Life / Student from Denmark, wanting to know about Poland's culture and how it is to live in Warsaw [21]

I see muslim women in Warsaw all the time. You have nothing to worry about. The racism here is like in any country. the staring is out of curiosity. Like in any country there are also extremists but these could be grouped with soccer hooligans. Same mentality and the all look the same.

monitor is an ass, don't listen to him.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

didn't buy in the peak of the market. didn't buy in swiss francs. we are good. I have nothing to lose or gain. I have inside information because my husband is in real estate and knows all of the recognized companies that deal with properties in Poland. REAS is a second tier company. The information they have collected for their reports has been gathered by the big name firms in Warsaw, and ironically by my husband.

It is difficult to prove a point if you don't have insider information or knowing about the goings on in the sector.

Nobody has ever denied that the prices are coming down. But they were over inflated in the first place. So it only makes sense that they will come down now that there is more selection. Why is this so difficult to understand.

I don't understand the logic. I own a house as well as other properties, wise business decisions. my husband is in the real estate sector but I don't have a fecking clue what is going on in the market?

yet people here that have no connection to real estate, perhaps they teach english, should be taken seriously because they post links?

perhaps you can give medical advice too.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

how many times do I have to write that REAS is considered a joke in the real estate market. They are nothing. Don't take their word for it because they are all hacks.

Life / Have you wonder how to recognise a Polish person on the street? [21]

I think you are missing the point of the article. Obviously, just like he stated in his article, not all Poles speak like this, but the ones in the UK do because they are village boys in the big city and these idiots give a bad name to the rest of the Poles who don't speak like this.


I am married to a Pole. "non lower class" as you call it. No ego, just facts and the article is not wrong.

How exactly do you tell a non-lower class Pole from a regular Pole? Blokersi with money are still lower class, you do know that right? They just have clothing with names on them with the hopes of making others jealous but they still drop the k word.

Life / Have you wonder how to recognise a Polish person on the street? [21]

oh please, it is true.

I just biked in to work. Along the way I pasted two guys walking who were throwing the k word all over the place. no construction site. the article is accurate.

Life / Have you wonder how to recognise a Polish person on the street? [21]

He is not wrong. And he explained himself. Not all Polish people are like this- but this is who uses the word loudly.


please, this isn't shocking. The same people come from their small towns and villages into Warsaw- I hear them speak quite clearly with colourful language around the construction sites.

USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

This is why I am happy to have English speaking Poles teach my kids. This year there are quite a few native speakers teaching so I am not so concerned, but, if it were only Poles it wouldn't bother me as we speak both at home so my kids wouldn't suffer. They get paid well for Polish standards and they are very happy to be there.

From my understanding, the American school- not certain about the British but it is probably similar, doesn't offer the best pay as compared to other Amer or Brit schools in the world.

There is usually a recruiting fair once a year where potential teachers look for work abroad. some of the higher paying jobs would be Dubai or Asia- Warsaw is on the lower end so it often doesn't attract a lot of potential teachers.

I am not saying the teachers that teach at any of the schools are poor quality- so please don't read it like that.
My kids had a super American teacher but after two years he left for Dubai. That is just the way it goes.

USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

Anna, I sent you a private message- it is on the top in red.

Love / Wedding in Poland, Bydgoszcz Ideas! [6]

Not to be a downer, but Poles are heavy meat eaters. I can't imagine it would go over well if the wedding didn't have meat. Particularly those from a smaller city.

I could just hear the muttering under their breath- "what, no meat", "this woman lives in London but can't afford meat".

and then she would get talked about for the next two years--the wedding that didn't have meat.

And I am not joking- I can see this playing out just like this.

USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

I don't think there is a perfect school in Warsaw.

Like I posted previously, we are happy with our school but it is lacking in other languages besides English or Polish. The maths and sciences are super - but it doesn't have the best gym facilities, but luckily the school cooperates with a local public school so they are able to use their gym and pool facilities.

USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]


I won't disagree. I am basing my statement on a meeting I had with them 9 years ago. No doubt things may have changed- I personally don't know anybody that has children there but my daughter's teacher used to teach there.

USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

I am not xenophobic at all- I am just giving my experiences as a foreigner living in Warsaw for about 11 years...with two kids in a private school and I disagree that the American or British schools should only be considered- but if she is only here for a short time and wants to hang out with other expats who are also only here for a short time than yes, the American or British school is what she is looking for. My children's school is more a Polish/English school and is not geared towards children whose native language is something like Spanish, French or German. It is smaller and really caters to the native Poles. I do think our schools French lessons are very poor and at some point I will probably have to think about extra French lessons for my kids. I do know the German lessons are quite poor as well.

It just depends what she is looking for in a school.
As I said, my opinion is that the American school has curriculum that I feel is behind our school, particularly maths. Another issue is that my children have their birthdays in October and November which means that they would be put back a year as the cut off date is Sept 30th. And another issue- we are not American. I want my kids to learn world history and geography not just American centred. I haven't really investigated the British school, I have friends with children there and they are happy with it but as we are happy with our school there is no need to move our kids.

Just out of curiousity- why have you worked at so many of these schools? floating from school to school doesn't really give you a lot of credence in your opinion.

USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

Anna, I am just giving my perspective. Primarily, the curriculum is lacking. It follows the American curriculum yet the majority of the students are international- it needs to offer more courses to accommodate the population. But your American and you may be happy with it. My daughter's best friend goes to the American school and she tells her the maths they are learning are something just above a basic level. My eldest is learning maths of which I have absolutely no idea how to do.

My kids are half Polish so they go to a school that offers curriculum in Polish and English. It is not one of the ones listed above. We are extremely happy with it but we are also a bilingual family.

There is no perfect school. We have been thrilled with my children's school but I also know a French lady who was completely disappointed with it after having her children in the school for two years.

I also have an American friend who sends her children to the British school and will never send hers to the American school. They attended for one year until she found out that the American school has a charity status and pays no taxes as well as receiving monies from the U.S. gov't. However, the facilities are amazing and it is great to get to know other expats. I have many friends who have kids at the American school and they participate in lots of fun things but at the same time they are highly segregated from the rest of Poland. We don't want that.

Basically, it is not a simple decision, you need to find what works for you. The International American school is a joke- don't even look there. The so called Canadian school is run by Poles, one of them is married to an American- neither have ties to Canada but are using the name to make money.

There is a montesori school for older children here but I believe it is in the north end of the city.


are you kidding me? no Polish snobs go the British or American schools? is this a joke?
the school my kids go to is managed well and the English is fine with a combination of native speakers and English speaking Poles- but it is not trying to be an English school it is a bilingual school.

USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

I have friends with kids in the British school and they are happy with it. There is no perfect school. But I would never send my kids to the American school, because quite frankly the curriculum is lacking- the facilities are amazing, however. And primarily my kids are not American. But having said that, the community next to the school is all expats if that is your thing while you are here.

Warsaw is a great place to live. Don't be scared. It is worth the trip.

USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

There is a huge expat community in Konstancin next to the American school.

it is easy to get around Warsaw if you don't speak Polish but not everybody speaks English

there are English speaking doctors and hospitals Medicover and Luxmed.

I would suggest an area like Mokotow or Kabaty if you are looking for an apartment. For a house there is Sadyba, Wilanow, Powsin and Konstancin.

you can rent furnished or unfurnished- depends what you want. There are two Ikea's in Warsaw so you can furnish yourself for cheap.

I think the American school tuition is about 60,000 pln per year. The British school is slightly cheaper and there are other options too.

There are also private preschools, The English playhouse (I think) and a few others which I can't remember. There are loads.

20 to 30 thousand pln per month should be enough- I think it really depends on your school fees. Apartment prices have gone down, so that should help.

Work / International Schools in Poland - the average high school teacher salary? [11]

why don't you ask the school directly?

History / How I blew a 6 figure grant for my charity because of my appreciation of Polish history... [77]

nicely said

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

wbj.pl/realestatenews-62484-apartments-sell-well-in-q1-2013.html

interesting, no?

Travel / Poland Baltic Sea holiday [30]

no, he is actually from Sopot.

Travel / Poland Baltic Sea holiday [30]

I try.

These are actually my husbands terms and he is pure Polish.

Travel / Poland Baltic Sea holiday [30]

I could write for hours about the phenom that is the hel peninsula in the summer. Patologia go to Wlodyslawowo and drink their faces off- it was also quite popular for the working class during communism so it has kind of stayed that way. The super trendies go to Jurata. Puck is nice, a bit slower paced- less trendy. (we have a rental property there if you are looking- but I actually think we are fully booked this summer give or take a week).

I love Gdynia- has a great vibe. Sopot and Gdansk in the summer is jam packed but still a good place to be.
We windsurf so starting Majowka we are on the peninsula every week end. I personally prefer the open Baltic to the closed side but if you go to places like Chalupy, Jurata or Hel you have both.

News / Why is Amazon not present in Poland? [57]

I buy from amazon probably weekly.

Poles are notorious for buying online. In fact they prefer it. Business owners don't want to carry the stock because they don't want the initial payment if they are not sure it will sell.

Just in my world which is design- nobody has any stock. It is silly and clients are happy to wait four weeks till it comes from another country.

Real Estate / The cost of a furnished apartment near Warsaw downtown are high? Why? [42]

what about along the metro line? kabaty or bemowo?

Life / Hey, Nice Airport Wrocław! Or! Day #1 for an American Ex-Pat in Poland. [128]

I much prefer a tumble dryer as opposed to ironing everything because my clothes are air dried and crunchy.

Real Estate / The cost of a furnished apartment near Warsaw downtown are high? Why? [42]

try oferty.net

Real Estate / The cost of a furnished apartment near Warsaw downtown are high? Why? [42]


this is quite accurate.

Life / Hey, Nice Airport Wrocław! Or! Day #1 for an American Ex-Pat in Poland. [128]


actually yes, and I have two kids, cry me a river. Try -35 C with a windchill then you can whine. Doesn't matter how fit you are when you eat toxic chemicals. Sorry, but giving that toxic cocktail to your kid is sad. You are an adult and choose to eat it. Your child doesn't.

Americans didn't get obese by eating fresh fruits, veg and clean meats, did they?

Life / Hey, Nice Airport Wrocław! Or! Day #1 for an American Ex-Pat in Poland. [128]

that "food" is disgusting. how can you eat that? you haven't been here long and already you are going for the fast food?

Study / Multilingual School in Warsaw (English / Polish) [26]

I am not disagreeing with the above post but the American and British schools do not have a Polish curriculum. As well the American school follows the American system- I don't need my children learning less in maths and sciences, no thanks. And they certainly don't need to know American history. The facilities in the American school are top notch but when the fees are 60,000 pln per year they bloody well should be.

We are happy with the school our kids go to, the curriculum is good and if my eldest gets good marks her fees go down.

Study / Multilingual School in Warsaw (English / Polish) [26]

The American School, the British School, International European School, the French School and the German school.

my kids go to one of these, you can pm me if you want more info.