PolishForums LIVE  /  Archives [3]    
   
Archives - 2010-2019 / Life  % width 49

You've been in Poland a while if ....


peterweg  37 | 2305  
10 May 2012 /  #31
Ah, yes, Krakow's Lucky Stone
vndunne  43 | 279  
10 May 2012 /  #32
If you move to a different country after 6 years and...
- You wont cross the road until the little man has turned green.
- You get a check book in the mail from your new bank, and you look at it as if it was a relic!!!
FUZZYWICKETS  8 | 1878  
10 May 2012 /  #33
* You appreciate that it's probably better to treat your serious medical condition or injury at home, rather than take your chances with the Polish emergency services

haha, totally true. i've heard my fair share of horror stories.
OP Jimmu  2 | 156  
11 May 2012 /  #34
Correct. Either raw or extremely well-done. Rare, bleeding steaks are horrible perversion for my Polish taste. I am not a vampire.

- you expect beef to be cooked to the point it falls apart on your plate or raw with raw egg and onions. Neither of which requires a knife!
pawian  221 | 25808  
11 May 2012 /  #35
Falling apart on my plate is wrong visualisation. A better one is: melting on my tongue. It is a Polish saying about sth deliciously soft.

all meant in good humour

Naturally. :):):)

and let's say just medium rare, so pink but not bloody, is just so much nicer??

Sorry, no.

I am a perfectionist. Either raw or burnt. No intermediary states. :):):):)

- You get a check book in the mail from your new bank, and you look at it as if it was a relic!!!

What do you mean? I don`t get it. Sorry for taking your time.

* You spend 300zł on window netting to prevent an invasion of mosquitos during the summer.

Yes, I thought about it many times. But I am too lazy to design an anti-mosquito net which would resist my cats` claws.

I am thinking of training my cats to catch mosquitoes instead.

* You start calling your toes 'fingers' and assigning genders to inanimate objects. "Oh that's a nice phone" - "Yes, he's really good"

Yes, it is a real nuisance. I can`t make my younger students say it about unfamiliar animals and objects. The toothbrush is she and Plesiosaurus is he.

* Entering an occupied elevator without saying "dzień dobry" imparts that you are either (a) mute or (b) the spawn of the devil himself.

And saying it would impart that you are a pervert who is planning an attack. Or a conman who is planning to borrow 5 zlotys from the other pasenger.

That is why I very rarely say dzień dobry in the lift. Thus, I care about other people`s good mood.

* You grow a fondness for flavoured bottle waters - a la Żywiec

We don`t buy them.

Ok, twice or thrice a year at most. Especially during holidays.

* You appreciate that it's probably better to treat your serious medical condition or injury at home, rather than take your chances with the Polish emergency services

I rarely fall ill, but when it happens, yes, I examine myself and apply the treatment on my own. I don`t need any doctors because I know myself the best. And it isn`t about Polish doctors, no. I would do the same in Germany or France.

But my wife likes taking our sick children to a doctor. Such a hobby. I close an eye.

* You think it's normal that if there are multiple cash-places but only one queue of 10+ people, it's fair to bypass them.

Hmm, probably it is too strong a satire. Things are different, of course.

You'd have a pleasant surprise in Poznań then. There a few stations notorious for being "difficult to leave the tram" at. For the Poznanians here, they would be: Małe Garbary, Most Teatralny, Kórnicka and Półwiejska. You have to be very strategic about your positioning on trams to avoid being in situations where you have to ram people out the way like an American football player, or where you could be the one being rammed, crushed or pushed by babcie frantically trying to get off or on in case the tram left without them.

Sorry, it is hard to imagine. It sounds like a science fiction story from a galaxy far far away. Yes, you are probably telling the truth, but it is still unbelievable to me.
natasia  3 | 368  
13 May 2012 /  #36
I don`t need any doctors because I know myself the best

Are you a doctor, then? Or just very sure of yourself / good on google? ; )
welshguyinpola  23 | 463  
13 May 2012 /  #37
You call a piece of bread with something on top a sandwich
OP Jimmu  2 | 156  
13 May 2012 /  #38
- you stop trying to explain to people that San Francisco is not very close to San Diego and just say "No, I don't think I remember meeting your cousin."

- you realize that "Nie, dziękuje." never works at the dinner table.
- you say "Herbatka" not because you want tea, but because you don't want to hear the list of all possible drinks your host can provide.

- you pepper your English with Polish words because the Polish words fit better what you're trying to say.
- you laugh when someone mentions the A2
pawian  221 | 25808  
14 May 2012 /  #39
Are you a doctor, then? Or just very sure of yourself / good on google? ; )

No, I am not a doctor, but I am a good observer, able to analyse my experience and draw right conclusions from my observations.

- you realize that "Nie, dziękuje." never works at the dinner table.

It depends how persuasive you sound. if you sound firm enough, nothing you don`t really want will be forced upon you.

- you say "Herbatka" not because you want tea, but because you don't want to hear the list of all possible drinks your host can provide.

That is a mystery to me.

- you pepper your English with Polish words because the Polish words fit better what you're trying to say.

Amusingly amazing. :)

- you laugh when someone mentions the A2

No comments. :):):)

A2 will be fully driveable except for 20-kilometer section near Warsaw.
pam  
15 May 2012 /  #40
you realize that "Nie, dziękuje." never works at the dinner table.

so true.....sometimes i have felt like a cow being fattened up for market.....lol!
pawian  221 | 25808  
15 May 2012 /  #41
Probably you are too skinny.
catsoldier  54 | 574  
16 May 2012 /  #42
You can see some mistakes in what some people write or say.
Trevek  25 | 1699  
31 May 2012 /  #43
You don't giggle when you see the words "fart" or "fuks".

You ask your Polish colleagues questions about English grammar.

You aren't surprised when a pedestrian waves you to drive on when you stop to let them cross.

You can take only one of those paper serviettes out of the holder without spilling all the others.
rybnik  18 | 1444  
31 May 2012 /  #44
you pepper your English with Polish words because the Polish words fit better what you're trying to say.

Poglish! Very effective and economical form of communication ;)

you realize that "Nie, dziękuje." never works at the dinner table.

true that. Poles love to gościć. They were like that in the PRL-days especially during the lean times. They always had plenty for a guest.

you stop trying to explain to people that San Francisco is not very close to San Diego and just say "No, I don't think I remember meeting your cousin."

yep some just can't fathom the distances here in the States.
natasia  3 | 368  
31 May 2012 /  #45
you pepper your English with Polish words because the Polish words fit better what you're trying to say

oh yes, jimmy, you are right there ... so right. and when you start saying things like 'they' when referring to the door or your hair ...
MoOli  9 | 479  
31 May 2012 /  #46
You can see some mistakes in what some people write or say

once I said Po Prsze die mi loda! in Micky dees and made a fool of myself:(
rybnik  18 | 1444  
31 May 2012 /  #47
ok. not grammatical but how did it make you look foolish? You got your ice cream right? :) Isn't that ultimately what matters?
MoOli  9 | 479  
31 May 2012 /  #48
You got your ice cream right? :) Isn't that ultimately what matters?

yes i did but lots of heads turned around and my friend explained me what actually it means....
rybnik  18 | 1444  
31 May 2012 /  #49
Kudos to you for speaking Polish in public! We all went/go through it. I hope you won't/don't dwell on that stuff too much. I'm sure your friend told you how to say it correctly right? Now you'll never forget :) That's how I learned the best (I know it's painful at times). Just keep at it.

Archives - 2010-2019 / Life / You've been in Poland a while if ....Archived