Posts by ilmc

ilmc

20 Sep 2012

Language / Learning Polish to communicate with my boyfriend's family - where to start? [16]

I'm new here so please be gentle:) I have been dating a polish guy for 2 years now his family came to canada 10 years ago when he was 14 so he has a fairly firm grasp on the english language however, whenever his parents come to visit or when his extended family comes from poland who do not speak any english i am pretty much lost in translation. I would love to learn enough polish to be able to communicate with his family particularly his mother who never really found much use for learning english as she always spoke polish at home and never worked she knows enough english to get by but i think she would be more comfortable and we could have a better relationship if i could speak to her in polish. Any advice on where to go to start learning polish and the best ways to learn the language would be greatly appreciated.

thanks Carrie

ilmc

20 Sep 2012

Language / Which is harder: Pole learning Russian or Russian learning Polish language? [57]

I think since they are both slavic languages, although distant from each other both would be easier to learn for the other than say trying to learn chinese. Anyone trying to learn a second language or a third or fourth will have an easier time learning a "sister language". The age of the person would also play a huge role younger children learn languages much easier especially if it is in early development when all of one language isnt learned yet. I speak english and french both i learned from a baby so neither was more difficult than the other I have been trying to learn polish for 2 years now that i am in my twenties and i cant seem to string a sentence together any more than an hour studying it and my head hurts it is so confusing I can say i love you and good day and my name is but i can't spell any of it i guess that is what 2 years gets me lol

ilmc

20 Sep 2012

Language / Which is harder: Pole learning Russian or Russian learning Polish language? [57]

ryoh
i would be interested in knowing what the other two languages are that you speak, polish may have been the most difficult however may have been easier for you to learn than greek may have been because you know some russian again depending what other two languages you speak. Polish is undoubtably one of the most difficult languages to learn but would be easier for you to learn knowing some russian than for me to learn only knowing french and english is what my point was and then ofcourse taking into account age and overall linguistic ability. I'm old and a linguistic moron so... i'm screwed lol but i will keep trying because im also stubborn

ilmc

20 Sep 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

British double taps

haha my childhood home in canada had double taps...but they are hard to find here nowadays

ilmc

20 Sep 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

oh yes you can still find them in homes but to buy them in order to install them in your own would be difficult is what i meant in britain apparently they can still purchase them and install them in newly built homes...

ilmc

20 Sep 2012

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

Canadians are happy to air their feet as much as possible

:) we are i personally own 10 pairs of flip flops and will wear them no matter the weather as long as there isn't snow on the ground. As far as people not greeting you daily it depends where you are in canada...it is a huge country with so many different socities within it if you lived in a large city i can agree the pace is much faster and people are too busy to bother with social niceties. I grew up in a small town everyone stopped to say hello and chat, if you ever go back to canada even for a visit i will recommend the east coast particularly newfoundland and nova scotia some of the kindest people you will ever meet and never ever ever in a hurry even when they are plus the scenery is the most beautiful there than anywhere else in the country.

ilmc

20 Sep 2012

USA, Canada / Why do Americans (and Canadians) hate Polish people? [226]

I've also chat with some Canadian who was also superior towards me as a Pole

hmmm americans think they are superior to everyone so that isn't shocking but to be so broad as to say all americans and canadians hate poles? I strongly doubt that i can only speak from a canadian point of view but Canadians don't really hate much we may not particularly love something but we rarely hate anything except running out of beer and the nhl being on strike. I am a canadian and i am dating a polish man i certianly don't have him i don't even hate his mom and she's just not nice to me at all. you may have met with one canadian with an air of superiority but i can assure you among canadians that is a rare trait. and please stop with the americans ( and Canadians) in brackets stuff i see it all the time on here We are separate nations with very separate attitudes and beliefs and the one thing a canadian might hate (besides running out of beer and hockey on strike) is being lumped in with americans who might be the only nation we consider ourselves superior to... we're bigger and we're on top so in our minds that makes them our b****

ilmc

20 Sep 2012

USA, Canada / Moving back to Poland after 7 years in Canada [22]

Where in Canada are you? Moviing to any other country once you have already established a pretty comfortable life in the one you are in will be difficult. Think of the struggle when you first arrived in Canada moving back will probably be just as difficult and you will have the same struggle (minus the language barrier) are you willing to do that again?

If you are in a town or city with a large polish community perhaps connecting with that community could help your feelings of homesickness if you are not perhaps researching towns or cities with a larger polish community and putting in a transfer at work if possible for you.

Think also of opportunities for your child growing up what will be the best for them

ilmc

20 Sep 2012

USA, Canada / Canadian food and culture [5]

i saw in a recent thread that people really believe canadians have no foods which is not true. It is true that we eat a lot of foods that have influence from other countries however here are some things that are specific to canada (even if they were inventend and influenced by immigrants that came here originally ie french british irish german)

Poutine
french fries poutine sauce (similar to and sometimes replaced with gravy) and cheese curds its a delicious melty mess

montreal smoked meat ... yum

sugar pie

maple syrup pie

nanaimo bars ( yup a canadian treat from nanaimo british columbia)

salt beef and salt pork

nova scotia clam chowder

lobster bake, lobster cake, mmm nova scotia

this one is a type of alcohol but ... it will work here newfie screech basically pure alcohol home distilled and part of the newfie initiation process if you come to canada and you would like to be considered an official newfie no need to fill out papers or apply for newfie citizenship if you can take a shot of screech and kiss a cod on the mouth they will award you with a certificate stating you are an official newfie :) i have one yay

beaver tails ... not the actual animals tails a baked confection found in our nations capital and oh so delicious

so how about some other things that are uniquely canadian not just food ...
eh? pronounced ay and a word used the same way americans use huh it is used to add inquistion to the end of a sentence a verbal question mark so to speak. you like beaver tails eh?

use of the word some in place of the word very ... some common on the east coast :) those shoes are some nice

the rock ... our countries way to define newfoundland if you are here and someone asks you if you've been to the rock they are asking if you have been to newfoundland if they ask if you have been to the rockies this is different and is found in alberta. if they ask if you have been to paradise they mean british columbia

use of the word sorry to an almost irritating degree ... we are sorry for everything and we don't know why.

some sports... lacross is canadian, hockey is canadian, basketball is canadian although it appears we are better at inventing some sports than actually participating which is why americans get credited with them all ... rediculous eh?

we can outdrink americans they come here to drink because our legal drinking age is 19 but they can't handle the higher percentage alcohol

the ligh bulb was invented here so i suppose that is something to thank us for ( not that we will ever ask for thanks, we might appologize for making you feel as if you have to thank us, sorry for that.)

so what are some ways to tell if you are a true Canadian
you stand in line ups not lines
you drink pop not soda
you finish the alphabet with zed not zee
you incorporate french into your everyday english without knowing you are doing so. pass me a serviette instead of a napkin
you drive on a highway not a freeway
you know what a robertson screwdriver is
you know what a mickey and a 2-4 is ... you also know what may 2-4 long weekend means
you use a red pen on your american text book and fill in the missing u's from labour colour honour etc
you can eat a slice of sugar pie or more than one maple sugar candy without feeling nauceous
you have played road hockey on skates
you recognie four seasons fall, winter, still winter, fall again

we have a culture... it is one of acceptance.... and please don't tell use you don't like us because it hurts our feelings which we hav ea lot of and we will only harrass forever until you admit that you like us. i have read of us being boring, i don't think we are boring i think we are kind and if you cannot find something to do in a country so fast so full of natural wonder on ever piece of it you are probably going to be hoplessly bored your whole life.

Welcome to Canada eh have a beer play some hockey and we will love you and let you live in peace

ilmc

20 Sep 2012

Love / Not used to dating a Polish man [28]

i am dating a man who came to canada from poland... he definetly doesn't treat me like a dog. He expects possibly more femininity from me than some men raised in Canada and he is very macho in some ways but he does not give orders, we have discussions, he listens to my point of view. I have found that with him i have to assert myself more but if he can come down from his macho high horse he is usually able to listen and if he isnt i just do what i want anyway and he rarely notices especially if soccer is on :) In all serious though i have found him to be respectful he likes when i do his laundry or iron his things he appreciates it more than a canadian born and raised guy would but he does not expect it... if that makes sense.

ilmc

21 Sep 2012

Language / Which is harder: Pole learning Russian or Russian learning Polish language? [57]

Well, English, and Japanese as my native tongue. Ah, so I should say Polish is my 3rd foreign language

so did you learn russian or polish first? knowing those three languages it would be easier for you to learn german, dutch or ukranian (sister languages to english and polish) than say french italian or spanish which are not familial languages to any that you speak. of those languages though some would still be harder to learn that others...

ilmc

24 Sep 2012

USA, Canada / Feminine surname endings in America? [48]

k really... i'm canadian we don't masculine and feminine forms to our names however it isn't that difficult to understand if you use your noggin a bit people. In french nouns can be masculin and feminine to although they dont change the word just the word in front of it... spanish also has masculine and feminine nouns a name is a noun : a person place or a thing. It is quite simple and if it is explained to you one time and you have any shred of intelligence seeing Kowalski/Kowalska shouldn't be that damned complicated anymore. I had it explained to me once by my boyfriend's mother and now if i do see it ( and in Canada you do among the polish community because we don't force people to do everything our way here like the american government tends to) i am capable of understand that the ski is masculine and the ska is feminine and they have the same friggen last name but shes a girl and hes a boy. Really asking if it is a law i mean come on would you ask someone if it is a law that you use two instead of to when talking about the number 2 in english no you woudln't because it is language and has nothing to do with laws. think of it as your last name with girl or boy after it so my fathers last name is rioux when my mother married him she took his name think of the ski and ska as boy and girl and it would be similar to the english adding boy and girl to the end of a last name my dad would be riouxboy my mom would be riouxgirl although i will admit it doesn't sound as pretty as ski ska haha ... it is still the same name just an indication of masculinity or femininity. This is completley understood by a non polish person who doesnt speak any polish i think it could be understood by anyone.

ilmc

24 Sep 2012

USA, Canada / Feminine surname endings in America? [48]

they would put exactly what it says on her immigration papers unless she requested it be changed. When my boyfriends family immigrated here they suggested to his parents that in school it would be easier on him and his sister to use different first names but the names were not changed just an english version added by his parents choice and with their consent. my boyfriends name is Maciek but he was known in school as Mike ... They wouldn't change it unless requested and authorized to do so in Canada i am not sure about the states. All i was saying was people are writing in this thread that they are so confused by the ski and ska because english language doesnt allow for it... but if it is really that confusing once it is explained to you then you are a complete moron, it may be different but it certainly isnt difficult to understand.

ilmc

26 Sep 2012

USA, Canada / Do many Polish people in America hate Americans? [592]

polish people in american are not the only people who hate america :) just sayin that being said i had america and most of what it stands for but i don't hate all americans i know some nice ones and some not so nice ones. 99% of the americans i know are complete and total morons when it comes to a shred of knowledge about the world including their own country though.

ilmc

27 Sep 2012

Love / What do foreign women think of Polish men? [120]

in all seriousness of the polish men i know i find them to be very charming, very family oriented, mama's boys, hot tempered, kind with those close to them cold with most others, and as boyfriends they have big hearts and will do anything to make you smile but are just a tad (and by a tad i mean a giant tad) bossy. I don't find polish people even living in canada seem to be bothered with social niceties which i don't think they consider rude but rather obsolete. If you ask a polish man his opinion about something do not be prepared for sugar coating they tend to tell you exactly what they think regardless of your feelings which can be good or bad. (although the polish women i have met are also very blunt and forward and not a fan of social niceties or sugar coating). I also have never met an ugly polish man i have met some better looking than others and some that dont blow me away but never one so unattractive i would use the words ugly although im sure there are some every nation has attractive and unattractive people of both genders. This ofcourse is just my own experience and i am sure not every polish man fits the bill i have written (although i am sure they are all bossy) lol

oh and i forgot they always want to look their best even if just walking the dog around the block or taking a quick trip to the store. oh and very protective of the women in their lives girlriends mothers sisters wives whoever again just what i have seen obviously not going to be true for every single male in poland or polish male living abroad.

ilmc

30 Sep 2012

USA, Canada / Canadian food and culture [5]

a couple previous topics people posted canadians have no culture... one most recent was kondzor.

poutine tastes like heaven it is easy to make yourself if you want to taste it you just have to get your hands on cheese curds make some french and some gravy and pour it together in a bowl and there you have it. (could also find the recipe online)

sugar pie you could find the recipe online it is mostly brown sugar and is very very sweet tastes best with a mild tasting homemade whipped cream. Taking a trip to Canada would be expensive and time consuming if you want to see the whole country haha. takes a week to drive from one coast to the other and that is non stop. If you are serious about it make sure you research places that would suit things you like best because every area of the country has something different to offer :) I don't think all people feel this way, i think a lot of people just arent aware of things that are uniquely canadian.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Love / Polish women and foreign men [76]

To me they said polish men drink too much and cannot bang them properly

hmmm how stupid my polish man doesnt drink at all and the sex is the best i have ever had so clearly that isn't the case for all polish men and to think it is just ... prejudice. alcoholics live alllll over the world and so do men who suck in bed. To say someone is better in bed based on their nationality how rediculous besides any man can be taught haha.

As far as polish men being ugly ... um nope not mine some are some arent some americans are some arent some russians are some arent some irish are some arent some french are some arent i suppose i could go on and on with this but you get the point. Physical attractiveness is based on who is seeing you some might see me and think beautiful some might see me and think ugly really who the frig cares what they think i see me and think beautiful so that is all that matters. We are all attracted to something different

I think my polish boyfriend is gorgeous i am generally physially attracted to slavic features so he works for me but i am not so closed minded as to think all women will find him attractive if we all had the same tastes in physical features everyone one iin the world would have to look the same in order to ensure reproduction so thank god we dont that would be boring.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Poland needs more immigrants and their children - which nationalities are the best? [518]

Yes it does. America is a successful multicultural country

ahaha this is funny in so many respects.
American is successful.... not really , not anymore not for the other cultures living in it look where most of them live. America has one of the worst education systems of the developed world, one of the worst health care systems one of the worst crime rates etc...

yes so successful the problem with america is that it values material wealth and it's army over education and health care. those who live well in America are american born white people those who live in american constantly trying to reach the "american dream" are immigrants.

America is only grand in the eyes of americans and those who don't know any better (but soon find out when they get there) wake up and read a book about the world see how the rest of it views you and you all may stand a chance.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Poland needs more immigrants and their children - which nationalities are the best? [518]

saying they prefer the u.s does not make it successfull ... perhaps more successful than some third world countries but in what respects?
they have higher crime rates than the u.s in those countries but the u.s has a higher crime rate than most of the developed world. If those immigrants were to go to an actually multiculturally successfull country perhaps they would prefer it to the u.s.

Congratulations american you are more succesfull than nicaragua? .... with so much more available to them economically and resource wise i would hope so. With so much more available to them than the rest of the developed world you would think they should be much more successful than they are but the resources and money are spent poorly in the wrong areas and so as far as the developed world goes they are bottom of the barrell. Arrogance and ignorance will keep them there.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

French? That doesn`t count as a second language, as it is another variant of English. :):):):)

really? i hope this is a joke?
I speak both i don't see the variance
very different grammatical structures
french is probably a lot easier to learn and is clearly more closely related to italian and spanish than english.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Language / Learning Polish to communicate with my boyfriend's family - where to start? [16]

i am in Canada.... i have found someone to help me with polish though but thank you :)

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

Are you sure you speak French?

it's my first language ... pretty sure i speak it yup.
when i read spanish or italian i can understand most of it.
I don't dispute there are a lot of english words and phrases that come from french which ultimatley dont come from french but from latin.

When learning english though i don't think it was any easier or would be any easier for any other native french speakers than learning any other language.

people who speak German may have an easier time with english i see a lot of relationship there.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

Imcl, que je salue :)

ilmc lol but close enough
salut!
French is a beautiful language... english is slop... yah i know i will get a lot of flack for saying that but had i had my choice i would have stuck with french, however my mother being a native english speaker who though god bless he she tries cannot make a french word sound anything like french would have struggled to understand me. I learned both languages young french i picked up on first must have loved it as a baby lol becasue my first word was in french. My father is a native Acadian french speaker from new brunswick Canada whose family originated from brittany france. So if french and english are so closely related pawian explain my mothers struggles when married to a french speaking man hearing french every day and having two french speaking daughters who both speak the language beautifully. the day my mother learns to properly roll an r is the day i may agree with you... poor woman, she can speak german though and learned it as an adult quite easily hmmm must be the relationship english and german have to each other. Polish now that is a hard language to learn makes my head hurt but i will get it.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

lol in Canada anyone can learn it you don't have to be elite just opt to take it in school :)
hmmm i have often heard italian called the language of love but then paris is called the city of love .. so i suppose. I still think polish is a cool sounding language to me it sounds much more regimented less musical more hmmm i don't know how to explain it more... powerful i think is the word im looking for. When i listen to Mike and his parents talk they all sound very powerfull and a little harsh haha i can't wait to actually understand and be able to carry a coversation with them, perhaps it will sound different to me when i can actually speak it.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

oh i wasn't aware they had to learn french because of joining the eu but i suppose it makes sense. I see nothing wrong with people learning all languages i would love to be multilingual someday once i master polish (haha i doubt mastering it is something i will ever do, i haven't even mastered english and french and i grew up speaking them) i believe i will move on to italian.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

well it makes a bit of sense ... france is part of the eu no ... and i think she was saying government officials had to learn french not all polish people haha. however i still stand firm we should all learn as many languages as possible.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

lol... hmmm just familiar ones then?

French is obviously not as popular as english... it just is not as widespread given the choice ofcourse someone is going to chose to learn english you can get much farther with it in the world. Personal opinion french is a nicer language it sounds romantic and musical but... english is more practical.

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Language / Learning Polish to communicate with my boyfriend's family - where to start? [16]

yes we canadians are everywhere... it is part of our quiet plot to overtake the world :)
my boyfriend has zero patience he tries but he just gets all yelly so i dont bother anymore friggen hot temepered man. i found someone who is willing to give me lessons over skype i can tell him i love you in polish now so thats nice

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

lol careful it is always the ones you think you know and can trust that have roofies in their back pockets ;)
because us women are known for taking advantage of men lol

ilmc

3 Oct 2012

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

Yes, foreign women from the rotten West are known for that. Somebody told me they are veritable man-eaters

yes i like my men best fried and crispy with some lemon juice for flavor ... yum yum