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

Matyjasz wrote:


something tells me my students wouldn't appreciate a sweaty, stinky teacher, although i could swear some of my students run a few kilometers to class........:O

delphiandomine wrote:


not to mention bacteria/virus cesspools. i do my best to hang on using my wrists but when the tram shakes unexpectedly and you gotta grab on with your hand......naaaaaaaaaaasty. that, and I could swear that MPK manufactures their trams so that straight out of the factory, they are already impregnated with the scent of pi$$ and body odor. they should put that stuff into spray cans and sell it at Militaria, would be great for fending off would-be attackers.

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

Wroclaw Boy wrote:


naturally someone was going to make a "lazy american" dig but if you knew me, you'd think twice....maybe three times before making a comment like that.

let's get one thing straight: my running shoes see no less than 40 kilometers a week, regardless of temperature. if you lived down the street from me, you'd see me whizzing past your apartment routinely in the winter, regardless of temperature or amount of snow on the ground. I grew up in NJ, a place just as cold as Wroclaw with 10 times more snow. bitterly cold weather and snow is old hat for me during a 10K run.

i simply don't like to deal with it when i'm in nice clothes and leather shoes on my way to work. crap weather ruins your pants, your shoes get completely destroyed and your feet get wet and cold, blowing your nose constantly, shivering waiting for some filthy tram or bus to show up....no thanks.

when I'm running, bring the pain. when i got a 30 minute walk to work in nice clothing, cut me some slack.

Study / Considerations for US Family Moving to Poland (esp. Int'l Schools) [36]

jonni wrote:


which is what a newbie can expect to get.

Study / Considerations for US Family Moving to Poland (esp. Int'l Schools) [36]

Wroclaw Boy wrote:


it doesn't take an expert to know this is a poor decision.

Delph's an English teacher in a major city, I'm an English teacher in a major city.....we know the current market situation....if that doesn't make us experts, it at least makes us knowledgable.

I'm curious Wroclaw Boy, what would be your advice? What do you think of her idea of coming here, job prospects, her family, etc.?

Study / Considerations for US Family Moving to Poland (esp. Int'l Schools) [36]

off topic, but I GOTTA say Delph, this last post of yours is one of those rare moments where you paint quite a realistic picture of the ESL industry along with the job market in general in Poland.....yet your next post will go on and on sounding like Poland is the land of opportunity. you're like PF's schizofrenian poster.

my 2 cents: you're not gonna make much money in Poland and don't forget the fact that Polish currency isn't worth jack squat. secondly, as far as being an editor, throw that out the window because everything is in Polish out here and you can't be the editor of a Polish magazine/newspaper or anything, so no market for you here in that respect. going to Krakow/Poznan, you'll be grouped in with the rest of the poor schlubs out there trying to scrum together enough lessons in today's shite economy to make ends meet, only you'll be doing it with no experience and a family to support. bad choice.

listen to Delph. the middle east....you'd be hooked up. I recently saw an advert for a job in the middle east, $36,000 USD per year TAX FREE, free accommodation, free satellite TV/internet, free airfare both ways, paid holidays and vacation time, on top of the money you could earn hand over fist with private students. just with your base salary alone, if you consider the fact that your accommodation is free and you're not paying taxes, that's like earning over $65,000 a year in the states. not bad.

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

aphro wrote:


so let's do that. back to Poland......

as far as weather is concerned, how cold it was there vs. here, that's not going to be your worst problem IMO. the problem is simply being in Poland during the winter vs. being in a major city in Canada. I always feel as though in Poland, you simply can't escape being outside and dealing with harsh temperatures, simply due to the infrastructure of the country. Albeit I don't have a car which makes it extra hard but even with a car, but in Poland you will always have to park farther away from where you need to go and less of your friends and family are going to have driveways right at their house to minimize cold exposure.

the point being, even if the weather is -10C here and -20C in "the west", it's still more difficult to deal with -10C here.

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

funny how you got yourself into yet another long, drawn out argument about temperature aphrodisiac....

Law / Polish business haven't got a clue: Discuss. [72]

Wroclaw Boy wrote:


right.

oh come on Delph, you knew i'd have to highlight this one.

Delphiandomine wrote:


really?

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

aphrodisiac wrote:


Ironside falls into that category.

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

Ironside wrote:


I haven't lived everywhere, but I can tell you the difference in my home country.

Mainly, people in America don't know the first thing about Poland and when they ask something about Poland out of curiosity, their reactions to the answers are completely different than what I experience here. Sure, there are moments of just pure ignorance in America but there's a very important element that's left out with the Americans....jealousy. They don't envy Poland in any way, which is something that cannot be said about some Poles and how they feel about America and I think that has something to do with their attidude when they ask me questions.

It's the same crap going on amongst posters on this forum. SAME CRAP. Polish people fighting tooth and nail against basically anything having to do with America and taking everything they think may be superior to "the west" and exploiting it as often as possible. The worst part is the people on Team Poland that do this the most have never even been to the USA, making it doubly extra fubbly annoying.

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

aphrodisiac wrote:


now you're talkin'!

aphro wrote:


because everything in poland is the bestest most wonderfulest bestest.

aphro wrote:


i experience something similar, but different. my impression is that they ask with the notion that they already know all there is to know about america and then when you answer the question straight, they either don't believe you or get offended to some degree. i used to welcome questions about america because i thought they would be genuinely interested and responsive, but all too often it resulted in lots of eye rolling and snickering as if I was lying or attacking Poland in some way or......or.....I don't even know. Nowadays, I avoid questions about my country like the plague. It's simply too frustrating to entertain questions from people who don't really want to listen.

Travel / Starbucks in Wawel Castle, Krakow. Is this a joke or true? [42]

don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but Starbucks is opening up right in the rynek in Wroclaw, saw the sign up yesterday. this will be the 2nd Starbucks in Wroclaw. I actually stopped in the first Starbucks at Pasaz Grunwaldzki at around 1:30 p.m. a few weeks ago, it was absolutely packed with college students.

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

aphrodisiac wrote:


even that I'm starting to wonder about.

sure, most americans don't even own a passport, but they live in an ENORMOUS country. going to another state is like going to another country for a european. in europe, other countries are simply more accessible. for an american, going to canada simply isn't that exotic and excluding the resorts in mexico, the rest of the country is a dump. for an american to go to another country aside from those 2, it involves a serious plane ride.

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

aphrodisiac wrote:


is that all you'll be doing or will you work as well? not suggesting anything by that, just asking.

aphrodisiac wrote:


you know, i keep hearing that from other posters, and I used to think similarly, but after living here for 4 years, I feel differently. Considering how much it costs in gas to go absolutely anywhere in Europe along with car ownership, it's pricey to drive to other countries, especially for people living in the middle of Poland trying to drive out of the country. Even if you get yourself a cheap plane ticket through one of those discount airlines, once you get to your destination, hello, Euros/Pounds/Francs, which means your wallet is going to take a beating just to stay somewhere for the night, let alone feed yourself.

i'd be curious to ask the expats on this forum that have been living in Poland for at least 3-4 years how many countries and big cities they have been to during their time spent in Poland.

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

aphrodisiac wrote:


i think for anyone coming from Canada/USA and moving to Poland is going to be faced with an inevitable realization, regardless of who you are. The realization will be that you left a better life for a more difficult one. Sure, you may have lost your job in "the west", got sick of some things and needed a change , whatever your particular case may have been, but in the end, "Polish things" are going to eat away at you and you're going to start thinking about how this and that was better back home. Eventually, you start asking yourself, "well......i'm here.....what's better here?" and in all honesty, in my opinion.....not much.

but that's just me.

so let me ask you aphrodisiac....what is it in Poland that you find is just simply BETTER than in Canada?

of course, it is far too early to ask this question because you just moved back and you need more time for things to really start sinking in....but I guess I could always ask you this question a year from now and compare ;)

Language / The Future of Polish Language [179]

if you ask me, Polish is simply going to get more and more English-ized. only poles use polish, and many of them live in english speaking countries, not to mention the constant inoculation of American culture in Poland. their "official" grammar will continue to deteriorate, get blander and will evolve into something more user friendly.

at least i hope so for all the poor bastards that will come to this country in the future and have to wrestle with Polish grammar.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

delphiandomine wrote:


absolutely. i mean, as a small business owner, as long as the town is accessible to supermarkets and whatnot and you can put up with living in a small town, you can set up shop in a small town, get yourself a 100 sq. meter flat and pay pennies in rent, and charge people close to the going rate in the large cities because of......ding ding......convenience. "Well sir, you could pay x amount here and have a 5 minute walk to school.......or pay x + 10zl and drive 20 minutes to Poznan/Krakow/Warsaw/Gdansk/etc and fight for a parking spot."

delphiandomine wrote:


i hear ya, but if I'm not mistaken, getting into Switzerland, whether you're british or american or whatever, is a real chore. and yes, currently, CHF is even stronger than the USD. anyway, i'd love to visit switzerland. a buddy of mine is married to a swiss girl, the photos he sends me when they vacation there are absolutely breathtaking.

mafketis wrote:


great post. they really are just money generators, like most businesses. i've seen people in schools who are A2 level start with a course at the appropriate level but after 3 years of learning nothing aside from a few memorized phrases, the school because of the need to make them feel like they're getting their money's worth, pushes them through course after course till they're finally left sitting in a C1 level course with the deer in headlights face because they can't understand what the teacher or the students are saying and simply can't formulate 1 grammatically correct, sensible sentence.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

Miopip wrote:


great post. my attention certainly shifted to towns just outside major cities over the past year. basically, i was getting offered jobs outside the city, maybe they'd require a 20 minute train ride, but because of the location and a dire need for a native speaker, I simply named my price and at times they were forced to bite.

delphiandomine wrote:


i taught a 90 minute class once/twice a week at a company last fall/spring semester and was getting 250zl a pop because it was a small town with little to no options as far as finding a native and they were adamant about having a native teach the course. supply and demand, supply and demand.

if i had decided to stay in Poland for a couple more years, the next step would have been to buy a small car and persue more of these kinds of opportunities. running around the big cities teaching 398 lessons per week, working mornings, going back in the evenings, it's just not a good lifestyle, especially in the winter which lasts half the year.

miopip wrote:


absolutely. another big issue with this industry in general. the money can be great one month and then the well runs dry the next. and as far as the "Go traveling" part, kinda tough if that traveling is outside of Poland (which I think everyone needs to do once a year....spending too much time in this country will make you batty) considering you're earning such a weak currency. my wife and I went to the USA this year for my sister's wedding.....nothing like dropping 6,000zl on airfare....and that just GETS you there.

News / U.S. role in Poland is shrinking [82]

torq wrote:


really?

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

aphrodisiac wrote:


now there's a solution. truly all of europe envies the weather in Szczecin, Poland, especially October-April.

convex wrote:


wise choice. i'll be outta here shortly after you, ducking most of the Polish winter. My wife and I have completely had it with Poland's weather and are off to somewhere with basically no winter.

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

aphrodisiac wrote:


YES

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

aphrodisiac wrote:


how long were you in Canada before you moved back to Poland? how old were you when you moved to Canada?

aphrodisiac wrote:


1:32 p.m. in Wroclaw, 7 degrees C and no sun, just like yesterday. weather in Szczecin today.....high of 9 degrees C, 82% humidity.

you TRULY have low standards for weather.

News / Smoking ban in Polish bars and restaurants (AT LAST!) [400]

Barney wrote:


haha, no, but i lived one town over from Hoboken for a while when I lived in NJ.

News / Smoking ban in Polish bars and restaurants (AT LAST!) [400]

sausage wrote:


that's what everyone said when they decided to ban smoking in bars/restaurants in NYC but since the ban (2003), it's been business as usual. time and time again people prove that smoking or not, they want to go out and drink.

i was a bartender at the time just across the river in New Jersey and the ban made its way to New Jersey a year or two later, had no effect on business. people stepped outside and smoked, and in the winter, they all huddled around the door outside, shivered....and smoked. no different than the crowd of people you see in the winter standing outside of office buildings. no matter how cold it gets, they're out there puffing away.

Life / Winter 2010/2011 in Poland, is it going to be bad? [114]

silly to inquire about Polish winters

they're comparable to the comfort of 1,000 splinters

sub-zero temperatures surely render no cheers

thank goodness for Zabkas always selling us beers

so if you choose to endure it buy your tea and soup

but it'll be without FUZZY, i'm flyin' this coop.

Life / What's currently in fashion in Poland? [44]

mullets, mohawks, bangs

jeans from the 80's

really really really tight tapered pants

backpacks

pointy shoes

track suits

hooded sweatshirts

shorts that are just too short coupled with white socks that are just too long coupled with a tucked in t-shirt

USA, Canada / EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN NYC DISRESPECTS POLISH AMERICANS! [88]

urszula wrote:


McDonald's, KFC, TGIFriday's, Burger King......

we have plenty!

on a serious note, it's exactly why the rest of the world will forever have animosity towards the USA. no matter what we invent, no matter how many immigrants we take in and provide a better life for, no matter how much money we donate to charity or to natural disaster struck countries, in the eyes of the rest of the world we will always be:

Mickey Mouse with a gun in one hand and a liter of Coca Cola in the other, fat, lazy, war mongering, spoiled and stupid.

The USA is like the dad in every American sitcom.....goes to work every day, supports his kids and wife yet gets non-stop abuse from every one of them as they show the audience how dumb daddy really is and that he can never do anything right.

USA, Canada / EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN NYC DISRESPECTS POLISH AMERICANS! [88]

David_18 wrote:


right.

not to mention the parade the poles get every year in NYC. did I forget to mention the Katyn memorial, right on the water front, in Jersey City as well, facing downtown manhattan? That's right, they got an entire bridge and a memorial in Jersey City.

so typical. poles complaining every chance they get, especially when it has anything to do with the USA....home to over 9 million poles.

USA, Canada / EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN NYC DISRESPECTS POLISH AMERICANS! [88]

rychlik wrote:


i think you're pushing it a bit there, man. for one, there are 3.37 MILLION italians living in NYC....a weeee bit bigger than the Polish community.

the Chinese community is no exception....

"The New York metropolitan area contains the largest ethnic Chinese population outside of Asia, enumerating 659,596 individuals as of the 2008 American Community Survey Census statistical data,[52] including at least 6 Chinatowns, comprising the original Manhattan Chinatown, two in Queens (the Flushing Chinatown and the Elmhurst Chinatown), two in Brooklyn (the Sunset Park Chinatown and the Avenue U Chinatown), and one in Edison, New Jersey, not to mention fledgling ethnic Chinese enclaves emerging throughout the New York metropolitan area."

just sayin'.

USA, Canada / EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN NYC DISRESPECTS POLISH AMERICANS! [88]

Poland got an entire bridge named after Pulaski, The Pulaski Skyway in Jersey City, minutes from New York City.

that sounds better than some beaming lights from a building for a few hours.