Life / Do Polish People steal a lot? [330]

There are certain cultural differences between countries when it comes to stealing. Neighbours engage in petty theft, in villages especially.

The usual items stolen are chickens and fruit. part of the problem is the lack of fences - the border between farms is usually marked by a line of turned turf, and this is an obvious target for getting one over the neighbour. And the spark for decades of low-level warfare. My parents-in-law suffer from this whenever they come to babysit. The chickens can be killed (and frozen), but the tomatoes and fruit remain.

In the suburban context the focus shifts somewhat. If you try to rebuild a broken fence, the neighbour will agree to everything, then when the old fence has been dismantled he will say that is was originally put up in the wrong place.

Also, if your plot is not being lived on, it is open season for the neigbour to dump anything he wants there - even to pump out his septic tank.

This are alien environments for many people on this forum - hence the kneejerk reaction along the line "there are thieves in every society", which is obviously also a valid remark. However, "opportunity makes the thief" is also true and has shaped this very much peasant society.

Life / Private medicine is great in Poland [8]

Convex - I know a lot of people from various walks of life in the UK, ditto about people in Poland.

I know nobody in the UK without healthcare insurance who ever went private. Now, is that something to do with the way the NHS was set up back in 1947? Too damn right. One other thing - it would be so interesting to do a comparison on how many patients a UK consultant actually sees a year compared to a Polish consultant.

Consultants get treated like gods in the UK, and get massively overpaid. It's not cheap to go private in Poland, but it is affordable.

Just remembered - the only Brit I knew who went private without insurance ... went to Greece (after her York NHS cancer "specialists" refused to test her - even getting a second opinion on the matter). Saved her life too.

History / Polish aristocrats - would be better off if we had Polish magnate families? [69]

Polish aristos put themselves first, "their" peasants third and the country 17th.

Yes, I am discalculate - I used to work for PwC!

Life / Who's Leaving Poland? [138]

I'm staying in Poland for the foreseeable future - job, properties, extended family, teenage kids have another few years in (Polish?) education.

Hell, I even mowed a meadow this morning - before the rains come! I never did that in England!!

Food / Do Polish beers contain adjuncts? [34]

Belgians have the only real beer!

Shame I've moved on to good ol' red wine

Life / To ex-pats living in Poland. Hanging around more with Poles or other expats? [20]

Learn to say "tak, masz rację"

UK, Ireland / Not all is bad for Poles in Scotland! [167]

I think the West Lothian Question is a paradox worth enduring. I'd hate to have an English parliament - even more bureaucrats. Also, it'd be a permanent Conservative govt = increased corruption (we need revolving party govt)

UK, Ireland / Not all is bad for Poles in Scotland! [167]

The tuition-free education is a major plus. It's a bleedin' disgrace what happened south of the border - Labour should hang their heads in shame. GBP 3-5000 a year is a lot.

News / The chances for Warsaw to become capital of eventual Slavic confederation? [183]

And for our next trick - let's reunite the north and south in Ireland and put them under absentee aristo landlords - that's bound to work

UK, Ireland / Not all is bad for Poles in Scotland! [167]

I see Eanus doesn't do humour - must be the lack of sun,

Life / POLISH YOUTH compared to the youth in other Western countries? [57]

Re schools:
I've taught in a couple of English schools (one state, one private) and chewed the fat with teachers from dozens of state and private schools in England, including my wife :)

And I've talked with teachers in Poland, some of whom I'm related to - so, yes, I have a fairly good general knowledge of the subject.

Life / POLISH YOUTH compared to the youth in other Western countries? [57]

I talked earlier about disruption in class and someone asked about figures. You can't meaningfully quantify disruption in terms of figures - you have to talk with present-day teachers about disruptive behaviours and compare with your own teaching experience.

Polish teachers are being undermined by a series of dumb govts, so the problem is being exacerbated here - very much as it was in the UK a few years ago.

Life / As EuroPride visits Warsaw - is it the start of overdue social change in Poland? (homosexuality promotion) [144]

Thanks for the info - interesting.

Hate the foul language others use - real lowlife speak :)

Love / Are Polish Girls scared of English Guys [124]

Getting married at 30!! Over the hill - sorry.

Work it out - assuming you want 2 kids (not unreasonable) that makes you about 50 when they leave school and about 60 when the second one becomes truly independent. And you deprive your grandkids of grandparents - still, I suppose that comes from your own deep-seated hatred of your own grandparents, doesn't it?

What? You loved your grandparents? So, give your grandkids the chance to love you (and you the chance to enjoy them before you're too old - or too dead!).

News / The chances for Warsaw to become capital of eventual Slavic confederation? [183]

Ukraine was destroyed by the Russians and hasn't rebuilt itself. West Ukraine should have split off and east Ukraine should have returned to Mother Russia - that way a viable Ukrainian state would come into being.

Life / POLISH YOUTH compared to the youth in other Western countries? [57]

They aren't as disruptive in class as the average UK kids - and I'm talking about normal schools, not language schools.

This will inevitably change as the govt follows its plan of dumbing down education in the international "race to the bottom".

UK, Ireland / The secret Polish gay men in the U.K [133]

Back in the 80s many Poles didn't think there were any gays in Poland!

Seriously, I dislike activists in general - they tend to get everybody's back up. Gay activists too. Tax breaks for couples were generally designed to help them have kids (no kids, no future for a country, remember?).

Gays generally, aren't interested in child-rearing. That's a good thing - kids have a hard enough time as it is anyway.

Real Estate / Do any UK banks offer mortgages for Polish properties. [37]

The years ahead promise violent fluctuations in exchange rates.

UK, Ireland / The secret Polish gay men in the U.K [133]

I have a very good friend here in Warsaw who is gay - and ashamed of how backward Poland is towards gays. Being badly beaten up in the street by persons unknown didn't help matters.

He far prefers going to England for holidays - takes his boyfriend, wishes he could have a legal union, like his gay friends in England can. Although he views the situation in England as not ideal, it is still far in advance of Poland in terms of letting gays get on with their lives without feeling persecuted.

Personally, I don't like having someone else's sexuality rammed down my throat, as they do in gay pride marches. But neither do I think it's healthy when strangers come up to you in the street and beat you up on suspicion of you being gay.

A serious topic, and in Poland it's one that brings out all sorts of kneejerk reactions - mostly anti-gay at that.

Life / Daycare / After school care? Warsaw [3]

There's been a massive expansion of kindergartens in recent years - of varying quality. One thing you'd have to be aware of is they usually put the kids to bed in the early afternoon - this is hotwired into pre-school culture and you might not like it.

As many of these places are privately owned, you might want to try your arm with negotiating fees - but demand is so high to get a place that you may not be successful.

As for home v. pre-school, this is very much a question of personal belief and the knowledge of your child that only you can have. It's good for some, bad for others but mainly neutral :)

News / An Open Letter for newly Elected President of Poland [8]

Sad, sad, sad.

True, the opening post was slightly naive perhaps - then out poured so much vitriol in unmeasured terms. Seriously bad taste.

It could have been developed along the lines of the medical services available in the Warsaw area v other areas, and private v public.

But no. Attack the messenger instead.

Law / Driver's licence - How to exchange British one to Polish legally? [34]

If you are permanently resident in Poland you can drive here legally on a UK licence for (can't quite remember) 6 months or one year. Then you must change it for a Polish licence.

I had no problems whatsoever. I went down to my local council and filled in a form, handed over my licence and they issued a new one pronto. Ultra efficient and pleasant.

You will have no problems driving in Poland on a UK licence - I delayed changing mine - but there again I wasn't involved in a nasty accident.

Are you 100% sure you won't have an accident where the other party will resort to every trick in the book to cause you trouble? If you are, don't get a Polish licence. Alternatively, why not drive legally?

News / Komorowski won Poland's presidency vote? [125]

He was in charge of WSI, military intelligence - which was closed down because it was utterly compromised by Russian spies. And he was the first bloke in charge of it after independence.

Genealogy / Komorowski clan-name Korczak [16]

We have been told by the MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE on this forum that they have personally inspected Komorowski's credentials and have established beyond all reasonable doubt that anybody who mentions anything to do with the facts that:

(i) Komorowski was the first defense minister after independence and ideally placed to be in charge of WSI (military intelligence), which was shown to be totally infiltrated by Russian spies and subsequently shut down, and

(ii) Komorowski's father and grandfather were Russian stooges,

IS A LIAR!

Sorry, Ironside, you too must be a LIAR.

Signed,
Varsovian the LIAR

Mediocrities of the world, I absolve you!

News / Komorowski - Russian stooge, traitor background [42]

I don't use bad language and I have not knowingly told a single lie here.

Have you found Wikipedia yet?

News / Komorowski - Russian stooge, traitor background [42]

Try to find Wikipedia - intense intellectual struggle for some.

Compare Kwasniewski with any other political leader of a similar position ...