Work / The level of English of Polish teachers of English. What do you think of it? [101]


They're well aware - I count three warnings to him in the last couple of days.

Still, we, as civilised individuals, do not get involved in this sort of nonsense.

Work / The level of English of Polish teachers of English. What do you think of it? [101]

Honestly, when you see this - Living and working in Poznan. Looking for more students to tutor.


You start to appreciate Polish teachers ;)

I showed that to several Polish teachers, and they were all utterly horrified.

Work / The level of English of Polish teachers of English. What do you think of it? [101]


To be fair, it sounds jarring when it's missed out. It's probably the hardest thing for Polish students to grasp, and yet one of the most important things to master.


You should have said "teachers" and not teachers!

Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]

A2 will be complete (properly) by the end of 2012 :)

There's a lot opening at the minute - a new section of A1 just opened, too. And countless small expressway bypasses are opening, too.

The latest map (but still not totally up-to-date - some more stuff has opened since) - ssc-mapa.googlecode.com/svn-history/r564/trunk/nowa-mapa.png

I sometimes suspect that people are basing their knowledge on outdated internet maps rather than the actual situation on the ground. A lot is opening very, very quickly - it's hard to keep track of what's actually opened.

That map is also a bit misleading - for instance, Lodz-Katowice is dual carriageway the whole way right now, but it's awaiting upgrade to full motorway.

Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]


Please do :)

Actually - from what I can see in Poland, the issue is on roads that aren't maintained by the GDDKiA - especially in cities. Wroclaw for instance has absolutely horrible roads, and Poznan isn't much better.

Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]


I'm wondering about these specific examples of poorly maintained national roads. I've given you one, and that's the only one I've encountered in the entire time driving here. The rest are fine by European standards.


Anyone with half a brain can see the nice new motorways and expressways popping up everywhere. Or was I dreaming when I drove on 2x2 minimum roads to Krakow recently?


So you don't actually have specific examples of poorly maintained roads. What a surprise.

Even DW roads tend to be well maintained in Poland, especially in tricky terrain.


I will, and I'll also enjoy the fact that there is much less traffic on them than in Germany, for instance.


Pretty much. That's the Polish mentality in play - if you think you can get away with something, you do. Even if you're caught, 10 points maximum (and often far less) isn't much of a deterrent.


Where? I'm really wondering where this dim lighting is, because I've driven all over the place and haven't seen anything like this.


Where are you people driving? I don't see anything like this here...

Work / The level of English of Polish teachers of English. What do you think of it? [101]


Oh yes, this is a big problem in Poland. While there are many lovely Polish teachers, there are plenty of them who "have papers" and simply do not take any criticism of their abilities. I knew one guy who made a horrible mistake (he marked a word wrong because it was spelt in the British, not American way - the students had no guidance as to what was expected) - and he wouldn't admit to it. The students went to the other teachers to ask, it was backed up by me and the dictionary - and he still wouldn't apologise. I actually had to apologise for his behaviour - which was ridiculous.

There's also a lot of them in management positions who think that their English is on a native level. Usually, they're to be avoided - I made it a point of not working for anyone who had studied English philology, as it was usually a guarantee that they had such self confidence.

And let's not forget about some clowns that write textbooks despite never having lived in an English speaking country - the Leader School chain uses such books.

(mind you, there are plenty of Polish teachers who **** all over "natives" when it comes to English)

Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]

It is absolutely everything to do with enforcement and the penalty points system. All of those things can be mostly stamped out through a police presence that focuses on it - people would soon change their ways if they were getting hit with serious punishments. As it stands, idiotic, stupid driving can only be punished with a maximum of 10 points - and you get 24 points a year to play with. If it was 24 points in 3 years, things would change dramatically.

The testing system is rigid, monitored closely and is comparable to the UK system - actually, it's better than the UK system due to the video cameras/microphones in cars. The compulsory theory and driving practice also ensures a minimum ability before progressing to the test - my instructor had actually refused to sign off several people as having completed the course to a satisfactory standard.


Specific examples, please? Anecdotal evidence is just that, anecdotal. I've driven all over Poland, and the only shocking roads are unclassified roads. Even the mountain passes are in a decent state of repair - I drove Wroclaw-Harrachov not so long ago and it was fine.

As it stands, most major Polish cities are connected via expressway or motorway these days. Once the current building programme is complete, things will be fine.

About the only major issue right now is the lack of a good connection between Wroclaw-Prague.

(ah, there is one place where the road sucks - the A18.)

Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]


There's nothing wrong with Polish testing standards, in fact - the PCV/HGV regime is tougher than the UK version.

The roads are also fine in many cases - I can drive between here and Wroclaw on empty, well maintained roads with light traffic. Not much to complain about there.

If I fancy a weekend in Krakow, it's about a 6 hour drive along motorways/expressways. Again - nothing to complain about.


Why? Most people aren't driving from nowhereville to nowhereville.


Driving standards would improve overnight if enforcement was ramped up.

Roads are mostly fine. In fact, I don't recall the last time I drove on a DK road that wasn't well maintained. The worst I can think of is the DK5 just south of Leszno, but that's about to get fixed.

Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]


And yet the driving exam is rigorous and contains a built-in check to remove drivers even getting on the road.

The driving standards are only poor because of the lack of enforcement, nothing more. Road conditions are also mostly fine.


Utter crap. It was true, but these days, it's simply not true anymore.


Utter crap, again. I'd love for someone to point out where there are "weak" streetlights in Wroclaw or Poznan.

Genealogy / Mackowiak surname, Maćkowiak [17]

Oh, I know... can't get rid of them, everywhere you turn is a Mackowiak!

Life / The Adult Entertainment Industry in Poland? [67]


He does have a point.

Law / Need help on my driving license (lost my national license in Poland and would like to replace it for Polish) [14]


No. The international driving permit (not a licence!) is merely a translation of your licence into other languages, it is NOT a driving licence by itself.

Either replace your licence, or you'll have to do the Polish theory and practical test.

Be warned - if you get stopped while only having the IDP, you'll be prosecuted for driving without a licence.

Real Estate / Residential real estate values go down in Poland [455]

It's actually something that I can't understand at all.

We went to one agent, who had a lot of unsold property on her books. You'd think such a person would be doing everything in their power to sell the places, but - she came across as totally disinterested, and sulked when we made it clear that we wanted at least 10% off the asking prices.

Let's see -

One place - 7 people living in the flat, two drunk guys, babcia in the kitchen cooking potatoes and the place utterly wrecked. Oh, and one naked kid walking around.

Second place - kids toys everywhere, washing hanging up, full of clutter and utterly disorganised.

What you say about "first 8 seconds" is true - if the place doesn't work on first glance, it doesn't work at all.

Real Estate / Residential real estate values go down in Poland [455]

Nope. Not that it concerns me, I'll only sell the place once it's paid off - which should be within 7 years.

You know, because both partners are working in good jobs and can afford to make big payments.

Real Estate / Residential real estate values go down in Poland [455]


Indeed, when I was buying a place not so long ago, it was amazing how little effort people made when it came to selling a place. I think - honestly - only one person actually had a place that you looked at and said "wow, I could live here".

Life / Egzamin prawo jazdy. Driving Test in Poland. Bribing the instructor? [17]

Cameras are banned in the testing area ;)

News / The Political Circus of Poland [306]


It just gets funnier and funnier, the in-fighting is only going to get worse :)


Only one?

Life / Egzamin prawo jazdy. Driving Test in Poland. Bribing the instructor? [17]


That's why you pass the envelope during the handshake outside the car - the camera isn't running yet ;)

Life / Egzamin prawo jazdy. Driving Test in Poland. Bribing the instructor? [17]


Sure, the standard practice in Poland is to have an envelope in your hands when you shake hands with him/her at the beginning. A normal bribe is around 1000zl for a guaranteed pass irrespective of exam performance.

Your name will be called out, you approach them , shake hands and transfer the envelope into their hands as you do so. Make sure that you firmly press the envelope into his hands, and a big smile will ensure that he/she understands the intent.

Food / Polish kishka [76]


Kishka? What's that?

If you want to eat "Polish" food, at least use the proper name!

Real Estate / Residential real estate values go down in Poland [455]

Depends what currency they borrowed in.

But the Euro sitting at 4.6 certainly isn't normal or based on reality - it's likely to swing back to 4:1 very quickly.

History / What proportion of the Polish population collaborated with the Nazis? [125]


Ah yes, the latter is what can be commonly seen in modern day Poland among self-proclamed patriots, many of which contribute to Poland in ways such as through violence, criminality and tax evasion.

Real Estate / Residential real estate values go down in Poland [455]


I very much doubt that wages are 4 times higher in Ireland at the minute than Warsaw, so a sense of perspective might be useful.

History / What proportion of the Polish population collaborated with the Nazis? [125]

Why doesn't it surprise me that someone who rants about "Polish people are being conditioned against patriotism" is the same person who rants about Jews?

As for "uniquely bigoted" - anyone who isn't bigoted could easily pull up plenty of similar examples from different faiths.

Real Estate / Residential real estate values go down in Poland [455]


What I've noticed in Poznan and Wroclaw - flats with good public transport links and road links, in areas with good schools and not next to Commie-era flats are retaining their value and even increasing. But those built on the cheap are not shifting - and it seems pretty obvious why.

Beats me why anyone would buy a flat nowhere near tram/train stops, though.

Off-Topic / Ukrainian language [50]

Your Polish neighbour is just a moron who has never been to Ukraine, but holds historical grudges.

Law / Shipping a car from USA to Poland [86]

It very much depends on the model and how much work is needed to convert it to European norms - some cars can be done very cheaply, others require very costly conversions.

What I'd do is try and see if anyone else has imported the same model/year in any EU countries - cars are built to the same spec these days in the whole of Europe, so conversions should be much the same in any EU state.

However, car costs are likely to be higher in Poland - so I'd look into shipping it if you can.

Travel / Ideal amount of PLN for a week holiday (Krakow, Warsaw, Salt Mines, Auschwitz, etc) [9]


Where? :/

Bread is 1.80zl in my local bakeries, beer - 9zl for the local microbrewery bar. Normally 5-8zl.

Off-Topic / Ukrainian language [50]


Why would they? The only issue is that Ukraine is more or less genuinely bilingual - people will use Ukrainian and Russian interchangably, depending on context. But in some parts, one language is "stronger" - L'viv for instance is heavily biased towards Ukrainian and many of them (even educated ones) will struggle with intricate concepts in the language. Likewise in the East - they will be weaker in Ukrainian, but all of them can use both on a day-to-day basis.

Your "Polish" neighbour is a redneck and ignorant, like most Polonia. The Ukrainian language is flourishing, and they positively enjoy foreigners learning.

Ukrainian hooligans very much speak the language of the region of which they're associated. In the West, Ukrainian - in the East and Kyiv - Russian.


Didn't Copernicus conduct a lot of his work in Latin?