Real Estate / Flat prices in Gdansk Old town? [21]


If that's true, that's up from about 6-7 thousand just a year ago. What's your source?

Interesting. No reply, ergo no source, just as I thought.

Travel / Rented car from Germany to Poland [15]

I drove from Germany to Poland on 4 January. We crossed the border near Szczecin (northwestern Poland) and encountered no checks at all. It was a non event.

Life / Lack of Spacial Acuity in Poland [69]


I loved this one.

I call them waddling widebodies because they're there all year long.

Language / When do you use 'się'? And what does it mean? [37]

You should get a copy of 301 Polish verbs. There's a discussion of prefixes and their meanings on page xli. Reflexive verbs are common in Romance languages.

It also tells you which verbs take which cases. It's a really helpful book.

Love / Do you think that Polish should stick to Polish? [128]


I'm an American and I'm teaching in Poland. I use British coursebooks, know the difference between British and American English (color/colour, elevator/lift, etc) and teach both. All, and I mean all, of my students tell me that they prefer American English to British English because it's easier to understand when they hear it. So if you want to teach here, don't worry about being from North America or anywhere else. Just bring a love of teaching and don't do it just for the money.

DISCLAIMER: this was not meant as an endorsement of American English over British English, which it isn't. I didn't want to start a flame war.

Life / Do you think a smoking ban would be a good thing in Polish restaurants and Bars? [217]


I was in a pub with an English friend last summer. He asked me if he could pinch a fag, thought for a moment and said maybe that's the wrong thing to ask to ask a Yank.

Polonia / POLISH People IN SPAIN ....... [12]

[Moved from]: Polish exchange students in Spain

I have a high school student who wants to go to university in Spain, but it's too expensive for her. Does anyone know if there are exchange student programs in Spain for Polish students? There are lots of them in the US but I can't any information about programs in Poland.

Please help. Thanks

Law / Staying in Schengen - are American exempt from the 90-days-in/90-days-out rule? [23]

If you're American, as I am, and have a residency card, which I do, you can work in Poland with no problem. If you don't hold a Polish passport, you'll have the same problems getting legal residency and legal work as any other non EU citizen does.

In a couple of years, when I get my Polish citizenship and passport, I'll be able to work anywhere in the EU. The irony is that I'm not going to leave Poland.

Life / Lack of Spacial Acuity in Poland [69]

I live in Gdansk and there doesn't seem to any preferred side of the sidewalk (pavement). People walk wherever they want. Oh well.It's not a big deal to me.

News / The "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign theft from Oswiecim, Poland [240]

Yeah, but in my classes today they all said the informant turned down the reward. My question is, who was this mysterious Swedish contact?

Language / Why in the world there are three ways to write simple U ?!?! [54]


though, thought, through, cough, rough,bough, thorough, lough (like Scottish loch), and my favorite: hiccough. When I prounce it hiccup (both are in the dictionary) my students always ask where the p is. I just smile.

Seanus, is it nine?

Life / Winter in Poland? [160]


You'll love the city center and we'll be neighbors. I live about 100m from Hala Targowa. We'll have to meet when I get back from Germany on 3 January. And it's balmy here today. The sun just dropped below the roofs of the flats around me, and it's warm. It's gone from -16 this morning to only -12. When I went out today I wore shorts and sandals-in my dreams!

BTW, I'm from San Diego (Southern California) and if I can get used to this, so can you. Actually, I love seeing the snow on the ground. Today really is beautiful, and life is good.

Language / Why in the world there are three ways to write simple U ?!?! [54]


Nine. I showed this in class last week. It always makes them crazy but they enjoy it. So do I. And try to figure out the logic in pronouncing comfortable. By comparison, Polish pronunciation is easy. Sadly, not true for the grammar.

Food / Why carp for Polish Christmas? [157]

That's fine with me since I won't be there. After all, to each his own. But I don't ever want to be at the same dinner table with any kind of carp on it, and it's never going to happen in my house. If you like it, enjoy it. I don't.

End of my rants, at least about carp.

Food / Why carp for Polish Christmas? [157]


Not true about the biased part. The only carp I've eaten-or ever will eat-was on my first Wigilia in Poland. I ate, or at least tried, it baked, fried and in aspic. It was and always will be disgusting.

Fortunately my Polish fiancee doesn't like it either, so when I visit her in Germany we'll have salmon, prawns, and other edible dishes, but not crap-oops, I mean carp.

Food / Why carp for Polish Christmas? [157]


No. Carp is just crap misspelled. It's a truly disgusting fish, even worse than catfish.

Work / Job prospects in Gdynia / Trojmiasto ? [5]

Will your husband have to get a karta pobytu to stay here even though he's married to you, a Polish citizen? Who knows? This opens up a new can of worms. If you're curious about teaching English in Poland, you should visit. esl cafe and check the forums on Poland. And regardless of your husband's qualifications and experience, a lot of the better schools will want him to have a CELTA, because teaching English here to Polish students is a completely different ball game. CELTA will open more doors for him if he chooses to go down that road.

BTW, I live and teach in Gdansk. I love this place.

Language / WHY THE HELL CANT I LEARN POLISH?? [64]


That's 11 more than I know, but the one word I know is magic. It's "piwo", and it works wonders everywhere I go. When somebody asks me how I am, I say piwo and they smile. When I go to my favorite (yeah, I'm American) kiosk and say piwo, I get my Gauloises cigarettes. When I have to take a train, bus or tram, I just say piwo and I get a ticket to my destination. And when I'm in a pub and say piwo, voila and there's a beer in front of me.

Trust me on this one. You don't need to learn Polish. Just say piwo and the world smiles with you.

Life / Lack of Spacial Acuity in Poland [69]

All of the above is SO true!

Life / Do expats living in Poland speak Polish? [233]

I completely missed the point of this post. What are you talking about?

Travel / What to do when it's raining in Gdansk [33]

Warsaw? Not likely. It would take a lot to blast me out of Gdansk. I love it here.

I think you missed me the weekend I went to Bydgoszcz. See you in the spring.

Travel / What to do when it's raining in Gdansk [33]

Harry, I was there! Next time you're here let me know in advance and I'll buy you a beer or five!

Travel / What to do when it's raining in Gdansk [33]

No rain on Friday, so no splashing babcias! More's the pity. I'm just kidding.

Work / Does it make sense to move from the UK to Wroclaw for this salary? [50]

7500 brutto less 18% tax is 6150 nett. As an English teacher in my third year here, I take home about 4000zl a month, including private lessons. I have a nice flat in the Old Town for which I pay 1200 a month and rent a room to a student for 500. I eat well because both of us cook and we usually eat at home, but on my salary I can go to restaurants, cinemas, etc occasionally. I spend too much money at my favorite pub but that's because it's like my living room and I meet my friends there. That's my choice.

Except for rent, I don't think Poland is inexpensive. I'm from the US. Let's say I made the same amount per month in US dollars. Then I'd think Poland was cheap, but since I'm paid in zlotys I have to think in terms of how long it takes me to earn the price of a beer or anything else. Still, I earn more than most of my Polish friends. I think you'll be fine on that salary. My Polish friends would think you're rich.

Not to rain on your parade, but I doubt that you'll be fluent after a year, especially if you'll use English at work. It probably will take a little longer and it'll require a lot of hard work on your part, but you can do it if you're really determined.

Good luck. Enjoy the experience.

Travel / What to do when it's raining in Gdansk [33]

On rainy days you can find me in Absinthe. Come to think of it, on nice days you can find me in Absinthe. Hmmmmm.

Seriously though, I often go for walks in the rain. Old Town is still beautiful and the streets aren't crowded.

Galeria Baltycka's not my glass of beer, but there are plenty of museums in Gdansk. Check out the Solidarity Museum if you're interested in history, or the History of Gdansk Museum in the Town Hall on Dluga when it reopens after renovation.

Drop by the Scandic hotel (used to be the Holiday Inn) across from the train station and pick up a free copy of Gdansk in your pocket. You'll get tons of ideas from this.

Life / Do expats living in Poland speak Polish? [233]

After English, Spanish is the most useful language in the US. I never heard anyone speaking Italian or Polish.

I went to an American high school in Japan and learned enough Japanese to get around. I studied Italian for a year when I was at university but after such a long time my Italian is pretty rusty. I majored in French, and while I'm not at the proficiency level, my French is very good.

Polish easier than French? No way. Polish is by far the most difficult language I've ever tried to learn, but since I live here and plan to stay, I'm trying. Living in Poland and not learning Polish makes no sense.

Strangely enough, the non Polish speaking expats I know here are British and they're proud of it. I simply don't understand that attitude. This isn't a slam, just an observation.

Work / Polish Residency Cards. Is there a Permanent ID card for Foreigners? [37]


I've never waited more than 20 minutes and usually it's been more like 10.

Language / How to pronouce Szczygieł last name? [26]


Actually, that's true in any language. It's called communicating. I still struggle with Polish but my friends and people in shops understand me, so that'll have to do until I reach the proficiency level. I figure that's only going to take another 117 years.

Travel / Is it safe to travel to Poland? [194]

Not a problem at all. It'll be safe no matter if you're by yourself or with somebody else.