Study / School of Polish for Foreigners at the University of Lodz [43]


Do you really think anybody would fall for that? It shows that your school considers its students or prospective students to be suckers.

Law / Opening a Polish Bank Account by a foreigner in Poland. Recommendations. [299]

A PKO Polska gold account saves a lot of queueing, and you get preferential rates on loans. They've always been ok for me. Cashpoints everywhere, too.

Law / Getting Married in Poland without a visa? [23]

Jonah. If you think you know English enough to teach it, you are kidding only yourself.

Life / How can I make Poland a better country for all? [10]


I think Jonah means, "My English was a bit better than the other Poles I shared with, so I taught them a few things."

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


Come home to Poland, son; England is obviously not for you.

Work / Can I become a teacher in Poland? Can I go to college there? [7]






You would need to improve your English.

Food / "Modern" Polish cooking (funny video clip) [21]

Funny that a public health information film preceded the first clip. Spoon on the chicken and then back into the mayo jar. This guy should be arrested for inciting poisoning. Bugger badly needed a shave, too. I wouldn't let him empty the kitchen bin.

UK, Ireland / Is moving to UK now a good idea? - antipolish prejudice of the Brits [231]

Don't forget stoned drivers. That's really dangerous. I've heard.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Don't forget, there's always the option to buy a plot of land and do it yourself over several years. Much easier - OK, less hard - than in many other countries.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


In Poland you pay full VAT but you can claim 16% back.
It's a struggle but it's possible if, as you say, you have anything left after paying rent.


You got that right, but it's worth it in the end. We've just finished finishing our place (if you know what I mean) and we've spent about 210,000PLN to build a 105m house, not including the cost of land.

UK, Ireland / Is moving to UK now a good idea? - antipolish prejudice of the Brits [231]

youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eujCeBC4Lh0

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Thanks. And good luck to those who decide to do the same as we did. We haven't had a holiday in six years and we buy second-hand clothes, but I'm the King around here, and my Queen tells me I can say that!

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USA, Canada / Why are Polish restaurants not successful in the USA? [698]


If you go to Chinatown in London's Soho, you'll find restaurants that serve all kinds of things, but they tend to be on the menu in Chinese only. If you know what you want, just ask and you'll probably get it. btw I used to go to Chinatown twice a week for twenty years, and I got to know the best places.

One of my favourites is Mr Poon's in Lisle St., which is between Gerrard St. and Leicester Square. There is (or was) a Mr. Poon's in Leicester Place but it was an up-market version of the original Poon's around the corner in Lisle St. This place is very narrow and operates on about five floors. Their hotpots are famous. The other restaurant I like is in Manchester place, just off Gerrard St, but I can't remember the name. Great food and cheap. The restaurants in the main Chinatown street, Gerrard St. are good but cater to the tourist trade mostly. Always look in the window and go where you see Chinese people eating.

Work / Planning a move to Wroclaw (a company offers me a Gross salary of 4000 Polish Zloty) [23]


You'd struggle on 4K gross. Your company seems not to have any realistic idea of what people need to live on here in Poland. Sure, there are families who live on less, but who wants to live in poverty? If I were you, I'd ask for 6k minimum or no go. Even on that income you'd hardly have a lavish lifestyle. Poland is not a cheap country anymore.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


Thanks for your comments. Well, as far as I know, most houses do have a basement. Where else would they keep all the pickles? We have eight layers of foundation brick below the house. In fact most of the money we spent was on stuff we'll never see! We chose not to have one on grounds of cost and the fact that there's an old house on our plot that we use for storage. Yes, the inside is all done. Home sweet home.

Work / How To Study In Poland and stay with my GF? Inability to move to Poland looks stupid. [60]


That was true but in the mid-nineties the currency halved in value two or three times in a few years and a lot of middle-class folk suffered a lot. I was there between '93 and '96 and I well remember the shock felt as salaries were halved in value overnight. Of course, the more prudent kept their savings in Dmarks, USD and gold.

It's true that Turkey has no shortage of rich people. Take a trip along the Bosphorus and look at the places - palaces, more like - which line the water. Not just Istanbul, either. Izmir, Ankara, Bursa, Trabzon, etc. have plenty of wealthy people. Having said that, the gap between rich and poor is huge. I lived in three places: Adapazari, near Istanbul, Elazig in the south-east and Batman [sic], also in the south-east. The poverty in the Kurdish areas is depressing, and central government has a lot to hang its head in shame about.

The Turks have so much to be proud of but one big fault, in my opinion, is their unwillingness to see problems in their country. They are fiercely nationalistic and are unable to laugh at themselves as a nation. The result of this is that they see too rosy a picture of the state of the country.

Love / POLISH GIRLFRIEND WONT PAY HER WAY [127]


I couldn't agree more.
Your other remarks were highly offensive to me. I adore my Polish wife and want only her happiness.

Love / POLISH GIRLFRIEND WONT PAY HER WAY [127]


You doubt that I want only her happiness? Ok, her Cornish pasties are terrific and I wouldn't want to give them up.


Who needs men when you've got fifty pairs of shoes?

Love / POLISH GIRLFRIEND WONT PAY HER WAY [127]


Not you. Imelda Marcos.

Love / Was the strict Polish family the reason for our break-up? [20]


What do you know about it Rat? You say you are Indian living in Singapore, then you are Chinese and asking for information about illegal activity in Poland. Why not do everybody a favour and **** off?

Life / Attending my first Polish Wedding and Celebrations [18]

Pace yourself. It's going to be a long night. Plenty of juice. Just knock back half a glass when there's a toast. I wouldn't worry too much about providing the entertainment. Go with the flow and enjoy it; you're a guest, not the guy on the organ playing 'The Lady in Red'.

Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]


You haven't been in Poland long, have you? Stick around and you'll see that running a private language school isn't as easy as you might think. Sure, there are lots of cowboy outfits everywhere in the world, but it's up to you to find the good ones. Don't rubbish the whole sector. There are very many good people running good schools in Poland.

Life / Attending my first Polish Wedding and Celebrations [18]


'Karpuz', but excellent post boletus.
Nozz, imagine a Polish guy coming to your wedding wearing a bowler hat and carrying a bone china cup and saucer, or, having done his research, offering the father of the bride a piece of willow branch entwined with holly.

These people will be happy if you just have a good time and give the happy couple an envelope containing 200PLN. Have a good time and don't get in the way.

Travel / Any Hooters in Poland? [28]


Have you changed your mind?


Perhaps my learned friend could help me. What is, or are 'Hooters'?


You aksin a keschin? I do believe robust beat combos perform in 'Speakeasy' establishments, and such like.

Travel / Any Hooters in Poland? [28]


Don't think I know her. Knew a chap with frightful piles. Most uncomfortable. For both of us.


Most agreeable.


Quite right. I think this is an opportune moment for prandial refreshment.

Life / Poland: worst teeth in the world? [98]


Have you ever been to Britain and looked?

UK, Ireland / Polish immigrants in the UK - victims or criminals?! [231]


Your territory? I thought you were American. Anyway, how are you going to give us a hard time?

Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]


No. Sorry but you don't know what you are talking about. How many schools have you worked in?

Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]


I've already told you that my name isn't Patrick.


You certainly get around. I've found that if you stay in one place, do a good job and agree terms before you start, then a mutually beneficial arrangement can be reached.

As I said in an earlier post, of course there are bad schools everywhere, no doubt in Germany too. These schools are businesses, first and foremost, so of course they want the most work for as little outlay as possible. What annoys me is the franchise operations, where you get any Tom, Dick or Harry with no experience in the field opening schools. These are the worst.

Life / Poland: worst teeth in the world? [98]


In my experience Polish dentists are very good. A couple of years ago I needed to have a broken front tooth capped. My dentist suggested having both front teeth done, which made sense. After about ten long (well, they seemed long) sessions I paid 1000PLN for two porcelain caps and all the work. How much would that have been elsewhere?

A friend's husband was quoted 2000GBP for some dental work in the UK. He came here and had a good job done for 400PLN.