News / Praising Poland can be dangerous [45]

but that is true.

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


I am too busy looking for my silk long johns I brought from Canada since Fuzzy is predicting really cold weather in Szczecin :D

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe Dariusz will send me some plus a bottle of ice vine from the hot Niagara vine region:D

Fuzzy, when you are quoting you don't need to write: Aphro wrote etc. - the quoting feature speaks for itself;) lol

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]

I would, but posting pics on PF is a pain, although I must admit that this thread would look much more interesting:)

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


ha, ha.....here is the appropriate link:

mapofpoland.net/Szczecin,photo,166,30091,Zeromski-Park.html
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_im._Stefana_Żeromskiego_w_Szczecinie


I grew up in Poland so I am accustomed to the weather here and if I survived the Canadian winter, I will survive the Polish one too, since I have many in the past.

Szczecin has always been warmer then the rest of Poland......can we move on?


I am sure Fuzzy will take your advise;).


Now, you are talking sense here:). There are some, but I am not keen on swimming pools in general.

Life / Any treatment centres for homos in Poland? [455]

I think that some people who post in this thread need to goto a treatment center;)

Travel / Insights about winter in Poland. Polish winter during holidays as charming as spring? [21]

yep, it was invented in Canada:)

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]

gloomy weather
is what is outside at the moment. It is overcast, rainy, musty and damp.

This weather is typical at this time of the year and I find it quite depressing.

Hopefully it is not going to last for a long time.

There is also winter ahead, but I guess I will deal with it when it comes.
green space in Szczecin

I already mentioned one: the Szczecin Cemetery. I visited it yesterday afternoon and it was quite impressive. The large area has a lot of different species of trees and as I mentioned in my previous post, the designed is quite interesting. It is a nice place to go for a walk and one can actually bike there. It is charming and mysterious and one can walk around all day long since it covers over 150 ha.

Zeromski Park
youtube.com/watch?v=Ok4-Y_xQhbE

near my place is another old and created by Germans Park, which area amount to24 ha, which is quite large space found in the center of the city. This is where I wanted to walk the dog I am getting in the future. It features many old trees and when I take a walk though it actually looks more like a little forest. I am so lucky to live by a place like that in the center of the city.

Jasne Blonie
is another green area behind the City Hall
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasne_Błonia
with a beautiful platan tree alley.

Platan tree is quite popular in Szczecin, which has the highest number of them in Poland- 213, so is the Magnolia Tree.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus

UK, Ireland / UK residency without living in the UK? [15]


which ones are those.At the moment I am in the 19 % bracket.

UK, Ireland / UK residency without living in the UK? [15]


is that legal?

Anyways, Poles pay too much taxes.

Grubas, you don't ask such questions on the internet.

Language / The Future of Polish Language [179]


well, at least it is not being wasted on Americans

UK, Ireland / The more subtle differences: Ireland/Britain v Poland [310]


don't waste your intelligence on Ksysia - she has a rare talent of missing all the main historical facts and she hates the UK.


that is a national sport. Actually a lot of Poles are not interested in fact, because they are simply too boring;)

Food / Polish placki v latkes (potato pancakes) [22]


still love the Canadian humour ;)

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


it was raining in the morning, then it cleared up, but now it is half past five and it is as dark as night;(, but still warm and no wind. How is the weather in Scotlandia.

Lived in Szczecin prior to my departure to Canada, but I had never been to Szczecin Cemetary,which is the third biggest in Europe.

Today is the day. The weather seems nice and my friend is gonna drive me there for a short visit.

here is a link for those who are interested:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Cemetery_in_Szczecin
The Central Cemetery in Szczecin is a municipal cemetery in Szczecin, Poland. It is the third biggest cemetery in Europe, and the biggest cemetery in Poland. Today the area of the cemetery is more than 167,8 hectares[1], and is still extending.

and some more interesting info:
The Central Cemetery in Szczecin was established in 1901[2] as a new and very modern cemetery. It was modeled on the Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg, Germany. At that time Stettin (Szczecin) belonged to Germany. Even though the Central Cemetery in Szczecin has been opened for more than 100 years, it is still in use, and it is a legally protected national monument.

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


that was my point:)


which is a warmer then Southeast Ontario, thanks for confirming it.

They use heaters in Niagara vine region and Dariusz missed it, but THAT is NOT the topic of this thread. I suggest Dariusz upgrades his info from his own region and get off the car every so often. Please take this discussion to PMs. This thread is about moving back to Poland. Thank you.

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


I didn't get into any argument because I am not as anal as some posters:)

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]

balonii Darius, with the windshield it reached -30 C in the winter quite often, don't tell me that you did freeze your balls in Niagara region in the winter, even though they make wine there during the summer. Still the icewine is the hit not the regular Hildebrand or whatever they call it. Canada has no good vine. Tell me why in Niagara region even during the grape growing season some or all wine makers have special heaters in the field?


well, then I obviously inherited his ignorance;)


wow, you can actually be positive! I will mark it in my calendar: Dariusz liked something;P

Love / Polish women world's second most flirtatious [75]

didn't know she was broken;)

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


you know well that I was just joking, some things are easy for me, some things make my eyebrows rise and always will.


PF members are not really opinion makers although they think they are. Fair enough.


actually, it is changing but there is still left over of this attitude. I spoke to 4 and only one out of 4 was rude, yet she corrected her behaviour. I think they are not as secure in their jobs because people have been complaining.


yes, the wine is light and refreshing.

thanks Zosia,

this is a blog, I am not starting another one, since the impressions will not be as fresh.


so it is getting colder, brr........


less then 3:)


you got a point there, but I spend a lot of time in Canada and I have problems with adjusting and some Polish mentality is not familiar to me anymore. Fuzzy must have more obstacles to face for sure.


in Toronto. Even f it doesn't last 3 month it is freaking cold in Toronto in the winter and the winter is long. 2 years ago I almost got a frostbite. With the windshield it is brutal and you should know that living in Chicago.


it is a shame really, but it has to be done and I really don't mind doing it, some people think I am a witch, but those clerks really need to realize that the communism is over.


interesting point - maybe they don't want to be nosy or maybe they just don't care. I will ask my Polish friend about that.


I went to study there and never really planned to stay for longer then necessary.


good one- I will try it next weekend.


I knew this comment would make you happy.


we all know it is not true:D if anything - it is average or often mediocre by international standards, but let all the Poles think otherwise;).


absolutely on the spot. Even my father knows more about Canada then me, he comes across as an expert and I, who lived there, just a mere listener. It makes me laugh because this attitude is so bizarre.

A lot of Poles have a serious listening comprehension problem for sure. It is funny at time, but often it really effects good communication.


that is a really silly comment since you assume that Fuzzy luck intelligence to tell who is interested in his stories and who isn't. It is generally the Poles who are not interested, we still haven't figured out why. That is all he was saying and you are getting defensive.

this thread is not edited, since the editing time is 15 minutes on PF and I don't like to edited stuff since it looses some of its freshness. I am aware of grammar and spelling mistakes on this thread, but I will not change anything at this point. Later on I might put this on a blog and then I will take my time to edit it.[/b]

thanks for reading:)

Love / Polish women world's second most flirtatious [75]


maybe we do, at least I don't look at prn as some people do. I work and have enough time for online stuff. You can do whatever your hear desires too. I also type fast;)

I don't look for surveys about flirty men, but go out and see for myself what is out there.

Off-Topic / PF - The Omnibus Edition [1502]


nobody really is but you seem to have your own style.

It seems that Mr Pie aka Szarlotka has deserted his writing post to spend more time on playing gold.

All good things eventually come to the end, so did Mr Pie's writing. He spoiled us with his wittiness and now all we have left is memories.

The passage of time is an cruel thing indeed.

Love / Polish women world's second most flirtatious [75]


good point;), I like spending time online

Love / Polish women world's second most flirtatious [75]



hmmm........unbelievable since I am still single;)

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


I just made an honest observation. I have not figured out why Poles like to travel, but are really not that interested in other cultures. Nobody has asked me during the last month how I spent my time in Canada, nobody is really interested and they are all waiting for me to fit in and eat their food and accept everything about Poland the way it is. However, it is me who has to adjust, I am the minority, but I am allowed to make critical observations.

I was in the Tax office yesterday to get some information and the woman was very rude to me.

I told her that I am becoming a taxpayer and it is I who would be paying for her wages, so she better changes the tone. Her face became red and she started to talk to me like she was suppose to - in a nice and informative way. She claimed that her wages come from the Polish government - well, they do, but indirectly.

The weather in Poland has deteriorated

after an almost a month of a fairly brilliant sun for the most part of Sep and October, the darkness, the mustiness and humidity have settled in Szczecin. It is not pouring, but the droplets of water keep falling down on the ground in a steady pace.

This way some puddles have been created and when I walk on the street I feel like a in a minefield of water mines, which often I fail to avoid.

The indian summer is over and the sky, blue in the past took a greyish tone. There is nowhere to run from this weather and if I had a fireplace in my place, I would be sitting in front of it with a cup of hot tea, or a glass of whiskey, perhaps reading a book. I used to call this weather:

Pogoda kominkowo- koniakowa.

I am glad my books came in from Canada, because this might be a good time to catch up on reading, although I swore to myself that I would not touch another book after I graduated from uni this June for at least a year. The time has come to renounce that promise and jump into a warm bed with a good book and I wish you the same.

Goodnight. Poland is falling asleep and people are preparing for the hibernation time.

There is of course a new French wine coming up soon for a little snob like me and of anyone is interested, there is a bit more info on it. I have made a habit of having one bottle of this newly harvested wine once a year to celebrate the end of summer and an a mental preparation for the winter.

Here is a bit more about this vine and it is available around the world:

Ah, a little bit of excitement in the wine world is fun to see. What is this Beaujolais Nouveau race, and where did it begin? First, the region. Back in July 1395, the "Gamay" grape was forbidden to be used in Burgundy. Beaujolais, the southern neighbor, decided it should use Gamay and make its wines from this grape. And thus started a differentiation that continues to this day. Today, 98% of this region is planted with Gamay; the rest is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Beaujolais Nouveau is the first output from each harvest - ready exactly on the Third Thursday of November each year. It's a celebration across the world, as people gather to taste the first Beaujolais of the new season.

It's also a race of sorts - who can be the first to try the Beaujolais Nouveau from this season? Over 65 million bottles are sped, flown, and boated across the world to wine lovers everywhere. And to think that the wine had barely been harvested a few scant weeks ago.

Beaujolais Nouveau started as a local event, to celebrate the end of the harvest and congratulate the workers and wine growers. The French government moved to control this flow, and in 1938 put in strict restrictions. In 1951 they were revoked by the Union Interprofessional des Vins de Beaujolais (UIVB), and a specific release date was set. Soon other countries heard of this situation and wanted to become part of the celebration. In 1985 the date was moved to the Third Thursday of November, to make the date coincide with a weekend.

Happy sipping:)

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


I have been working since the second week of my arrival and the things are going OK at the moment.


you are right if you are talking about the teacher's wages in Poland but if one is doing something more lucrative, then it is much more accessible. Still, it is cheaper to go from Poland to Europe then from the US or Canada, provided you don't stay in 5 star hotels. I am very close to the German border and I am much closer to Berlin then to Warsaw, but you have a point. Why not take advantage of the opportunity when you are still in the continent.

Besides, most people in the US and Canada go to cheap Mexico, Caribean destinations, at least those who travel or have passport, since many don't as far as I know, Most of my Canadian cousins have not been anywhere and it is not because they cannot pay for it, they are simply not very interested to be honest. Poles and Europeans travel more, even though they probably pay a larger chunk of their wages. It is about priorities and Poles being curious about other countries and finally being able to pay for it without breaking the bank.

I am planning to visit Berlin within a couple of weeks (2 hours away) and probably go to Portugal in the summer.

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


that maybe the the case, but I already stated that I didn't move here because I hated Canada or loved Poland so much, which is not the case in either. I moved here for family reasons - in particular - to look after my father, which I am doing.


it is too early to say if it is more difficult or not. It is very different then it is in Canada for sure. My family is here, so I am more comfortable here and if in trouble, I have somebody to turn to, which I didn't have in Canada - well besides a bunch of artificial friends who liked my company because I am a nice person. North America is nice for travelling, but I have to admit that the Canadian winter got to me over the years. Of course Polish weather is no better, but at least there won't be -30 C for 3 months.


yes, it is. For me Poland is home, regardless of how bad it seems to some people.


Once I start comparing, I am in trouble. I can do it and be rational about it, but there is also an emotional attachment to Poland, which I have never developed towards Canada. That is why I returned.

Pigeon(s) in love
yes, he, or maybe more then one male have been occupying my balcony for some time now. I can hear them producing gargling sounds and if I didn't know better, I would assume that it was the guy next door, but the left overs of their courtship left me thinking that it was not a human being after all.

Love is blind and I have to clean the balcony now:)

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


not yet. I know I will in a short time. I am starting to discover that some Poles don't like any changes and they like to be where they are, because what is Polish is better, even if it is not better anyways. Poles are not very open to innovations, experiments, looking at things in a different way and I am getting a little annoyed by it, because I like progress in life.


I agree. There are things that I will always miss in Canada: the tolerance and the lack of bugging into somebody's life, while in Poland it is a different story: everybody sees everything and anything and then they speculate.

I miss the efficiency of the Canadian clerks. Polish clerks are either rude, or when not rude, they lack the basic human skills. Yesterday I was buying the monthly pass and my cell phone rang - the woman who was selling me the ticket started banging on the glass with an angry look on her face.


more later. Happy? To early to say really.

Travel / What to do in Poznan for 3 days? [21]


and take some cash

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


I see, there are all kinds of pumpkins and squash and some are easier then others to peel.


I like the pumpkin flavour though, so I don't mind.


nice one, thanks.


I cook with what I have at the moment. I had a choice in Canada when it comes to squash, but here I have not encountered any yet, so I am sticking to pumpkin:) since I like the taste and the colour.

Life / All Saints' Day in Poland - Commemoration or Carnival? [44]


lol, that made me laugh. Freedom of choice has settled in Poland:)

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]

I use a potato peeler to take the skin off- works great. well, maybe it took me more then an hour, but the cutting, peeling and gutting the pumpkin is more time consuming then the actual cooking time.

BTW: what do you spice yours with. I add cream, a dash of cinnamon, fresh garlic and fresh dill.

My friend suggested some garlic crutons, but I did not follow her advice.