Work / Sikh coming to Poland with over 14 years experience in Customer Service and running operations [30]

I've seen quite a few Sikhs in Warsaw and nobody seems to take any notice of them. You should be fine just going about your business during the day. Obviously be careful at night just as any man or woman should be in a big city :)) and keep away from football supporters on match day! They always seem to be looking for a fight with the world and his wife!

Language / Learning Polish Book? Milo mi? [15]

Not as bad as German though Lyzko where you frequently have to read a sentence half a page long, with about five clauses before you finally reach the verb!

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]


The PM has said that Poland will comply with the EU court ruling so that's why there's no fine. And a final decision will be made later this year by the EU depending on what happens in the spring I suppose, in other words if they continue to defy the ruling once the logging season begins.

Language / Learning Polish Book? Milo mi? [15]

Yes, it should be 'nie rozumiem nic', although I prefer the construction, 'nic nie rozumiem', I just think it flows better. That's one of the things I like about Polish, the fact that you can have fun with the word order.

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]


Surely you mean 'chimp' I can practically hear those knuckles dragging :)) Woops! I'd better shut up now as I've brought his wrath upon me before for doing a bit of slagging not to mention having a goodly number of members forming a lynch mob, ready to slaughter me and wear my skin as a nice spring jacket.

Language / Learning Polish Book? Milo mi? [15]

That's it - and one of the most useful phrases you can learn! Ale krok po kroku, prawda? :))

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]


Well that's because the new PM has said that Poland will comply with the EU court ruling.

Language / Learning Polish Book? Milo mi? [15]

Well I thought it was a terrible book myself and I'm sure there have been much better ones published since, especially as there has been a bit of an increase in English speakers wanting to learn Polish. Have you thought of contacting the place where you originally learned Polish and asking them if they still have a copy they could sell you? The book I mentioned was the one I had in Ireland but when I came to Poland and did language classes in Warsaw, we had a photocopy text book like the one you mention produced for the school in house. It was called Nie rozumiem, Proszę powtórzyć. It was full of very useful vocabulary. It's probably similar to the one you had.

Language / Learning Polish Book? Milo mi? [15]

I think I know the one you mean. I think it was called Czesc, jak sie masz? The old edition which I had, had a green cover but it's since been reissued. The opening chapters were about some students and the girl was meeting up with her parents, is that the one? There's a CD with it too. Best of luck with your studies :))

History / WWII - who really was the first to help Poland? [900]


That's not what they voted for. That vote hasn't happened yet and if it does, Poland won't be allowed to participate.

History / WWII - who really was the first to help Poland? [900]


I'm not sure where you got that idea. Nothing to do with them being British. Those sentiments abounded in many parts of the developed world at that time. Never said they were ok either. Just that that's how it was in those times.

I think you mean Chamberlain btw not Atlee.

History / WWII - who really was the first to help Poland? [900]


The British monarch doesn't have any political power and didn't back then either. Edward was seen a a loose canon and would have been kept well in line by Whitehall.


Kaprys, I don't need to tell you that those views were very common at the time amongst all social classes. One can't judge people of almost a hundred years ago -and remember that Edward was born in the reign of Queen Victoria - by the standards of today. On the other hand he had a genuine interest in social reform and the plight of the working man. And he refused to wear military decorations which he was awarded but felt he hadn't earned. He was enlisted during World War One but although he was in the combat zones, as heir to the throne, he wasn't allowed to fight.

Finally, there was support for facism in all walks of society before WWII when it was seen as a bulwark against the threat of Communism. Nobody knew what Hitler was going to ultimately do. It was like an extreme form of conservatism.

For God's sake, look at this forum today, after all we should have learned from the last hundred years, and you still see literate, reasonably well educated people, better educated indeed and more intelligent that Edward VIII, singing the praises of the gradual curtailment of civil liberties in Poland by the present government, celebrating it as something wonderful and talking about a 'strong' Poland...........we've had posters here saying that MEPs should be charged with treason, no less, for exercising their right to vote according to their own conscience and political persuasion.

History / WWII - who really was the first to help Poland? [900]

He was the present Queen's uncle, not her brother.

Oh and by the way Prince Philip's mother was named as one of the Righteous for having sheltered Jews in her home in Greece during the war, so there's two sides to every story.

Real Estate / Need advice on my stay in Krakow [12]

Looks fairly accurate though the price of the restaurant meals seems a bit low, certainly I would disagree that you can get a three course meal for two for 100zl. You might get a two course meal if you choose the cheaper dishes on the menu. As for rent, watch out for the additional charge called the 'czynsz'. It's explained elsewhere on this forum in other threads but it's basically a service charge levied by the management company for the building. Apartments are advertised at a rent of for example 1200 per month but the czynsz will be extra. Sometimes it covers part of the utilities like cold water supply, sometimes not. If the ad says 'w tym czynsz' it means the czynsz is included in the advertised rent and will usually specify how much of that is the czynsz. If it doesn't mention the czynsz at all but says rent + gas, electric etc then be sure to enquire. You should start looking at actual ads just to get an idea of what you can expect for your budget:

domiporta.pl/mieszkanie/wynajme?Localization=krakow

Also for actual food prices, take a look here. It's one of the big supermarket chains in Poland: carrefour.pl

Real Estate / Need advice on my stay in Krakow [12]


That is still way too low. And I'm a woman by the way so budgeting for the food is my area of expertise! You need to make it 1500. Also don't forget to factor in things like toilet paper, washing detergent, washing up liquid, bin bags, bleach, etc things need for cleaning the house and toiletries, toothpaste, shower gel.


If she has even half a brain, shopping alone won't achieve that. Better to budget something for sending her to an intensive Polish language course for foreigners. She will need basic Polish to do all that shopping, believe me and the social aspect of attending a course and meeting a few other expats will do her good. I did a course years ago, every day for three weeks, which cost about 2,000 zl and there were four or five other women in the class of different nationalities. We became quite friendly and if I'd wanted to pursue a bit of a social life with those ladies, meeting for lunch etc I could have done so. It might be a big help to your wife.

Real Estate / Need advice on my stay in Krakow [12]


Yes, that's very true. And one of the worst aspects of that, is that the choice of seasonal veg can be very limited. At the moment, even in my local market most of the stuff like cauliflower is imported from Spain. I had to pay 7zl for a cauliflower the other day. Also prices of things can fluctuate. One week lemons cost 5zl per kilo and next week 12 zl! I was buying a lot of pomegranates recently and they were 12 zl per kilo which doesn't sound too bad, but as each of them weighs close to half a kilo, that's over 80zl a week if hubby and wifey each want to have a eat a daily pomegranate. On the other hand, apples as you say can be purchased for 2zl per kilo. So, you can eat cheaply but if you want variety or anything other than bog standard fare in your diet, it comes at a price.

Real Estate / Need advice on my stay in Krakow [12]

Most of your questions re living expenses have already been answered on other threads. However I would just caution you about your estimates for food and 'shopping'. If the 600zl is food for the month, then it's way too low, more like 1,600, although if you're vegetarian it could work out cheaper. It certainly won't cover dining out once a week either. As for transport, what about your wife?? 100 will only cover your monthly ticket, she needs one as well, so double that expense. On the whole, you need to allow nearer to 5,000 for your monthly budget.


This really isn't an issue in Poland. Neighbourhoods are a mix of social/local authority and private housing. You can have a luxury block of brand new private apartments beside an old crumbling tenement. Although a neighbourhood may look run down and 'dangerous' they're actually perfectly safe and inhabited by normal people. Access to shops won't be a problem either.

@ Dominic, I see that we reached pretty much the same conclusion regarding monthly budget! Great minds..........maybe not great, but experienced in the realities of living in Poland :)

News / Arrests made in Poland for Hitler birthday celebrations [35]

Well it's quite possible that they wanted to film the occasion, one of those special moments you treasure you know 'ooh let's watch the Hitler birthday celebrations again darling' :D

News / Arrests made in Poland for Hitler birthday celebrations [35]

I don't think they're connected with PIS. What I mean is that it's odd to find people celebrating and glorifying the Nazis in a country which suffered so terribly as a result of being occupied by them. As for Ireland, a better analogy in terms of the level of weirdness would be the idea of Irish people celebrating Oliver Cromwell's birthday and dressing up in Roundhead uniforms!

News / Arrests made in Poland for Hitler birthday celebrations [35]

I think that one of the reasons the story is of interest, is that it's quite bizarre to find anyone, no matter how few or how deranged, celebrating Adolf's birthday and dressing up in Nazi uniforms, in a country which is presently demanding war reparations from Germany.

History / WWII - who really was the first to help Poland? [900]


Or the atlernative 'out of the way Johnny Foreigner, we're British' :D

History / WWII - who really was the first to help Poland? [900]

You mean, you were speed reading Wikipedia again :D Would this be the bit that confused you:

"Commonwealth forces (United Kingdom, Colonial, Imperial and Dominion), totalling close to 15 million serving men and women"

History / WWII - who really was the first to help Poland? [900]



The UK is not, nor ever was a colony! It can't be a colony of itself.

USA, Canada / Visa and US Army (I live in Poland) [10]

It's a huge decision whatever route you take because ultimately it means that you are not just talking about joining an army, but about emigrating. Would you be doing that if it weren't for the army? That's something to consider. As for the French Foreign Legion, one thing you're pretty much guaranteed with them, is that you'll see live combat, if that's what appeals to you. Also you will get to train with the Americans as believe it or not, American troops, including the Marines are frequently trained by the Foreign Legion.

History / WWII - who really was the first to help Poland? [900]

Not to worry, sweetheart :)) Onward and upward!

History / WWII - who really was the first to help Poland? [900]


Kaprys that's not quite fair. The British army are outstanding soldiers, really professional and the breaks for tea are a legitimate part of their system. Right from basic training you're taught that if you're going to be in one location for more than 15 minutes - and you have the kit you should light a fire and make a brew.

According to one ex-British army soldier:

"You may be covered in mud, stinking from not being able to shower for days or weeks, cold and tired, but a brew just seems to take all that away. The jokes will start and morale gets better. The simple act of being able to share a mug of tea with your mates, who look and feel just as bad as you do, is awesome."

So you could say the Germans had Adolf and the "Fatherland" to keep their morale up and the Brits had tea :))

USA, Canada / Visa and US Army (I live in Poland) [10]

Chat online to one of the army recruiters themselves, they might have some tips. Not being funny but would you consider the French Foreign Legion? Google them. They're a bit of a legend, used to be considered very tough and brutal but they're highly respected as fighters.

USA, Canada / Visa and US Army (I live in Poland) [10]

Those recruitment stations are for Americans living in Europe, not for European citizens. The OP is not eligible to enlist until he has permanent residence status in the US or through the MAVNI program but apparently that's now on hold and in any case you have to meet very specific requirements to be eligible for it, for example have one of the skill sets/professions the army needs.

USA, Canada / Visa and US Army (I live in Poland) [10]

The answers you need are here: quora/How-can-a-European-citizen-join-the-U-S-Army-or-U-S-Navy

Scroll down and read the answer from Matt Pickering and the one following it.


But apparently it is needed to become an officer or serve in Special Ops. However it's also apparently easier for a foreigner to obtain citizenship once they're enlisted.

You really need to talk to the Army recruitment people directly. They'd be very helpful I'm sure.

goarmy.com

Real Estate / Noise levels from a building site in Poland [11]

Those laws are not likely to be affected by the Sunday trading ban, are they? So you have a government that wants families to spend Sundays together, unless one of them works in construction and those families who ARE together on Sundays can't go shopping but can have their 'quality time' disturbed all day by noise from a building site..............