Love / Marrying a Polish girl near Wroclaw [12]

pgtx, you might want to hit the floor with your knees starting now, you sinful girl, you. :)
I think the swiadek needs to have all 'papers' in order (christening, Communion records) and of course go to confession. My friend here in the USA had a very hard time to find a God Mother because of the paperwork and other bs they need to go through.

Of course there is also the money, it can cause a temporary blindness in some priests as soon as they touch it.

News / Poland - the least liked German neighbour. [210]


You mean it did not affect Germany in any way? :)

Anyway, BB I think you are the most rational, smart and funny German i ever came across. Keep up the good work.
Like in every nationality there are good and bad people. Maybe the two countries could try to erase some of the bad memories from the past. They don't have to love each other, they at least could respect each other. Unfortunately, us Poles should work on the respect part a little bit more, stop being sooo sensitive and stop thinking of yourself as perfect. Critique is a part of healthy character shaping, it is not what I see looking in the mirror,but also what other people see when they look at me... Instead of defending and attacking back, maybe we should think..hmm, maybe there is something we could do different.

Perhaps the poll would come just about the same if Poland were surveyed about her naighbors...so what, start working on being liked.

Food / Diet 7UP or 7UP Lite - not available in Poland? [7]


Used as a poison to treat "an invasion of ants" in your home. Enjoy your soda.
I hope Poland will not import and sell this junk soft drink. I think the regular 7up is fine, it's the light version that sucks. That goes for all types of 'diet' drinks.

Life / What are the things which cause culture shock in Poland? [164]


So you be proud of it and don't mock the Egypt, or Incas, or the Greeks for the ruins of Parthenon. No, it's not about living in the past, really. It's just the appreciation of the past.

BTW, ipods are great, but I don't think tourists will be flocking to some digital museums to see them 'eeky little devices' thousands of years from now :)

News / Poles and rest of us needs strong Poland [49]


I think he should write a novel.. :) Another one depicting the bravery and romanticism of a Slavic soul, the knight who comes and rescues the lost and impoverished one...the kind of books I read as a child.

You 're right the true and romanticized Slavic knight is gone and should get down of his horse,but there is nothing wrong with living a legend. I just don't think Crow should be banished and ostracized because he has the deep Slavic feelings. I'm a Pole in heart - I understand him even though I don't always agree with him.

Life / What are the things which cause culture shock in Poland? [164]


The tasteless place was building pyramids when most of us lived in shacks and caves.


It works the same everywhere: Chicago, NY, LA or Paris just to name a few.


Cards are a passé, but some people still go through the trouble of sending them and I appreciate one when i receive it.


Yeah, I agree. There is a market for a variety of international restaurants and exotic spices to be used in food. I wouldn't spoil the taste of bigos with curry, but why not bake some chicken with curry or turmeric?

News / Poles and rest of us needs strong Poland [49]

Crow has a good, Slavic, romantic soul of a past warrior and simply wants to educate the west about 'some European dwellers' which they never knew that much about. I wonder who lived behind that 'iron curtain' all this time, really. Because his attitude and style is different (very Slavic) it is not understood and makes many posters uncomfortable. And what do we do when we don't quite understand a different approach? We ridicule it.

Food / WHY IN POLAND PEOPLE DON'T USE ICE? [142]

WHY IN POLAND PEOPLE DON'T USE ICE?

Maybe they don't have a good recipe for ice? or maybe it was lost? :)

UK, Ireland / Are the working class in the UK now shunned in the 'new' Poland? [53]

All parents want their children to succeed. Sending a kid to a trade school it's hardly anything to brag about. Then, people complain when a plumber or heating/airconditioning guy requests $100-$150 just to stop by and see what the problem is. Not everybody can be highly educated, blue collar skills are in demand and the people can make a pretty good buck. Sure, it sounds better when you say 'my son is an engineer' instead of my son is a plumber...

Well, it means that UK and US have plenty of highly educated 'immigrant' workers... :)

Life / Children in Krakow Apartment Playgrounds [21]

Some of you people are not to kid friendly, are you?
Although I disagree with using any additional devices to make noise, kids have the right to play and they should - instead of watching TV or playing computer games. It really depends how often it happens, how noisy and how late it's done...

I'm sure you can bring it to the attention of the parents if it happens after 10 pm. If it does not help, you may also call the police...people in the USA usually go this route. Every state, city or town has a curfew how long the kids can be outside, depending on their age too. Hopefully there is something similar in Poland.


This is so true.

Life / Why are the Italians and Polski so much alike? [90]

I see the cultures pretty similar. I worked with them 'wops' long enough to know. I can't even count the Italian/Polish married couples i know and that's because they seem to get along. Well, I know two who divorced, but that's not necessarily because of the difference in nationality, just typical divorce issues.

Familia and mangia work well for both cultures.

Law / Banking tax Procedure in Poland [14]

I live with it - no problem here. As I said, you have to declare it because everybody knows that the bank sent the same info to IRS. If you forget, the IRS will remind you with a stiff penalty to boot - so you never forget again! :)

Life / Car Crime in Poland [28]

Stealing happens everywhere. My friend had the IL state sticker scraped off her license plates ($99.00). She filed a police report and needs to buy another one. I believe, there is a discount in her situation. They are difficult to remove when there is one or two only sticked on top of each other (they just tear apart) but if there are more (older license plate) it can be done. Times are hard, i guess. Luckily, Chicago city stickers are placed on the inside! I think they are more expensive.

Cars are stolen in Chicago area pretty often, never to be seen again. Auto parts are expensive.
I don't think car stealing in Poland is a big concern next to USA.

Law / Banking tax Procedure in Poland [14]

Us Banks mail Form 1099-INT and it needs to be reported by the recipient as a taxable income at the time of doing taxes. The same amount is reported to the IRS but not paid to the IRS by the bank. It is the tax payer's job not to 'forget' about the earned interest.

Life / The central role of The Polish Balcony in Polish life :) [7]


I love my real estate! lol.

• 
  Balcony_pf.jpg
  

Life / "Oh the Strawberry, Raspberry, Good wine that I drink......" Polka song request - need a good recording [11]

This website has all the ooompapa songs played at a polish wedding, a village wedding I shall add.

ewa.bicom.pl/wesele/weselna-96.htm
ewa.bicom.pl/wesele/weselna-5.htm

Language / So why did you give up learning Polish? [105]

Designate one day a week to communicate with your wife in polish only, no cheating.
You'd be surprised how much you can learn in a day! My sister and my brother-in-law did it to me when i was learning English.

Language / Site I've been using to learn Polish--what do you people think? [18]

Plusa10, do you know any polish speaking people? You could practice what you learned on line. BTW, it's a pretty good website.

Language / So why did you give up learning Polish? [105]

Hey Seanus, I'm glad you find polish useful and in your situation - understandably so.
We all know that English is the primary language (please don't tell the French) but some day it might be Chinese....so if you anyone thinks that polish is hard, think again. lol.

USA, Canada / What do Polish people think about Canadians? [44]

I don't know enough of them to have a strong opinion, but I usually detect a slight tendency to bash the yanks, not surprising - everybody does nowadays. So what. lol.

They are just the same like other people, work hard and cherish what they've got - including their socialistic health system. There are two Canadian doctors who joined my physicians office. Hmmm..I wonder why they moved from Canada to the US to practice.

Hey, ShawnH is nice!

Language / So why did you give up learning Polish? [105]


Hey, how about impressing a polish bartender? :)

Anyway, it it certainly beneficial when you live and work in Poland. Even with a limited knowledge of the language you at least know what is going on around you. I can't imagine living in any country and not to make any attempts to learn the local language and culture.

I did not speak English when I came to the US at all and my priority was to learn as soon as possible. I hated not understanding anything around me.

So, I was in school within a month and the rest is history..

Feedback / Polishforums on Facebook [60]


Yes, everybody should take a peek at the beginning pages of PF. The topics and conversations were so innocent, people had fun.

Then, the trolls, 'gburs and brutals' showed up! :)

USA, Canada / Poles in America: How far do you travel for Polish food? [6]

Dear Beckski, Gazzolo's doesn't really sound Polish, I bet lots of Polish people pass it by never realizing they can stop by for some good polish kelbasa... :)

Anyway, my burb does not have a polish deli, but the three burbs surrounding my 'village' do, so just within about 5 miles away I have three deli's to choose from. Then, there is Chicago I can always visit if I feel like it and the plentiful choices of delis! Yeah!

News / The EU's 1 Trillion Dollar Rescue Package [144]

It amazes me how the "West' does not get it that they are deep in the socialist/communist Sh**t they tried to poke fun of for so long. Now you finally know what it means. Lol.

Welcome to the life of eastern Europe from decades back. You are just discovering it and it is not over yet. You just think it is 'normal'. It is not.

Language / Distinguishing between boy/boyfriend/......girl/girlfriend in polish [14]


Moja przyjaciolka means my closest friend. Nothing romantic involved.
However, moj przyjaciel..hmmm ...there might be more.
Kolega - just man-friend, a buddy.
Kolezanka - just a female friend.

USA, Canada / Do Poles feel America is going down the drain? [149]

Green energy sounds good and modern - in discussions, but the realization is quite remote.
Whoever comes up with a practical and efficient green energy production will become the next Bill Gates. Whatever we have now is expensive and mediocre.

Love / Are Polish Women cold and aloof? [249]

lol. Maybe that's why I don't know any Polish family in foreclosure. Yet.

Life / Is it hard for a foreigner to give birth in Poland? [15]

The USA is #37 on the list of infant mortality. You're better off in Poland...

Food / Polish Eating Habits [87]


just add some steamed cabbage to the meal and you'll be fine :)

USA, Canada / Do Poles feel America is going down the drain? [149]

Many American still don't get it, really. Some do and started bit**ing, however quietly... You know, this country has plenty of resources. If it get worse, maybe the US will put some of the wild life behind a fence in Alaska and start drilling... :)