Life / What is Poland's fastest growing ethnic group? [57]

I think I read a statistic somewhere that the largest population of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam was in Poland---I could be wrong, however. My daughters best friend is from Vietnam- they are a part of a very large community- this is just what I know from her.

Life / What is Poland's fastest growing ethnic group? [57]

it is vietnamese.

Food / Polish name for cut of beef [29]


This may sound really stupid but I imagine at some point it must factor. I am curious about the relationships with the other cows. --told you it sounded stupid! but cows are generally kept in a herd, no? so they must have some sort of connection or relationship to their herd mates. I can't believe I just wrote that.

Food / Polish name for cut of beef [29]

if you are in Warsaw there is a great store on Pulawska called Befsztek. It is an organic butcher and the animals are slaughtered humanely by vets. (sounds sick) Anyway, they have amazing meats there and a good wine selection from Mielzynski. The also offer online shopping and delivery.

The beef in any supermarket doesn't compare.

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


My husband is in commercial which is a completely different thing. But- having said that- he basically thinks that the market is leveling out. The previous prices were inflated and a lot of developers made big bucks- now that the market is saturated and it is more difficult to obtain a loan- developers are having to lower their prices. This isn't a bubble but leveling out.

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

If it is organized properly you can live in it. I lived in a 19 m2 apt before.

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

I would guess you are correct. I worked with a developer just outside of Warsaw who split his 80 m2 flats into two smaller ones because the big ones were too hard to sell.

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

my husband just spoke at a real estate conference in Sopot. He has learned that in residential what is selling are flats that are around 35 m2.

Law / Opening a Polish Bank Account by a foreigner in Poland. Recommendations. [299]

i bank with millenium. I have had no problems opening an account. I am referenced with my last address in Quebec- but all my documents get sent to my house in Poland. You need to give all your documents to them and sign so many pages but I didn't need a nip.

UK, Ireland / Raising Bilingual Children - How are you teaching your children? Your experiences? [74]

we have Polsat Cyfrowy. It isn't available on every channel- you can't do it on TVP1 etc, but it is possible to do it on the Discovery network, HBO and Nickelodeon and the other foreign channels.

UK, Ireland / Raising Bilingual Children - How are you teaching your children? Your experiences? [74]

when my kids watch tv they press the button to take the lektor off- that is horrid. We also don't really go to movies for that same reason, sitting through a dubbed movie is pure torture. Thankfully we have iTunes.

Not to long ago I watched a Polish movie- can't remember the name but it was about a cop from France with Polish roots. Anyway, parts of the movie were in French and the rest in Polish. I used to speak French but now that I live here I simply never use it and I wasn't a true bilingual so I have forgotten a lot of it- I can still read it with understanding. We were also in France not to long ago and if somebody asked me a question in French I would answer them in Polish- it was a most bizarre thing.

Anyway- I had such a headache after watching this film. The switch from Polish to French was very difficult for me.
I find the lektor very frustrating. He doesn't translate word for word and often the idea is misinterpreted.

UK, Ireland / Raising Bilingual Children - How are you teaching your children? Your experiences? [74]

Interesting. The school my children go to is very well rated- expensive yes, but so far it has been worth it. --we have had no problems--I don't know about pulling my kids out now- my eldest has been there for 5 years- she would be traumatized having to leave her friends.

Language isn't the primary issue- the only thing that I think is lacking, but I won't find a solution anywhere, is the lack of Canadiana- this is something I have to teach my kids separately.

I don't know if schools have changed since the days when my husband went to school in Poland- but his feeling is that public schools are sub standard- I think there is no blanket statement with this but generally speaking the public system needs an overhaul- maybe when this happens we might make the switch.

UK, Ireland / Raising Bilingual Children - How are you teaching your children? Your experiences? [74]

I have a soon to be 12 year old and soon to be 7 year old. Both are completely bilingual in Polish and English. We speak two languages at home. I only speak English to them and my husband only speaks Polish.

My eldest was born in Canada- English was her stronger language but since we have been living in Poland they are now quite equal. From the beginning she knew who to speak Polish to and who to speak English to- in her brain there was a clear separation.

My youngest was born in Poland. She used to speak a mixture of Polish and English- now she can separate the two without any problems.

They both also go to a bilingual school so have the day is in English- half in Polish.

Certain delays when learning two languages at the same time are expected, but, ultimately does it really matter if they are assimilating language at a slower rate when the outcome will be the knowledge of two languages and full bilingualism??

Here is the thing. Speaking two languages at home is free. By doing this from day one your children are gaining knowledge of words and grammar and sentence structure that a native speaker will know. As they get older they will perfect two languages which is something that a person learning a language later on is very hard to do.

Also, having a knowledge of two languages makes it easier when learning a third or fourth.
My kids are also taking French now- something I think is necessary for Canadians.

Law / Opening a Mini Market Store in Poland. Starting cost / Expected monthly income? [22]

honestly, there are better options. mini markets are finicky. Your location is so important. And lets say you are successful- what happens when the mini tesco or biedronka sets up shop in a year next door to you. typically mini market prices are inflated but the hours are longer than a grocery store. we have a mini market very close to us and it is busy from all the construction workers. they also sell really great fresh breads and a good selection of beer. the other stuff is standard- coke, yoghurt, pasztet- not worth it.

Love / Do Polish men make good husbands? [106]


I whole heartedly agree with this.

Genealogy / How common was Polish-Jewish intermarriage? [21]


Yes but. Judaism is an ethnicity and a religion- Polish is a nationality- slavic is the ethnicity, Catholicism is the majority religion. So one can be a Polish Jew- but typically Jewish is used to describe the religion.

Jews and Poles were defined based on their religion pre war- many jews assimilated but most didn't.

Jewish intermarriage was more common between Poles and truly assimilated jews- Poles didn't typically convert to the hasidic lifestyle

Life / Poland: worst teeth in the world? [98]

Polish people do go to the dentist. Haven't you seen all the adults with braces? They can afford them now but probably 20 years ago it wasn't possible. I have good teeth, but I also had braces at 10 years old, wisdom teeth removed at all kinds of stuff- but my parents were in the military so we had 80% coverage- it makes a huge difference because dental work in Canada is not cheap.

My grandmother, who grew up in England before she immigrated, remembers how she had all her teeth removed when she was 16 and fitted for false teeth. She said her teeth weren't even bad but it was just something they used to do back then.

Life / Poland: worst teeth in the world? [98]

the water in poland does not have fluoride in it. Children in this country have black teeth because parents put juice in bottles causing "bottle rot" in the teeth. In Canada it is recommended not to give juice until 1 year old and out of a cup- in Poland they have juice from day one.

Also, there is an iodine deficency in the soil. What this means is that vegetables and fruits and other products such as beef that are raised using soil/ grass have less iodine than other parts of the world- I have to take iodine supplements.

People don't typically drink tap water here anyway, unless it is boiled in coffee or tea.

in my experience Turkish people have the worst teeth- or lack of.

Life / Gypsies or Roma: European and Polish attitudes towards [87]

what does this even mean. you are an idiot.

Travel / Best places to visit in Poland [87]

I am partial to the hel peninsula- the open side of the baltic is gorgeous. there will not be a lot of people up there then- the weather is really fresh at this time too. I have a rental property in Puck that is on the beach in a new construction apartment if you are interested.

USA, Canada / What do Poles think about drinking raw milk? In America, unpasteurized milk is PROHIBITED. [49]

I have used the one in Pruszkow in the summer. I don't drink milk but my kids and husband loved it- they said it was really fresh tasting.

USA, Canada / What do Poles think about drinking raw milk? In America, unpasteurized milk is PROHIBITED. [49]


but this is entirely the problem. there is mass production of genetically modified milk and the gov't is telling you that you need to drink it and it has to be pasteurized. look at the advertising...beautiful people with milk mustaches asking the question "got milk?" farming is no longer farming. it is a genetic experiment and disgusting. In Poland the farmers refused to adapt these practices so the dairy and meats are still not altered....yet.

if you drink unpasteurized milk in the us or canada(or u.k. or germany)- you are risking your life. In Poland it is still possible to drink it.

USA, Canada / What do Poles think about drinking raw milk? In America, unpasteurized milk is PROHIBITED. [49]


look at this dojone.pl

it should give you the information you are looking for.

as for drinking milk straight from the cow---it goes through a filtering process to get rid of stuff that shouldn't be there. The reason milk is pasteurized in the dairy corporations is because it is made in huge batches and full of hormones. They need to do it. If you buy quality over quantity you will taste the difference.

USA, Canada / What do Poles think about drinking raw milk? In America, unpasteurized milk is PROHIBITED. [49]

and what about unpasteurized beer? This is popular in Poland too. there is no need to pasteurized- dairy corporations do this to ensure the milk is germ and bacteria free. If it is produced in a facility that ensures food safety there is no problem.

Genealogy / Want to find a person [762]

no but do you know Mike from Scarborough? Same kinda question.

Genealogy / Meaning of surname Wlodarski [26]


ok- so by your own words above- the last name Wlodarski could either be from a town or a profession? nobody knows for certain.

in all likelihood it come from a town because it makes more sense, according to you. What about Kucharski or Krawiecki or Kamienski- Kamienski could mean a person who works with rocks or a rocky place- two meanings- which makes more sense to you?

Kucharski or Krawiecki? clearly these are professions.

I am not trying to be argumentative with you but I am familiar with this name- I have researched it before -I have come up with Steward- based on the location of those with the last name Wlodarski- but it is totally possible that this name was taken from "steward" and from the town at the same time- in different parts of the country.

Genealogy / Meaning of surname Wlodarski [26]

Steward is the exact translation of wlodarz. why is it not suitable?

Genealogy / Meaning of surname Wlodarski [26]

In all likelihood we will probably never find its exact meaning- it could be from a town and also a profession. However, the surname Wlodarski is not common in Poland- there is not a huge concentration of Wlodarski's living in one area- they seem to be spread out. I have researched this name before- there are a few spread out in the U.S, a few in Canada - I do know the Wlodarski's in Canada are all related to one another. It looks as thought there are also a good number in the U.K.- but this I don't know for sure.

I will take your advice into consideration.

Genealogy / Meaning of surname Wlodarski [26]

Wlodarski

habitational name for someone from Wlodary in Opole voivodeship, named with Polish wlodarz 'steward'.
occupational name for a steward, from Polish wlodarz (see Wlodarczyk), with the addition of the (originally local) suffix of surnames -ski.
Dictionary of America

surnames.meaning-of-names.com/genealogy/wlodarski/

not all surnames ending in ski are in reference to the town they are from. they are also in reference to the profession- something like Kowalski.

Genealogy / Meaning of surname Wlodarski [26]

This name is not from a place. I know this name quite well. I have researched it before.