Food / WHY IN POLAND PEOPLE DON'T USE ICE? [142]


The Polish way is the best for your body because if you drink cold water when it is very hot you heart needs to pump much more and one should drink lukewarm beverage or hot drinks when it is very hot ( like people living in the desert).

I know it is really unpleasant but we should avoid drinking very cold or icy drinks when it is 90F.
In the US they have air conditionning EVERYWHERE so no problem!

Real Estate / Documents requested from foreigners to rent a flat long term in Poland? Invoicing / Contract. [16]


I suppose there is a difference if the flat is furnished or unfurnished ..
I agree that asking for financial references make sense but paying 1 year rent upfront seems a bit too paranoid and too much!

Work / Wage and Salary rates in Poland [37]


You cannot just convert currencies in the absolute, you need to match them with the local prices and standard of living, in Spain i am not sure teachers make much more than that?

Not to mention the millions of people all over Europe recruited as " trainees" and who work full time and many years for peanuts replacing normal employees...

USA, Canada / A Canadian citizen overstayed Visa in Poland [35]


Why are you judging this poor chap who is asking for advice ?
He just wants to go back to finish his studies and was not aware of our bureaucratic nightmare, if by any luck he was a European he would not have any problem.

A local school made a lot of money with his application and he is not taking the job of any Pole , on the contrary his application reinforces the reputation of excellence of those Polish medical and Dentistry schools so let's be a bit nicer.

I fear that there are no immigration lawyers in Poland like in Canada but BrownRuffrider you could always try to ask the school for their support and get in touch with the authorities to try to defend your case.

Work / No English Speaking Jobs in Poland...At All? [34]


The only way you could do that is to be hired with an "expat contract" by an international company with headquarters abroad ,then you would mainly deal with English speaking departements or you may try travel insurances hotlines or any company with English speaking hotlines maybe( Phone companies,It etc)

News / Is it possible that Polish president was assasinated? If so then, by whom? [921]


The Polish Extreme right( Radio Maria) loves this theory of a KGB/Russian plot against the former Polish President, nonsense but the Extreme Right always cherishes the idea of persecution, it helps them getting votes...

News / Russian air traffic controllers ignored communication protocol of Polish pilots? [194]


This is exactly what i first thought when i heard about the tragedy , i immediately thought about a deficit in language communication and understanding since in Russia air traffic controllers do not get any English language training , not sure about the Polish pilots 's knowledge of English either.

What a terrible conjonction of multiple factors:Key members of the government flying all together in a 20 year old soviet plane, fog and weather conditions ,not speaking or understanding a common language.

When I am on a non English speaking country flight i very seldom understand the flight attendants' blabla in English( apart from Scandinavian crews) because their local accent is so strong and as most people I just tune out so if I can easily imagine the chaos in a situation of emergency...

Travel / Poland from a Persian Tourist's Perspective [269]


The irony of life, Darius, there is indeed a member of this forum who is seems very racist ( an understatement) and who bears almost the same "name " as yours , he probably does not know that Darius is a typical Persian name and neither does he know where and what Persia is !

It is really funny!
You are right , the vast majority Polish people is not at all racist or unwelcoming , in general as we know ,respectable people are respectful.

Travel / Live Music in Krakow or Warsaw [15]


Try U Muniaka on Florianska ,they always have excellent Jazz bands .
Polish Jazz is great, good atmosphere and drinks.

Real Estate / Buying Property in Poland is out on Amazon [7]

Mamdom are really professional and the manager is very friendly, it is just that they charge exorbitant prices and people who would deny it are either employed by this company, or friends ,family or simply very very wealthy.

I have myself asked them some quotes for interior fit and honestly they were much more expensive than other companies in Krakow.
Please note that i am only speaking about their interior fit services.

Food / Do Polish restaurants use dead dogs fat as a delicacy for you to eat? [41]


And so what? Why does it put Poland in a bad light ? Just because some disgusting people tried to fool consumers but slaughtering dogs and using their fat does not mean the whole Polish nation does it.

Besides a lot of Coreans and Chinese ( mostly old folks but still) love dogs and bears and whatever flies or run and some Japanese love eating whales and some French frog's legs.

In Europe we had mad cow disease for years because some disgusting English and Irish farmers fed their cows with flour made of animal carcasses.

This is much more criminal than selling dog 'fat because this greed provoked the deaths many people....
don't you think?

Work / Advice on Polish courses in Krakow [8]

I would also recommend Prolog, excellent but pay them directly at the school on 37 Bronowicka and avoid the other school further away on the same street .

Language / Present tense, past tense, past participle in polish [34]


If the Pluperfect in Polish is rarely used how do people express this nuance:

When I arrived my husband prepared dinner.( he started when i arrived)
When I arrived my husband had prepared dinner.( dinner was ready)

?

Language / When to use: Znać/Wiedzieć & lub/albo [23]


Ok to sum up I would propose a general rule:

Znać : can be followed by any noun( Proper noun or Common noun) or nominal sentence ( no verb )
Wiedzieć can be followed by any verb or verbal sentence ( no noun/substantive)

Any exeption to this rule?

Life / Horribly cold in Krakow at the moment , how do you cope with such temperatures ? [124]

Very good Strzyga, Hihi.

When it is that cold , one stays home and
1)
Either studies or read so it might explain why most Poles are often very cultured
2)
Either drinks Vodka and strong alcohol so it might explain why some are real drunkards

in anycase no wonder why Polish homes are often very confortable and people invest a fortune in them so that they can remain "confined" in their houses or flat a lot during winter.

Life / Are foreigners welcome in Poland? [267]

still_wisher
In what part of Warsaw was it? dreadful, sorry and hope you are ok

Travel / Mosques in Krakow? [131]

there are simply not enough muslims who would go the Mosque in Krakow to built one, and what's more who would pay for the construction etc ?

News / Do Poles in Poland really feel betrayed because there won't be any US Shield? [288]


What a silly comment. If people do not return when their visa expire it means either they cannot afford to return or they found better opportunities in the country they visited.

The USA are a goldmine of opportunities in some fields and I don't see why people with a family to care for in Poland should not try to improve their living standards if they can which does not mean I support parasites but people who contribute to any country aswell as contributing to themselves cannot be blamed for trying to overstay (until they get caught of course when it is illegal).

4th or 5th generations of Americans should always remember why and how their ancestors left their native country.
Wasn't it to find a better life?

Study / The reputation of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow. [52]

dtaylor
What is the name of the school dtaylor?
Thanks,

Study / Polish language schools in Krakow [30]

Glossa 's fees for mini group lessons were high , I thought.

950 PLN for 1 week/15 hours in a group + 150PLN ( registration fees, whatever it covers?)
1140 PLN.
I also found all the language schools I looked at charging too much for group lessons ( exept Prolog but they will only do 2 weeks in a row)

If one studys English in England , French in France, German in Germany it is quite cheap and there is a huge competition among schools but in Krakow,it seems different.

Am I wrong?

finally according to my own experience:The very best School in my opinion to learn Polish fast and in a very fun and professionnal way is the School PROLOG Polish for foreigners located on Bronowicka 37 and easy to reach by with the Tram.

prolog.edu.pl/kontakt

Look for the mini group lessons, amazing quality and teaching tools.( the focuss is on communication and oral expression which is great)

Be careful , pay directly at the school Prolog Bronowicka 37 and not a another place located on 58 /5 Bronowicka.
There is some weird company there which advertises over the Internet ( polishcourse .org) which has nothing to do with PROLOG but is located on Bronowicka 58/5 and they will register you for Prolog but will get a commission from what I understood.

I attended Polish lessons at Prolog and was really impressed and happy , teachers are great( MAREK, ISA I don't know how many languages these teachers speak but at least 4), activities are very good too , the Language training is highly professiobnal because the school has published its own method ( Hurra Po Polsku).

Their fees are very reasonable and if you pick up the mini group( 4 or 5 students , you ll have role plays in Polish, hysterical.( we were a mix crowd of English, German, Swiss ,French, Japanese,)

Polish language is really hard, the only way to learn it is in a fun way otherwise it is easy to give up so when after a weak you manage to communicate it is extremely appreciated!

For one to one if you can afford it or if your company sponsors your Language training get a private experienced teacher from the school or if you can't attend the group lessons and prefer a one to one just put an ad on Gumtree or on PL here to look for an experienced teacher ( not some students because Polish Grammar really needs to be explained in a professional way)

Life / I'm British in Poland and I think that it's time to go back to the UK! [240]


DNZ, I recommend that you forget about Real Estate agents just deal with direct owners for instance have a look at Gumtree Poland or have someone put an ad for you ( free) then visit the place and tha's it.

Or Best put an ad on PF and maybe a member will have the place of your dream and not ask you too much red tape.

Real Estate agents need to get loads of info from potential tenants to reassure owners and present the different candidates.
If you had a nice place for rent you would not want to rent it to someone who could destroy the place or misbehave and not have full confirmation he can be tracked in Poland, or would you?

Life / Where to Find a household storage company in Krakow? Help [16]

Thanks inkrakow that could be an option.

There is not much really : a bath,a sink, taps, a glass protection for the bath and a few small things from what I can see on my Max Fliz invoice .

8M2 would definitely be big enough but i don't really know the exact volume until I go to the store on the 16th -17th of August.

how do I PM you? On PF?
Under your profile it is written that you prefer not to be contacted by private email.
Thank you.

Life / Where to Find a household storage company in Krakow? Help [16]

Thanks Grzegorz I will check it.

Life / I'm British in Poland and I think that it's time to go back to the UK! [240]

Well if you make that sort of money why don't you hire someone to help you go through the process of all that?
Just delegate !
Poland is indeed a nightmare in terms of service but not worse than 90 % of European countries !
In the UK you are spoilt , not only do you have a real concept of service but people are super nice to foreigners.I love the UK!

Real Estate / Is there a Real Estate bubble in Krakow? [60]


I disagree that Foreign speculators are the only ones to blame for driving prices up but I agree that if the law in Poland had not been so speculators friendly , speculators would not have come to Poland like sharks.

In other countries in Europe, like in Germany, France, the Nederlands etc you cannot buy a property 'unless it is your main residence/ you keep it for 5 years )and resale it before 20 years without paying huge capital gains.

Buy a House in Provence or 25 apartments in Amsterdam and you will have to keep them for 20 years or pay big capital gains.
However in Poland from 2004 the government was trying to attract as many foreign investors as possible, as much Foreign currencies as possible and this allowed some people to buy 15 or 20 units /flats off plan at once and resale them within a year !Making huge profits and driving prices up.

So now we have this bubble , normal correction but if the Polish Government continues to attract speculation it will be worse.
The property price was at that time much cheaper than anywhere else in Western Europe attrating also big Multinationals like Google and others to Poland when plants and manufactures in Western Europe were beeing shut down.