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Posts by Cardno85  

Joined: 11 Jul 2008 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 12 Oct 2017
Threads: Total: 31 / Live: 9 / Archived: 22
Posts: Total: 973 / Live: 543 / Archived: 430 		From: Kraków, Poland
Speaks Polish?: Rozumiem ale nie mówic dobrze.
Interests: Cocktails, Cooking, Rugby, Shinty, Reading, Watching Movies

Displayed posts: 552 / page 5 of 19
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Cardno85   
28 Jun 2014
Life / Public Transport Woes in Poland [11]

Yup, again, old people are bad offenders for this. Screaming into their phone like it's a long distance call in 1902 and not realising that, just because they can't hear so good, they don't need to shout!

I have no problem with people picking up their phone on public transport, but don't disturb everyone else. Keep it brief and quiet...
Cardno85   
27 Jun 2014
Life / Public Transport Woes in Poland [11]

As inspired by Pam:

There is nothing wrong with starting a new thread as the result of interest generated on another.

I have decided to answer/moan about the topics mentioned:

1.2.3.4.5.

1. In their defence, the open spaces on buses and trams is there for wheelchairs and prams. I do get annoyed when it's filled with bicycles, if you have a bike, why don't you cylcle it instead of taking up a load of space on the bus/tram??

2. I hate this...seriously, because you're old it means you can't follow common courtesy and your bag somehow needs a seat because, what, it's got a pension pass too?

3. In Kraków they have combatted this by only offering hour tickets for sale by the driver, which means if you can't use the machine or don't have a ticket you need to pay 5PLN for one off the driver. Although, in saying that, sometimes the automats are out of order and I think they do that on purpose to raise funds so people have to buy a more expensive ticket.

4. I will always give my seat up to someone that I feel deserves it, however, I am not going to feel like a terrible person because someone who's just turned 60 (or whatever age it is, it's a long while before I need to worry about it) and got their pass wants my seat.

5. I don't want to single out the older people with their little shopping carts, but people with huge backpacks that refuse to put them at their feet and go wandering about bumping everyone and taking up two people's spaces on a crowded bus deserve to pay double!
Cardno85   
26 Jun 2014
Life / Is Polish parenting traditionally very laissez faire? [4]

I think it very much has to be taken on a case by case basis. I know my family in law don't take their infant out to restaurants because they want to enjoy time with adults.

As a former waiter in a fine dining establishment I can say this is certainly not a Polish thing, but a consequence of modern life where Parents think that their children don't need to be dicsiplined. I remember carrying hot soups about and having to dodge little brats playing tag in a fine dining room because heaven help me if I was to drop soup on them. I think there needs to be constraints with kids in public areas.

In saying that, I don't think it's a big problem in Poland as opposed to the UK.
Cardno85   
22 Jun 2014
Food / Polish & US heat & eat foods? [16]

a) It's the Daily Mail...I wouldn't really take anything there seriously.

b) I know the co-op do a salmon en croute which is certified organic salmon...problem solved.
Cardno85   
22 Jun 2014
Food / Polish & US heat & eat foods? [16]

When I was back in the UK, I was quite keen on the more modern and healthy take on heat and eat. Instead of microwave packs, they come in aluminium trays and it's things like salmon en croute, hunters chicken and a huge other selection of raw meat/fish with some veg and semi prepared so all you need to do is put it in the over for 40 minutes. The ingredients list has pretty much all food and very few chemicals and because it's fresh, raw meats/fish it actually tastes good.

I would think of it as a good compromise between healthy/natural and convenient. Unfortunately with a pretty terrible selection of convenience foods here, I just cook everything from scratch in big batches and freeze it to make my own ready meals.
Cardno85   
22 Jun 2014
Food / Which Polish milk brand is closest to UK supermarket style milk? [31]

But never raw milk which is dangerous.

Raw milk can be dangerous if not treated correctly. For the Mlekomats, the milk is instantly chilled from the udder down to 1.5 degrees C which inhibits the growth of bacterial cultures. Provided you keep it cold and drink it within a week, which is not hard because it's so tasty.

I found, when I first arrived here, that fresh milk was really hard to find, but now there is a good selection. I would also reccommend Zimne Mleko or the Mlekomat (the latter being possibly the best milk I have every tasted in my life). But you will also find "Swieze Mleko" in white (not clear) PET bottles which is good for keeping the milk for quite a while.

Don't touch UHT with a barge pole. Unless you are living on a submarine...
Cardno85   
22 Jun 2014
Food / Poland's best cheap beers? [72]

If you have a biedronka nearby they are doing Lezajsk Rzeskie for 1.99PLN per can at the moment which is very reasonable and it's actually pretty tasty too.
Cardno85   
22 Jun 2014
Work / Salary and cost of living information - Krakow [257]

That's true, on top of that, because you are using a real estate agency there will be their fee too. I think you should be confident on paying close to 2000PLN for that.

4500 PLN Gros enough for a single person?

Take out 30% of that to take into account the tax. You should look at about 3150PLN take home pay and so after rent and bills you should look at having 1150PLN in your pocket for a month. This is perfectly manageable however it's not a huge amount and if you are thinking of going out every other night and shopping exclusively in Alma/Kuchnia Swiata you will be out of cash in about a week or two.

sodexo meal vouchers

There are quite a few different types of sodexo vouchers. I know the most common is the Podarunkowy Pass which is accepted in all major supermarkets and a large number of other shops. It would be worth checking the exact type of voucher you are getting from them. If it is Podarunkowy Pass then you can pretty much add the value of your vouchers to your wages and get a pretty good idea of what you will have in your pocket for the month.

If it is a different type of voucher then it would be worth checking to see where that type will be accepted. On
dlaciebie.sodexo.pl/kupony
you can enter the type of voucher in the section RODZAJ KUPONÓW and then Kraków in the MIASTO and search to see what kind of shops/restaurants are there.
Cardno85   
14 Jun 2014
Life / What's the family life and culture of families like in Poland? [14]

should i take my shoes off?

Yes, it is expected in Poland that you would take off your shoes when you enter someone's house. I think it's only really a western Europe/US thing to keep your shoes on in the house. I grew up in SEA so I have always done it as habit, don't really get the whole dragging your dirty shoes through other houses they do in the UK.
Cardno85   
10 Jun 2014
News / Poland one step closer to visa waiver by US Senate [59]

Btw I am mystified why anyone, anybody would like to go to the US voluntarily.

I agree, if you are looking for money then go to the UK or Germany. Why try the US where the risks outweigh the rewards?
Cardno85   
10 Jun 2014
News / Poland one step closer to visa waiver by US Senate [59]

Someone in the office thinks I may overstay- it's his opinion and is an assumption so it can be harmful

That is a problem with the system. I used to work outside the US Consulate in Kraków where people would queue all day to find out if they could go and visit family. Most of them were respectable enough and it was at the whim of the consulate to grant them the Visa. Most people got it, but they had to pay 800PLN for it, and if you failed, you needed to pay again. Considering the statue of liberty states "bring me your poor and unwanted" (paraphrased) it's a bit funny how strict they are. Keep in mind the Polish were one of the countries that helped build that nation.
Cardno85   
10 Jun 2014
Law / Can somebody explain ZUS to me? [40]

Reforming it into something more viable would be such a massive task that no government wants to face it.

BOOM! There's a fact right there.

No chance any country with a welfare system is going to reform it. You'd lose half the vote by people saying that now the government is being cruel without saving money to the pulic (because it wouldn't) and the other half would say you are giving the whole public penny to those who "don't deserve it". They are stuck in a catch 22.
Cardno85   
10 Jun 2014
News / Poland one step closer to visa waiver by US Senate [59]

It's high time Poles stopped being treated like high-risk potential terrorists

It's not the terrorism threat they are worried about. It's the fact that so many Poles come to visit and then stay permenantly, leading to costly (for the US) deportation or citizenship procedures. Although in saying that, Poland are hardly the worst in Europe for that sort of thing and they are still the only established EU country that has to queue for a Visa to go for a weekend in New York.
Cardno85   
10 Jun 2014
Law / Can somebody explain ZUS to me? [40]

Pretty much the same as the UK does with NI, keep raising the rates and ignoring the fact that the system doesn't work.
Cardno85   
10 Jun 2014
Law / Can somebody explain ZUS to me? [40]

They have the choice to retire at that age, due to the physicality of the job (which can vary depending on rank and position). However, with the state pension being so low, it's rare you will find a 35 year old retiree in Poland, most will stay in their post (increase the pension) or find other work. You don't want to be 35 and stuck in the house all day...
Cardno85   
10 Jun 2014
Law / Can somebody explain ZUS to me? [40]

It's like National Insurance in the UK. You pay a percentage of your wage and it covers costs of hospitals, government pension, prescription subsidies, etc. I believe people think it's falling apart because, with better healthcare and better standard of life, the population is growing older which meants there are more people out of work needing pensions and helthcare while people in work are paying for that people are not happy about it. Plus, because you can opt out of paying ZUS, it means that there are less funds now available. I have always opted in, both in case of emergencies and also I think it's a huge reflection of your country's character how you treat the weakest in society.
Cardno85   
5 Jun 2014
Life / I woke up in Poland's Hilton of Drunks after the Juvenalia party. Must I pay the 300zl fine? [49]

I would say to pay the fine. But the OP must have been in a hell of a state to end up there. I have been in some nick coming out of Nic Nowego at times and the old Piekny Pies. And I know lots of people who staggered out at 7am completely wrecked. Never was one of them picked up and stuck in the Hilton (Hilton must love having their name associated with prisons the world over...). I have heard that it's ok to be drunk and staggering a bit as long as you are not too boisterous. A lot also depends on the particular policeman and the kind of day he's had.
Cardno85   
5 Jun 2014
Life / Many Problems with UPC Broadband in Poland - Anyone Else? [20]

What city are you in BLS? I am in Kraków and haven't had a single issue since I signed up. There was a 2 hour lapse in TV and internet once, but that was scheduled maintenance that I was informed about before it happened.
Cardno85   
14 May 2014
Travel / Where can I buy alcohol in Poland as a 16 yr old? (is it legal?) [14]

It is quite strict, I have been asked for ID a couple of times in fact and I am nearing 30. I am pretty sure that the charge will definately hit the shopkeeper and their license, however I am aware that it is an offense to attempt to buy alcohol while underage so the person buying could also be charged. It's also worth noting that a particularly strict shopkeeper could refuse you and then call the police/straz mieska with a description and they will be fine and you will be picked up.

Might be better off getting someone to buy it for you.
Cardno85   
14 May 2014
Travel / OK to wear Kilts in Wroclaw on Friday nights? Would it deny us admission to pubs/clubs? [7]

I got knocked back from a nightclub in Kraków when wearing my kilt. I later met a person I knew who was drinking with the guy that knocked me back and I questioned him about it. Simply he said that the kilt was not the issue, it was the fact that the style in which I was wearing it was very casual and their dress code specified smart. As he said, "he can't tell other people that they need to wear a shirt if he lets me in wearing a t-shirt with a kilt. I think that is important. While a kilt can be classed as formal black or white tie, it can also be worn very casually and I think that needs to be kept in mind if you are looking to get into certain clubs.
Cardno85   
1 May 2014
Law / Canadian who studies in Warsaw - Visa, Karta Pobytu and Deportation? [6]

It's hard to say about the Karta Pobytu because of the buearocracy involved. However I would say risking it, while you will probaby be fine, is a risky move. It's not just Poland you need to worry about, if you overstay your visa and are caught then you could risk a full Schengen lock out!
Cardno85   
27 Apr 2014
Life / UPC phone line in Poland [7]

You, sir, are a gentleman and scholar. Many thanks!

I just managed to set it up although my remote was slightly different to the one in the instruction manual linked. With mine I had to hold down OK and Wyjdz until the light came on and then press TV Kanal up until my TV went off, then TV to turn the TV back on then OK to save. Very simple and now I only have one remote lying about :)
Cardno85   
26 Apr 2014
Life / Food wastage in Poland households [6]

I personally find I waste far too much food. It's a hard habit to break, but I buy things from Tesco "just in case" and then it goes in the bin the next week. Shocking really and I should do better. I have found that since I started ordering online, I stick much closer to a list and so don't buy so much extra.

I think that in all Western countries (Poland included) there is a huge amount of food wastage. It's due to convenience of being able to pop down the supermarket and replace whatever you threw out so people will buy everything they might need and not only what they do need. In the days when you had to go to different shops to get things, it was such a hassle that you would stick to what you need. Supermarkets, for all the good they do, have led to much higher food wastage.
Cardno85   
26 Apr 2014
Life / UPC phone line in Poland [7]

Merged: Setting Up Your UPC Remote To Work On Your TV

Hi all, I have noticed there are TV options on my UPC remote which would suggest that I can put away my TV remote and control it all with one remote. However I have had a google and can't find a way to do that. Does anyone know how I could set this up?