Law / Refused credit for having a wrong residency card in Poland [22]

Well, popped into Agricole, who are owners of Lukas bank. They said there was no problem with getting credit and all but took me through the procedure. They didn't even ask about my passport.

I asked why I couldn't get it with Lukas bank and the guy rang them to check. Turns out it must be something to do with the computer system not accepting the number on the Residency card (it has 9 figures... 2 letters and 7 numbers). Whatever.

Rather than get credit from Agricole, I decided to pop to my own bank, Multibank, and see what they could offer. They suggested just using the credit card (they would), as they reckoned the amount was too low for a loan.

I asked to raise my allowance on the credit card... and they couldn't process it cos of computer problems!!!!!

Law / Refused credit for having a wrong residency card in Poland [22]

Great, I'll try that. Thanks.

Be prepared for some mega moaning if it doesn't work ;-)

Law / Refused credit for having a wrong residency card in Poland [22]


Hmm, OK, so I should go to a main office, then.
If they'd said that it wouldn't be a problem.

Law / Refused credit for having a wrong residency card in Poland [22]

No, cos I'd just walked into the shop. He told them I was a brit but they never said I needed to produce a passport.

The guy in the shop was just doing a credit check with the bank.

Law / Refused credit for having a wrong residency card in Poland [22]


Possible. I'm going to go to a branch tomorrow and see what they say face to face.

Just annoying when the shop guy told them it was an official government issue doc and gave them all my details.

Law / Refused credit for having a wrong residency card in Poland [22]

No bugger worth voting for around here, anyway.

Law / Refused credit for having a wrong residency card in Poland [22]


To be honest, no idea!


My old 5 year one did. Just didn't have a PESEL on it! As I say, this was done over the phone and the guy described it, gave them the numbers etc.

Law / Refused credit for having a wrong residency card in Poland [22]

Maybe, after all, the guy was giving them the info over the phone. The problem for me is that it has all my details, PESEL etc... Just don't get it. I had the same with GE moneybank a few years ago, because my 5 year card didn't have a PESEL on the card.

News / Poland is the source of horsemeat in burgers? [169]


I was handed that one on a plate, so my veggy hasn't beat your meat :-)

News / Poland is the source of horsemeat in burgers? [169]


Love it!

Did you hear that the veggy burgers contain uniquorn?

News / Poland is the source of horsemeat in burgers? [169]


More likely Pony Pies.

The thing is, it doesn't matter where the meat came from, it matters where they were truned into burgers and where they were packaged.

Horse meat is ok, safe to eat etc. the point is that it was sold to a misled public.

seems you can mislead the folk to horse and make them eat.

History / Should we glorify Polish secondary female characters from history? [36]


Apparently the UK government is going to spend millions teaching about WW1 over the next few years, including field trips, projects and such.

Funny how they practically ignored it for a long time.


Why not a "Sue Ryder" shop?

History / Should we glorify Polish secondary female characters from history? [36]

I think the thing with Mary Seacole is that she has been overlooked for a long time... and she's mixed race, showing it wasn't just whitey who did all the work in the empire.

She also did a lot of work in Jamaica. Very interesting lady.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Seacole

What I don't like is the idea she is promoted at the expense of learning about Florence Nightingale. Both should be taught together.

Work / Opportunities for English speaking actors in Poland? advice on teaching conversational English [13]

You know what might be an idea, is advertise teaching English to actors and/or public speaking to businessmen, teachers etc, where you can use your English/foreign/acting skills as unique selling points.

maybe look at trying to start and English language Theatre aimed at teaching English.

If you have a good speaking voice, you might also advertise as a voice-over artist. I've had a few jobs doing that for museums, firms etc. Not regular, but it exists.

News / What should Poland do to solve the population crisis? [101]

The thing I notice about this demographic crisis is the shortage of teenagers to teach in the language school. The amount of groups has dropped considerably in the last couple of years.

Start shagging, folks... or a lot of us will be without work!

Life / Poland needs more immigrants and their children - which nationalities are the best? [518]


There's been Ukrainian communities in UK since at least the war.

Life / The unacceptable side of Polish culture [48]


maybe only the Poles knew the smell of hash :-)


True, but what about the other poor people in the bar trying to have a quiet drink?

I was in Salthill, Galway on two occasions when I saw a gang chase some other lads (out of towners, I guess) and kick the cr@p out of one of them, on the pavement. Along with a girl whipping him with the belt buckle (stuff he'd probably have paid good money for another time). It wasn't until one of them kicked the boss's car that the bouncers of a local club came and and proceeded to maul one of them.

Meantime, nobody did anything. I eventually walked up to the guy who was kicking the prone body, and said, "I think you'd better go... cops are coming". Then I checked the body was ok. It was him I apologised to.

Another time, I was living in Salthill and saw a fight kick off across the road from my bedroom window. again, someone ended up on the floor getting his own personal performance of Riverdance on his head by an entire cast, for well over a minute. The Garda turned up on that occasion, after the body had lain still for a couple of minutes.

Food / Polish cookies - delicje? [6]


Where are you, Conny?

Life / The unacceptable side of Polish culture [48]


I lived in Ireland and saw the same kind of thing being done by Irish guys to each other. Worked in a pub in England and saw bullying fights, gangs picking on people... one guy knocks another to the floor and someone who wasn't involved just decides to throw a kick at the downed guys head... and I've been jumped by multiple attackers.

I'm British.

Fair play on you breaking it up. I've had a brit friend get attacked for no reason (other than being a Brit) and the cops just stood and watched!

But don't judge too harshly. When you don't necessarily know the situation you might not want to get involved... likewise, as one guy said when I picked him up and apologised for not doing more, "Don't be daft, you might have been down here with me".

Life / Any good Polish movies that are not drama/ war ?? [21]

Kret / Mole was pretty good,

Life / Where have all the carollers in Poland gone? [9]

I used to do carolling with a theatre group (Teatr Wiejski "Węgajty") from near Olsztyn. We went into some crazy places, in the mountains, darkest Suwałki etc. One time we went somewhere over the northwest, and people didn't understand what the heck was going on. Later, we got to one house and the old man invited us in, watched the goat/turon, herod etc and then said, "You haven't been here for a while, last time i saw you was before the war".

In 1950's it was outlawed by commies but many places still did it.

History / Was Prussia mostly German? [65]


Mazurians were originally from Mazowsze (sp?). They were Polish/Slavic ethnically, but culturally aligned with German/Protestant culture, whereas Wrmia was predominantly Catholic. It was one of the things the League of Nations misunderstood when they called the plebiscites after WW1. Although Mazurians may have been Slavic, they considered themselves more German.


Well, most (if nnot all) of East Prussia was still German until 1945. Even today there are some German speakers (both Polish and German). I don't think the driving out really happened much until after WW2.

History / If you left Poland while it was under Communism, could you go back? [18]


Ah, got it slightly wrong. It applied to people born outside of Poland: polonia.wikia.com/wiki/Passport_trap

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_nationality_law

History / If you left Poland while it was under Communism, could you go back? [18]

I believe there was a sneaky kind of tax brought in at one point, where if you were the holder of a foreign passport but originally a Polish citizen, you could enter the country but couldn't leave until you pruchased a new Polish one.

Travel / Ryanair travel by air - subtle scams to be wary of [98]

Well I certainly felt I was getting screwed over the phone.

Language / Should I just learn German? [55]


You might find that to be quite possible in some areas of Poland. I was in mazury recently and even tho' I spoke to the waitress in Polish (and she'd heard us speaking English) she kept on talking to me in german. I've also found older people in many areas speak German 9often as a first language)

Travel / Ryanair travel by air - subtle scams to be wary of [98]


Agreed. The weight is ridiculous too. How is it Wizzair can offer 30kg and Ryan only mange 15?

The other thing which bugged me was the "save money and time" with on-line check in, which you had to pay for and still queue. Well, now it is compulsory but I still have to pay for it. If you are going to make people pay for it, offer an alternative. So, I save RA money by printing my own ticket and cutting down their admin costs... but have to pay for the privelege.

One thing which really bugged me was, having made a mistake, that I rang the help line in Warsaw... "Oh, I'll try to speak English!" (they advertise it as Polish only), which was kind of the guy... but at 4 euro a minute, I'd have wanted a bit more than "try".

News / British senior politician compares Poland to South Africa during apartheid [129]


Britain never actually had slaves on its own soil... unless you include the working class and perhaps the Irish.


or wiki: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_football

Work / Going to be teaching English in Krakow Poland (Tefl certification); service advertizing, taxes [9]


A good point. In many places the teachers head off to Britain to work summer schools because the work drops off in Poland (try tefl.com)