me a favour by letting me live and work there.

That my friend is arrogance and stupid negativity.

Oh, dear I thought than only rich people can be arrogant how wrong I am! Must be the closed-mindedness.
If you don't see the compliments, then as I said, I will try to simplify the figures of writing, and put ...NOT!!! somewhere.

You know, the whole idea of thread like this came to me when reading 'what do you hate about England', and I said there:
'I hate that they have better roads, because it makes me jealous',
and they answered
'so get the f out'.

But, let me explain that to you, if something makes me jealous it's obviously because it's good. Here is your compliment. But it seems that if people see 'hate', or 'sad', they just don't feel the need to read any more, because they already know everything. Shame. At school we have this exercise 'reading with understanding'. Try it sometimes.

About the 'allowing me to'. There were no real borders and passports until Count Bismarck from Prussia invented them. Enjoy them, but they are just here for a period in history.

That reminded me of a certain guy Darren, who told me once with joy 'You have to feel so grateful to us that we have let you come here'. And, just to clarify - why on earth? Does Peter, the English chap who works in Doha now, feels grateful, for the love of God? No, he's there for a time, he is doing some work. Normal business. I can't see any reason why you folk go sky-high on those imaginations how other people are supposed to be grateful to get the worst jobs in England??? If my man gets a better job in Doha - we will go to Doha.

And let me tell you - English people DO complain and moan like little children. Especially the ones in China 'aw, those people don't speak English, aw, those people push in the queue, aw, those people shout'. So now enjoy a little truth from me instead of whinging at other people's countries.

you didnt mention the vast amout of real ales to sup :-)

you really should have a more open mind ;P

what she meant is of course you have 9 compliments of England (being here) from her - even if they weren't actually pointed clearly and 1 frown - seems like English people are really insecure :P ;)


if I come to England mostly to earn money I feel no need to fully integrate - you just find it is better to conform in some areas (it just comes naturally) - some things are simply good in English culture and society (better if not much better than in Polish) and are a treat to adopt (well honestly mostly use it to one's advantage)

then again even if I stayed in England for the remainder of my life I don't think I would just simply integrate - if you find it strange or arrogant I again think it springs from your insecurity in your own culture


moaning


just unable to face criticism


well you are negative - you spill youre nauseaous feeling here - why is there any need in you to share your nauseaous feelings with us

I didn't say this because I am open minded and not negative, unfortunately some English people are. I can admit this.


Don't patronise me I'm very good at reading and understanding things so tell me, how do the threads you have created portray England?

Even just reading the titles I get the answer to this. Don't play games and beat around the bush. You know fine well what I mean.


Are we in history class?

I agree in a sense but it's not relevant here is it. I personally have views that mass immigration is actually forward progress in the world and that eventually all borders should be open and we shall be free to go anywhere and do what we please so long as it's legal but the fact is there are borders and our government (Sh*t as it is in many respects) HAS given you access to our country just as your government has too. Unequivocal fact. Stop dancing around the real questions and points here. I don't.


Sounds like a dickhead.


Tell me then what is your business you are doing here? Did you come here as a trained professional? Or! Did you come here and THEN find a job? This is the difference between skilled and unskilled and therefore the difference between being a cleaner (unskilled) and being a banker (skilled) that's life. End of.


Przepraszam, Nie rozumiem... co to znaczy?


Are you having a joke here?

What have we just been talking about?

Think about what you write before you write it.


I really hope all those smileys meant that was a joke.


No. I'm sorry but if you come to England to live you must integrate and if you do not want to or make any attempt to then I am going to use my god given right to say something about it. How dare you say something like this.


I think it is you that does not understand here! I like Polish people and I am with one of them whom I love very much but for sure it is YOUR mindset that has made you even think like this! I guess you need to have your country have a crappy government and create areas where you can walk down the street and not hear one word of English it may become apparent to you what I am getting at here! Is it your fault? No is it mine? No. My point?

STOP MOANING!


Not moaning. FACT. Now whenever I state a fact I moan? How so? Did I create 10 threads about this? No.


How on earth did you come to this conclusion? Elaborate!


No. I'm not spilling nauseous feeling on here, I'm simply sticking up for me and my country and I will never back down. Stop being so arrogant and sticking up for your own. If you feel she is right then fair enough make a DECENT COHESIVE ARGUMENT but don't stick up for her just because she is Polish.

You were on a roll, until you mentioned the skilled Banker thing. Your post lost a lot of credibility on that one. ;-)

by which you mean what? that I do what? go to a pub every friday? or just pay taxes? think in English? I can well think in English and I will never think the English way (I guess)

if I dare not to say how are you? when I don't really mean it just say good morning or hello are you gonna punch me and throw me out of the country -

there are worse problems in England than in Poland?
who have created them - was it Poles?
and how do you actually compare the scale of the problems - you know why Polish people started going to England (late 90's) - because there was 20 per cent unemployment here


I was going to mention it too hahaha

forced integration never works.

aphrodisiac

If you beat them long enough, it will work eventually.

:)

>^..^<

M-G (integrated integration integrity)

not true, I tried that on you and you have developed even more need for freedom.

aphro is preparing a different approach in secret;)

aphrodisiac

But I'm Dutch, we're independent and cling to our freedom by nature :)

Oh gee, will I know what that different approach would be?

>^..^<

M-G (in fearful awaiting)