Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]

If I never visited Western Europe, I'd be unaware how poor I am. Going around as a turist, it is not enough. I have visited homes of my supposed equals, my business partners, and I felt like imposter. Begger in nice clothes.

When I first registered here, I needed to know how Westerners see Poles. And it helped me somewhat, I found out that I should not wear socks with sandals, when abroad. And stuff like that.

I almost forgot about Polish Forums. Now I sometimes read it, when I drink myself to sleep, trying to forget that I wasted my life, strugling to to get onto the level slightly above an unemployed from the western country.

I want communism back. Now, I have said it.

Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]

It is pis poor by European standards.

Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]

It definitely is. And it is geting worse day by day.

UK, Ireland / Common pitfalls for Poles learning English [187]

Wroclaw, while stating that my spelling troubles ended, I have meat relatively speaking :) Example: I do hear the difference between "man" and "men", but I'm unable to faithfully reproduce any of these sounds.

UK, Ireland / Common pitfalls for Poles learning English [187]

For the English spelling, I just had to accept that I have to lern both how to pronounce the word, and how to write it down, that these two cannot be figured out from each other. When I accepted that, my problems with spelling disappeared.

What I find really iritating, are the two past tenses. What person, in his right mind, needs two different past tenses? The past is the past. End of a disscusion. Yes, I know the theory. And I can, more or less, put it into use, when writing something. But while I talk, I can hardly stop mid-sentence, and ponder if that past happening, I just want to mention, has any influence on the presence, or maybe not.

Similarly, articles "the", "a"... I know the theory. But the very concept is alien to me, and I tend to play hit or miss with these.

History / Polish Officer in NATO, Col. Ryszard Kukliński. [145]

Higher values, my toe. If he got any guts, he'd fought with the gun in his hands. Fighting for your country, by hiding in the shadows, and taking money from the people who would happily nuked your homeland, is like killing people in order to save them.

History / Polish Officer in NATO, Col. Ryszard Kukliński. [145]

Being a spy is the exact antithesis of heroism.

Po polsku / ACTA, anti-ACTA - kto ma rację? [5]

Co to znaczy "sie ugial"? Czy Tusk ma byc czyms w rodzaju dyktatora?
Wydawalo mi sie, ze demokracja ma polegac na tym, aby politycy dzialali zgodnie z wola wyborcow. Pewnie, zwykle nie ma tak dobrze, ale taka jest teoria. Oskarzanie o slabosc bo wzial pod uwage wyborcow... Polonus, a moze liczyles na to ze Tusk sie uprze i jego rzad upadnie?

Love / Living with a Polish man, but he has a drinking problem? [60]

Oh, comon, maybe he just got a stresfull job, or something. There is no better way of dealing with streses, then geting dead drunk. Not every day, to be sure, that would be like alcoholism. But twice in the week, it is about right.

Law / Is there a legal requirement for us to support aging parents in Poland? [26]

So he was not the great human being. Does it mean, you have be just like him?

Law / Is there a legal requirement for us to support aging parents in Poland? [26]

He is still your father, nothing changes that. Father is a father, I don't know how to put it in English.

Law / Is there a legal requirement for us to support aging parents in Poland? [26]

What is really scary, that there are human beings, who need the court order to take care for theirs parents.

Life / Polish Film Industry-Popular Polish Movies [7]

Not so long ago, Polish film makers used to create the real movies, as "With Fire and Sword" or "Pan Tadeusz".

But since they discovered soup opera's formula, all they are producing are countless episodes of "telenovels". And, from time to time, a bland romantic comedy.

Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

Yeah! And "Gwiżdże pociąg w lesie" they say as "Wyje bana w lesie"

History / Was the Polish/ Lithuanian commonwealth a European power? [111]

Commonwealth has been quite a powerfull entity.
However, our ancestors were never interested on meddling in other's nations affairs, the way today's "powers" do. (Russians may diagree, but it was just a group of private citizens, not a Commonwealth as such).

Commonwealth was mostly focused inwards.

History / Would you classify the Poland's Communist years as a "Soviet occupation" ? [221]

Depedns on the time period, obviously. Is was quite different during 1980s then during 1950s. And we are not talking about Physical Education teachers.

History / Would you classify the Poland's Communist years as a "Soviet occupation" ? [221]

Yes. Most were.

History / Would you classify the Poland's Communist years as a "Soviet occupation" ? [221]

Peeing problems aside, certain jobs flatly required party membership. Like being a teacher. Or any managerial position. And there where times, when it seemed that communisem will never be overthrown. So some people just tried to make a living around it. Higher ranking party members had no choice but going to Church in secrect, baptise children in different towns, then they lived in, and so on.

Communists, that really believed in it? Don't know. About 5%, I'd say.

History / Would you classify the Poland's Communist years as a "Soviet occupation" ? [221]

JohnyM, people who builded PRL communist state deserve to be denigrated, as Russian pupets, and traitors of Poland. That being said, there would never be communism in Poland, least for Russian involvment.

Law / If you lose your job in Poland is it easy to claim welfare? [36]

Come to think about it, every EU country should have exactly the same welfare system. Especially if they expect us to adopt euro currency.
After all, it would be nice to quit a job, for a year or two...

Law / If you lose your job in Poland is it easy to claim welfare? [36]

And who, in his right mind, quits, without having a new job within his grasp?

Law / If you lose your job in Poland is it easy to claim welfare? [36]

Not sure about foreingners.
The walefare is about 500 zl/month. There is a catch, though. After 6 month, the walefare is canceled, no matter what.
Also, you need to have been employed for 12 month during the last one and half a year (or something like that) to get the walefare in the first place.

History / Life in Poland before the fall of communism [30]

I'd guess that most of the unemployed would prefere communist times.

Life / Good books or sites for preparation for life in Poland? [7]

Read Sapkowski's The Witcher series.

Language / Kurwa? at end of every sentence [51]

I would not trust a person who isn't throwing a little "kurwa" once in a while. Such a person got to think very highly about themselvs. I believe Americans call such a personas "nerd".

News / Poland Elections oct 2011/your feed back about RP Janusz Palikot? Poland is changing! [106]

Many of Palikot's votes have been "I dislike both PO and PiS, and Palikot is the most ridicules vote I can cast, so be it"

UK, Ireland / Feedback needed from Poles confused about English [12]

My favorite. Once I got confused when American person told me that she "slept on the train" For Pole, it sounds as if you have slept on the roof of the train. As in Poland, you can travel only inside of the train.

Love / American marrying Polish woman in Poland - Church problems [79]

It can help if you are able to produce marriage certificate of your previous marriage. If it shows that it was not a Catholic ceremony, it shoud clear any obstacle.

A priest cannot conduct a ceremony for already married person. Regardles of money. It is too serious an issue. If his bishop would found out, he'd end up deep into the fecal matter. It would cost him more then you can possibly pay him.

Love / Good looking Polish women with ugly men [416]

You don't get it. Real, alpha males are supposed to be ugly. If they are pretty, they are just fags.

News / Poland needs a left wing govt. [111]

But the lives can get better in capitalism. Under communism, if you want a better life, you are a criminal. Under communism, there is no hope.

Look, I know close to nothing about Rio de Janerio, but I do know that people in USA's slums were living better lives then regular, well-to-do Poles under communism.