News / Should Poland exit the EU immediately? [377]

I don't think you understand Russia if you think that open relations with any country is on its agenda.....

News / Should Poland exit the EU immediately? [377]


I'm not a fan or a hater of Tusk and his appointment has nothing to do with the current mess. Merkel has been acting like a bipolar lunatic on methamphetamines and obeying her wild mood swings is nowhere in the EU charter.

If you want Poland to take hundreds of thousands of refugees who won't integrate (and/or will hop off to Germany as soon as they can) then just say so.

News / Should Poland exit the EU immediately? [377]


Since when did joining the EU mean obeying irrational random rules passed down by Angela "I think I'm a Kaiserin" Merkel and an unelected technocrat without any true legislative process?

Wildcat ad hoc proclamations were never supposed to be part of the EU deal.

Language / I am looking for help to identify a song track which I believe is Polish. [25]

It's called Nie płacz kiedy odjadę (dont' cry when I leave). You can find several different versions on youtube.

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]


I didn't mean formally and legally, just finding a similar Polish name for informal everyday use, as in "call me Jerzy (instead of Giorgio or Jorge)" or "My name Blasfork but you can call me Bolek".

I pronounce my last name differently in Polish and English (though the written form is the same) just because it makes things easier.

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]


It depends on how big a deal you make of it. Most Poles are not especially religious (doing only the minimum required to be considered catholic).

How religious are you? If keeping kosher and not using electricity on the sabbath are really important to you then you may find it hard to socialize. If you're more secular and/or flexible then no one is likely to care (beyond extreme nationalists of which there aren't that many).

You might consider a Polish first name as well (Polonizing your Israeli name it that's possible and just picking a Polish first name if it's not). The last name isn't as important.


The strength of religious feelings in Poland has always been exaggerated as far as I can tell, especially in cities.

Life / Recommendations for MIDWIVES in Krakow? [2]

I'm pretty sure some level of midwifery care is free in Poland for those that request it (your family doctor should have details).

If you're looking for a midwife who knows English then you'll probably have to go private.

If you put "jak znaleźć połóżną" (how to find a midwife) into google you'll get a bunch of advice though it's all in Polish....

UK, Ireland / Would life in the UK be very hard for a 17 yr old Polish girl? Advice needed please [33]

I'm also going to suggest that you stay in Poland for the time being. Go to university and major in something that will give you some marketable skills (hint: not marketing). You'll probably get a better education in Poland than in the UK especially for the first three years.

Don't go to the UK on your own or with a 'job' arranged by people you don't know. If you have family or friends in the UK ask their advice. The UK is also a _lot_ more dangerous than Poland for a young woman in your position.

News / PO support drops by 4 pps after tape scandal according to WBJ [18]


that should be "Kaczynski's"

That's why his reactions have been (for him) relatively muted. He knows they've got **** on him too.

Work / Language Teachers - do you feel respected in Poland? [86]

BLS forgot who's selling and who's buying.

In terms of financial stability keeping customers satisfied ranks far above making them show you 'respect'.

Love / Turkish girl & Polish guy marriage. Will his parents ever accept me as a non Christian female? [42]


I think his parents will come around relatively quickly. For sure when their first grandchild appears. My concern would be on the other side. Your parents might be okay with it but what about the rest of your family and other people who will find out about it?

Also, I know that technically Turkish civil law allows for Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men but how long will that last? Erdogan's agenda (beyond stealing as much as he can) is clearly to islamize the legal code. Hopefully his present problems will continue and he'll soon disappear but there are conservative elements are on the rise in Turkey.

How would this affect travel in other muslim countries (if you ever want/have to pass through or visit them)?

Travel / Poles the worst-dressed tourists in the world? [25]

In my experience

best dressed : Italians (with Spaniards and French following close behind)

worst dressed : British Isles (no contest, really, the women especially are horrible dressers overall).

Poles and Germans are in the middle somewhere (a few horrible examples stand out but the norm is mostly acceptable, if a little bland)

When it comes to overall behavior I also find the British to be the least appealing by far.

Just my .03 PLN.

Life / Cult videos on Polish youtube [18]


To the extent that that's true it bugs the hell out of me because it leaves a semantic hole...

If Star Wars is a cult classic then how can you describe fans (like me) of the wretched Star Wars Christmas Special?

Life / Cult videos on Polish youtube [18]


That seems odd too because Fellini was a mainstream director and LDV is enjoyed by most people sincerely rather than ironically (another marker of a cult movie).

The classic definition of cult is more applied to movies like Troll 2

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_2

also see

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_film
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_following

A Polish cult movie might be Hydrozagadka (if it has a small devoted following).

Life / Cult videos on Polish youtube [18]

Hint: If it gets millions of hits, it's not a "cult" classic. In English "cult" means a small, non-mainstream, eccentric but very loyal audience (that likes the piece in question for possibly very different reasons than the creator intended).

kultowy =/= cult

Life / Polish film and serial riddles [137]


They must have spent a lot of time on sarcasm when you went to school......

But anyways, damn those cardboard boxes DAMN THEM TO HELLLL!!!!!!!

Life / Polish film and serial riddles [137]

Okay, this one is pretty obscure.....

Work / Teaching Post in Zory (2600 zl per month after tax good?) [10]

I don't know the private school scene now well enough to have much to say about that (lots of others here have more up to date info).

If this is a dormitory kind of hotel there also might be a meal plan. The food wouldn't be exciting but it would be better quality than insitutional food in the UK.

Given that this is a small town in Poland, the big danger is isolation and alienation:

- not many people will speak English which could easily lead to a strange constricted existence where you're dependent on school staff or your students for your social life (and nb. Polish people mostly dont' socialize with work colleagues, don't expect Polish teachers in the school to be welcoming or friendly).

- many who claim to know English and who will want to befriend you (de facto free language lessons) will be unable to have anything like a meaningful conversation which can lead another kind of alienation

- Polish values in general (and small town Polish values) are liable to be different enough from what you're used to that there won't be many common topics and making real friends will be difficult

- If you're heterosexual, not hideously ugly and/or completely socially awkward you're liable to end up with a Polish girlfriend before you know what hit you (and while sweet in the beginning, they can be controlling in ways you probably didn't know existed).

- Starting to learn Polish before you go (and continuing while you're there) will help ameliorate (but not eliminate) these.

If you're aware of the dangers (so to speak) and have an escape plan ready in case things go south (you should have that prepared before leaving) then it could be a great experience. One nice thing about the location is that it's close to the Czech Republic (and spitting distance of Slovakia) so you're practically getting two and a half countries for the price of one.

Work / Teaching Post in Zory (2600 zl per month after tax good?) [10]

I don't know Żory, but more info is needed.

What kind of teaching? How many hours a week? What age? In a public school or a private language school? Will they want you to sign a contract that doesn't allow you private lessons outside the school? What qualifications do you have?

Housing, is the 750 figure for a real, concrete place or a ballpark estimate? (sounds low to me for the latter, for the former is it in a dorm? shared bathroom and/or kitchen?)

How independent are you? Can you cook, clean etc for yourself?

I'd say 1800 after rent and taxes is enough to live on in a small town in Poland if you're not a party animal, have no major addictions and can do your own shopping and cooking.

On the other hand, there are definite red flags to be aware of.....

News / Polish Silesian Autonomy movement [67]


I live to serve (deep bow).


you =/= Europe-wide

Surely German, Czech and "Silesian" (if they can agree on spelling) versions should come first since all have been far more important than English in the area in question. They need to make the case to the people involved before expanding (unless, as I suspect, there is no strong local base).

My first (and lasting) impression is that this is diversity entrepreneurship meant to provide a livelihood for the leaders of the 'movement' (similar to the EU-funded cottage industry for Kashubian identity)

Are there any serious surveys on actual support (on the ground from liable voters) for autonomy? With some googling I couldn't find anything I could take seriously (for example 45% in favor of autonomy which is impressive until you realize there were only 21 respondents....)

News / Polish Silesian Autonomy movement [67]


In other words, you don't have a deep enough understanding of Polish culture and politics to write anything very insightful.....

News / Some say modern Poland is split into A and B; The "Old", and the "New". [14]

The wikipedia article is mostly correct though I'm not so sure about how rapidly Poland B is developing.

IME people from geographic Poland A feel generally superior to those from Poland B (including Warsaw) and throw the terms around pretty loosely. Those from Poland B are defensive and don't use the terms much (except to say how unfair it is).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland_A_and_B

News / Some say modern Poland is split into A and B; The "Old", and the "New". [14]

You've got backwards. There seem to be two metrics, one geographic and one social. There's some degree of overlap but a fair amount of Poland A in Poland B geographic area and vice versa.

Geographically

Poland A: roughly those areas with stronger Germanic (Prussian and Austrian) influence and Warsaw.

Poland B: roughly those areas with stronger Russian influence (minus Warsaw).

nb. Originally (for people in western Poland) Warsaw would be Poland B, but as the capital it now seems to have exited. Unlike the North/South social/geographic divisions in Britain and Italy, the division in Poland has always been West/East.

Socially

Poland A: higher education, better off financially, more urban, more progressive (or apathetic) about social/political issues

Poland B: lower education, worse off financially, more rural, more conservative (or reactionary) about social/political issues

Language / Use of swoj [23]

Although 'dziękuję za zaproszenie' (with no possessive) is about a hundred times more common IME.

Language / Polish post office vocabulary [8]


you want to send your letter polecony (registered) it will take longer and there's forms to fill out, you might want to take a Polish person along if possible.

Life / K+M+B-2012 - formula on flats in Poland [63]


I have it's on three of the four doors on my floor of a relatively new building (finished around 2005).

I've seen it on others in the same stairway but the layout of the building means I don't see all of them.


I'd say it's expanded to secular contexts but that doesn't deprive it of its religious context as well.

Language / Use of swoj [23]


swój = possessive of the subject of the sentence.

I love swoją matkę : subect = I so swój = my

On the other hand this is only rigidly maintained in the third person, a lot of people would also say "kocham moją matkę"

USA, Canada / Why are Polish Americans mocked in the American media? [226]

Merged: Poland on This American Life

The American radio show This American Life has a segment on Poland this week.

thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/453/nemeses

The show's theme is "Nemeses" and is about people on opposite sides of an issue who start to come together ... and end up further apart than when they started.

The show is (obviously) about the all too brief almost national reconciliation after the Smolensk catastrophe and how things went sour so quickly and so thoroughly.

All things considered the show is very fair, they use the old Poland A and Poland B talking point as a departure point for describing the initial split and take both seriously, describing the good (and bad) of both in a pretty even handed manner.

Definitely one of the better reports on Poland in the American media that I've heard.

An mp3 of the broadcast can be downloaded for free through Sunday.

Food / Origin of the pierogi [127]


It's no worse than Beatlesie or hippisi.....

What else could the plural be?

Life / Do Polish people have a good ear for music? [90]


meh, I guessit's okay for what it is, but I'm just not into instrumentals.