The BEST Guide to POLAND
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Posts by delphiandomine  

Joined: 25 Nov 2008 / Male ♂
Warnings: 1 - Q
Last Post: 17 Feb 2021
Threads: Total: 86 / Live: 15 / Archived: 71
Posts: Total: 17823 / Live: 4649 / Archived: 13174
From: PoznaƄ, Poland
Speaks Polish?: Yeah.
Interests: law, business

Displayed posts: 4664 / page 150 of 156
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delphiandomine   
14 Apr 2010
Travel / Best way with car from Szczecin to Bielsko-Biala? [6]

Oof, horrible journey. You actually are best to go through Germany - it's maybe 120km further, but you'll considerably make up for it in time wasted on single carriageway roads from Szczecin to Wroclaw. The single carriageway route is simply tedious and full of trucks - going through Germany will be much easier and painfree.

One interesting alternative may be to go via Poznan - you can pick up the A2 there, and it's dual carriageway standard all the way from there. Certainly, it's probably the least stressful route - the DK3/S3 from Szczecin to Gorzow isn't too busy, the DK92 is very quiet between Gorzow and Poznan, and the A2 isn't very busy at all.

But for sheer speed, it'll be hard to beat the German route.
delphiandomine   
14 Apr 2010
Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

i'd argue that polish IS in fact more difficult to learn in general, but doesn't take intelligence to learn......rather........lots and lots of persistence and sheer will.....and time.

Depends on how intelligent you are, really. A bright person will be able to learn it far quicker than your average idiot, mainly due to the way that it can't be mastered through mere exposure - unlike Italian for instance.

i don't understand your reasoning. how does Polish being difficult "explain why....better schools in the UK are now teaching Polish.....?"

Quite simply, the best schools are looking to provide the best challenges for their children. It's the same reason that Latin is kept in the very elite private schools - it's not a language for stupid people.

I think we can agree that Polish, for an English speaker, is certainly much more of a challenge than French or Italian!
delphiandomine   
12 Apr 2010
Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

supports the theory of "hardest to learn" or at least "one of the hardest to learn".

Makes it a language for intelligent person to learn, really. Explains why some of the better schools in the UK are now teaching Polish as a second foreign language.
delphiandomine   
12 Apr 2010
Travel / What to do in Wroclaw! [49]

even i have my work permit,

Which is non-transferable. You cannot use the existing work permit to work legally in Poland for another employer - you'll have to get another one.
delphiandomine   
12 Apr 2010
News / THE ARMY OF POLAND - THE REALITY [493]

It's actually quite expensive.

And very inefficient - you can be assured that professional troops will fight, whereas you can't rely on conscripts to actually fight.
delphiandomine   
11 Apr 2010
News / Polish President Lech Kaczynski and gov officials die in a plane crash in Russia [686]

It's called poor visibility and bad planning.

And now it looks like the "4th attempt" is a mistranslation from the Russian "final turn" - which points even more at pilot error.

I notice there's quite a few animations going round...all showing different things. The swift announcement from the Russians that there was no technical failure is also interesting - and it would seem that they may be deliberately holding off on revealing what they already know.
delphiandomine   
11 Apr 2010
News / Polish President Lech Kaczynski and gov officials die in a plane crash in Russia [686]

There's an interesting bit of information that isn't really being reported - seemingly, communication was lost with the plane 6 minutes before landing. Given that the plane would be gliding in at that point, there could very well have been mechanical failure - I don't know what, but it's a possibility.

I think the '4th attempt' story is just that - a story. There's been no official statement about it, and it seems to be rumour more than anything else.
delphiandomine   
7 Apr 2010
Work / Qualifications - Mgr Title on my business card? [17]

I had already, wrongly assumed that they were equivalent

It's not so straightforward as saying that they aren't equal, because you have the headache of comparing pre and post Bologna magister degrees too. Probably the only real, fair way to compare the two is to compare what was studied (and the amount of hours) for each module - some Polish degrees are ridiculously soft, whereas some are much harder. The one thing that really lets the Polish system down is the way that 5th year modules can actually be easier than 1st year modules - which is clearly nonsense. The same nonsense is seen in primary and secondary education.

The answer that I was after was regarding the use of the pre-nominal title "Mgr" and specifically, whether the use of the title was restricted to those who had achieved a Polish Magister qualification, or whether a holder of a UK Master's degree, as an equivalent (or better) qualification, could aptly use the title on, for instance, a CV or business card.

Stay away from doing it. There's just no need - MSc is known and recognised, and it allows you to make it clear that you studied somewhere in the English speaking world. Whether or not all Magister qualifications are inferior could be argued about all day - my own opinion is that some are equal, some aren't - but it is certain that it would be stupid to say that your degree is one of them when it clearly isn't.
delphiandomine   
30 Mar 2010
Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

however in the meantime they got kicked out of work and their income became zero, because they were focusing not anymore on their work, but only struggling to learn polish language...

Personal experience, Mark?

Then again, you could say that you struggle with the English language!
delphiandomine   
26 Mar 2010
Travel / What to do in Wroclaw! [49]

im looking for a job here

Are you legally in Wroclaw?
delphiandomine   
26 Mar 2010
Law / My Great GrandMother was born in Poland sometime before 1915 - any chance for Polish citizenship? [37]

As far as i am aware she was born in poland sometime before 1915.

Did she move to Australia then?

Sorry, but as far as I can see, you won't have a claim. Where was her child born (your grandmother/grandfather)?

If you want EU citizenship, move to Belgium - they have ridiculously lax laws and citizenship can be obtained without much effort.

As has been said - she wasn't born in Poland, because Poland didn't exist at that time.
delphiandomine   
24 Mar 2010
Work / English teaching books in Poland: villains and heroes [30]

Not come across these, Delph, I'll ask the kids teachers at school.

I should say - it's the Activity Book that I recommend from those. The students book isn't particularly good, but the activities are quite well thought out and make perfect sense for beginners.

(I actually got told off for using the books with adults - yet the funny thing is that they didn't think to ask the students, who loved it)
delphiandomine   
22 Mar 2010
Life / Are foreigners welcome in Poland? [267]

Do you see a cultural difference with regards to signs, delph? If so, what kind?

Definitely - whereas me, you and any other English speaker would know that if a girl says "no" - you don't take the risk of going further, even if she appears to be joking - a Pole may completely misread this and just assume that she's teasing.

Likewise, there's a definite attitude in Poland that if a girl is all over you, then she wants sex - the concept of someone being a cock tease is somewhat alien to Poles, I think. And likewise with drink - Poles don't have the idea hammered into them that if a girl is wasted, you shouldn't be sleeping with her.

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delphiandomine   
21 Mar 2010
Work / English teaching books in Poland: villains and heroes [30]

New English File is fantastic and is probably my favourite, just for the way that it's consistent throughout the books. I know some others don't like it, but for me, it's a great coursebook.

Business Handbook (Advanced) by Paul Emmerson is my bible of Business teaching - it never, ever fails to impress. It's probably the one English textbook that I've found that goes beyond British school-level material.

And of course, the Murphy books are always a reliable companion.

And strangely - the Sky 1/2/3 books are quite good too, even for adults. They're designed for kids, but the Sky 3 book is particularly good for adults.
delphiandomine   
21 Mar 2010
Language / Do Poles prefer US American or UK English language? [147]

in my experience, they prefer american english

Are they telling you that just to be polite?

British English is far more popular - people are far more likely to come into contact with Brits than Americans. American English is somewhat derided in Poland as being inferior, possibly because the gold standard is a Cambridge qualification.
delphiandomine   
19 Mar 2010
Travel / Hard Candy - Krakow, Poland - reviews? [131]

And if anyone's daft enough to go to these places, they should read this from today's NPE:

Saudi style justice comes to Poland?
delphiandomine   
19 Mar 2010
Food / Healthy polish food? [134]

this forum loves to go on about how "the west" eats such crappy food....well, take a look at this thread. Polish food is full of oil, butter, meat, meat, few vegetables, meat, meat, cabbage with meat, bread with meat, pierogi fried in butter, kielbasa with butter and meat....you get the point.

What Polish person eats that on a daily basis? I don't know anyone that does. I'm really wondering who is eating "kielbasa with butter and meat" - seriously, as Magdalena says, don't let your imagination run wild here.

there are plenty of fat asses in Poland.

Again, I'm wondering where you live, because I'm just not seeing them in Poland. There are some, but they're the exception rather than the rule.

in general, the high school and college age kids are thinner because they can't afford to go out to restaurants and end up eating a lot of goracy kubek.

Who is eating Goracy Kubek? High school kids will be eating what their parents provide, which given the Polish attitude towards making sure that people don't go hungry, they certainly won't be eating that!

College students - some will be eating rubbish, some will be eating like kings. Just like in every normal country in the world.

But do American high school/college kids really go to restaurants on a regular basis? If so, that certainly explains the obesity problem!

secondly, none of them own cars. they're hoofin' it well into their twenties, some of which never even get a car till they're in their 30's.

Are you actually in Poland whatsoever? I'm really not recognising this country that you're talking about. I know plenty of people with cars, and many people that don't have cars simply don't need one - what's the point in owning a car if you're living, studying and working in the middle of a city?

I know plenty of people in the UK who don't own a car despite being in the mid 20's. What's the point in many cases, especially if you live in a major city?

but haven't you all noticed that once they get to around 35.....everything kind of falls apart?

Nope, not seeing it. In fact, Polish women tend to be quite a bit thinner than their Western counterparts even when they're well into their 50's.

give all those 18-28 year olds cars like they all drive in America

Why would every 18-28 year old want to own a car in Europe? You might have noticed - we have actual cities with defined centres and life - unlike many American cities.

I'm really wondering what Poland you're living in, because it's certainly not the one I live in.

As for the few vegetables comment - again, I suspect you've ended up part of a very unhealthy Polish family, because I certainly get vegetables and veggie dishes rammed down my throat. Given that fresh vegetables are revoltingly cheap in Poland, it's kinda hard not to eat a significant amount of them.
delphiandomine   
19 Mar 2010
Life / Racism in Poland - the future [441]

polish is number 1 in poland dont bring the other people here

You don't live in Poland, you're just a Plastic Pole.

When you actually live and pay taxes in Poland, we can talk.
delphiandomine   
16 Mar 2010
Life / Price of cigarettes in Poland? [192]

Is it posible to get very cheap cigarretes from ukraine, or slovakia or something else on the blackmarket in poland?

It's possible in border regions - it's very easy in Przemysl to buy Ukranian cigarettes for example.
delphiandomine   
14 Mar 2010
Off-Topic / To ALL IMMIGRANTS ("expats") to Poland on this forum... [124]

I love the worldview of some of them - it's so...cute?

Actually - the ones that drive me mad are the ones that claim that they're coming to Poland for the "ye olde country" experience - but of course, they head straight to Krakow or Wroclaw!
delphiandomine   
14 Mar 2010
Off-Topic / To ALL IMMIGRANTS ("expats") to Poland on this forum... [124]

Not my phrase, I stole it from someone else on here ;)

But it is perfect - most of them would last 2 minutes here, and it's safe to say that the majority of Polish-Americans simply have no idea what Poland is actually like.

And let's not forget how many of them suddenly remebered that they were TRUE POLES once Poland joined the EU ;)