Genealogy / What are common Polish character traits? [425]

Paulina, goodness me, you're in a right old state aren't you?


But no more so than loads of other posters on this forum including some Poles. What about our friend Ktos for example?


We all bring our own 'issues' (awful word but useful) to discussions. InPolska has hers as a result of her life experience and you have yours, the above statement being an example. You feel strongly that Poles are disrespected in some way here on this forum and probably in general too. You're extremely touchy and quick to pick up on anything you perceive as anti-Polish.


No, but your comment was dismissive of another human being's pain. People say a lot of over the top things on this forum but it's all very superficial. So let's talk about something real.

I don't feel that comfortable discussing another member's personal life but did it occur to you that InPolska's attitudes to Poland and Polish people are coloured by the fact that she settled here because she married a Pole. Then he passed away prematurely. There comes a point where your life is so firmly established in another country that returning to your own is too big and uncertain a step to take and that was probably the case for her. She had to face the loss of her husband and either uproot herself from her life or make the best of things here. That's what she decided to do but I would say that she feels some bitterness towards the hand that life dealt her and is not completely happy with her choice ,so every little irritation that she could ignore or laugh off assumes greater significance for her.

Now InPolska doesn't show much empathy or understanding of others herself, but it has to start with one person. Why can't you be that person? If all human beings would try to see things a bit more from each other's point of view they can move away from pointless arguments that lead nowhere and actually achieve something. I hope you're not really as upset as you sound but being married to a Pole I know how you guys can carry on with the dramatics. I think it's the old blood of Genghis Khan coursing through those Slavic veins......just teasing you, ok, before you have a fit!

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


Wouldn't agree with that at all. I don't vote in elections anymore, only in referendums because Smurf that's really the only time that your vote makes an actual tangible difference that you as an individual can measure. That's really the only time that democracy becomes a reality. The rest of the time it's an illusion.

Now I agree that democracy despite its flaws is the best system we've come up with but the bottom line is that all you get with your vote is the chance to give a particular party the power to run the country. After that they can do whatever they like and deliver or fail to deliver on their election promises etc. and there's sod all you can do to remove them from the position of power you gave them until the next election rolls around. And in the end, we all muddle along anyway.

Law / UK driving license mess in Poland [72]


Roz when in Poland have you seen them drive up on the pavement to overtake a traffic jam? I've seen it more than once and on one occasion I was a passenger in a taxi which did precisely that. Also in Warsaw once I saw a car get from one side of the road to the other by going across the pedestrian crossing!! I've also seen someone reverse into a lamp post when pulling out from a parking space because of course he was taught not to check his mirrors.

Law / UK driving license mess in Poland [72]


Have to agree 100%. Poles can't drive and that's a fact. Now of course they're not all as bad as each other but in general the standard is extremely low. My Polish husband had his first driving lessons in Ireland (British style instruction, defensive driving etc). Then he had to come back to Poland and went for a few lessons. He was horrified. His instructor taught him to cross his hands on the wheel and scolded him for checking his mirrors! He was also reproached for reading the road ahead. Watch Polish drivers. They have no observation skills - and as a result they can't brake effectively. The bus and tram drivers are a great example. It always seems to be a surprise to them when they see a bus stop - 'oooh what's that? That wasn't there yesterday, or was it??'. Travelling on a bus in Warsaw is like being on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise during a Klingon attack, with passengers staggering and being flung from one side of the bus to the other, bouncing off seats and doors. I've watched the drivers of cars as they approach crossings ; they rarely glance in the direction of the pavement, they normally just stare straight ahead.

Anyway we returned to Ireland my husband had a few more lessons there and passed his test on the second attempt. He loves and cherishes his Irish licence!

Genealogy / What are common Polish character traits? [425]


Well now firstly she's not outrageous. She says a few things that are a bit over the top at times. She comes across at times as patronising, superior, self satisified and often contradicts herself but she's not a bad old stick really. She's emotional, impulsive and too quick to respond at times without really thinking about what she's saying but so what......

She definitely wasn't looking for sympathy regarding her health. She only mentioned it in passing in a discussion about food and diet.

As for your comments about her husband, quite frankly, it is you who are outrageous. Do you really think that the pain of losing someone you love can be measured in such simple terms. My own mother died six years ago and I still get tearful sometimes when I think or talk about her. I still love her you see Paulina and I miss her presence in my life in a thousand small ways.

It's about having empathy Paulina, for others and realising that not everyone is just occupying a fake 'character' on the internet but that the people behind the posts are real, flesh and blood human beings.

Genealogy / What are common Polish character traits? [425]


Guys give this woman a break. I'll probably be warned again for being off-topic but being a decent human being is more important than rules and regulations. She's widowed, she's had cancer, cut her a bit of slack.

Feedback / Why are threads deleted or send off topic list? [60]

It wasn't erased. It was moved by the mods I imagine to the random sports news section in off-topic where I replied to it. Cheers.

Feedback / Is it Polish forum or foreign forum? [159]


You're in Australia Ktos, yes?


How have you been treated there?

Feedback / Is it Polish forum or foreign forum? [159]


I've answered you in off-topic.

Feedback / Is it Polish forum or foreign forum? [159]

Ktos what has happened to you recently, that you're so upset? Because I think it's quite significant that you've been a member here for well over two years and all this stuff is just coming up now. So I would imagine you're raising it because something has happened outside of this forum that's the final straw for you and this is how you're dealing with it. You sound as if you feel you've been taking crap from the world for a long time and you've had enough.

Feedback / Is it Polish forum or foreign forum? [159]

Ok, so to answer the question posed in your original post, according to the owners/administrators it's a:

'service for both English and Polish language users'
'encouraging fruitful discussions among independent groups of Polish and non-Polish people located in every part of the world.'

So as I understand it, it's a forum for anyone of any nationality who can speak either English or Polish and has an interest in things Polish.

Feedback / Is it Polish forum or foreign forum? [159]


Ever called a black man that to his face? Maybe you did back in the nineteenth century and got away with it. And by the way,they call themselves black 'say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud'. You need to listen to James Brown. Next step in your therapy.

Feedback / Is it Polish forum or foreign forum? [159]

What country is that??

Feedback / Is it Polish forum or foreign forum? [159]


Yes that occurred to me too. My own husband is Polish and couldn't think more differently than Ktos about pretty much everything and when I presented his views of Poland, Ktos dismissed them immediately as they were only the views of one person, not all Poles, which is precisely what all our views are on this forum, just our own, our personal views based on our personal experiences.


You've been succumbing quite contentedly until now. A member for nearly two and a half years and hardly a peep out of you and now suddenly you've found a voice. Obviously you're a bit bored, at a bit of a loose end at the moment so diddling around on this forum until something better comes along or maybe you've had some personal crisis and you've gone a bit doo-lally. In that case my sympathies - honestly, we've all been there in our own small ways at some point in our lives - but there's better forms of therapy than this place.

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]


Do I glimpse the ghost of a sense of humour?? Living in Ireland must have done that for you.

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]

Very interesting Ziemowit. Thank you very much.

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]


In that case you must be as daft as a brush.........but I think you're just proving the pudding by telling little porkies in order to be awkward again.


Exactly. Anything of any value has already been said here and now it will degenerate into a second rate ping-pong tournament of back and forth, same old, same old with a thousand permutations and combinations of the same thing being said over and over. Eventually after about a thousand posts it will peter out until some eejit starts a similar thread (without having checked the forum first). Then the mods will merge it into this one and the whole thing will start all over again. And the absolute worst part of that pattern is those who join a thread without reading anything that went before which is one of the reasons why we get people repeating stuff that's already been plucked, roasted and the meat picked off down to the bone.

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]


You're an awkward little devil aren't you. You know quite well what the poster means:
Language: the Polish language belongs to a different group to those of Western Europe, it's a Slavic language.
Religion: Roman Catholic as opposed to Orthodox.
Alphabet: Roman as opposed to Cyrillic.

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]


InPolska you come from a country that has exactly the same formalities as the Polish language, addressing people with vous rather than tu just as Germany has du and sie. I don't think the average German business man trots up to a client with 'Tchuss' - I think that's the word for 'Hi' in German. You know what I mean anyway.


What are you so cross about?? I'm not presenting a dissertation you know, I'm just chatting with other human beings and that's how people chat.


Maybe you shouldn't. Maybe you should accept that their culture is different and respect their cultural norms. Cheeky.

moved answer:
@Atch: not only grammar is very different in these 2 languages (normal ;)) but also people don't address others and don't talk about them the SAME way.

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]


Well my husband is Polish and he certainly wouldn't share that view. He thinks it fostered dishonesty,criminality, paranoia, apathy, hostility towards and suspicion of strangers. He's just old enough to remember the last years of the communist regime and how it was to live under it. Soviet communism was a tremendous evil that caused great misery to hundreds of millions of people.

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]


Ok, fair enough but in Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s older women born in rural areas still wore the headscarf when they were working outdoors. My grandmother was one of them. She grew up on a farm and even though she had lived in the city since she was about twenty, and was a very well dressed lady who always wore a hat and gloves when she went out shopping or visiting, she donned a headscarf and boots when working in the garden and her dresses were always long. If you saw a pic of her in that garb she could easily pass for an Eastern European 'peasant'. So thirty or forty years ago, it was a common sight in Ireland, just as it is in parts of Poland now. However I doubt that the younger generation will continue the practice any more than they did in Ireland. As the older generation dies out so will the custom of the headscarf.


But they paint eggs in Germany too. Does that make Germans more eastern in their culture??


Spot on as Jon would say. They are a mixture.

By the way InPolska you mention their 'mentality' quite a lot. In what way do you see the Polish mentality as Eastern (taking communism out of the picture, we're all aware of the old Iron Curtain vibe that still prevails to some extent, but that has nothing to do with being a Slav).

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]

When I first saw the bit about older womens' underwear I thought 'Oh God, some weirdo' but no, it was just yourself under a guest name, what a relief! I' m interested InPolska, have you spent much time in countries further east?

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]


They certainly did in Ireland and you can't get any further west than that! It evolved from the shawl that was worn round the head. You're starting to do your 'I am so vereee French and superieur' thing. Remember ma petite, the other children don't like that.......

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]


Some do, they have those broad faces with high cheekbones and the deep set eyes but lots of them don't look like that at all.



I think she means because it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and absorbed a lot of German influences. I had a friend at school whose grandparents were ostensibly Czech but they were pure Austrian in all respects, right down to the Sachertorte!

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]

Good morning Wulkan. I'm always up early being married to a Pole! He's gone to work now and I'm happily munching my cornflakes. I would agree that if you classify Czech Republic as Central Europe, then why not Poland, even though a large part of it is located further east than its neighbour. However there's no doubt that Poland is perceived/defined by many as Eastern Europe. Now here we go with sources: Bear in mind that geographical definitions are one thing and popular perception is another. But here are some samples, quotes in bold, not to be rude or shouty, just to highlight them for quick reference:

goeasteurope.about.com/od/easterneuropedestinations/ss/Countries-Of-Eastern-Europe.htm. From a travel site, quote: it's important to note that the countries broadly classified as being a part of Eastern Europe have one thing in common: they were all behind the Iron Curtain before its fall, and this political boundary of the last century helps us define a region whose development, especially until the 1990s, has been very different from that of Western Europe.

United Nations Statistics Division unstats.un.org/unsd/pocketbook/PDF/Poland.pdf

Quote: Region:Eastern Europe

The EU classifies Poland as both Eastern and Central Europe for different purposes. For example it defines the language as belonging to Eastern Europe which in my opinion is a fair definition. It's clearly a Slavic language. For God's sake my husband can understand Russian! He doesn't speak it now Wulkan but he always seems to know what they're talking about.

Obviously Poland is located more or less in the centre of Europe and its culture reflects this. Polish culture is a mix of east and west and to be honest I see a lot of similarities with Germany (another red rag to a bull I suppose!), but there's no getting away from the fact that being a former communist country places it firmly in the Eastern Bloc in the minds of many. This is a period of transition. Poland is quite unique because as I say it has both western and eastern influences in its culture and it will probably always be a contentious issue but as time goes by and the image of the old Iron Curtain thing recedes, people will simply see Poland as plain old European with no east or west tagged on to it.

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]



Absolutely. Any former state from the Eastern Bloc as it was known, any former Iron Curtain territory is perceived, like it or not as Eastern Europe. I've mentioned this before to Wulkan but he simply cannot deal with it. And lo it doth offend him to his deepest core sayeth the Lord..........

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1090]

Where did you get that definition from? There is no actually no consensus about the exact centre of Europe. Different experts, different opinions, but here's an interesting link to author Francis Tapon's discussion of this subject. It's a nice read, not too academic:

francistapon.com/Books/The-Hidden-Europe/Where-is-Eastern-Europe-and-what-countries-are-in-it

Life / Poor hygiene of people in public places in Poland [46]

Well said Johnny. In the words of Smokey Robinson 'I Second That Emotion'.

Life / Poor hygiene of people in public places in Poland [46]


Okey doke, in the absence of Delph, I'm happy to volunteer for that task. Remember you asked for this:


We don't 'do vacation'.


Present tense instead of past. Possible typo.


Incorrect use of the word 'superstitious'. Also incorrect spelling but we'll let that go.


We don't adapt manners. We adopt them.


Well as you've demonstrated, you are in that group of people. What is the offer exactly? I'm not clear on that.

By the way I very generously left out some of the common American usages which would be considered incorrect grammar such as 'acting defensive' instead of acting 'defensively'.

Life / Poor hygiene of people in public places in Poland [46]

@Wulkan. Ah thinks we got us a big ole troll here boy! She may be from 'down South' but she sure ain't no lady. A real Southern lady would be too well brought up and have too much class to express herself in those terms. Such preposterous nonsense - there are whiffy people the world over and in fact plenty of jokes have been made about the fragrance of the elderly on British tv over the years. Plenty of the whiffy ones are young as well. Wonder if our great lady has ever taught in a boys's school. Well I have and when the old gonads drop, let me tell you the perfume from the armpits is almighty.

By the way, the real troll giveaway in her post is the 'my daddy' reference. Some big old beardy bollocks as we'd say in Ireland doing his Scarlet O'Hara impression. I'm just waiting for Rhett Butler to step out of the shadows.