Travel / Vegetarian places to eat in Krakow [30]

Pod Norenami in Krupnicza is excellent. I highly recommend it. It serves excellent Asian food. If you're looking for something more Polish then Młynek on Bonifraterska in Kazimierz (Plac Wolnica) does fairly good Polish fare. Nearby on Trynitarska (also plac wolnica) there's a new vegan burger joint that's opened up. There are others but in my experience these are the best.

Law / Registration of right hand drive cars in Poland - possible? [82]

I haven't driven but my boyfriend did. I drove in other European countries RHD but just did not dare in Poland, now we have a LHD and I still do not dare! Boyfriend has 15 years driving experience so is more confident then me. He didn't have a problem at all with the overtaking (as all you really need to do is be sensible, keep distance etc.). If he couldn't pull a safe manovre he simply would wait.

I'm aware how it should work, not only having done it myself but because I was driven to Hungary every summer with mum and dad.

The problem in Poland always has been other drivers... squeezing in, cutting up, tailgateing and general impatience and aggression.

We had a UK registered car here for the best part of a year before we had to drive back to the UK to sell it on account of not being able to insure it. We now have a LHD. As I said I don't drive it (too scared) but the BF complains about the exact same stuff he did when we had the RHD.

Do we feel any safer for having an LHD? Not really.

Law / Registration of right hand drive cars in Poland - possible? [82]

I wonder if the notion that a RHD cars would be disastrous is slighly misplaced. There are plenty of good drivers in Poland that don't deserve to be penalized because of inefficient driving standards.

At the end of the day this boils down to a lack of respect for the law, a very confusing high way code, a stupid points system, appalling road markings, a lack of education and an culture of victim blaming on the roads. It's *never* the drivers fault is it?

I doubt additional RHDs would add to increased road deaths any more than cheap LHD cars would.

UK, Ireland / English courses in London [26]

I used to live in Ealing. There are at least 2 schools one of which is British Council accredited.

There is also a Japanese school in Ealing Common which teaches English.

In London prices can get very cheap. I taught at a British Council accredited school which would teach practise classes for as little as £1.50 per hour ( with CELTA trainee teachers). That was in Queensway... a 15 minute journey away. Please check out your local competition and make sure your staff are qualified.

The living standard for me as an English teacher in Krakow is far better than as an English teacher in London.

Keep that in mind.

Best,

G
xxx

Life / Polands' Generation Y = instant generation [22]

Fair do's.

I wonder why you even mention it? It's a bit of a non thread then, isn't it? Anyone could start a thread describing a caricature pulled out of thin air. Do you have an opinion?

The answer to your op, succinctly put, is no. I don't recognise the caricature.

Life / Polands' Generation Y = instant generation [22]

Why are you so against people earning a decent living wage with reasonable working conditions Polonius?

Real Estate / Supply vs Demand - How long can contractors continue to push? Krakow [15]

The problem is they demand too high a price.

Hanging in there and waiting for the "good old days" to come back.

Travel / Driving in Poland, are there any rules at all? [149]

The driving standard (and the lack of manners that come with it, the awfully thought out highway code etc) here is the singular most infuriating thing about living here.

Being a pedestrian is even worse. Poland has the highest number of pedestrian road deaths in the EU by far.

Pedestrians are treated by the authorities like second class citizens, with the police preferring to fine pedestrians who jaywalk (which is a statistically provably unhelpful or even damaging law) or cross in the wrong place over cars who refuse to stop for them on zebra crossings, or plough through when you have "the green man".

The amount of near misses I've had on pedestrian crossings is ridiculous. I've seen a car get sick of waiting for the pedestrians crossing on a zebra, rev her engine, and hit someone pushing their bike across the road, knocking them over.

A truly civilised society should ALWAYS give concessions to the most vulnerable. In this case pedestrians. Who seem to have "equal rights" to the road - not more.

It could be that when you pass your driving test here you get a "right to drive" not a "licence". Nitpicking at the terminology is one thing, but we all know what the Poles are like when it comes to "who has the rights/who is right" etc.

Life / Want to watch BBC iplayer in Poland? [59]

I use expatsheild. But I also use adblock with firefox. No ads. No crap. They added a load of servers to it the other month so its pretty fast. Fast enough for HD.

UK, Ireland / Why are Brits so left-wing? [60]


Sound like you read the Daily Mail faaaaar to much.

Life / How can I volunteer my time in Poland to help the less fortunate over Christmas? [5]

I was wondering the same thing. Not sure there will be much use for me- my Polish is non existent. If I could help I'd love to.

Life / Where to buy a Christmas Tree in Krakow? [11]

Oh....Here we go! Look I'm not going to discuss that here. Want to talk about it? Start your own thread.

Life / Where to buy a Christmas Tree in Krakow? [11]


Because Christmas is coming and we are celebrating Wigilia with my boyfriend's family at our flat. Wigilia needs a tree.

UPDATE:

I got an artificial one in the end. It looks nice though. I also managed to spend 200zl on decorations - the shame!. Basically if it glittered, I bought it. I'm *such* a magpie. Don't ever let me near anything shiny.

Life / Where to buy a Christmas Tree in Krakow? [11]


Typo.

I went to OBI today on Wielicka. They have loads at a reasonable price. I'm returning tonight with the better half - there were so many different types I got scared to talk to the sellers I ran away like a coward.


This INFURIATES me. I hate it when people put their tree up so early, by the time the celebrations begin the tree is dead! My mum always used to put the tree up on Christmas Eve. This was in the UK. Most of my friends thought it was ******* to do so. Got one over on my friends though... the angels used to bring ours when we had a nap.

Life / Childrens bedroom furniture - where to buy directly in Poland without waiting 8 weeks [6]

I second Ikea. It has some lovely stuff (don't take your kid- s/he'll want everything)!

Life / Where to buy a Christmas Tree in Krakow? [11]

Unfortunately I don't have a car. So They will have to be somewhere accessible by tram.

Love / Aliments and abortion (I was married to a Polish guy) [64]

Good work champ champ. This guy doesn't have a leg to stand on. Keep strong.

UK, Ireland / Fertile Polish Women in the UK [87]


Pints of cheap Stella. Jeremy Kyle. Fake Burberry. Rowdiness. Mad fer it. Up for a fight. Staffordshire bull terriers. Fake tan. Wilful ignorance. Sofa rotting in the front garden. Littering. Chain Smoking.

Surely a culture that must continue. More of the same please. Long may it continue.



Not every Polish is good. Not everything British is good.

Travel / Restaurant reviews in Poland. [86]

Krakow:

Pizza Garden - Best pizza I've ever eaten ul. M. Konopnickiej. Fantastic brick fired oven. Tiny and no booking avaliable. Gets VERY busy. BE warned.

Moaburger - New Zealand burger place - akin to Gourmet Burger Kitchen in the UK. Delicious pink burgers made fresh on the premesis. Run by a New Zealander. ul. Mikolajska 3

China City - The only Chinese worth going to. Polish style Chinese is rank as, but this place is authentic and good (albeit a little expansive) ul. Brzozowa 18. Décor is horrendous. Food is lush. Dim Sum anyone?

Ogniem i Mieczem - Proper polish food. Mock banquet style. Very expensive. Excellent for tourists. Away from the main town. Their specially made honey vodka is delicious. I recommend the ribs. Serkowskiego 7

Food / UK beers in Poland and for what price? [7]

Big Tesco stores definitely have them. As do Alma.

Law / Can't get a social security number/PESEL in Poland (I'm from UK) [56]

I got a NIP before I got a PESEL. NIPs are pretty much redundant now anyway they are being phased out and mine hasn't been used since Janary.

Sorting out the paperwork has been the single most infuriating thing I've experienced since arriving here. It seems that every 'official' has 10 different ways of doing the same thing. I think the truth is none of the deck jockeys at the town halls actually know what they are talking about. They work on the basis that if they send you away (to anyone else- even with wrong information) then someone else will either sort it out, or it just simply isn't their problem anymore. If you ask 100 of these fools what to do you will get 100 different answers.

The way I got my PESEL (after running around for 3 months) was through my employer. I gave them my NIP and 3month zameldowania, they told me the nip wad useless and that they (I presume the authorities) would generate one for me with proof of employment.

Karta Porbytu wad nearly impossible - we had to get my boyfriends aunt involved, who is a judge in Krakow, even she was totally confused.

Not much help but I feel your pain. The system is ridiculous.

Off-Topic / I am teaching my Polish friend English, advice needed [30]

Hi. IMO you're correct about Cutting Edge - while it has some good lessons it's generally a load of pony. I hate teaching from that book.

You're doing the right thing by keeping conversation simple. She probably doesn't get enough time to actually practise using English for communication purposes, and it might be a good idea to work in tandem with what she is learning at the college. So you should get her to do all the talking, make her think, don't tell her everything and get her to "work it out for herself (if you can).

If you're going to approach grammar - keep it simple, use substitution tables, highlight conjugations, negatives and questions.. eg:



This:
scribd.com/doc/21349490/Elementary-Grammar-Games-Jill-Hadfield
is quite a good book if you're going to concentrate on speaking with her. You can copy the image on your computer, paste it into paint, and then print it out. The language is quite targeted, and it means you can correct her mistakes.

There are a few websites where you can download materials, grammar books, etc. PM me if you want the links. New English File seems to be the standard course book at the moment - if you want to work from course books. It's quite good, but I prefer the old one.

Food / The great British teabag hunt thread [66]

You can get orgaic Clipper tea in Alma. The best tea in the world! It's quite pricey though I think it's worth the money if you're not visiting the isles for a while..

Is it me, or is Lipton improving (slowly). I had a not bad cup of Lipton tea in Zakopane this weekend past.

I was proper shocked.

Food / Pinto beans in Poland [17]

Depends if you're talking about the fermented soy type or the Mexican type. I have to no avail found fermented Chinese black beans anywhere.

Kuchnie iata in Galeria Krakowska do, however, have dried black beans... not what I was after and a little expensive, but if you're desperate...

Work / Salary and cost of living information - Krakow [257]

I know a lawyer in Krakow who earns 1500zl after tax. He's an actual lawyer working at a firm and regularly travels to Warsaw. Make of that what you will. Not everyone earns millions of PLN in Krakow.

News / American soldiers beat up in Torun, Łódź [141]

I can't believe that this thread is still going. It is ridiculous!

Oh Harry!

American still isn't a race. If it were, then there would be no racial problems in America. Just because you say something long enough - it doesn't make it true. Even if you do wish to conveniently ignore well thought out rebuttals (I love that tactic.. very clever), which you do on every thread.. Show us the EVIDENCE that this was:

a) a racist attack
b) a xenophobic attack

(evidence being: language used by the thugs, previous discussions overheard by third parties, past (racist) behaviour) and you'll no doubt be left alone.

Maaarysia has already acknowledged that:


Which means that the attack CAN'T have been racially motivated because the KOREAN GUY JOINED IN. Perhaps he was the racist, itching to get in a bar fight with some chavvy Polaks (lol)? Mate, just let it go. Wild speculation has never helped anyone.

If you wish to see race as the defining factor which everyone acts by, feel free to do so. But for goodness sake stop pushing your behavioural theories onto other people. Not everyone defines themselves solely by their race, or has racial motives. I don't but perrhaps you do, which is why you behave like a dog with a rag on these race issues - refusing to let go, and seeing it everywhere, even when there isn't reason to.

Show us ANY EVIDENCE of a racially motivated attack (even a xenophobic attack -I'll let you have that one too). Any at all. You have the whole internet to trawl through. I'm sure you can find something.

As my boyfriend said yesterday... "Sometimes people don't like you because you behave like a c*nt... they don't disike you because you happen to be black/Jewish/Asian/Pakistani/Korean/Whatever... it's simply because you behave like a c*nt".

My wild speculation says (I'm doing it now!): The Yanks and Polish chavs were both behaving like drunken c*nts. End of story.

Language / Polish language grammar books [59]

I use this one... it's quite good.

universitas.com.pl/ksiazka/Gramatyka__Dlaczego_nie____wicze nia_gramatyczne_dla_poziomu_A1_2843.html

News / American soldiers beat up in Torun, Łódź [141]


(my bolding)


No! No racial discrimination.

Harry, you were the one banging on about being black and white earlier in the thread. You made no mention of nationality. The convention uses "racial discrimination" as a catch all phrase because it makes a contractual document about 1/4 of the size it would be. If they were to define everything by a dictionary standard in the contract it would go on forever. It's a clever thing that lawyers do to save time. Racial discrimination only = xenophobia IN THAT SPECIFIC document for the purposes of legality. Shall mean, as it says in the document, does not equal "does mean".

Are you saying that, because of this legally drawn up document, that if you were to look in an Oxford English dictionary suddenly

xenophobia = racism

and

racism = xenophobia.

Please Harry, you are smarter than this.

UK, Ireland / Lots of Polish in England buy houses and integrate into the UK system well [9]

I'm slightly jealous of the Poles.

I wish there were a country I could go to and earn three times the national average salary doing menial work. I'd do exactly the same: save like buggery, live like a pauper, and then go home rich and buy a massive flat.

The Poles I met in London were there on a mission, and they were mainly hard working and dedicated. Don't think for a second that if the British couldn't find a country that would accommodate them for a while and pay them a ton of money for unskilled work, that they wouldn't be doing exactly the same thing.

I don't blame them, it's a smart move economically for the Poles. There are of course bigger concerns for the working classes of the UK whom seem to be being stomped in the face government after government, but that is not the Poles fault - and there are plenty of Brits that can't see that unfortunately.