Language / Polish inscription in a book for a loved one [35]

Actually Mafketis is one of the nicer, more polite and reasonable people on this forum. Just make a random visit to any thread and see the vile insults flying through the air, the tears, the tantrums. It's like a South American soap opera.

By the way, you do come across as a wee bit precious and niminy piminy with all that 'discretion' business. Either that or a teenage girl 'OMG! I can't say the name on the forum, what if someone we both know is on here and says 'oh so-and-so fancies you and is like, really into you', I'd just die!!'. I mean apparently you've already embarked on some sort of 'thing' with the girl, so it would hardly come as a shock to her. I don't know, maybe she's as precious as you are and she'd be horrified that you asked a question on the old interweb. In which case you're probably ideally suited so it's a happy ending in any case :)

News / What will drive Poland after 2020 - when Eu funding dries up? [96]

No it isn't. Nothing has been agreed. People who satisfy the requirements for permanent residence in the UK will of course have the right to remain. Other than that, no official guarantees have been given. And what do you mean by all parties? Do you mean the other member states of the EU and the UK? All of that has yet to be hammered out.

Love / My Polish Girlfriend Broke Up With Me Very Suddenly, Did She Use Me? [23]



Do you see the contradiction there? You are still attached to her. But even if we pretend for a moment that you're not, you'll fall right back under her spell and be back to square one within a couple of days. You're just too young and starry eyed to avoid that. You're kidding yourself that you can be cool headed and cynical and hold something of yourself back. Of course relationships don't have to be like that. It is possible to be a romantic and loving person without getting walked all over but it'll take you a few years to work out how to do that and certainly you can't do it with this girl. If you let her back into your life she will continue to treat you the way she did before, it will end the same way and you'll feel more of a fool and more bitter than ever.


You didn't love her. Raging hormones gave you the impression that you did. When you're very sexually attracted to somebody it allows you to create a picture of them in your head as not just desirable but wonderful in every way. You see them as a wonderful person. That's why the shock is so terrible when they behave like the monster they actually are :D Ah well, she's not a monster. She's probably just a bit shallow, selfish and maybe somewhat calculating.


Expecting that when you finish your engineering degree (which is considered a prestigious qualification in Poland, Panie Inżynier) that you would have the potential to earn a very good salary.


I don't mean to sound snotty but she was working in a warehouse is that so? What's her educational level? I think Dominic B will be with me on this one, that generally people who are not academic, don't partner well with people who are. They can't understand the committment and work needed to complete a degree and they're impatient with it. And later on if you're pursuing a demanding technical profession there would be no understanding on her side of what that entails.

Language / Perfective vs Imperfective - grammar [150]

I think that what Chemikiem probably means Lyzko is that many people would be more likely to say 'the dog pee-ed or wee-ed on the rug'. Or we might say 'the dog wet the floor' in Ireland. We certainly say that when a child does it. We also use the euphemism 'had an accident'. I remember once when I was teaching I approached a mother after school and said 'I'm afraid Alex had a little accident' 'Oh Jesus!' she responded. 'Where is he? Is he in the hospital?' Woops!

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

Well I think Tusk is pretty much pro-Europe and won't want to see Britain pull out of the EU. But Poland is not especially keen on the EU or on Britain either! I don't think it would bother Poland to see Britain come out of the EU as long as Poles in the UK don't suffer but I think Poland would certainly want to see the UK get a good deal in terms of the free market etc simply for Poland's benefit in terms of trading with them. I believe that Poland itself doesn't really like being in the EU because they perceive it as impingeing on their self-determination and sovereignty. They'd probably quite like to see it break up. Britain leaving would pave the way and Poland ,if they went the same way at some point, would be happy to strike a trade alliance with Britain in the future. So I think Poland will want to work on fostering very good relations with a post-Brexit Britain.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

In case anybody's interested, British MPs have voted by a majority to back Theresa May in triggering Article 50, effectively pre-empting the result of the Supreme Court case which is currently underway. Does anyone see a touch of the old Whitehall machinations in the style of Yes Prime Minister?! A clever move, because she has now basically already secured parliament's approval so the result of the court case becomes somewhat irrelevant.

Love / My Polish Girlfriend Broke Up With Me Very Suddenly, Did She Use Me? [23]


Keep it that way! Just skimming through your story you both sound a bit immature though you seem to be a sweet natured person and that 's lovely. Don't let this experience change you. I don't think she was using you in any major pre-meditated way. She just liked you for a while and then started to go off you. If she's very pretty and has had numerous sexual partners as you say, then she probably got bored with you after the initial attraction wore off. Though, yes she probably did suit herself and work around her own convenience in staying with you until she was sorted with somewhere else to go. Just to warn you, you may experience this kind of thing again a few times in your life before you meet 'the one'.

Also just to warn you, there is a possibility that she may come trotting back to you at some point because things aren't going as she planned and then she WILL be prepared to use you for as long as it suits her. So whatever you do, don't get sucked into that situation. You sound like a warm hearted, affectionate person and she will exploit that. There are lots of men and women who maintain on-again off-again relationships at their whim with gentle soft-hearted people ,so put her out of your head and your heart. By the way I'm female so that's one woman's point of view for you :)

News / Poland leads in benzopyrene pollution -- 40 time the WHO admissible level - GW [14]

Yes, once again Poland suffers from being stuck in the middle because you get all the pollution both from east and west bordering countries. Do you remember the famous London smog which is no more. I think there was a particularly bad episode in the 1950s (Must look it up) when hundreds of Londoners died on an especially bad day and night. Must trot off now and see if I'm right.

Yes, just checked, 1952 for about four days in December, 4,000 dead!!

News / Poland leads in benzopyrene pollution -- 40 time the WHO admissible level - GW [14]

Vehicle exhausts, domestic wood and coal fires.

Poland has a lot of old vehicles with dodgy exhausts and of course people rely heavily on burning coal during the winter months plus many people probably also burn their rubbish. Ireland has reasonably good controls on all those things plus being so windy - I'm not joking really - and exposed to the Atlantic storms the air gets changed regularly! According to the Environmental Protection Agency air quality in Ireland in general is "good, largely as a result of our relative lack of large cities, weather and access to predominantly clean air from the south west," I would say that our geographical position is a strong factor in our air quality and that's probably the same for the other regions you mention.

Life / If you are Polish abroad or of Polish descent, do you celebrate St. Nicholas day? [33]


You're not being fair Polly. Alongside its consumerism, America is one of the most charitable and generous nations on earth. Yes many people will indulge in Christmas excess but many will also give their time or their money or both for the benefit of others during the festive season. Poland would do well to take a leaf out of America's book in that department. Americans of all income levels give with enormous generosity throughout the year but the stats show that they give even more in the period from Thanksgiving to New Year.

Study / What requirements for moving through ECTS to any other European Country, if coming to Poland on student visa? [15]

It depends on the college you attend in Poland. Not all Polish colleges are signed up the ECTs system though most of the major ones are at this stage. If they are, then you could apply to an Irish college on that basis. If not then an Irish college would still consider your application but you would need to provide detailed syllabus information so that they can compare the course content and see if it is equivalent to their own first year studies - in fact they might still require that even with the ECTS as courses can be the equivalent level of depth but differ in content. I'm Irish :)

Life / Millennials even worse than baby-boomers? [60]


I don't think the Trinity is nonsense. It's just a simple way of representing the concept of a multi-faceted being who combines power (God the Creator)with wisdom and justice (the Holy Spirit) and love and mercy (God the Son). Powerful, wise, just, loving and merciful, not a bad old combination :)

Law / I am half Polish person who would like to have Polish passport. My grandfather's family lived in Warsaw. [4]

Hi Tamir. I suggest you try the Jewish Historical Institute of Warsaw. They assist people in finding documentation relating to their families. The email is:

familyheritage@jhi.pl

In the meantime you will find a lot of useful information on their site:

jhi.pl/en/genealogy

Good luck!

Off-Topic / B.Sc IT graduate. Which country can I apply for 100% visa approval in Europe? [4]

Ireland would be a very expensive option. The fees would be extremely high and the cost of living is very high too. Part time work is hard to get and although Ireland is a fairly prosperous country, it's tiny and there is very little employment outside of Dublin. The other IT hub is the city of Galway which only has a population of about 80,000 so the jobs are very few.

News / Jesus Christ is Now Officially the King of Poland [164]

We used to sing it in Ireland when I was a child. It's a lovely hymn.

News / Jesus Christ is Now Officially the King of Poland [164]

So apparently the reason for this coronation is:

'the origin of the ceremony in Poland stemmed from "revelations received, or said to be received, by the Servant of God Rosalia Zelkova,"

But interestingly the idea was mooted ten years ago by amongst others member of PiS :D

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6200539.stm

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this whole thing is that our friend Rosalia said that Christ had 'demanded' no less that this be done in return for which he will save Poland in a future war...........oh and I should add, this was before WWII. I'm sorry but really, Poland is making itself look ludicrous on the international stage with this kind of thing and is doing a great deal of damage to the image of Polish Catholics.

News / Jesus Christ is Now Officially the King of Poland [164]


Yes, surely Christ is already King of Poland and every other country in the world too. Suggesting that he needs to be officially designated as such by mere mortals is a bit cheeky of them really isn't it? It seems that in Polska even God needs his 'dokumenty'!

News / Jesus Christ is Now Officially the King of Poland [164]


Mmm yes, the UK, Europe's most generous nation, in terms of the three giving behaviours, that is helping a stranger, giving one's time for free in voluntary activities, and donating money, whilst Poland continues to fall near the bottom of the league below countries like Kosovo. Yes, I would agree that it's more than time that Poland adopted some Pommy ways.

Life / Millennials even worse than baby-boomers? [60]

How very rude. Would it not be more in order to thank me for bothering to seek some information on your behalf. As for being sarcastic and patronising, I'm tired of explaining to you, that's just my sense of humour. I know I'm doing it and I do it on purpose. I could choose not to. I don't choose to patronise or condescend to children. I have too much respect for them to do that. And I would certainly never hurt or humiliate a child with sarcasm. Children like me, believe it or not Polly, because I like them and they sense that.

News / Poland And the Pope: Not Happening, Apparently [58]



I also didn't know what he was on about but I think he means that a Satanist might go to mass, trot up to the altar rails at communion time, take the host in his hand and then instead of swallowing it, slip it into his pocket with the intention of using it in some Satanic rite.


Well, of course in the Catholic church, the communion host is not merely symbolic but is believed to change miraculously into the actual body of Christ. And that really is the root of the objection of some priests to 'the great unwashed', ie ordinary people being allowed to touch it. There has been quite a lot written on this subject by certain members of the clergy in different parts of the world, who think that it removes the sense of reverence around the host. They also don't agree with the Ministers of the Eucharist, that is ordinary lay congregants who are allowed to distribute communion to the other members of the congregation. I don't know about the requirements in other countries, but in Ireland you have to have special training for it. My cousin does it. She's very, very religious and she takes it extremely seriously. She goes out on Sunday afternoons with the host to visit elderly, housebound people and give them communion. I think it's a great thing. It means a lot to some older people to actually receive communion on a Sunday and I think the priest is entitled to at least an afternoon's rest on the so-called 'day of rest'.

News / Poland And the Pope: Not Happening, Apparently [58]


That's an interesting question Crow. It seems to me that in its early days the Christian church did a good job of incorporating the ancient pagan festivals and customs but they have lost touch with the idea over the centuries. For example, the festival of the May Queen in pagan traditions became the festival of the Virgin Mary where her statue is crowned with flowers, the old Roman festival of Saturnalia became Christmas, and so on. In Ireland we have retained our custom of celebrating the ancient festival of Samhain on 31 October, which the rest of the world knows as Hallowe'en. Bonfires are lit on that night as they were thousands of years ago, the tradition is unbroken. I don't think the church ever tried to stop it. I think Slava is a lovely idea.

News / Poland And the Pope: Not Happening, Apparently [58]

Thank you for pointing that out Dom. It's the poor old nuns who all have to take the vow of poverty. I know they have cars but they belong to the community, not the individual nun. Let's just say then that it's not good priestly etiquette to flaunt one's worldly goods!

News / Poland And the Pope: Not Happening, Apparently [58]

In any case, priests take a vow of poverty and keeping an inheritance or saving for a car is in contradiction to that.

Anyway, the child, however old he was, did nothing wrong in retrieving the host. Didn't Duda do the same thing a few months ago and was widely praised for it! I know that there are still priests in Poland who refuse to give the congegration the communion host directly into their hands. In Ireland we've had that practise for well over thirty years at this stage.

Life / Millennials even worse than baby-boomers? [60]


Polly don't be such a lazy lump. There are plenty of sources for this information and as it's obviously going to be your new obsesssion for a while you'd better learn how to research it yourself. If you're prepared to read articles about young Europeans in general you can find little nuggets of information about Polish millennials. I managed to glean that:

Millennials comprise 28% of the Polish population.

In 2014, over half of Polish millennials reported being satisified with their lives compared to just over 30% of those aged 50 and over.
Only 12% of Polish millennials believe that Russia respects the personal freedoms of its people.
Only 12% of young Poles have respect for Vladimir Putin as a leader and international statesman.
One in three Polish millennials cites getting a good education as very important in achieving success in life.
But only 25% of them think that working hard is very important to get ahead in life.
63% of Polish millennials believe that 'success in life is pretty much determined by forces beyond our control'.

Here's another survey which is easily digested:
survey.telefonica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/TEF-Europe-PPT_11.18.13.pdf
Some info on religion here:
pope2016.com/en/faith/catholic-church-in-poland/polish-catholics/news,474268,faith-and-religious-practice-in-poland.html
That should keep you nicely occupied and out of mischief for a while. Let's see what you can come up with on your own now, there's a good boy :)

News / Poland And the Pope: Not Happening, Apparently [58]

Well, I'm not Polish Crow but I am a Catholic (Irish Catholic). As I see it, the Catholic church is somewhat different in each country, some are much more conservative than others. Polish Catholics, to me, appear very conservative and traditional in their views, more like the Catholics pre the Vatican II reforms of the 1960s. Their form of Catholicism emphasises sin, judgement and punishment and presents the Catholic faith as very much the only path to God. Priests are seen as authority figures whose word is to be absolutely accepted and not questioned. Whilst Pope Franics gives a message of tolerance, forgiveness, friendship and fellowship with every man and respect for other faiths. Also, and I'm afraid it has to be said, though I"ll get dog's abuse from some members for saying it, but Poles are not that fond of Jews and Francis doesn't share those views. He has Jewish friends and great respect for Judaism.

I suppose you could say, to sum it up, that Polish Catholicism is based around the angry God of the old Testament and the idea of the Church as very lofty and above the ordinary people, while the Catholicism of Francis is that of Jesus, the gentle shepherd of the New Testament, the pastor working and living in a simple, humble way alongside his brothers. Basically Franics is too liberal in his views for Polish tastes.

USA, Canada / Differences in How Polish People Raise a Child and How Americans Raise a Child [149]


The fact that she's Polish is irrelevant. She could be any nationality.



Absolutely. It's interesting that the OP doesn't say that she intends to report it either. In fact she says:


My dear girl, bought deli meals are not a healthy option. He should have been eating homecooked food and you, as his nanny, had a joint responsibility with his parents to provide it. Who was shopping for the groceries?? Was there no bread, no eggs, no pasta, in the house? Could you not make him a simple lunch each morning and pop in a piece of fruit with it?

You need to understand that when you are working in a situation like that and you do nothing about it, as Dominic says, you become complicit in the abuse. At this stage you should at least contact the authorities and tell them what you witnessed. It's still worth reporting as child protection authorities may do some kind of follow up.

The impression I get is that you may be young, inexperienced and have had either no formal training for such work or inadequate training. It is essential that one is able to communicate effectively, and stand one's ground with unreasonable parents. If you don't have the maturity, confidence and skills to do that, then being a nanny is not the right career path for you.

History / German history of my new home in Poland [30]


Dubhlinn Smurf, remember? The other Irish name for Dublin which is the Anglicized form of it, thanks to the Brits not being able to pronounce the original, easy though it is. The thing is that Irish place names in their English form are often just a corruption of the Gaelic because of the Brits not being able to get their heads around Irish, and some are direct translations from the Irish like Greystones, na Clocha Liath, so it's not so bad I think. Interesting point you made though!

History / German history of my new home in Poland [30]


Perhaps the OP is American? They do tend to use their own terms for Polish things. I really don't like to hear Germanic or Anglicized forms of Polish place names. For example, I hate hearing Silesia for Śląsk or Masovia for Mazowieckie. But the worst is when Americans translate Polish street names into English such as referring to Ulica Piękna as Beautiful Street. Would they call the Champs-Élysées the Elysian Fields? No, they wouldn't so why do they take liberties with Polish names. Having said that I am guilty of calling Warszawa, Warsaw :))

History / German history of my new home in Poland [30]

If the house has substantial German influence you can find information on the net about German houses. If your house is a farm house for example, lots of images here of authentic interiors which you could adapt for modern purposes:

maggieblanck.com/Germany/HousesIn.html

You can also get a good idea of the kind of furniture etc to choose. I can see that there are several 1930s pieces in the rooms alongside much older pieces.

Here's a link from the same site showing exteriors, can you spot anything like your house?

maggieblanck.com/Germany/Exteriors.html

History / German history of my new home in Poland [30]

Do you know when the house was built? That's your starting point. If you have the rough date you can read up on the history of how it should look inside and out, if you want it have some authentic features.