Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why.

so true:). I will wait until winter comes and then start to complain;)


classic Rejs lol

how often do you charge your Nokberry .
can you maybe comment how much electricity the phone charger for this Polish blackberry costs, because since getting a new blackberry model and thus having a new charger I have to pay much more hard earned money.

nobody said it would be easy - unless this is a serious inquiry;)

(just bumping my thread;)

Sorry to poke my nose in, but reading your posts really impressed me. A lot of truth in what you say. Fair play to you.

Well, there was wine and there was cheese, but strangely enough people were interested in art and the conversation as well. I didn't know anybody, so my friend took a pity on me and introduced me to her friend, a Polish guy who moved to Ireland about 3 years ago. The conversation with him was like pulling teeth most of the time, so my attention went to wine and cheese. I think that me and my conversation partner due to the Western exposure were the most casually dressed people there- he was wearing sneakers - I put on those painful boots on that night. Some women were wearing attire similar to the one I would wear on New Years Eve, some were more casual, but there were many suits, dresses, high heels, flashy handbags. Most people came to appreciate art and I must have been one of the few spoiled Westerners who also came for free food - freebies as we call it in Canada.

For such a small place there were many cameras, so when somebody pointed one at me, I quickly made friends in order to find out what website my image would end up on and I soon found out that it would on a personal blog. Not so bad after all, once has to start somewhere. Had I known more people I would have had a better time, since pulling teeth from a strange Polish bloke - a smart ass type, was not really my cup of tea.

I tried to grab a taxi but there was none in sight, so I took a walk and after 10 minutes I finally got one - I have to say that Szczecin is a fairly safe city in the evening and one can only encounter a lat dog walker, which was the cast that night.


always glad to share my experiences:).

I wonder at times if Poles are as patriotic as they claim to be.

Welcome to Europe where men wear suits not only for highschool graduation, weddings, and funerals. You are probably more used to the American style art shows - flea markets.

I have never gone to a flea market minds you and while in Canada I was interested in art and followed what was new, but one has to admit that Polish people like to dress up, occasion or not and I like it. I didn't feel out of place that night, but as always made some observations:).

That means that I have to get some new attire:)

I was joking. Take the theatre. I go often in Warsaw and one does not need to dress up. I do. I feel it is respectful to the actors and an occassion to be elegant. I hope checking out some plays is on your list.

I think it has something to do with dressing up, going out and celebrating the event and I agree with you that going to the theatre is not only about respect for the art but also about presenting yourself in the best light.


yes, I live 5 minutes away from one of the theatres and Teatr Wspolczesny (20 minutes from my place)run by Anna Augustynowicz, who has won many awards over the years.

Laundry machines in Poland
I have been a happy owner of one for 2 weeks now.

It is an essential equipment and what is good about it is the fact that one can have it in their flat. In Canada one is NOT allowed to have one, so everybody has to use the laundry facilities in the building while renting. It is OK, but there is not that much control of how much energy one can use, but with the one in my flat I can play and choose how I use it. Also, I only pay for used up energy, not a flat rate like in Canada. Also, Polish laundromats do much better job then the Canadian ones.

Laundry detergent in Canada is of one kind. In Poland there is a division: whites and colour, so ideally Polish people use 2 kinds of laundry detergent. To be honest I doubt that there is a much difference, but I still follow the custom. When in Rome.......

Eating out
due to my irregular schedule I have to eat out and I am still missing most of my pots and pans in my kitchen, but until it changes tomorrow (the shipment has been released from the claws of custom officers in Gdynia), I am still stuck with eating out and trying out new places.

Chinese place around the corner is not bad either and I have heard that the Indian restaurant Bombay is not so bad either.

What is available without breaking the bank is a sort of new version of milk bar around my work. for 12 PLN once can have a full dinner: soup and the second. It is not bad and provides me with some nutritions;). The place is clean, but not fancy. When I have to order food, the cashier writes all the positions on a piece of paper, which I have to take to the kitchen. Once my meal is ready, they call the name of the dish: Pierogi Ruskie!!!!!!!!!Krupnik!!!!!!!!!Flaki!!!!!!!! and so on. It is almost like during the communist times, since those ladies in the kitchen still look the same.

The is a huge aquarium in this place with a huge single carp( why am I not surprised) swimming in it and I always have an impression that it is looking at me while I am eating.

There are also some kebab places, but I am not really keen on that type of food.

lol

now this is ironic that you say this, I told my sister this very same thing when I had
fish , every morning I would walk into the room and they were staring at me , I would
walk to the right, they follow, walk to the left they follow.. finally I fed them they would
still stare.. I wonder what they were thinking? lol.

interesting... in the US there is a detergent to hot water, to cold water, to colors, to whites, to blacks.... way too many... i'm waiting for detergent to yellow, red, blue.... hehe... what a headache! ;)


wow! i didn't realize those places still exist!! how funny! :)


"...What a hottie!!!...." ;)

Welcome home.

I use a place like that in Krakow. Go there every day and I have meals like your mother would make and for 16PLN you can have zupa (soup) schabowy, potatoes, kapusta (cabbage) and salad. Once you've eaten that you know you've had enough. And always the same standard - always good.

They also sell take-away food, which you can cook at home.

Great write up aphrodisiac, keep'em coming :)

not much in my opinion, but the carp has those huge eyes and swims around the aquarium with very serious look;). The owner put a sign: do not bang on the aquarium. I wonder if he is saving the fish for X-mas dinner for 10.


I am sure there is more variety in Canada, I must have skipped the lesson then:). I just cannot be bothered with trying to figure out what goes with whites, colours and so on. I am just happy with the fact that I don't have to do the job.


they do and the food is fresh and tastes good and I like the casual atmosphere there.


sounds like the one I go to. There is take out as well and the place is fairly busy.
My weather prediction scheme
I already mentioned the grandiosity to a certain degree of the mini Yorki who sits every single day in the hairdresser's window on my street. I can always tell if I should wear warmer clothes if the Yorki is wearing a pink sweater and sits inside. A couple of weeks ago he was still walking down the street back and forth with a serious look on his face, but lately( with the lower temps) he is sitting in his basket, in a pink sweater, often covered with a blankie. He is the most hilarious dog in my area. I bet his hairdresser owner gives him a haircut since he always looks well groomed and has a pony tail in a form of a small fountain on top of his head.

My stuff has arrived
Can you believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!

It arrived in Poland by ship cargo 2 weeks ago, but I had to run a paper trail, so the boyz at customs would be happy.

All my stuff made it in one pieces to Szczecin tonight and I am a happy camper. I cannot believe how heavy it was, but I had a driver and his brother to help me carry the boxes upstairs (3 rd floor - no elevator), although the brother soon realized that he was out of shape and instead of carrying boxes, he used my bathroom, tried the arm chair and was feeling quite comfortable. Thank Goodness once they finished and I handed them the 50% of remaining money (smart move) they were gone. They wee quick and sufficient and I think that I am finally settled, well, after I empty the boxes:).

Nite, I am totally exhausted.

Just got a phone call from the custom agency inquiring if my cargo made it OK to Szczecin. Customer service at its best!!!!!!

I might reconsider setting up import - export in the future.

Customs are very quick - grease.

no, they were NOT. There was no grease either;), just a regular steep fee:) for processing and I did not pay duty my dear Jola.

i believe so! i can't imagine how much work is to move a household from one country to another... what a headache! i hope most of the people are nice and helpful to make this process easier for you...

thanks PG, it was indeed hell most of the time. The majority of work I had to do myself but what I found the most difficult was to decide what to take and what to leave? Moving households is stressful, moving households across the ocean even more so, but not impossible to do.

ANyways, nothing was broken or crashed, nothing was missing in the transport. I remember when I was moving to Canada and one huge portfolio of my drawings vanished in the process;(

Anyways, it is almost over since I still need to unpack some of the left over boxes:)

Yorkie has changed his sweater
This dog is somewhat of a fashion fan as I am finding out. Today he was wearing a white sweater and I can only guess that it must be his pre- winter attire. I am curious what he is going to wear in the winter. My guess is: boots.

I hope you have all guessed by now that it is getting colder in Szczecin and everybody here is scared of the coming winter. Since there is hardly any snow in Sz-n, people worry about the days getting shorter and this is really a problem since it gets really dark early on. In Canada, even in the winter the sun was usually setting down around 5 or 6, here , during the winter it will probably be after 4 in the afternoon.

Hooking up a washing machine

Well, all I have to say that I finally figure out how to unblock it - unscrew the 3 screws, attach a hose, turn the water on and don't forget to place the other hose in a sink, otherwise you end up with a really wet floor and the neighbours knocking at your door. The first thing has happened, the second NOT yet:). Wish me luck.

PS> it took me 2 days to figure it out since I really don't like reading manuals;(

the All Saint Day is approaching in Poland and besides paying the respect to the dead ones Poles find another chance to have a long or an even longer weekend.

Are there any non-religious celebrations associated with the long weekend?

Just curious.

You don't pay any attention to cats?

not that I am aware of, but some places, cities celebrate Halloween, but to what degree I don't know since I have been here only over a month. I will be cooking pumpkin soup and carving a pumpkin for sure, but I will also go to the cemetery on All Saints Day. If you are in Poland, going in the evening is a must.

I have seen some Halloween decoration in shops and party stores, so there must be a market for it.

Pumpkin soup

It is not a very traditional dish in Poland, neither is carving a pumpkin a wide spread tradition yet.

I spotted a nice looking pumpkin a week ago at the doorstep of the neighbour - he had 6, so I asked him if he would "donate" one for my kitchen experiment. I got myself a nice pumpkin soup recipe from a Polish friend living in German and she claimed that it is a seasonal dish at this time of the year. I think that pumpkin in Poland is considered somewhat an underdog food, so when I was picking the veggie up this weekend, I got a strange look from the owner. As you can guess, I am not easily discouraged, so I proceeded to my father's kitchen and attack the orange beast. In less then an hour I had a large pot of cream soup. It was very tasty and I even shared some with the owner of the pumpkin, but I have not got a feedback yet;). Needless to say, it is a great and fast way to cook something tasty and a bit different then another Polish soup.

Usually takes me 15 minutes just to peel the tricky little bugger.

I use a potato peeler to take the skin off- works great. well, maybe it took me more then an hour, but the cutting, peeling and gutting the pumpkin is more time consuming then the actual cooking time.

BTW: what do you spice yours with. I add cream, a dash of cinnamon, fresh garlic and fresh dill.

My friend suggested some garlic crutons, but I did not follow her advice.

I used to have to prepare them sometimes when i worked in France, they were different there they had very tricky grooves which you had to peel at weird angles with a small knife.


I try not to use to much actual pumpkin, just loads of cream, then disguise the flavour a bit with potato and carrots all blended in, lots of freshly ground black pepper and good chicken stock.

No cream, just very good stock, garlic, plenty of onions and black pepper and a pinch of chilli and cumin.

In reality though, butternut squash makes much better soup than pumpkin.

I see, there are all kinds of pumpkins and squash and some are easier then others to peel.


I like the pumpkin flavour though, so I don't mind.


nice one, thanks.


I cook with what I have at the moment. I had a choice in Canada when it comes to squash, but here I have not encountered any yet, so I am sticking to pumpkin:) since I like the taste and the colour.

aphrodisiac,
It's an awful long thread, so someone might have asked you that question, but do you miss Canada?

I live in the States, and whenever I pick up the topic of moving back, I always get the "grass is greener on the other side" song.

So how do compare the life styles between both countries? Are you happy with your decision?

not yet. I know I will in a short time. I am starting to discover that some Poles don't like any changes and they like to be where they are, because what is Polish is better, even if it is not better anyways. Poles are not very open to innovations, experiments, looking at things in a different way and I am getting a little annoyed by it, because I like progress in life.


I agree. There are things that I will always miss in Canada: the tolerance and the lack of bugging into somebody's life, while in Poland it is a different story: everybody sees everything and anything and then they speculate.

I miss the efficiency of the Canadian clerks. Polish clerks are either rude, or when not rude, they lack the basic human skills. Yesterday I was buying the monthly pass and my cell phone rang - the woman who was selling me the ticket started banging on the glass with an angry look on her face.


more later. Happy? To early to say really.

aphrodisiac wrote:


i think for anyone coming from Canada/USA and moving to Poland is going to be faced with an inevitable realization, regardless of who you are. The realization will be that you left a better life for a more difficult one. Sure, you may have lost your job in "the west", got sick of some things and needed a change , whatever your particular case may have been, but in the end, "Polish things" are going to eat away at you and you're going to start thinking about how this and that was better back home. Eventually, you start asking yourself, "well......i'm here.....what's better here?" and in all honesty, in my opinion.....not much.

but that's just me.

so let me ask you aphrodisiac....what is it in Poland that you find is just simply BETTER than in Canada?

of course, it is far too early to ask this question because you just moved back and you need more time for things to really start sinking in....but I guess I could always ask you this question a year from now and compare ;)