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Posts by abu3issa  

Joined: 20 Dec 2012 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 14 Jun 2013
Threads: Total: 14 / In This Archive: 10
Posts: Total: 42 / In This Archive: 39 		From: Saudi Arabia, Jeddah
Speaks Polish?: Truche (a little)

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abu3issa   
20 Dec 2012
Love / So I'm an Arab Muslim and freaking out! I'm about to meet my Polish girlfriend's parents [21]

So, I've met this Polish girl one day, sadly her vacation to the middle east was too short. We stayed in touch for years now and I'm finally going to visit her in July 2013. I'm Arab Muslim from Hadhramout and she's a Polish Muslim. Honestly, I'm very scared. Her parents are not Muslim and they disapprove Islam. I truly value family ties, how do I impress her parents!?

They are highly educated people and I have great admiration for them from what I heard from her, and I want to gain their approval.. badly xD
abu3issa   
20 Dec 2012
Love / So I'm an Arab Muslim and freaking out! I'm about to meet my Polish girlfriend's parents [21]

It's a challenge, not an impossibility. They are good people, regardless of how they feel about Islam, they don't HATE Islam, they just disagree about it with us. No one would want their kids to have a different faith than theirs. It's only natural. But I still want to do my best for her and for them. If you've met someone you felt "THE ONE", wouldn't you want to do your absolute best for that person? :)

I'm just asking for some advice, some things that majority of Polish parents admire in their children's companions. I just want to understand the mindset of Polish parents.
abu3issa   
20 Dec 2012
Love / So I'm an Arab Muslim and freaking out! I'm about to meet my Polish girlfriend's parents [21]

First, she converted before knowing me.

Second, I'm Hadhrami, not Yemeni. I'm only Yemeni due to political reasons, Yemen is a great culture and great history and I don't have the right to claim myself as a Yemeni. I'm a Hadhrami, which like a Yemeni have our own culture and history.

And I don't think that we Hadhramis nor my Yemeni brothers are famous for spicy food. I think you are mistaken us with Indians. Although I truly admire you for realizing I carry a Yemeni nationality. Most people wouldn't even know what Hadhramis is.

We already talked about the issues. She wants to study all the way to Ph. D. which is why she's asking me to move permanently to Poland. That's a whole level of scary for me, but I want to do this for her and so help me God. I'm just worried about surviving there and work, not the lifestyle and culture or religion though.

I think that man being head of the house is also in Judaism and Christianity. So it has nothing to do with us being Muslim. Also, being head of the house is overrated, it just means that I am screwed for having more responsibilities :P
abu3issa   
30 Dec 2012
Life / Internet connecting in Olsztyn and Warsaw? [7]

So, what are your options for internet in Olsztyn and Warsaw?
Is there a land line option? (ADSL)
I tried to google this but all I get is Polish stuff I still can't comprehend T_T (I'm still in "hello my name is__" level)
abu3issa   
31 Dec 2012
Life / Internet connecting in Olsztyn and Warsaw? [7]

Thanks Berni & Peter;

@Berni; thank you very much for the link, although I don't understand Polish, Google Translate gave me a pretty good idea on it.
I assume Orange is a popular company?
abu3issa   
13 Jan 2013
Life / Joanna (Asia) Name days? [9]

I have two questions about Polish...
how can a girl named Joanna, her nickname would be Asia? -_-"
I've heard a few other names that the nickname has no resemblence with the original name.
In English, it's pretty easy, Robert is Rob or Bob, Joanna is Anna or Jo, etc. even in Arabic the nickname is always derived from the name itself.

Can somebody explain the logic behind a nickname such as Asia? I'm not making fun of it or being sarcastic, I am sincerely curious to understand the culture behind such a thing :)

My second question is, the names order. In Arabic, we use this order = Given name + father's name + family name with bin or ibn between each name (meaning, son of). for Example, the king of Saudi Arabia is Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz Al-Saud.

What's the naming system in Poland? Do you use middle name like they do in USA? How does the name
abu3issa   
15 Jan 2013
Life / Joanna (Asia) Name days? [9]

@polonius:
Thanks LOADS! It was killing me trying to figure it out xD and you do have a point about English, I have no idea why Peggy & Bill didn't come to my mind :P

@zetigrek:
That was very informative, and cleared out a lot of things :) Thank you very very very much
abu3issa   
4 Mar 2013
Travel / Transport information in Krakow? [7]

So I'm looking up places to stay in Krakow, and I'm trying to figure out the transportation.
I'm planning to study in the British Council in Krakow, and I found an offer for accommodation but using Google Maps I have no idea how to use transportation. I'm trying to figure out the costs and expenses.

So anyone in Krakow cares to explain and help out?
abu3issa   
5 Mar 2013
Travel / Transport information in Krakow? [7]

I'm still looking, but Ośrodek Hotelowy Optima has the best offer for the period I'm staying there.

So I'd be going every weekday from:

Malborska 65
30-646 Kraków, Poland
12 655 17 49

to:

Main Market Square 6
30-857 Kraków, Poland
12 428 59 30

and vice versa. How do I know the transportation between those two points and calculate the daily costs?
I tried to use the links by Monitor, but the first link says "system could not find any connections", and honestly I'm not sure how to use the second link :(

Sorry, it's a whole different country so I'm not sure what's this from that. I appreciate your advice in finding my way around town.
abu3issa   
7 Mar 2013
Travel / Transport information in Krakow? [7]

xD well that's what they put in their locatoin in google maps.
But thanks a lot :) so basically; 2.8 PLN per trip, so it'll cost me about 5.6 PLN a dat, correct?
If that is right, now I think I have a pretty good idea about the cost :) Thank you very much Monitor & Phota for helping me out
abu3issa   
13 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

I'm trying to find out what is acceptable modest wear. I mean, the kind that doesn't bring TOO much attention that this girl is a "prude" but doesn't reveal too much body details like skinny jeans does.

Any advice? I would like to hear from both sides, men and women.

What kind of clothes do you find modest and good for everyday life (university/work/hanging out with friends)
abu3issa   
13 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

I wish I could make changes to my original post. I guess I should rephrase it.

What can a Muslim girl wear in Poland, to appear modest yet blend in with society? (regardless of hijab)
abu3issa   
13 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

Polsyr, I'm very grateful for your response :)

How about a hat and roll her hair inside instead of a hijab? Although the neck would show but I'm not really sure which is more priority.

You are half right about the islamic code dress purpose. The main idea is to BLEND in, but within standards of modesty (actually this applies for both men and women unlike a lot of people think).

So tank tops and short skirts are out of the question, at least for me and my family.

What would you recommend that would be the least revealing and the most blending?
abu3issa   
13 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

Although I rather the long skirts she would truly prefer the pink and blue jeans

Much appreciated Paulina
If you have more ideas please give me :)
abu3issa   
14 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

Thank you very much Paulina & Kaz :D
It's a real honor to see people from different backgrounds helping each other with open minds and open hearts.
Honestly, if the would discuss religious things this way, we'd have achieved world peace and harmony centuries ago.

Thank you Paulina for your responses. It seems Tom made two replies but I only see one ='/

Regardless, it doesn't matter what religious background you come from, you are right about "when in Rome". But you forgot something, Saudi Arabia are 99.9% Muslims, you have to follow the norms of that society, otherwise you'd be disrespectful to them. Imagine walking in a church in a bikini? I think the people inside would consider it insulting. Now imagine that nation wide. In the other hand, in Poland and most western communities, there are people from all kind of religious backgrounds. So it's more acceptable to walk around in whatever clothes you like as long as you keep up with most social norms. Take nuns for example, they still cover almost like a Muslim girl does. It's their choice and people respect them for that. At least this is my opinion in this matter.

That's the whole point of my thread here. I want to visit Poland, a country with very very few Muslims, and be able to walk around with my family without the letting go of my religious standards while being able to blend (even slightly) with Polish society norms. Finding that balance is something I want to do out of respect to Poland and its people.
abu3issa   
14 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

@Yehudi:
HEY!!! How are you my friend? :D
I have considered that, I would turn myself into a vegetarian unless invited by friends who understand my religious diet.
I thought I might find kosher restraunts, since we are allowed to eat the food prepared by Jews and Christians (unless pork or prepared using alcohol) but I'm not sure I'd find many, and now with your comment I'm definitely turning vegetarian during my stay xD

Although I was told KFC is ok but I'm not sure. They could be using animal fat (pigs mainly) to extract cooking oil ='/

@Grzegorz_:
No, I'm a man. We don't wear hijab but we still have modesty standards in our clothing.
abu3issa   
14 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

I am learning so much from all of you :) I really appreciate the time and effort you are all putting into this.
My trip to Poland is exciting me to no end. I know there would be a few disappointments. But It's still exciting nonetheless.
In Saudi and back in Yemen I've met Christians,Hindu,Athiests and even Sikh.
But they were living OUR way, there wasn't much of cultural exchange except through conversation, filled with "back home we did this and that". I honestly want to visit some churches. A friend of mine visited a church in Egypt and told me how interesting.

@Yehudi:
Yeah I'm planning to go to Krakow :)
Honestly that really seems interesting. I have NEVER met a Jewish in person.
I just hope he wouldn't feel like I'm mocking him, an Arab walking towards him with a girl in hijab.

@Jon:
I really should research more about halal food and kosher similarities :)

@Paulina:
I think you are right, this is turning pretty much into society and culture rather than everyday life.

And this girl is Polish :) She's a Muslim. and she's my fiance :)
I just want to know more about life there from other points of view. I want to surprise her with lots of knowledge about the culture there :)
abu3issa   
14 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

Women in Islam wear Hijab similarly to nuns and how Mary is usually presented in art, covering the hair. It's a form of modesty.

Actually, I just watched a YouTube video talking about modesty and the guy mentioned that some consider it as a form of human evolution. It's here

youtube.com/watch?v=E4HGfagANiQ

I really like how he presented it.

I like Christmas festivals and carols and such. Although as a Muslim I'm not allowed to celebrate events that have nonislamic religious ties, we are still allowed and encourage to keep good social terms with others. Basically, you can invite us to your religious events but we aren't allowed to put a Christmas tree and start Christmas related stuff.

@Polson:
I'm sure that people now know all the historical facts related to Christmas, but that doesn't really stop them from enjoying it. From what I see, it seems like an important FAMILY event than it is religious since even non christian celebrate it nowadays. People grew up with the happy memories of getting the gifts and the whole family getting together and having fun.
abu3issa   
15 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

But we are not talking about personal, religious or social views, about what define freedom of clothing and such. We are discussing modesty in wear that fits a Muslim girl in a non Muslim society such as Poland while balancing the European culture with the Islamic standards. I'm sure you can find more countries other than South Africa in which you can walk around without a bra, but that doesn't really add much to the topic of our conversation. I appreciate your effort to bring variety of thoughts in this thread though ^_^
abu3issa   
15 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

Actually no, women can't drop hijab from an islamic point of view. It's a choice, whether they choose to follow or not.
But let's not dwell much into religious reasoning as this is not the thread for it. If you want we can make a new thread for you Poziomka and discuss Islam and choices in clothing?
abu3issa   
16 Mar 2013
Travel / Activities in Krakow, Warsaw and MAYBE Olsztyn? and FOOD! [4]

So I am planning to go to Krakow and Warsaw in August, I'm going to spend a whole month in Krakow with probably a weekend in Warsaw and another in Olsztyn.

I'm just trying to make a trip plan so I wouldn't miss anything :D It'd be my first time outside of the middle east!

Sadly, most of the weekdays I'd be busy till 5 pm. So unless it's the weekend, I'm only going out at the evening.

So I'm looking for any tips and advice, suggestions and MUST SEE spots. But I'd like to point out, I'm not interested in night clubs and similar spots. If there'd be a concert I might attend (rock and metal) but I'm more of a cultural person and into classical music and theater. I'm DEFINITELY going to visit some churches and Krakow Castle, a friend of mine suggested to see Auschwitz.

I'll try to phrase it into specific questions:
Where can I go and what can I do as a cultural tourist in Krakow during a weekday after 5 pm? (I'm assuming that a lot of places would only be open for visitors during daytime)

What can I do on weekends in Krakow, Warsaw and Olsztyn?

What are good couples activities in Krakow, Warsaw and Olsztyn? (Basically, dating ideas)

If there's something I MUST NOT MISS in my visit, what would it be? (You did not go to Poland if you did not ........... [fill in the blank]) :P

What can I actually eat and where?
This needs more elaboration, I'm a Muslim so my diet is a bit restricted. For example, I can't eat any kind of meat unless it was butchered by a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew. I can't eat anything related to pork and wine (including stuff cooked in using them, such as animal oils, not even a drop of alcohol!) I'm most likely going to be a vegetarian for the majority of my trip but I'm good with that. I just rather I can manage to get my hands on some Polish cuisine.

Feel free to suggest anything, even if you think I might not like it :) I am very curious to see what comes to your mind?
abu3issa   
16 Mar 2013
Travel / Is it safe to travel to Poland? [194]

I see a lot of responds :) This has been useful for me, I'm still going through this but I wanted to show you some of the things I've found so far regarding prices.

So far, the best website I've found that offers good prices for hotels and such is booking.
For flights, I advice you to go to Warsaw directly, it's much more cheaper than going to Krakow from outside of Europe.
Try different websites and compare, and then RESET YOUR COOKIES, I was told by some friends that this actually affect the price. It seems to be going up as you go to the same website multiple times, some kind of marketing trick to make you believe prices are getting higher and you should book ASAP.

Try Kayak.com for flights :)
abu3issa   
17 Mar 2013
Love / ACCEPTABLE modest wear for Polish women? [49]

With all due respect to you sir, I find it rather offensive to say that we consider women as second class citizens.
Modesty is a behavior known to mankind since the dawn of history most religious believes agree on modesty from both genders and add slightly more for women, not because they are less human but because they are more valuable and more important than men. By saying that we Muslims consider our women second class by the fact that they wear Hijab, what does that infer to religious women of other faiths such as some Jews and Christian nuns?

I'm here to balance my respect to your culture with my personal family values, not to debate whom is more civilized and human rights. If that was the case we should open a new thread but not in here.

If you have any ideas that helps a Muslim girl practice her religious believes in regards to clothing while maintaining respect to the polish culture and fitting in the best way possible, I would truly appreciate it. We will not discuss anything else.
abu3issa   
20 Mar 2013
Love / What's a premarital medical check up in Poland? [15]

I'm not sure where to put this one but I'm putting it in relationships and marriage since, it's a marriage related thing :)

What is a premarital medical check up? And is it possible to be done in Poland? How long does it take? Has anyone ever done it?

I was told by some friends that it's something good, at least to know what to expect to be passed down to your kids and such.

I'm asking because I'm interested to know how this is viewed in Poland.
abu3issa   
20 Mar 2013
Love / What's a premarital medical check up in Poland? [15]

Go ahead. But I think it's fair for us to know what to expect? What if I can't have children? I rather she knows now and decide than find out after a few years and then regret.