Life / Boring Life after work in Poland (Bydgoszcz) [29]

It's a tough question no matter where you are and hard to answer without knowing anything about you. What did you do in your home country after work, that's probably the best place to start, I know it seems simplistic, but there could be an opportunity to do something similar that you haven't come by that someone on here knows about?

Work / Diary of a Teacher in Poland [181]


Ditto this! I was in a middling French class at school where we went through textbooks and grammar tables while the teacher tried to explain the grammar rules in English. Really didn't sink in, I got bored, and to this day my French is limited to telling people I have a brother and I play football. The uppermost class had a teacher who was French and didn't speak English in class, all of them went on to pass highers and some went to University to study language. Not saying I would have done better in French if the teacher only spoke French, however when I have been put in situations in other languages where I have no English "Safety Net" I have picked things up really quite quickly.

Work / Diary of a Teacher in Poland [181]


Maybe as I don't have kids yet I am being naive, but surely there is more to your kids going to school than what grades they get. Do you ever get parents asking questions along the lines of: "Is my child enjoying the classwork?" "Do you feel they are coping with the workload?" and so on? I loved school and, from the sounds of your diary it sounds like the parents aren't really caring about the "life lessons" part of the school but just what grade they are getting, or am I misreading?

I do understand that higher education look at grades and that standardised exams are unlikely to go away anytime soon, but there is so much more to school than exams!

Work / PAT testing electrical equipment in Poland [51]


Don't know why, but this made me properly laugh out loud. Just picturing the sales pitch, "And of course we have these decorative sockets, perfect for when you want to plug something in but not use it".

Food / Papa John's Pizza coming to Poland [28]


Completely agree, I ordered once and it was terrible, tried again tempted in with special offers, still just as bad. Same really with Da Grasso, Dominos, and the other big chains. Often they are more expensive and not as good as local pizza shops, but they survive because of brand recognition. In Krakow I always used a local one which is closed now for a Friday take away (great thin dough and fresh toppings), then would also use Football Pizzeria for late night deliveries (they are open all night), and then New York Pizza Dept for hungover Sundays (their dough was a bit thicker, good for soaking up the residual alcohol!

Food / Poles prefer pizza & kebab? [64]


Just out of curiosity on this I popped on Just Eat for my area (close to a large city centre in the UK). While there are 11 fish & chip shops, there are 28 Chinese restaurants and 55 Indian. For the sake of staying on topic, there are also 12 Kebab shops. While there is no doubt there will be some crossover (some Indian places will sell kebabs, some kebab shops will sell fish & chips) the numbers themselves tell the story that the humble chippy isn't as popular in the UK as it once was.

In saying that, last time I was in Kraków I noticed that a lot of kebab shops had changed to "noodle and rice bars" and it seemed every new fast food place to open was a gourmet burger joint...so maybe the popularity of kebab shops is waning too. That is just from the one most recent trip, and I don't have numbers to back it up, but I would be interested to see if the numbers of kebab places are falling.

Food / What's your favourite tea that's sold in Poland? And what tea do you like but can't find here? [3]

I found in Poland, the tea seems to be mainly based on a Darjeeling blend which is a much lighter and more delicate tea than the Assam that most UK teas are based on (talking big brands). This works better for the Polish want to drink tea with a little syrup and lemon. It's not ideal for a builders brew though. While in Poland I got Yorkshire Tea from Allegro (nothing against Poland, I ordered it online when I was in the country in Scotland and the local shop didn't stock it, and carry it to work in a wee Tupperware box even now).

I think what Poland do really well is the selection of herbal teas and fruit infusions. Most supermarkets here have huge selections of black tea, but others are minimal so I often go to the Polish shop for my mint and orange which is lovely.

Polonia / Who still speaks pidigin Polish after many years in the country? [59]

Apart from the pettiness between certain members, this has turned out to be quite a good thread for those of us with a basic Polish knowledge. Good pronunciation tips all over the shop. That being said, can you ever expect someone who learned the language as a foreigner to be 100% fluent with perfect pronunciation? It's a bit snobby to sit there and say that expats can't tell the difference between "ci" and "cz". There is a difference, I can hear it (and I'm not even trying to claim fluency or even good Polish), but using it day to day, it's not a natural way to speak.

A good point was made with Polish people speaking English and certain things are mispronounced regularly, no matter how much you study or immerse yourself, there will be a natural way to pronounce things and that will prevent consistency. It's not something to be mocked, I think it's charming and it gives people a bit more character.

Work / Popular pay days in Poland [7]

I am pretty sure the labour law says that a months wages must be paid before the 17th of the next month. From experience, when working for a small company, I was paid on the 16th or 17th, but when I worked in a corporation it normally came through around the end of the month. That being said, in the corporation it was flexible, sometimes sooner, sometimes later, and it was all kept super hush hush and you never knew you were getting paid until you got your payslip at which point money was in your account 3 hours later. I wasn't a fan of that approach as it makes organising and budgeting quite difficult.

Language / American pancakes are not Poland's naleśniki! [45]


Ah but that's moving to placki ziemniaczane which are different again to nalesniki. Which brings us delightfully full circle, we started with american pancakes being translated as nalesniki, now we have placki translated to English as pancakes :)

Language / American pancakes are not Poland's naleśniki! [45]

I saw them in Kuchnia Swiata in KRK once and once only. I would have thought when I sold them out in about 30 seconds that they would have got more, but never to be seen again. Might have more luck in the Warsaw stores, the KRK one is pretty small.

Btw, look out for this:

Language / American pancakes are not Poland's naleśniki! [45]


No idea, as we also use the word crumpet for the more traditional English crumpet, so be aware if you pop round to a Scotsman's house for tea and crumpets, you may end up with crumpets or thin pancakes.

Although off topic, tea cakes in England are a baked good (kind of like a flat roll) with fruit in them, in Scotland, ask for a teacake and you will get a biscuit, topped with mallow, covered in chocolate.

This thread makes me hungry!

Language / American pancakes are not Poland's naleśniki! [45]


Funny you mention that, thin English pancakes in Scotland are called crumpets and pancakes up here are small (about the diameter of an apple) and slightly thicker with a leavening agent (could it be from Scotland that American pancakes came about?). I would also say there is a difference between crepes and English pancakes, as crepes are spread around to ensure thinness, whereas pancakes are left to settle themselves. I would say the Polish nalesniki is more akin to the French crepe, but as, for many years, there was no other type of pancake, I think that's why nalesniki has been used as a catch all term for foreign pancake like things.

Regarding fish and chips, a lot of places in Poland describe fish (from fish and chips) as "ryba w cieście naleśnikowym" so as in fish wrapped in pancake, I suppose to describe the batter.

Law / Poland's visit visa refused; "intention to leave the country is not determined". [35]


At no point did I say you, or your wife, should change your work. I was just saying that, as you work online, it's hard for an immigration official to see any tie to Pakistan with that.

I am not against you in any way, but more playing "devil's advocate", you need to view this whole situation, not from you or your wife's point of view, but rather that of the very bureaucratic Polish Immigration service. As such, it would be worth putting down a heavy investment somewhere in Pakistan that would prove you have to return.

The fact that you were in the UK and didn't overstay your visa is proof of nothing to the bureaucrats, it could actually work against you. It's not uncommon for non-EU people to visit EU countries and stick by their visa in the hope it will lead to them getting longer ones.

Again, not against you, just think you need to view this from more than one viewpoint.

Law / Poland's visit visa refused; "intention to leave the country is not determined". [35]

Hiya

You can see it from the consulate POV, you work online so can work anywhere but your wife is tied to work in Poland. To them it makes it unlikely that you would leave. Do you have property in Pakistan that you could leverage to show that is your home, or are you renting (apologies, not sure about the property market in Pakistan with regards to people renting and buying)?

Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [115]


I also like it and am of a similar opinion. That being said, black pudding/kaszanka are very particular to where it was made and by whom. A lot of shop bought kaszanka can be quite bland, but you can get some really good stuff off the beaten track. Same can be said of black pudding, some in the shop will turn to powder (like an overcooked hard boiled egg yolk) in your mouth and leave a poor taste, but proper (Stornoway!!) stuff is second to none!

Food / Making American cheeses (Polish and EU ones are terrible!) [100]

Well Joker, I would take you back to Mafektis' post (for some reason I can't quote). Good American cheese (like good American beer a good few years back) doesn't get exported. All you get is the mass market dross. That being said, the OP made the claim that cheese in Europe is not as good as the US, based on experiences in Poland, where the cheese selection is poor...at best!

Food / Making American cheeses (Polish and EU ones are terrible!) [100]


Not sure you can judge European cheese by what's available in Poland. Unfortunately the selection of cheese in Poland is very poor compared to Europe as a whole, you go into a major supermarket in Poland and the cheese quality will pale in comparison to what's available in a small corner shop in France for example. Back when I first moved to Poland, you couldn't even get cheddar, there were just lots of differently named plastic like cheeses that I am sure were identical. Think yourself lucky that the range has improved.

That being said, grilled Oscypki are amazing!

Travel / Trip to Poland this summer - how much spending money to bring??? [12]


Have you looked into Air BnB? If you want a hotel then it wouldn't be for you, but I would find myself a bit stir crazy in a hotel room for a whole month. With the Air BnB, you would probably spend a lot less than $1500 and it would be like having your own wee flat, they normally offer discounts for longer stays too.

Food / What Scottish Whisky do they sell in Poland? [24]


I don't know if it's a good idea to tell a Scotsman how to drink whisky. And if you go to Scotland you will find that most people do drink whisky. Why sip it when there's plenty more to drink?!?


Wouldn't wash my feet with the stuff. We had it as malt of the month in my pub because our buyer was swooned by discounts and free stuff, had to extend to 3 months because it's terrible.

If anyone is looking for a good single malt to take abroad, Scapa is a personal favourite and it's hard to get outside of Scotland (in fact, it was impossible to get here for a good few years!). For something in a decent budget and good for palates that are not used to single malts I would say Auchentoshan American Oak is a great starter malt (at the distillery they call it a good breakfast whisky...)

Life / Top 10 Poland fashion brands [25]

This seems to have been hacked by foreign producers which isn't really within the thread title, but there is a good Oswiecim brand by the name of Intruz which is popular with the hip-hop/skater crowd.

Food / Kefir drink in Poland [79]


Me too, really good on porridge!

There was one next to my flat in Kraków but not sure if it's still there. It had notices confirming it was unpasteurised and it came from a farm on a monastery. I think the economics of it depend the area. The mlekomat there was filled daily and if you went in the evening it was often empty, but if it wasn't selling out every day, it would be hard to justify the cost of keeping the milk in such careful conditions from the cow to the machine.

Travel / How available is internet/wifi in Poland? [24]

Where will you be staying during this time, is there not internet available there? It would be unusual to have a short term rental or hostel with no internet. If not then I agree with jgrabner, get a pre-paid card. Just make sure and register it.

Food / Kefir drink in Poland [79]

I always thought Kisiel was that stuff which was kind of like Jelly (Jello for friends across the pond) but with a texture more akin to Angel Delight? Is there something else with the same name?

Law / I was fined for not having a tram ticket in Poland. How does this affect me? [68]

@WhirlwindTobias

Agreed, it's not that expensive (89PLN for a month for all lines in Krakow) and so I don't understand why people living there try their luck and don't just get the pass. It's also peace of mind, I know I don't need to panic if the ticket validators are not working or I don't have change for a ticket.

As for tourists, there is plenty of information from official and non-official channels surrounding how to get around with public transport and it says almost everywhere that you need to validate your ticket as soon as you get on. Using your example, the inspectors will not come through in KRK if there is a queue at the machine or someone visibly buying, and keeping in mind the sometimes very little amount of time between stops for inspectors to work. If the person is sitting on their phone and not visibly buying or validating a ticket, that's their fault.

Food / Understanding Polish Cream, Syrup and Bacon [11]


While I agree with the majority of your post about just adjusting the shopping list, I found changing from a UK based recipe site for inspiration to a Polish one made a big difference for that. That being said, I think it's my British upbringing, but I prefer squash to syrup. Syrup is fine for hot drinks, but it never seems to dissolve properly in cold water and I find it often tastes of nothing more than sugar (obviously I am referring to the shop bought varieties). I also think there is a more eclectic selection of squashes.

USA, Canada / Poles in America: How do you pronounce your Polish surname? [128]


That seems pretty contrived. I will be honest, you would want to replace the ff with a v so more like "hov" to rhyme with Hasslehoff. In no way does it rhyme with Loaf...if you have to apply an accent, your pronunciation guide is bad...

USA, Canada / Poles in America: How do you pronounce your Polish surname? [128]


I would say more like Hof as in David Hasslehoff.

USA, Canada / Differences in How Polish People Raise a Child and How Americans Raise a Child [149]


In the Scottish system you can leave school after your standard grades at 16. However we would complete secondary school at 17 for most pupils. I was 17 when I started university after completing my schooling.

I always thought it was the most bizarre thing that you could get married at 16 (in Scotland you don't need parent's permission, hence Gretna Green) and start a family, but you couldn't get credit for a house or have a drink at the ceremony. Or of course you can go and fight for your country at 16 but can't vote for the government of the country you are serving for another 2 years. In Scotland we now allow 16 year olds to vote, but not in the UK in general.

Life / Millennials even worse than baby-boomers? [60]

Just to go a bit back on topic, I think the baby boomer generation had a certain "self entitlement" was because things were easier for them. It was perfectly normal to get a job for life, buy property, and raise a family in a comfortable situation.

The difference with millenials is that their "self entitlement" is falsely drawn from reality TV and the form of "instant celebrity and success". The reality for most millenials is that jobs for life are non-existant and any work is hard to come by and the property market is priced out of the budget of most young peoples' salaries.

Basically one group had a realistic sense of entitlement, the other just sees Kim K and others and think "that's what my life should be like".