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


Exactly, cultural difference. In the UK there is no tradition of saying something like that. When UK MacDonalds staff were ordered to utter the imperative "Enjoy your meal" they were reluctant to do so, and British customers also felt uncomfortable being told what to do. It is simply not impolite not to say smacznego or whatever for Brits.


I think you're on your own there.

Law / Buying a car in Poland or Germany? [36]


My missus just inherited the Renault Thalia I used for a few years, and with which I had no problems. It's a 1.4 l four-door with an enormous boot (I got seven tyres in it once), and apart from being the most boring car I've ever had, is very reliable. In winter I leave home at sparrowfart, and the Thalia never let me down. No lock-freezing, either.

Work / English teaching or English language preschool in Poland? [15]


6 PLN/hour?

UK, Ireland / Poles again shed blood for Britain [13]

They already have the right to equal pay. If you want to talk about the right to strike, well, that has been eroded since the Thatcher days, and will be further eroded under the present government. Don't start me on that one; I'm an old Trades Unionist. If Poles are being paid less than Brits (and they are not, unless they are under-cutting others, and that goes on), they have the right to inform the authorities and seek redress. You do not speak for Polish workers in the UK, so you cannot say why they didn't turn up, but your suggestion that they (all of them?) didn't show out of fear of being sacked is ridiculous.

UK, Ireland / Poles again shed blood for Britain [13]


Poles already have equal rights in the UK. If that were not the case, more than the reported 15 protestors, mostly British, would have turned up for the demonstration. Your strange attempts to drive a wedge between the million Poles in the UK and their largely welcoming hosts will fail as badly as the demonstration. The young man who promoted the blood donation comes across as a decent and reasonable guy. Good luck to him, and bad luck to the gutter press in the UK and gutter journalists everywhere.

Law / EU-citizens need residence to be freelancers in Poland? [9]


Nobody can avoid ZUS. It is like Death.

Travel / What to do in last 4 days (I'm in Bialystok) - I visited Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Vilnius and Tykocin already [3]

Białowieża National Park. You can get a bus direct from Białystok. Frankly, it would be amazing if you spent time in this region and didn't visit BNP. You can visit the Strict Reserve (with a guide only, and really only for the serious student of ecology), the beautiful Palace Park, and the Bison Reserve (ask the driver to let you off; it's a couple of kilometres from town), where you can see not only bison, but also żubroń, tarpan, elk, deer, moose, wolf and lynx. After the reserve you could walk to the Place of Power (miejsce mocy), which is nearby. Alternatively, you could walk into town via Żebra żubra (bison's ribs), a raised walkway with educational signs. If you're feeling rich, have lunch at Carska restaurant. If not, the Żubrówka hotel has a good restaurant.

Travel / Ryanair flying domestic in Poland? [46]

If you treat Ryanair like a bus and don't expect special treatment, it is usually fine for short hops. I used it last year Modlin-Bristol and it was great. It cost about 80 GBP return. Yes, if passengers can't follow simple instructions and print their documents, they get hit with a surcharge. It's a stupidity tax. And I don't mind dropping a fiver for a glass of plonk and a few olives. It helps out the exploited crew.

News / New constitution In Poland? [57]


Pol, you constantly


in almost every thread and post you make. To paraphrase you, these include illiberalism, radical, extreme Catholicism, and a hopelessly nostalgic view of Poland.

News / Is Kinga Duda of Poland the most beautiful first-daughter of the world? [50]

Photoshop could make me look pretty.

Work / What salary can be asked at IBM Poland? [67]

All of this information has been given many times on this forum (see below and elsewhere). After tax, insurance, rent and bills you would be among the poorest. It's just not worth the effort.

Work / What salary can be asked at IBM Poland? [67]


You could survive, and you could send a little money back. However, do you want to come here just to survive? IBM are an absolute disgrace offering you this salary, especially if they knew that you are a family man. I'd advise you not to come under the circumstances. Good luck.

News / New constitution In Poland? [57]

I am reminded of something a Czech guy once told me. His grandmother said she was sick of listening to politicians squabbling all the time. "It was so much better in the old days, when everybody agreed," she lamented. The whole point of parliamentary democracy is to squabble, mudsling and plot, as well as to shift in philosophy, to do deals, and to compromise. The alternative is autocracy, with its manufactured hero-worship and secret police.

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]


(Why do racists always put 'ect'?)

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

Tori, you no doubt correspond with like-minded people, so it's hardly surprising that they tell you what you want to hear. If you talk to Polish racists, they'll obviously tell you Poland is racist. As you can see from this forum, however, there are other viewpoints. Those of us who live here do not recognise the country you describe. Why not get on a plane and come see for yourself?

News / Is Kinga Duda of Poland the most beautiful first-daughter of the world? [50]

Katya and Maria Putin. They seem a little different in one major respect.

• 
  Putin's girls
  

Travel / Ryanair flying domestic in Poland? [46]


Modlin is a godsend for us in Podlasie, the only region in Poland without an airport. Getting to Okęcie from here takes ages.

Law / Your experience as a foreigner running a small business in Poland [43]

My wife and I both have small business. Our accountacy charges rose to 145PLN/month each before my wife decided to do it herself. She has found it so easy that we regret not doing it years ago. The tax office were very helpful. The guy there told us that we could submit our returns in biro on the back of an envelope; all they were interested in was an honest figure and regular payment.

Study / Student life (with a dog) in Lodz, Poland [18]


Have you considered Szczecin?
pum.edu.pl

Work / First English teaching job in Poland (Katowice) [75]

daytona0 seems to be going into this with his eyes wide open. He will be an hour away from Kato, so it's hardly the gulag. Small towns are not all poor by any means, and they have their charms. Big cities can be lonely places. When I first came to Poland I taught in a small town. As in any other place there were educated, intelligent, open-minded people. You just have to find them, which isn't too hard as they are precisely the types who want lessons, either for themselves or their kids. Nowadays in Poland just about everyone under 30 has some English. daytona is not going to pine away or die of loneliness. If he gets bored, he can jump on a bus to Kato. What's the problem?

History / Restitution Sought by US Holocaust Survivor Family of Expropriated Property in Zywiec, Poland [24]

The BM is probably not that exposed ;-) but families surely have the natural right to claim back artefacts stolen from them. The case of land is more complicated, especially in the case of Poland, and the post-communist state can hardly be found culpable or responsible for restitution on the scale talked about.

Study / Student life (with a dog) in Lodz, Poland [18]

A nationwide campaign to control and neuter dogs and cats would help. Every year we see new litters of kittens and puppies in our village. Some people seem to think it acceptable to leave their animals to their own devices. We have one neutered Tomcat and a strictly controlled dog; some people don't even know how many they have. They leave food outside their door, so passing dogs and cats help themselves and therefore reproduce unchecked. Nobody seems willing to do anything about uncontrolled dogs. I have personally killed two when driving, something that pains me as an animal-lover. I'd like to see more public education on this matter.

Study / Student life (with a dog) in Lodz, Poland [18]

Sad day for us yesterday. My sister-in-law was out cycling, searching for wild plums, when she found a dog lying by the side of the road, obviously abadoned. It was hot and the dog was suffering terribly. The dog's belly was distended and her breathing was laboured and rattly. My sil put the dog in her basket and took her home. My wife went to see the dog and was worried. So at five o'clock we phoned our vet and he agreed to meet us at his surgery. Being a holiday, he arrived in t-shirt and flip flops straight from a family gathering. He examined the dog, which he said was four months old, and said her lungs were wrecked. We took his advice and, with great sadness, he euthanised the little one.


+1

News / Expat bank robbery in Warsaw [14]

Might be one of the PolAm liars pretending to be a Brit. If you feel bullied, you must feel intimidated. Not surprising as your ******** is exposed here daily.

Study / Student life (with a dog) in Lodz, Poland [18]


They shoot less than a kilometre from my village. There's a tall hide within sight of our regular walk, and I sometimes go there with the mutt when the hunters are away. Most dogs are smart enough not to go anywhere near the sound of shotguns, but you never know, and of course some people just hate dogs, especially when they like to chase deer, like mine.

Study / Student life (with a dog) in Lodz, Poland [18]


Separation anxiety might be a problem if he's not used to being away from you. The best thing would be for him to spend his days with someone. Perhaps you could advertise for a friendly person to look after him while you are at the university. You could take him there in the morning and pick him up later. It might be tricky to find someone to do this but it's not impossible.

Someone here might be able to help:
Juna Dogs FCI kennel - £ódź, Poland - Pet Service | Facebook

Work / Salary: 24,000zl a month - how much I will I have after tax in Poland? [29]


I remember those pay packets, although mine were never bulging. lordlodz would need a big envelope as he earns allot. Those were also the days of frequent wages snatches, sometimes with shooters and terror. Better to put it through banks, I suppose.

Study / Student life (with a dog) in Lodz, Poland [18]


The collar is especially important if you live near a wood where hunters operate. They are allowed to shoot uncollared dogs 50m or less from a forest. I can't cite a law source for this but have it on pretty good authority.

Life / Reaction regarding Pakistanis respected in Poland [54]


It might be the case in the country you come from that men own their wives. It might be that your religion encourages you to think of women as chattels. But here in Europe we don't see things that way. We have evolved socially since the middle ages.

Life / What are the things which cause culture shock in Poland? [164]


Why give stimulants to children? They're nuts enough already. Anyway, it's an adult taste, like booze. Having said that, a friend of mine who is a complete caffeine addict and didn't stop when pregnant gave birth to a child who insisted on sips of coffee as soon as she could.