From UK, finding my feet in Warsaw, Poland.

Hello everyone, I would like a little advice and info if that is ok. I have 1 million questions but i will try to stick to just a few for now lol.

I am very new to Poland...flew in last saturday from uk with my Polish boyfriend but he had to leave me the next day due to work commitments :( I am feeling very much like an Alien at the minute. So far i have mastered the Warsaw Metro system...Found Tesco and done some shopping (yey lol) Decided which bank i would like to open an account with ( thanks to you lovely people on here)

I need to know where would be best to improve my Polish language? boyfriend is no good to teach me ( i am fluent in polski swearing and filth ha ha) but i need to learn properly, i only know basic.

Are there any UK companies here? i need work and the lack of polish language is going to hold me back with polish companies.

Are there any shops here like Peacocks/Primark in the uk? I have seen tk maxx here. Are there any others you can recommend to me for reasonably/cheap prices..especially for underwear/ footwear.

Thankyou
Donna

Welcome! Not that you are being ignored but I, for example, do not have answers to your present questions. One thing I am sure of, you will be buying your clothes back in UK because they are expensive here and the choice is not what you are most likely used to. TK Maxx has just opened a week ago and everyone is disappointed, not with TK Maxx in general, but with the leftovers they have sent to Poland. Maybe the corporate strategy is to keep us shabby looking, but maybe you would like to get that Eastern block look also. :) C'est la mode.

Read newspapers and books. Listen to PolskaStacja.pl or RMF FM and take a part in the Polishforum :)

Unfortunately not. I know a few Polish people who go to Berlin or even a cheap flight to Doncaster Airport and come back loaded with Primark stuff.

As for the language, don't get stressed by grammar tables, just speak and don't be afraid of making mistakes. Poles make mistakes when they're learning English, and so will you when you're learning Polish. Peter_Olsztyn's advice is good. I'd add that childrens' TV is a good way to start, and keep your eyes open for what is around you, shop signs, adverts etc.

Meeting people and talking to them will probably be your best shot at learning Polish if you have no knowledge of the language what so ever. Boyfriend's friends perhaps? Poles will appreciate your effort to learn the language, they will most likely be very helpful.

I don't know any place that teaches foreigners Polish sadly. Perhaps I should start teaching myself :)

As far as work goes, if you have any patience for teaching language schools are constantly looking for native speakers, so much so they don't require teaching qualifications of them. It also depends what you'd like to do professionally?

As for Primark... I'm opposed to those on moral grounds (yes, yes, i know). Have a go at shopping malls (Arkadia is the most liked in Warsaw) - various shops, various prices.

If you need any particular advice hit me with a message.
I just started a blog about warsaw for foreigners, so I'd love to know what you guys are looking for. Plus I like being helpful :)

xx ana

Thankyou all very much for your replies. I really appreciate it :)
I am finding people here in my area very helpful and patient with me..while i make a shambles of their language ha ha... as soon as i say Nie rozumiem or Nie Polski, jestem angielskie..they have been great and help me how they can, some have spoke English to me. I understand a lot more than i can speak. Its so hard, lots of different ways to say one word depending on with whom you are speaking!!!! but at the moment i am not concerned with that, i just want to learn the words, the rest can come later.

I am learning online and watch polish tv but i think i am best just throwing myself in there and keep trying..much to the amusement of the poles, im sure:)

Boyfriend will have to start helping me...not just what he wants to hear ha ha.
I am sure i will have many more questions for you all, thanks again
Donna x

Were your feet stolen in the UK , and brought to Poland , or were they stolen while you were in Poland...?

:) :) thankyou wildrover i just pmsl out loud, my new neighbours will think im crazy lol

If you really are crazy , then you will have no problem with life in Poland..

I am a Brit who has been here for five years , not an easy ride , but i was happy here...now I am in love with a Russian , so must move on eastwards....

I wish you well with life in Polska...

Well...i wanted to keep it quiet for now lol

Thankyou for your good wishes x

You might want to put an add at the uni to exchange basic Polish for English conversation.

Polish in 4 Weeks - Level 1: An intensive course in basic Polish

You may be able to get a second hand copy on: allegro.pl

This School is ok: learnpolish.edu.pl/warsaw/index.php, but there are so many on the market. Don't be frightened to contact several and go for the intro (its free)

This place is the hang out for the English in Warsaw:warsawtortillafactory.pl

This is a meet up place for expat mothers in Warsaw, most of the kids are in International schools, so you may be able to get some work helping the kids with homework: mumsandtots.com

Good luck.

Theres even fish and chips!!!! fishandchips.pl

Aw thanks guys :) very much appreciated
Donna xx

You are a brave girl Donna. Good luck!

Hiya Donna,

Ive just not long arrived to and am with my polish Girlfriend............................... I know how you feel so drop me a line as ive already found some good people and have some good friends ;-)

Dom

Crazy, nuts and god damn determined too :)

Thanks Dom ;) where u from in uk?

Ahhh boyfriend has returned :) :) my life is a little easier now.... Just had a nice nite out in Imielin...kind of...first part great..watchin the football with a few pints in starlight bar...second part...DO NOT...i will say again..DO NOT go and see Pirahna at the cinema..OMG i wasted an hour of my life in multikino....boyfriends fault!!! he wanted to go see it because it was 3d... I told him it would be shi** but he wouldnt listen lol...we both had enough after one hr and left.

Hi Donna,

im also from the uk, living in warsaw. Poland actually has a lot of good places to get things. i heavily rely on Marks&sparks for most of the things im missing. ive been here 3 years and i go back to uk for the bare essentials but other than that there are a lot of things i can get her. a good place for shoes is deuchmann..i buy most shoes there..

hope youre adapting well.

Bee

Thanks Bee,
yeah im finding everything ok...not too many problems as of yet, i know that shoe shop....uk has some stores here, one being in my home town. I quite like TK maxx but have not really looked properly. I love the shops underground in Warsaw central too...Ooo lots of bargains ha ha.

Food is not such a big deal...i love polish kitchen! the one thing i miss is hard cheese (cheddar) have tried a few kinds here but not the same.

Oo just thought of another...coleslaw lol i will have to visit M&S food department :)

Donna

When buying anything from Marks DO make sure that you read the label and Best before date....recently Marks have been selling Christmas stuff which was best before 30th November....