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Posts by Lyzko  

Joined: 12 Jul 2013 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 19 Sep 2025
Threads: Total: 45 / In This Archive: 14
Posts: Total: 10146 / In This Archive: 4118 		From: New York, USA
Speaks Polish?: tak
Interests: podrozy, rozrywki, sport

Displayed posts: 4132 / page 109 of 138
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Lyzko   
12 Jul 2016
Life / Should I expect racism as a 'black' woman in Poland [149]

Trolls are rampant, here as elsewhere in cyberspace, Iwonka!

The original thread concerns whether or not a black woman in Poland should expect racism.
From what I gather after reading through most of these posts, the intelligent ones I mean, I'm convinced there's more out-and-out racism in much of the rural US than in the bulk of Europe, Poland included.

After all, it was in Europe (notably post-War France) that several openly GAY African-Americans lived freely and productively for years, among them Josephine Baker and James Baldwin:-)
Lyzko   
12 Jul 2016
Language / Frustrated Polish Learner -- people in Poland try to speak to me in English [31]

In fact, German is obviously much closer to English than to Polish! The difficulty lies in the equally indisputable fact that a large number of Poles I've met greatly overestimate their knowledge of English and believe German to be "harder", therefore less "easy" to communicate in than English:-) The problem is then compounded by the unwillingness of many Poles to accept even polite correction of their English by a guileless native Anglophone!

Older Poles, not too dissimilar to older Russians, many times had childhood experiences (particularly in the countryside or small villages) with local Jews from shtettls who spoke neither tongue, at least not correctly, but rather YIDDISH, a language very close to various southwestern dialects of German, later confusing the two languages and speaking German learned in school with a Polish-Jewish accent, which sounds quite amusing:-)
Lyzko   
12 Jul 2016
Language / Frustrated Polish Learner -- people in Poland try to speak to me in English [31]

Piotr Olsztyn,

You're right about German being not merely exceedingly useful, but above all, trendy as well!
:-)

@Trevek and jon, I see we've had similarly annoying experiences regarding Poles' use of English. At least if I were to speak in Polish and someone were to respond in German, I'd know that they were speaking a language which they knew COMPETENTLY, instead of merely for the value of sounding "cool"LOL

At least with German, trendy as it likely is, the bar is so much higher than with English, that there's a bona fide incentive to speak/write/understand it properly (awful accent often notwithstanding)!

This whole question as to which language is "efficient" at a given moment all depends on the partner's competency! Is it then "efficient" if the partner suggests switching to English, but the latter's English is so poor as to be incomprehensible to the interlocutor?

Frequently, Europeans are just in prove mode when encountering a random foreigner, figuring (usually incorrectly!) that the dude won't understand a syllable of the native language:-)

My experience has proven that when they're wrong, THEY'RE the ones who wind up with egg on their face!
Lyzko   
11 Jul 2016
Life / Should I expect racism as a 'black' woman in Poland [149]

Especially Germany! What the late director Fassbinder did to really open up gay and diverse cultures in Germany can't be underestimated.

Again, the presence for a while of John Godson in the Sejm surely did a lot for diversity, at least for multicultural acceptance in Poland.
Lyzko   
11 Jul 2016
Language / Frustrated Polish Learner -- people in Poland try to speak to me in English [31]

Oho, in your case, I'd make him suffer with withering sarcasm and mimickry!!

Only to repeat, STAND YOUR GROUND and continue to practice your Polish. If they claim they really "can't" (or more likely WON'T) understand your Polish, merely ask them to speak more slowly, throwing it back into their court that you can't quite make out what they're saying in English:-)

Get's em every time!
LOL
Lyzko   
10 Jul 2016
Study / Turkish guy to study at a university in Poland. Is that problem for Polish people? [139]

@Chemikiem,

They'd be right too, but at least I'd gladly admit it:-)

No, the question was clearly could the gentleman expect hostility in Poland to his being of the Muslim faith, to which I merely interjected my two złoty worth, that's all.

I replied that should he learn Turkish more or less adequately, he should encounter little difficulty, save among the rabid right-wing conservative boneheads, as anywhere in Europe. "When in Rome.....", as the old saying goes.

However the responses which I received through PF-mail, suggest the fellow might be a hothead and well instigate trouble if his views are even gently called into doubt!

'Scuse me! I meant "......should he learn POLISH......"

Sorry for the typoLOL
Lyzko   
10 Jul 2016
Life / Should I expect racism as a 'black' woman in Poland [149]

Big city Poland TODAY (as opposed to almost twenty-odd years ago when I was first there) aka Poznań, Wrocław, Warszawa and the like will likely indeed be relatively open to such diversity, little argument there:-)

The much smaller urban areas, let alone the countryside in traditionally working-class communities, such as Katowice, might well be a different story though.
University towns and such will doubtless not only look forward to the diversity of an African-American contemporary so that they can practice their English, they'd welcome it!
Lyzko   
8 Jul 2016
Study / Turkish guy to study at a university in Poland. Is that problem for Polish people? [139]

lixt1,

You obviously never understood what I wrote, therefore, it's pointless for us to continue with you here!
We'd be happy to help you with your English (as well as to learn Polish), but only if you're willing:-)

What I posted about Istanbul aka "Constantinople" is TRUE, if you've bothered to read history; the Muslims invaded Constantinople which was originally Christian (named appropriately after the Emperor Constantine)!

Thank you by the way for correcting my Turkish sentence.
Lyzko   
8 Jul 2016
Study / Turkish guy to study at a university in Poland. Is that problem for Polish people? [139]

Admitttedly, there are divergent views regarding the meaning of Islam! Turks are historically Sunni rather Shiiite Muslims, therefore most have traditionally seen themselves as the proverbial "bridge" between Christianity and Islam (Istanbul after all, was once the great Christian citadel known as Constantinople!!!). Taycip Erdogan sees himself unfortunately as a radically conservative Muslim, but such is more of a deviation from more recent development (remember Tansu Cillar during the '90's).

Turks in Poland, as with Westerners in Islamic countries, have to be equally circumspect about their behavior abroad.
Lyzko   
6 Jul 2016
History / Poland in WWI [38]

I actually don't think that German-held dominance of originally Slavic territories was being emphasized at all, furthermore, so-called 'commie history" all depends upon whose side of WWI the author is:-)

Official historical fact points to the presence of Germanic peoples throughout the area, roughly between the Oder/Odra on through much of the present-day Baltic states, since at least 1200AD, a fact which the late, great "Soviet" motion picture director Eisenstein went to great lengths to portray in >Alexander Nevsky<! Moreoever, Eisenstein was a propogandist for the Communist causeLOL

His depiction of the Germanic conquerors, incidentally, shows theirs as barbaric cruelty!
Lyzko   
6 Jul 2016
History / Poland in WWI [38]

Certainly true, jon! Germany bore the brunt of heavy losses, Poland being on the "Allies' side", during WWII as well:-)
Lyzko   
5 Jul 2016
History / Poland in WWI [38]

In fact, back to the even as early as the Livonian Knights, yes, I'm well aware. I never meant to intimate that Polish-German relations "began" at around the time of WWI, merely that until the Gomułka Era and the advent of Soviet hegemony, the influence of Germany was still keenly felt.

Sorry for any misunderstanding:-)

I believe the Polish Premier at the time (later outstanding pianist!) Ignace Jan Paderewski was one of the single most vociferous proponents of Poland's independence:-)
Lyzko   
5 Jul 2016
History / Poland in WWI [38]

Poles officially gained their independence in 1918 through the efforts of Gen. Piłsudski! By that time, the advance of the Germans into what is today Polish territory had forced the entire country to submit to German culture for many decades.

Poland was a strategic area during the Great War. Germany realized that, so did France and of course, Papa Bear Russia:-) It was still one of the economically most depressed parts of Europe, and remained so until almost the end of the 80's.
Lyzko   
5 Jul 2016
Language / Is it possible to learn Polish while not living in Poland? If yes, how? [37]

I also tend to agree that it is entirely possible to learn Polish, for that matter, any language, while not living in the country! This can be done through excellent, FREE sources such as bookbox.com and a number of other similar language-learning sites. These provide endless hours of enjoyable exposure to a foreign language with handouts, songs and other learning exercises:-)

Furthermore, long before I ever went to Poland, I watched Polish movies of varying sorts with Polish subtitles rather than English. With closed-caption, I could shut off the Polish subtitles and simply watch the film, absorbing the language uninterrupted while viewing.

Although there's no long-term substitute for being in the country itself, short of that, one certainly can acquire a foreign language from abroad. I can attest to that!
Lyzko   
30 Jun 2016
UK, Ireland / London's POSK smeared with anti-Polish grafitti [150]

....save for Great Britain's sovereignty amid the flotsam and jetsam of a crumbling continent:-)

Oh my, attack a nation's sacred cow (Rule Britania etc.), and you've unleashed a monster!!! We're seeing the Brexit's ugly backlash and it ain't fun.

Whoops, make that "England's....", as Scotland voted to REMAIN, if I'm not mistaken, and they are steadfastly part of the UK...thus far.
Lyzko   
30 Jun 2016
UK, Ireland / London's POSK smeared with anti-Polish grafitti [150]

Only to repeat, after the attacks on the WTC, people who were, even THOUGHT to be, Muslim, were randomly abused with verbal insults and on more than one occasion, physical violence against them.

Nasty stuff, no question!
Lyzko   
28 Jun 2016
USA, Canada / Leaving Poland. How can I adapt in the US having no family or friends in this country? [13]

Aniołka,

You raise an interesting dilemma! While certainly knowledge of the language always helps when moving abroad, US culture is completely different from Polish culture, no matter how suppposedly "globalized" we've become:-)

First off, having spent some time in Poland myself (Szczecin, but many years back), I grew accustomed to a certain dour reaction to innocent queries or attempts at light conversation, all too common here in the States! Americans are often quick to start a conversation, but just as quick to end it once they feel you're getting too close, too fast. If a Pole strikes up more than an innocent conversation, I found in my dealings that they were usually interested in a serious answer, not merely fluff and sillyness. Furthermore, many of us have never been abroad, so expect some off questions about Poland, Europe in general, for that matter:-) It's not that we're being disrespectful; most of the time, we honestly have no ideaLOL

Americans are about the least travelled people on the planet (except perhaps in the military).

My fellow countrymen normally avoid foreign languages like the Plague, and so again, don't be surprised or dismayed that if/when you ask for correction in English, your partner politely balks at such and turns slightly red with embarrassment. It's not as important to us as, for example, to the Brits, the French or the Germans, HOW you speak our language.

Enough said on that point. We'll be happy to assist with any cross-cultural tips.