My boyfriend is Polish and wants me to go there to visit him for one month. I really dont have much of a choice if i want to see him, because he cannont visit the US without a visa, and being that he would be visiting me his girlfriend, they really are not going to want to give him a visa, or he might get denied entry because they will assume he will stay illegally to be with me.
He doesnt really understand why i am afraid to visit. Its just that i have never experienced any racism in my life, and i live in a prodominately white state. Maybe I would have if i was a guy or something, i dont know. But my brothers have never told me they have experienced racism . Anyways i would be very sensitive to this and frankly i just dont feel i should have to deal with it.
I have friends in France, Scottland, Ireland, England, Russia, Spain, Germany & Austria & every single one of them said that Poland is very racist and they dont think i should go there. My mom has been reading lots of negative things about Poland and she crys whenever i mention it. Im suppose to be leaving Dec 30th.
I just want some honest opinions from people who have actually been to or live in Poland. My boyfriend says 'oh you'll be fine' but i dont think he would really know. He has never dated anything other than Polish women until me, so how would he know about racism in Poland? So if it wont be safe for me, i think i would just rather meet him in France. I wont be able to see him for as long as he will have to work, but at least ill still see him and feel safe and comfortable.
If the situation in Zgorzelec should be that bad You are obviously afraid of You could change the place and make holydays with him at any touristic place in Poland. There should be no problems at all. On the other hand: If anyone should try to attack You because of Your race than You should kick him at his balls and in true need of life You can scratch out his eyes.
Hahaa. But this is it i dont want to be attacked nor do i feel i should have to defend myself. I dont feel like i should have to deal with any racism. Never have and dont want to . So if this is common in Poland i want to know. I just have a bad feeling about this. There are a lot of countries i would never visit and Poland was one of them. But i really want to see him & we cant go to any other city because he has to work.
I am an African American male and my wife is from Poland. We've been together for 5 years. We met in the US while she was traveling and working on a J1 student visa. She went back and we did the long distance thing for 2 years before we were married. I would visit her in Poland in the winter and she would come to the states in the summer for three months on a J1. I was very apprehensive the first time I went to Poland because I heard there were no blacks there. On the plane over there was a black couple going to school in Poland. And there also was a pretty mulatto girl that was half Polish and African American. I thought 'Wow!! 3 blacks on the plane, so I guess there ARE many black people in Poland... NOT!! From the time I got off the plane until the time I went back to the airport three weeks later, those were the last black people I saw :)
I didn't encounter any racism, to be honest with you I was treated like a superstar or maybe just an abnormality. What I encountered was intrigue. In smaller cities, such as the one my wife is from, Wagrowiec, people just stared constantly... with no shame or attempt to hide it. I was taken aback by that initially until I saw that they were just interested in talking to the American "murzyn". In large cities, such as Bydgoszcz and Poznan I encountered much fewer stares and in the many subsequent trips that I've made to Poland over the years now, I have seen black people in larger city, although like I said before I didn't see any on my first visit. Poland's economy is wide open for opportunity, I guess people from other countries are looking to get in now, I've seen many people from African.
I remember going to a club and all eyes were on me-especially-the ladies :) Everyone is curious. Ok, so I was sitting at the table and I really had to go to the bathroom but it was on the other side of the club... geez, if I get up everyone is REALLY going to focus on me... If I sit here and **** my pants they'll have good reason.. so I gotta go. I get up and go to the bathroom and I swear nearly every male in the club is trying to high 5 me while I'm headed to the bathroom. I get in and they are all poking their heads in trying to get a look... maybe they wanted to know if the rumor is true :)
I have a ton of story's from my many travels, such as one year old babies tracking me like a Patriot missile over his mothers shoulder, or a guy running through the bar yelling "Tupac! Tupac!" when he saw me. It goes on and on...
What I can tell you is that all I encountered was good people... very friendly and often times shy (most of the young people speak English but many will be too embarrassed to speak with a native English speaker) with an understandable curiosity. A black female friend of mine went to Poland to visit her boyfriend a couple years and she had the same experience, and she went to a small city. Many stares but nothing overly negative. She even went back several more times.
Word of caution: On my first visit I met up with some white American guys from my work that was there visiting girls they met in the states also. These guys were very cocky and had the upidity "I'm American" attitude. Things almost went really bad for them in a club. Luckily I was there to calm things down. I spoke enough Polish to get by and my being black helped (different). They were mesmerized by the murzyn :)
Just stay humble and keep in mind that you are a guest in another country and you should be fine.
Be sure to drink Zubrowka i sok jablka (apple juice).
P.S. People know me in my wife's city now so I get much fewer stares... or maybe I'm just used to it so I don't even notice anymore.
Thank you so much newhere2, you have no idea how much better you just made me feel. I was about to cancel my ticket cuz I was seriously afraid & i wanted to hear from a person of color...Asian, Indian...anyone LOL. Ill show my boyfriend your response. I kinda dont want to cuz now he is right and im wrong LOL. But im sure he will be relieved as well, because like i said; He really actually doesnt know.
I think i can handle staring. I get stared at all the time no matter where i am at. And ill just stare right back:) And im always extra nice in other countries just to show people how ignorant it is to stereotype. You know what they say about us Yanks....And why am i suppose to drink apple juice?
You seem a nice person and im sure thats why you were treated nice:) Ill email you and let you know how my trip went XXXX
@ newhere2: Your experiences are one proof more that racism isn't a born matter but a matter of education and experience. Let 2.000 colored people live in a town as Krakow and there will be no rascim firstly if those colored people are righteous and open for integration to Polish society and secondly if there are no social problems in Poland. In all other cases racism has the chance to grow and to get abused for pervert political targets.
Hey no problem. I was worried the first time I went also.
Zubrowka and apple juice.
Zubrowka is a vodka with a long blade of grass in it. When I drink it in Poland the guys laugh sometime because it's really a "woman's" vodka... according to them. I don't care, I like it :)
have friends in France, Scottland, Ireland, England, Russia, Spain, Germany & Austria & every single one of them said that Poland is very racist and they dont think i should go there. My mom has been reading lots of negative things about Poland and she crys whenever i mention it
there are some racists in Poland just like they are in France,Germany..not to mention Russia so it's funny you heard it from a russsian. i have seen plenty of black people in Krakow, talked to them and nobody complained about it.the vast majority of Poles are not rasists.
if you go to a smaller town or especially a village and people stare at you it's not because they are rasists. it's only because there are very few people of different colour and it's just people's curiosity and they react like this seeing any foreigner:D i know it because i'm from a little town:/
but at least ill still see him and feel safe and comfortable.
Poland is a safe country. this is opinion of my foreign friends
I'm of Indian decent, but I was born and raised in Canada and truly think of myself as Canadian vs. Indian. I've wanted to comment on a thread dealing with Racism in Poland for a while now.
My wife is Polish and we met in University in Canada. The first time we backpacked around Poland together was back in 2003 an I was completely ignorant about any racism that might have existed in the country which was great because everybody we met was extremely friendly and we had a great trip - 1 month and 7 cities! - I fell in love with Poland after that trip.
Since that trip we came back two more times for vacations and now we're going to med school here and couldn't be happier. While it's true that in any of the bigger cities you're less likely to experience any racism, the one and only time I have had a problem in Poland was in Wrocław and it really wasn't a big deal, just some ignorant prick blaming others for his own problems.
I read your comment about how you don't feel like you should have to deal with racism if you come here, but I think that is a little ignorant. The simple fact is that racism really exists everywhere in the world and you can't really pick and choose when you'll be a victim of it. But in Poland it's not as big a deal as people tend to make it out to be.
My wife and I noticed a trend, and those who spread the worst rumors about Poland (prostitutes and pickpockets everywhere, skinheads everywhere etc etc.) are usually those expats who left in the early 90's and never went back, or people who haven't been there at all and just don't have a clue.
The point I'm trying to make is that if you come to Poland, yes you might experience some racism, but it could also happen to you anywhere else in the world, that's just the way it is. There's racism in Canada in the US, racism all over Europe (just check the news to see how many hate crimes have been committed against Polish people working in the UK and Ireland), there's racism in Asia, especially against black people in India and China. It's everywhere, but 99% of the population are nice, friendly people who want to make a living and support their families.
I know some black people who had problems in Poland. But it can happen in all countries. Unfortunately the white power culture has grown a lot the last 10 years. But it's the same in almost all of Europe, not only Poland.
Unfortunately the white power culture has grown a lot the last 10 years.
Unfortunately attacks by certain other cultures have grown around Europe over the past 10 years as well, so it's not as if white Europeans are "safe" either.
I work with a black guy (i say it this crude because thats how he wants to be called), OK we live in a small town in the west of Poland. really people are always stopping him to talk to him about anything... people can tell he is not Polish... only once some guys said something racist in the pub, but genrally people are accepting him into the town which has only a couple of colored people!. It is amazing!
Unfortunately attacks by certain other cultures have grown around Europe over the past 10 years as well, so it's not as if white Europeans are "safe" either.
It was engineered in the 50s! West got "blacks", East got Reds:)
Last 10 years is only stirring of the lab tube with black and red mixture. Wait till some new ingredient will be added to the heated liquid to make it ( .......)!
Colour I say don't have that much importance. You use not very popular symbols, well don't think you get easy with it.
I was reading once that a Norwegian student got attacked by a bunch of hooligans , it was just right after a football match with Germany (Poland lost 0-2 or something)
They beated crap out of since he spoke a bit Norwegian or something and looked Germanic. People can get wrong, can happen anybody.
Same if wear a Chiveguera shirt or something, if it wasn't for my peacefull nature I would ripped the shirt off any passing guy who uses it ;(
My OP.. from America.. having a very polish family.. the old folks will gossip but you can win them over.. .. the younger folks will think you are very exotic because really, you are a beautiful girl, as per your photo.
Just be on your very best behavior, dress real nice, look real clean.. I don't think you will encounter gangs of Poles like whites encounter gangs of young blacks in certain cities here..
Poland is probably much safer for you than it is for a white boy in parts of Chicago.
