Life / Is time on Poland's side? Unsustainable future. [21]


You obviously can't, given that you can't even explain a simple situation in Polish. It's okay, we understand that there are people out there that actually fantasise about using school toilets with missing doors.

Law / Poland's citizenship through grandmother in US [20]

They actually make it quite easy, as they pretty much grant permanent residency instantly to anyone that can prove even a distant link to the "Polish Nation". Of course, to get citizenship, they need to learn the language, which would soon weed out those looking for an easy path into Berlin or Barcelona.

Life / Is time on Poland's side? Unsustainable future. [21]

I would like to hear his explanation in Polish, too.

Law / Poland's citizenship through grandmother in US [20]


Sorry, but as a Polish citizen, I have the right to vote on such matters. Jon too, for that matter. Both of us vote for parties that maintain the status quo, that is, keeping Polish citizenship out of the hands of people with no clear connection to Poland.


No such thing as "priority", nor is there any special treatment for obtaining Polish citizenship through marriage. Your ignorance about Poland is outstanding.

Law / Poland's citizenship through grandmother in US [20]


Absolutely. I don't have any problems with the first generation claiming it because they probably speak Polish at home and have contact with plenty of real Polish traditions, but what knowledge do these fourth generation types have of Poland? Zero.

There was this notorious drunkard going around Warsaw who would cry and whine to anyone that would listen about how Poland was denying him his birthright because he couldn't prove the unbroken line. It transpired that his ancestors had left long before 1920, and his only claim to Polishness was the name ending in "ski".

Life / Is time on Poland's side? Unsustainable future. [21]

It doesn't sound odd, it's unthinkable. Think about it - at least in all the schools I've ever been to (and that's quite a few in Poland...), there's always someone guarding the front door. If some old man turned up without an appointment wanting to get inside, he'd be politely asked to leave. There's certainly no way he would be allowed to just come into the school and start meeting kids, and he certainly wouldn't be allowed to use the kids bathroom!

Still, let him write something in Polish. He apparently finished a technical university here, so it should be no problem for him to produce some text in Polish about something such as physics. The floor is yours, Ryszard.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Jealous of what, the obscene property taxes and drug abuser infested bathrooms? I don't think so.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Yes, and there's one huge 'tell' in his latest character. I spotted a mile away as soon as he started boasting about America.

Law / Poland's citizenship through grandmother in US [20]


Understandably so, given the large amount of attempts at falsifying documents by Americans trying to claim Polish citizenship through claiming that documents have been lost. For that reason, the Polish bureaucracy rightfully and carefully examines all applications made, and correctly denies citizenship to people who have no claim apart from a last name ending in "ski".

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Enjoy those $10k+ yearly property taxes to pay for such a thing!

Law / Poland's citizenship through grandmother in US [20]

From what I know, it's hit or miss with that route. They demand the unbroken line, so if the USCIS says they consider her a citizen from x point, it's unlikely he'll get it. He can get permanent residency though, which is more than enough to travel around with.

To be honest though, I think citizenship should only be given to people who stay in Poland for 2-3 years first. It's one thing being the child of Polish immigrants, but another thing if your only connection is through a great-grandfather.

Law / Poland's citizenship through grandmother in US [20]

Yeah, but in her case, she got it in 1926 according to the USCIS, right? She would have fallen under the 1920 law, so she would have lost the citizenship then.

Real Estate / Poland land ownership documents - what do they look like / where to obtain [15]

Yeah, I think the most likely scenario here is that he was conned out of some cash. It was happening a lot in the early 1990's - people would come to Poland and get offered the deal of a lifetime with the assistance of a corrupt lawyer or notary, only for the seller to mysteriously vanish once the cash was transferred. Or someone would convince the buyer that it was easier to keep the property in their name, only for them to vanish afterwards.

Law / Poland's citizenship through grandmother in US [20]


Yes. Polish law is black and white in this case - if she had US citizenship, she lost Polish citizenship. It doesn't matter how it was obtained.

The good news is that as an American that obviously wants to come and contribute to Poland, you can get permanent residency as a member of the Polish nation. That allows you to work and live here freely, though obviously doesn't allow you to live and work elsewhere in the EU.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Why? It's not America, what with the millions of drug addicts that use them to shoot up. We certainly don't have UV lights in our bathrooms, nor do we have problems with vandalised public conveniences, unlike in the glorious United States of Dysfunction.

Real Estate / Poland land ownership documents - what do they look like / where to obtain [15]


Most probably not. Land ownership would have required permission from the Ministry of the Interior, and in 1991, that process would have been poorly defined and would have taken a considerable amount of time.

What information was in the letter? It might give some clues as to what happened.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]

I've read it. You...

1) Turned up at a school univited
2) Proceeded to use a bathroom facility that was without doors
3) The aforementioned facility was for the use of students

Say no more.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]

You've admitted to us that you used a bathroom without a door, which was intended for schoolchildren after turning up at the school uninvited.

I'm surprised you made it out of Poland alive.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]

I find it quite disturbing that you willingly exposed yourself in a bathroom intended for children.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


Nothing to do with me. I couldn't come up with the stuff about the toilet door in the school bathroom if I tried!

Travel / Poland - never again [593]

Excellent. Please stay away, and you might as well leave this forum while you're at it.

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


LOL, how backwards. I can apply online for a new passport, and last time I did it, it was with me in 11 days.


That's how travel insurance works. You pay upfront and get reimbursed.

Food / Name of a Popular Food Program (Show) in Poland? [9]

Nope. She's essentially just an image, nothing more. Even her first restaurant was through marriage, not through having actually worked for it.

Food / Name of a Popular Food Program (Show) in Poland? [9]


I can't stand it. Gessler never busted her ass in a kitchen, nor has she won a single Michelin star, so what does she know?

Travel / Poland - never again [593]


I think this is the real point. He probably expected to be welcomed with open arms because he is AMERICAN and he had DOLLARS, yet it's clearly not the same country that he left. His insurance clearly wasn't that good if they didn't accept it, though I doubt he did anything other than demand and behave like a stereotypical entitled American tourist.

Incidentally, what clinics don't take cards? Even my GP takes cards if you want to pay for something that isn't covered by the NFZ...

UK, Ireland / Letter from Polish Prosecutor??!! [34]

And let's not forget that the Irish judge is about to rule on whether they can still be accepted if issued by Poland. English (and Scots) law can use precedent from foreign legal systems, so it's very clear that if the Irish judge in question refuses to extradite the Polish guy in question, the English and Scottish legal systems will probably treat it as a binding precedent until the rule of law issues have been resolved.

UK, Ireland / Letter from Polish Prosecutor??!! [34]

Or he can go through Dover, where the chances of actually having your details checked by the French are somewhere between zero and no chance.

Work / I want to teach English in Poland and I don't know where to start! PLEASE HELP! [23]


If you can, could you volunteer with kids for a few days to see if you like it or not? I used to think the same as you, but I realised that kids are much, much easier and more rewarding to teach. For instance, you normally have much more freedom with kids, and you won't be questioned constantly (unlike adults, who always know best).


In this case, I urge you to get qualified to teach kids first and foremost. The most important thing is that you should be fully qualified before you come to Poland - if you are, then you won't struggle to find work with kids because there's a lack of good, qualified teachers here. Krosno probably won't offer much in the way of teaching adults, and the work that does exist will be pretty much horrible. Teaching kids will give you a stable timetable, normal working hours and conditions and prospects for the future - adults won't.

As for adult education - don't worry about it. Get the BEd and back it up with the Cambridge CELTA and you'll be good to go for teaching both kids and adults - there's no need for a MA in adult education here unless you want to go down the university route. Even then, plenty of people are working in universities with just a BA.

History / Questions re: Polish passports during interwar period [4]


Are you sure? I know that today, they write it in Polish, so wouldn't it have been the same then?


Almost certainly not, unless it was a gendarmerie that they joined, I think.

Work / I want to teach English in Poland and I don't know where to start! PLEASE HELP! [23]

The most critical and crucial thing is to get a recognised teaching qualification in Canada that will allow you to work in public schools. If you can get one that will qualify you to work as an elementary school teacher - and combine it with the Cambridge CELTA, you'll be very very employable.

The critical thing is being qualified to teach in Canadian schools - with that, jobs in international schools open up, and they are by far the most well paying and stable of them all. I don't know how the Canadian school system works, but qualified / licensed teachers of children are in huge demand.