Genealogy / Does your last name end in CKI not SKI [60]

I know that they struggle with that but it get's ridiculous. For example if I give someone my name over the phone, 9 times out of 10 they will still repeat it back to me in a completely different way to how I said it to them.

Genealogy / Does your last name end in CKI not SKI [60]

You'd be surprised that they just don't make the connection.

The names I usually get called are; s-zenk, sa-zenk, zenk, s-zank, zank, s-cze-znik (that last one is my favourite)

Genealogy / Does your last name end in CKI not SKI [60]

I like having the name Szenk, I think it's quite unique (as in the Polish version of the name). People in England can't pronounce it for love nor money. Germans manage to tell what it is quite quickly though.

News / Polish President Lech Kaczynski and gov officials die in a plane crash in Russia [686]

It's funny how right wing politicians in Europe are slowly being killed off.

First it was Pim Fortuyn, now it's Lech Kaczynski.

These are dark times for nationalists all over Europe.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

I can get the verbs and what not I'm just not grammatically correct. My girlfriend gets annoyed with me because she thinks I'm being lazy and not trying hard enough, then tries say that English is harder.

POLISH IS SOLID TO LEARN! Good job I had a basic grounding in it when I was little by the grandparents, seems to have stood me in semi-good stead.

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [656]

I'm a mix of Slav and Mediterranean (would that be Latin then?)

If it's possible my facial features are a spitting image of my dziadek and all the males that came before him.

However my eyes are deep brown as is my hair, and I go as dark as a loaf of wholemeal in the Summer, my hair also lightens and I get blonde streaks.

Language / Polish Swear Words [1242]

I found that cholera completely threw me off every time the fiance used the term, I tend to say skurwysn in general conversation and when I first heard someone who wasn't my grandparent speaking Polish and using the term I wondered why the heck they were talking about a disease.