Life / $3,000-$4,000 a month - would we have enough money to live in Poland? [273]

Hello! I just stumbled upon your posts and I am so glad I did! I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your father-in -law. You are a great man for moving to Poland so that your wife could be closer to him.

My husband and I just moved our family to Gdynia from Chicago. My husband is polish, but he is only the one who speaks the language. Although it has only been 3 weeks I am desperate to connect with some ex-pats. Let me know if you have any time available to meet up. We have been enjoying weekends on the pier! My email is sarah.tristan@hotmail

Talk soon,
Sarah

Life / American moving to Poland. How do I get/What is the cost of a cell phone, cable, etc...? [16]

We just moved to Gdynia, Poland from Chicago. We live in a condo with an association, so we had to go with a company that services our building called UPC. For $138 USD a month we get the standard cable package with a DVR, 25Mb of internet (we did have to buy our own Linxys wireless router - $150 PLN at AGD), and home phone with free local & international dialing to the States. We also had free installation with the package. FYI - You have to have proper IDs (resident card and/or Pesel #) to enter contract. Also this plan was a 2 year contract. The same "ID rule" applies to cell phones. Rather than enter contract we brought our Blackberry's from the States and bought pay-as-you-go SIM cards from PLAY (cell phone company)...we pay $30 PLN a month for local calls & texts and $10 PLN for Blackberry service (but the service is not all inclusive...you get BBM, email & facebook...any other online time you pay for). We also have 3 Dell computers that we use here without any problems and I have seen several stores that sell and servive them. They do have a store, called ISpot, in the area that service MACs but it can be pricey...by your computer in the States and bring it with your carry on luggage because electronics can sometimes be more expensive here and less selection. Hope that helps! Good luck to you!

Law / Visa Stamp if you overstay (American with a Polish Wife) [29]

Hello all!

I realize this thread is 6 months old, but thought I would just try and see if anyone has any answers. I am in a similar situation...I am an American married to a Polish citizen.

My kids and I have US passports that were stamped in Gdansk airport 2.5 months ago. We have our Gdynia "zaswiadczenie zameldowania na pobyt czasowy" (certificate for temporary residence) and filed for the karta pobtyu. Our "certificate" expires in a few weeks. We asked the office in Gdansk what to do and they told us to leave Poland for a day and come back (like everyone else in the thread was told to do). I have read elsewhere and from this post that is not correct. We bought tickets to Norway (outside the Schengren) but now we are scared we will not be allowed back in. What is the best action to take? Is there some sort of extension I can file based on the fact that we are family (wife and children) of a Polish citizen.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Law / Visa Stamp if you overstay (American with a Polish Wife) [29]

Thank you for the fast response. Your information was very helpful! I agree that going to Norway is not advisable at the time. We will have to wait until the karta pobtyu is sorted out.

We started the application our first week in Gdynia, but it has been held up several times. Prior to coming Poland, we had researched and spoken to the Chicago Polish Consulate to get all our documents in a row. We even had them translated, notarized, and apostilled. However, those documents were rejected because they were not translated in Poland. We spent a week having new translations done only two have the office refuse to validate two of our birth certificates...one because it listed the county of birth, not city...and the other because it did not have my parents name on it. Again we played the waiting game waiting for the updated documents from the US and having them translated here in Poland again. Once all that was accepted and our marriage was validated, my husband was finally able to receive his resident card so that we could file for our temporary resident cards. Despite all out best efforts, this process has taken much longer than expected. All you can do is laugh, right? Luckily, the majority of the people at the government offices have been very helpful and friendly. It is just hard to get a straight answer because each own says something different.

I guess we will just stay put pending the application and cross our fingers they approve it in the next 2.5 weeks. Thanks again for your help!

Life / Looking to immigrate to Europe. How is life in Poland? [116]

Anandi,

Back to your original question...I just wanted to point out an area for concern that may influence your location decision. You did not mention the ages of your children, but if they are school age be sure to research the schools in the area. Your children will be required to speak and write in Polish to enter the public school system. The schools do not provide programs to help them transition into the language. Have your children starts polish lessons now. You can also look into the English/International schools, but they are not cheap and for one child run about 4500-6000 PLN a month, per child. At least this has been my experience since moving to the Trojmiasto area.

Otherwise, Poland is a wonderful country and we have been happy with our decision to move here!

Good luck to you!

Genealogy / Is Aleska a Polish baby name ? [42]

My husband's cousin named her daughter Aleksa. They parents are both from Poland.

Food / Pinto beans in Poland [17]

I found raw pinto beans at a store called "Kuchnie Swiata" at a mall in Gdansk. That store is a chain, so they should have other locations around Poland. Otherwise, I found canned refried beans (imported from Mexico...pretty good quality) at Alma and Bomi. Hope that helps!