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Trying to find out what Poles like to do in the UK


MATTB1 2 | -  
16 Jul 2007 /  #1
Hi

I don't know if anyone will be able to help but it would be great if you could.

I'm doing some work on understanding what Poles in the UK do for leisure and I can't seem to find out. I know pub culture isn't as big in Poland as it is here, but I might wrong about Poles in the UK.

If anyone can give me a general idea that would be great.

Thanks

Matt
Michal - | 1,865  
17 Jul 2007 /  #2
In our household my wife does a lot of ice skating and tries to get our daughter to do ballet classes and soon even swimming in after school classes. I would think that the Poles would not spend a lot of time in English bars as the beer would be too expensive in their country but do not think that they do not drink and drink in their own country! Near Guildford we have some farms and huge quantities of Polish and other Eastern Europeans are employed on these farms. We see them from time to time as they come in to out local Tesco to do their shopping but what they do in the evenings in their caravans, God only knows! They can be quite religious and a lot go to church at least once a week. In London it would be a different story as London gives rise to meetings on a large scale and there are many special Polish shops, clubs and societies, which a small place like Guildford could not support. The most important thing for a Polish woman is to talk and meet up as often as they can-they simply love to gossip about everything and everybody, watch out for a Polish woman's phone bill!
tomciok2000 - | 7  
18 Jul 2007 /  #3
i am a Pole having been here for 2 years, and it seems to me that lots of Polish people do not do much about it, I mean they usually lock themselves in Polish communities, living usually with Polish people, and socializing only with them

tomek
Lady in red  
18 Jul 2007 /  #4
I see you are in the North West tom ?
Wroclaw 44 | 5,379  
18 Jul 2007 /  #5
I know pub culture isn't as big in Poland as it is here,

Are you serious ? Try and find a seat in a Rynek bar next time you're here.

We have over 100,000 students in this city. What do you think they do in the evening ?
Amathyst 19 | 2,702  
18 Jul 2007 /  #6
I see you are in the North West tom ?

I would seem the bored is being taken over by northeners :) anyway back to topic, I see many Polish in my local park (you know which one Mr W) riding bikes, taking walkes all the normal stuff english people do.
Lady in red  
18 Jul 2007 /  #7
would seem the bored is being taken over by northeners

he is polish though amathyst.......that's not a northerner.....?
Wroclaw 44 | 5,379  
18 Jul 2007 /  #8
(you know which one Mr W)

Indeed I do.

he is polish though amathyst.......that's not a northerner.....?

Who ?
Lady in red  
18 Jul 2007 /  #9
so do i

Who ?

tom whatsits up there

I see many Polish in my local park

bet the initials of the park are.... lol
Wroclaw 44 | 5,379  
18 Jul 2007 /  #10
tom whatsits up there

Oh! OK
Amathyst 19 | 2,702  
18 Jul 2007 /  #11
he is polish though amathyst.......that's not a northerner.....?

He's living in the north though :)

bet the initials of the park are.... lol

Only one initial :) LR, that would be H
Lady in red  
18 Jul 2007 /  #12
:)

I should have checked his name better but I'm too lazy today :)
Elabella  
18 Jul 2007 /  #13
what Poles in the UK do for leisure

My sister-in-law moved to the UK with her family and she is working for a rich lady as a maid etc. Because my sister-in-law is new to the UK, she mostly spends time with her family and close friends who are also Polish. That's all about that I can tell you........they are new to the country. They mostly work to try to make their lives better in the UK, basically starting their lives over.

Ela
Michal - | 1,865  
19 Jul 2007 /  #14
sually lock themselves in Polish communities, living usually with Polish people, and socializing only with th

To tell you the truth, I always find the Polish a strange lazy lot. I could never understand how Poles can sit in concrete blocks eating breakfast with the television on. The first thing they do in the morning is to turn the television on and watch it for hours-very strange habit and one which I hate myself.
szarlotka 8 | 2,208  
19 Jul 2007 /  #15
they are new to the country

Precisley. And what would a bunch of Brits do if the situation was in reverse? They'd stick together at first. Just look at the number of posts looking for expats to hang out with in Poland. Integration takes time.
tornado2007 11 | 2,270  
19 Jul 2007 /  #16
Well the Poles love to clean toilets but we all no that right!!!! (JOKING)

Polish people are like everybody else, the Polish i know like, clubbing, going to pubs, having house parties, shopping especially, spending time with friends and all the other stuff that people all around the world do.
PolskaDoll 28 | 2,099  
19 Jul 2007 /  #17
And what would a bunch of Brits do if the situation was in reverse? They'd stick together at first.

exactly!!! Its taken ages for my Polish friends to start integrating with a wider circle of friends who include some Brits. Its probably also the reason why my on/off b/f is exactly that!
Michal - | 1,865  
20 Jul 2007 /  #18
Has it never occurred to you that the Poles do not really want to integrate much with the English as they have very little in common.
rachvt - | 25  
20 Jul 2007 /  #19
The most important thing for a Polish woman is to talk and meet up as often as they can-they simply love to gossip about everything and everybody, watch out for a Polish woman's phone bill!

I'm not Polish, but I have the same problems with the phone bill... = O
PolskaDoll 28 | 2,099  
21 Jul 2007 /  #20
Has it never occurred to you that the Poles do not really want to integrate much with the English as they have very little in common.

This may be true for some Polish people but I can assure you, the Polish people I am friends have a lot in common with myself and other Brits that are part of our group.

This statement of yours that I have quoted is another example of you grouping all Polish people into one - a sure sign that you have no intention of welcoming any Polish people to Britain.
Eurola 4 | 1,902  
21 Jul 2007 /  #21
a sure sign that you have no intention of welcoming any Polish people to Britain.

Yes, Britain should have closed the borders right after he got in, so nobody also would :)
Lady in red  
21 Jul 2007 /  #22
To tell you the truth, I always find the Polish a strange lazy lot. I could never understand how Poles can sit in concrete blocks eating breakfast with the television on. The first thing they do in the morning is to turn the television on and watch it for hours-very strange habit and one which I hate myself.

I think a lot of people do that it doesn't matter where you live or what your home is built off....we have breakfast news, breakfast tv etc etc It's not just the Polish, the brits do it the americans do it it's called the 21 st century...........
PolskaDoll 28 | 2,099  
21 Jul 2007 /  #23
I with you on that one Lady In Red. I get up at 5.15 most mornings for work and I make a cup of tea, get something to eat and I sit down and find out the news headlines on Ceefax and then get the news on BBC News 24 at 5.30. I have never thought this odd at any time. Quite honestly, I think a huge majority of people do this in the morning with television of some kind, kids programmes or just for general noise in the background.

I might add, when I am getting ready for work I have the radio on the background.
ogorek - | 165  
21 Jul 2007 /  #24
The first thing they do in the morning is to turn the television on and watch it for hours-very strange habit and one which I hate myself.

So how long did it take for you to survey all the Poles in the UK - or are you just
guessing ?

Has it never occurred to you that the Poles do not really want to integrate much with the English as they have very little in common.

you are very naive. How old are you?
PolskaDoll 28 | 2,099  
21 Jul 2007 /  #25
My guess is that he is completely guessing. He doesn't like Polish people, doesn't integrate with them himself and therefore has absolutely no idea what it is that Polish people like to do. He takes his knowledge from TV I think.
ogorek - | 165  
21 Jul 2007 /  #26
He takes his knowledge from TV I think.

the TV doesnt say say what he says.
Wroclaw 44 | 5,379  
21 Jul 2007 /  #27
He takes his knowledge from TV I think.

Maybe. But not breakfast TV.
PolskaDoll 28 | 2,099  
21 Jul 2007 /  #28
the TV doesnt say say what he says.

Sorry, I meant that he doesn't have any first hand knowledge of what Polish people like or do - its all secondary knowledge or stuff that he has made up! Sorry, should have explained myself better - I am tired :-)

But not breakfast TV.

True. Actually, I don't know where he gets what he says. Its not from Polish people anyway.
Michal - | 1,865  
22 Jul 2007 /  #29
So how long did it take for you to survey all the Poles in the UK - or are you just
guessing ?

I have no experience of the Poles in England but I have been in so many flats in Poland for breakfast and they all do the same thing. They make breakfast and produce the same horrible black coffee with the powder at the bottom and the same disgusting kanapki- bread, butter, salami meat and then of course to finish off the table display is the God forsaken Polish television. I never listen to any of it, it disgusts me!

ou are very naive.

Excuse me but I have seen a lot more of Poland than you have and I was there during Communism when I had to stand in a line to buy meat at the butchers shop with a little white war time like coupon from the State. People waited for hours to buy petrol and waited in lines for hours pushing their cars to the State Petrol Stations. Little old ladies waiting all day to buy disgusting pink toilet rolls, I could never know why they were always pink. I remember that after the new Airport was built I was returning to the U.K. and I alway carried a spare roll of nice white toilet paper. Old habits die hard. I was stopped coming through customs. They asked me "what have you got in there?" looking through my hand luggage. I explained to them that "to jest tylko moja wlasna srajtasma" and she looked bemused. "oh, she said, panska srajtasma" and then they all laughed as I disappeared around the corner. I do not think that even until recently the Polish Nation has ever seen white tiolet paper or would even know what to do with the staff.

hat I find funny is the comment about concrete blocks..

They are far from funny if you have to live in one!
Lady in red  
22 Jul 2007 /  #30
They are far from funny if you have to live in one!

Michal, still taking things out of context I see :(

Right let me explain it to you.......you said something about people watching breakfast tv in their concrete blocks. I said we all do that, switch on breakfast tv in the morning. It is totally irrelevant whether someone lives in a concrete block or an igloo. Where they watch tv from is unimportant in the context of what you wrote.

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