Language / Polish Language test using the European Language Frameworks [9]

buwiwm.edu.pl/certyfikacja/

Here. Click on "przykładowe testy" .. and I believe there is no C1 as an official stage, though I guess you will find it in some language schools.

Work / Advice on Polish courses in Krakow [8]

uj.edu.pl/Polonia/pl/onas/

I don't know who exactly they take.. but I did see people that didn't seem to be students anymore.
Anyhow, I took some classes there and would highly recommend it :) If that helps at all.

Language / Polite forms in Polish vs English [49]

From what I've seen, people whose native languages are not that big on addressing people formally, have a tendency to drop out the polite "pan/pani" form and address everyone as "ty". And that does not fly well. Maybe it's just the culture I was brought up in.. but when I see a 19 year old kid addressing their professor in such a manner it just makes my skin crawl. However looking at myself and my fellow students of Polish in Slovenia, we have problems with the correct polish form as well.. since in my language addressing someone formally calls for the use of the 2. person plural and as a slip of the tongue we all do it a lot when speaking Polish as well.

As far as the English being more polite than the Polish.. I would have to disagree. The forms might be a bit more subtle.. but the tunes - oh my, the tunes! They're quite expressive.. it's all in the way one delivers the sentence. And I would have to say I have never seen such complete turnabouts of character as one can witness when the English go abroad on vacation. :P

Life / Is it me or do any guys in Poland not have shaved heads? [113]


Yes, because if you decide to pull such a ridiculous generalization out of your pocket it doesn't even matter whether you have ever seen a map of Europe before.