History / Thinking of changing Wikipedia's Holocaust article to include genocide of Poles. [78]


I don't accept it and nor has anyone I've spoken to. I lived in the US for a while and know the fear people live in of insulting Jewish sensitivities on the matter.

The dishonesty toward history is that the word has been hijacked. It has been in use since long before WW2.

Someone had a different opinion to you and you suggest they drown themselves in a toilet! Why do you bother coming on a forum?

History / Thinking of changing Wikipedia's Holocaust article to include genocide of Poles. [78]

I thought about doing the same. From what I have read approx. 5-6 million Jews and 6-8 Million non Jews were killed. The pre-war east was so poor it is impossible to know exactly as there was never a proper census done. I've read on a few holocaust (mainly US based) websites that the holocaust is specifically the term used for the eradication of Jews. This seems to be a political attitude and I don't agree. These people starved and were murdered side by side. You cannot distinguish them by religion. Once they were singled out for their fate they all suffered identically. People of many religions died and dozens of nationalities. Its is not just in Poland that these things happened so you cannot just refer to Polish victims along with Jews. Anyone deemed an enemy of the Nazi's was processed to their death.There were camps in several countries.

On the wiki page it does mention that there is a difference of opinion on a definition. I suspect that's as good as you will get as it is such a tender subject, and even states the fact the word was used pre-war to describe other genocides. Basically the word has been hijacked.

UK, Ireland / EXCHANGE RATES BETWEEN POLISH ZLOTY AND BRITISH POUND [73]

phone your bank and ask them for a special rate. you should pay about 5/6 grozy commission. e.g if the official rate is 4.63 then you should get about 4.7:1 which would mean you get 63,829pounds.

We were quoted a 10 grozy margin by our bank online but they cut it to 6 when we phoned and haggled.

Work / Whats the job and school market like in Warsaw? [27]

Wish I had some good news for you. If you're not bringing a job with you, teaching is one of the few options. I'm here a year and not a sniff of a job. Not having the language puts you at a huge disadvantage to the locals. What jobs are there for English speakers pay poorly. Start applying now and never send a CV off without getting the name of the contact. Follow up with them to see if anything is progressing. Recruitment agents are lazy and will forget about you if they don't have an obvious job to put you forward for. Start to learn the language before coming and practice at home. I've been looking for a trade buying/purchasing job. Had the wind taken out of my sails when I was told max to expect is about 3000pln p/month before tax in Lodz, more in Warsaw or Krakow but still only just covering the bills.

Ireland even now offers far higher wages and I have 2 interviews after a week looking.

Love / Demands from Polish ex! [75]

you pay in advance for water and then pay/get refunded versus what you actually use. That's what happens in my apartment. Thing is I can't see how you could be near 1000pln over, maybe 100-200.

Life / English channels on Poland's Cyfra+ [13]

you can change to original language with subtitles on selected channels only. Ale Kino does it i know. there are a few bbc channels like knowledge and entertainment that I'm pretty sure allow it too. That's about it. The others don't allow you to remove the polish "lektor".

UK, Ireland / Moving to Poland from UK - how to watch English tv? [7]

you can pick up some channels without going to a huge dish but in order to get them all you will need anything up to a 3m dish. You are trying to catch astra 2a satellite. the further north west you are the better.

UK, Ireland / Moving to Poland from UK - how to watch English tv? [7]

There are plenty of threads about this already. Either get it over the internet or get a massive 2m+ dish on your roof.

Travel / Driving to Lublin from Cork in Ireland [7]

I've done Cork to Lodz. Took the Roslare to Le Harve Ferry overnight and landed in early afternoon. Drove to Neuse, Rhur Valley and stopped at 9pm (6-7 hours). Made it to Lodz in about 10/11 hours then (9am to 7-8pm). This is not an option with kids. The roads are generally very good and you should be able to keep at the speed limits of 120-130 until you hit Poland. There is a stretch from Frankfurt-Oder to the start of the motorway near Poznan that is terrible, do not do it in the dark.

I drove Lodz to Lublin last weekend. There is a good road from Lodz to Piortkow Trybunalski (A1 i think) but thereafter is average. You will be slowed in places like Radom. Busy road too with regular 70kph stretches.

With kids you will need to take 2 nights/3 days. Stay first night around Belgian border. Cross Germany day 2 and stay southeast of Berlin or just over border. Cross Poland day 3. Plan your stops and hotels if you can. I drove past a rest stop at German border with a cheap hotel and petrol. Nearly ran out and ended up staying in an overpriced hotel in Neuse as I needed petrol. The rest stops can be sporadic and are rare in the old east Germany, loads in Poland. In Germany you have a legal obligation to carry a first aid kit (including latex gloves), reflector and fire extinguisher. I'm told cops can be pricks about it.

Life / Electronics in Poland - what kinds are popular? [20]

Do all you Americans think that the rest of the world is stuck in the middle ages!

You can buy anything here that you can buy in the US pretty much. May be slightly more expensive, but the cost of shipping will easily offset any benefit of purchasing in US. Look at prices here to compare.

electroworld.pl/kat,165,komputery-monitory

Love / I love my Polish girl! Wanted to share my story. [55]

I'm married to a Polish girl and living in Lodz. Personally didn't have any problem with my family accepting her, wouldn't have tolerated it for a second if there was. Her mother and Granny were concerned that I would drag her back to Ireland though. We now live in Poland, jobs not easy to find though without language. Locals have excellent English so being a native speaker is little advantage.

The fact is that Poland's economy is the best performing in Europe at the moment and UK/Ireland among worst. What advantage has the girl got in going to UK. As an EU citizen she can go where she wants when she wants, visa argument bullsh1t and Poland is not as poor as westerners think. Just because they don't spend a fortune on pretty houses and gardens like we do in the West people think the place is impoverished. Well my friends did when they landed first.

You would want to have a serious sit down with your family and straighten them out, in my opinion.

Love / English boyfriend coming to visit me in Poland [55]

I stayed with my in-laws when I first visited Poland. Slept in my wife's bed while she slept on floor of her parents room. Her parents spoke no English then. I thinks its better to be with the family than in a cheap hotel. If nothing else he can drink vodka with your Dad! Send him out to see some local sights.

I'm sure he can occupy himself for 2 days.

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


Krysia, shocked by your 2 contributions. You're obviously enormously bitter towards your ex husband and men in general. Clearly your divorce was nothing to do with you!

4-5 year olds drinking from a bottle and using a pacifier is not normal. Pacifiers cause deformities in teeth that cost a fortune to fix.

Tom, I'm Irish and living in Poland. Families here tend to be much smaller and as a consequence children are subject of a huge amount of attention. Grandparents play a huge role in raising babies and although largely positive, it can overwhelm the parents at times. The over dressing of children is common here. They dress them for worst possible weather all the time. I have yet to turn on our apartment heating as the neighbours over do it so much. Its -20 celcius outside.

I have seen 2 friends of my wife who are obsessive of their new babies to a hugely unhealthy level. One refuses to let anyone else hold the baby and had not spent a minute away from the child in 6 months. Not even to go out for a meal!

The arrival of a child has a huge impact on the relationship of a couple. Long term having a child sleeping with their parents is going to damage a relationship in many ways.