Hipis
21 Apr 2012
Hipis
24 Apr 2012
Life / Moving to Poland Part-Time (probably Katowice) [56]
I have a lot of friends from Silesia and they all do name days.
I have a lot of friends from Silesia and they all do name days.
Hipis
25 Apr 2012
Life / Scars of Communism on Polish culture. [55]
Very well written Bieganski. :D
I have never, ever been into a shop, library or restaurant in Poland where I have been searched. Football matches and concerts, yes, but that's the same as anywhere else in the world. When I went to an Ozzfest in Florida in 2001 they just stopped short of a body cavity search before people were allowed into the venue so if you have complaints about this in Poland, then it's only being copied from the States.
Very well written Bieganski. :D
Public stores, libraries, and concert venues, even restaurants all over Poland, in 2012, which still have forced coat checks.
I have never, ever been into a shop, library or restaurant in Poland where I have been searched. Football matches and concerts, yes, but that's the same as anywhere else in the world. When I went to an Ozzfest in Florida in 2001 they just stopped short of a body cavity search before people were allowed into the venue so if you have complaints about this in Poland, then it's only being copied from the States.
Hipis
3 May 2012
USA, Canada / Living in Poland - prospects for Alabama guy ... need some advice! [146]
Proper football you can get in every major city and small town in Poland. The American version is only played in America anyway, along with those other sports the Yanks invented for themselves as they're pretty useless at sports normal people play everywhere else in the world ;)
the utter lack of sports...(I hope you really really really like soccer, volleybal and handball because you can kiss baseball, basketball, football, hockey goodbye,
Proper football you can get in every major city and small town in Poland. The American version is only played in America anyway, along with those other sports the Yanks invented for themselves as they're pretty useless at sports normal people play everywhere else in the world ;)
Hipis
3 May 2012
USA, Canada / Living in Poland - prospects for Alabama guy ... need some advice! [146]
South Park? :D
Anyway, seriously, give it a go in Poland. America isn't going anywhere, if things don't work out in Poland you can move back. As you say, women are fickle but are us guys any different? She moved over there for you, why can't you give it a try in Poland?
What the hell is in Colorado?
South Park? :D
Anyway, seriously, give it a go in Poland. America isn't going anywhere, if things don't work out in Poland you can move back. As you say, women are fickle but are us guys any different? She moved over there for you, why can't you give it a try in Poland?
Hipis
3 May 2012
Work / Brazilian in Poland needing help - ideas to find a job? [22]
A few basic written errors in your post suggest to me your English isn't as advanced as you think. As for looking for work, well, without seeing your full CV it's impossible for anyone to give you advice. If you can't speak reasonable Polish then the only thing I can think of right now is in catering establishments where the stafff speak Portuguese, Spanish or english and where you will have minimal contact with the customers until your Polish improves. If you can get a teaching qualification you could always teach Portuguese in a language school.
A few basic written errors in your post suggest to me your English isn't as advanced as you think. As for looking for work, well, without seeing your full CV it's impossible for anyone to give you advice. If you can't speak reasonable Polish then the only thing I can think of right now is in catering establishments where the stafff speak Portuguese, Spanish or english and where you will have minimal contact with the customers until your Polish improves. If you can get a teaching qualification you could always teach Portuguese in a language school.
Hipis
3 May 2012
Work / Brazilian in Poland needing help - ideas to find a job? [22]
Brazylia, you speak 3 languages and are learning a 4th, no need to apologise. It's more than most people are able to do. :)
Brazylia, you speak 3 languages and are learning a 4th, no need to apologise. It's more than most people are able to do. :)
Hipis
4 May 2012
Work / Brazilian in Poland needing help - ideas to find a job? [22]
From a purely academic assessment given what he has written here he'd be placed in an intermediate/upper intermediate bracket.
I'd also say his English was a lot better than many of the natives too ;)
From a purely academic assessment given what he has written here he'd be placed in an intermediate/upper intermediate bracket.
I'd also say his English was a lot better than many of the natives too ;)
Hipis
4 May 2012
Hipis
4 May 2012
History / Poland, Lacking External Enemies, Turns on Itself [106]
Poland would be very stupid to allow any US military installations on its territory. We owe the USA nothing. The US betrayed us at Tehran and Yalta, lied to us about maintaining the territorial integrity of our borders and are only sucking up the the Polish government now because it wants its misiile shield on our territory.
Poland would be very stupid to allow any US military installations on its territory. We owe the USA nothing. The US betrayed us at Tehran and Yalta, lied to us about maintaining the territorial integrity of our borders and are only sucking up the the Polish government now because it wants its misiile shield on our territory.
Hipis
5 May 2012
Love / Mixed Race Relationships (Polish guy married a Filipino/Spanish) [13]
I don't see the point in any of these kind of threads to be honest. Are people that insecure that they need the blessing of total strangers from an internet forum before they procreate? Does it matter if some narrow minded knuckle draggers disapprove of mixed race relationships let alone disapprove if people then have children in that relationship?
I don't see the point in any of these kind of threads to be honest. Are people that insecure that they need the blessing of total strangers from an internet forum before they procreate? Does it matter if some narrow minded knuckle draggers disapprove of mixed race relationships let alone disapprove if people then have children in that relationship?
Hipis
10 May 2012
Life / Polish people and racism. [943]
I have heard there are some English and Irish who do not like Poles. They seek out internet forums which lots of Polish people use and write many nasty things. What should I do? :(
I have heard there are some English and Irish who do not like Poles. They seek out internet forums which lots of Polish people use and write many nasty things. What should I do? :(
Hipis
11 May 2012
Study / Is it really worth moving back to Poland to study in a pharmacy school? [44]
It might be cheaper to study there, depending on where you live now. If you live in the UK then once the new course fees start for the uni courses in the UK universities you could easily be £30k in debt by the time you finish uni.
It might be cheaper to study there, depending on where you live now. If you live in the UK then once the new course fees start for the uni courses in the UK universities you could easily be £30k in debt by the time you finish uni.
Hipis
11 May 2012
Travel / Getting from Krakow to Warszawa (Warsaw) on the 8th of June opening game of European Championship [4]
If you're going via Inter City then it's usual to reserve a seat. Kraków - Warszawa - Kraków is probably the only train journey in Poland worth paying the extra fare on the Inter City as it is actually a lot quicker than the TLK service.
If you're going via Inter City then it's usual to reserve a seat. Kraków - Warszawa - Kraków is probably the only train journey in Poland worth paying the extra fare on the Inter City as it is actually a lot quicker than the TLK service.
Hipis
14 May 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]
Who decides what is fair market value? 2000PLN for 25m2 sounds excessive to me. Are students in Poland richer than here in the UK because there's no student I know that could afford paying the UK equivalent of 2000PLN a month to rent a bachelor pad for themself.
we also rent at fair market value.
Who decides what is fair market value? 2000PLN for 25m2 sounds excessive to me. Are students in Poland richer than here in the UK because there's no student I know that could afford paying the UK equivalent of 2000PLN a month to rent a bachelor pad for themself.
Hipis
14 May 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]
Without wanting to criticise anyone in particular but 2000PLN for 25m2 IS excessive regardless whether it's in Warsaw or Walsall. Going back to my original question, who determines what is fair market value? It's very easy to say "the market" but there are many factors that affect the market value. Supply and demand is one thing, excess demand over supply, but surely property speculators play a major part in this. Like milky says, people are buying to rent to others, it drove the price of property and rents up in the UK so it's obvious it will do the same in Poland therefore people do affect that market. Also the lack of decent, affordable social housing forces people into the private rented sector so people are forced into paying over inflated prices for property.
Without wanting to criticise anyone in particular but 2000PLN for 25m2 IS excessive regardless whether it's in Warsaw or Walsall. Going back to my original question, who determines what is fair market value? It's very easy to say "the market" but there are many factors that affect the market value. Supply and demand is one thing, excess demand over supply, but surely property speculators play a major part in this. Like milky says, people are buying to rent to others, it drove the price of property and rents up in the UK so it's obvious it will do the same in Poland therefore people do affect that market. Also the lack of decent, affordable social housing forces people into the private rented sector so people are forced into paying over inflated prices for property.
Hipis
14 May 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]
Oh please, is this question really necessary? Of course, I know plenty. If you'd bothered to read my post properly you would see that.
The UK property market goes in cycles and not necessarily due to whether there is a recession or not. What tends to happen in the UK is that property prices, when booming, usually outstrip people's ability to borrow the required funds. When I bought my first house I could only borrow 3x my gross earnings but up until a few years ago, before the banking crisis, it wasn't unusual to see lenders offering to lend 6x someone's gross earnings. Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that it's obvious that lending at the old ratio would have meant that it would have been impossible to sell anything unless the lenders relaxed their criteria, which they duly did thus fuelling a series of unsustainable increases in property values. Another factor was people buying to rent to others which pushed up the value of first time buyer properties beyond what people could afford.
Now as peterweg has pointed out, what is true for the UK isn't necessarily true for Poland but when I see you saying that you can get 2000PLN for such a small place I can only compare it to what I know about the UK property market. 2000PLN equates to £370 on the current exchange rate, someone on minumum wage here in the UK earns around £250 a week which is around 5400PLN a month. What is the average wage in Poland? 1500PLN a month? So you can ask and get 500PLN a month more than someone on average wages can earn in a month. So maybe by looking at some simple economics you can see why I think the sort of property you want to buy and rent out is over priced. Please don't think I am having a go at you personally, I am only responding on this thread because of the example you have given and you are operating in a market created by others. I think you should be given some credit for wanting to renovate the place and furnish it with new products as many landlords would not. I don't want to get into the political arguments about the perceived rights and wrongs of buy to let as I can see the arguments on both sides and there are merits on each side.
Do you know anything about real estate?
Oh please, is this question really necessary? Of course, I know plenty. If you'd bothered to read my post properly you would see that.
The UK property market goes in cycles and not necessarily due to whether there is a recession or not. What tends to happen in the UK is that property prices, when booming, usually outstrip people's ability to borrow the required funds. When I bought my first house I could only borrow 3x my gross earnings but up until a few years ago, before the banking crisis, it wasn't unusual to see lenders offering to lend 6x someone's gross earnings. Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that it's obvious that lending at the old ratio would have meant that it would have been impossible to sell anything unless the lenders relaxed their criteria, which they duly did thus fuelling a series of unsustainable increases in property values. Another factor was people buying to rent to others which pushed up the value of first time buyer properties beyond what people could afford.
Now as peterweg has pointed out, what is true for the UK isn't necessarily true for Poland but when I see you saying that you can get 2000PLN for such a small place I can only compare it to what I know about the UK property market. 2000PLN equates to £370 on the current exchange rate, someone on minumum wage here in the UK earns around £250 a week which is around 5400PLN a month. What is the average wage in Poland? 1500PLN a month? So you can ask and get 500PLN a month more than someone on average wages can earn in a month. So maybe by looking at some simple economics you can see why I think the sort of property you want to buy and rent out is over priced. Please don't think I am having a go at you personally, I am only responding on this thread because of the example you have given and you are operating in a market created by others. I think you should be given some credit for wanting to renovate the place and furnish it with new products as many landlords would not. I don't want to get into the political arguments about the perceived rights and wrongs of buy to let as I can see the arguments on both sides and there are merits on each side.
Hipis
14 May 2012
Hipis
14 May 2012
History / Ukrainian-occupied Eastern Poland [135]
Sure :) I assume you mean the territory that was Polish before it was conquered by the Bohemians which was then conquered by Prussia and subsequently returned to Poland in 1945 :)
Sure :) I assume you mean the territory that was Polish before it was conquered by the Bohemians which was then conquered by Prussia and subsequently returned to Poland in 1945 :)
Hipis
14 May 2012
History / Ukrainian-occupied Eastern Poland [135]
Ah, you mean the territory the Teutonic Order controlled that was owned by the Polish crown which the grand Duke was supposed to pay annual fealty but then forged a document to the Vatican which claimed the Polish king had gifted the land to the order.
Ah, you mean the territory the Teutonic Order controlled that was owned by the Polish crown which the grand Duke was supposed to pay annual fealty but then forged a document to the Vatican which claimed the Polish king had gifted the land to the order.
Hipis
14 May 2012
Life / Scars of Communism on Polish culture. [55]
Oh they understand alright and are in fact emulating them. :D
people were spied upon and brainwashed in a way and on scale you American cannot begin even to understand.
Oh they understand alright and are in fact emulating them. :D
Hipis
14 May 2012
History / Ukrainian-occupied Eastern Poland [135]
:) I am glad we have reached an understanding.
I think this issue has been debated several times on here over the years so maybe it's not a good idea to go through it all again. :) What would be interesting though would be seeing a map of Europe if all the countries borders were redrawn to their 11th century equivalent as Poland's were in 1945.
See, you've understood... ;)
:) I am glad we have reached an understanding.
I think this issue has been debated several times on here over the years so maybe it's not a good idea to go through it all again. :) What would be interesting though would be seeing a map of Europe if all the countries borders were redrawn to their 11th century equivalent as Poland's were in 1945.
Hipis
14 May 2012
History / Ukrainian-occupied Eastern Poland [135]
I'm not sure you could call the territories of the Holy Roman Empire as being "German", not all of them anyway. Also, there would be know Germany because Germany as an entity did not exist until 1870. Even the German states used to war amongst themselves with Prussia eventually coming out on top and being the dominant force in German politics under the Kaiser and Von Bismarck.
I'm not sure you could call the territories of the Holy Roman Empire as being "German", not all of them anyway. Also, there would be know Germany because Germany as an entity did not exist until 1870. Even the German states used to war amongst themselves with Prussia eventually coming out on top and being the dominant force in German politics under the Kaiser and Von Bismarck.
Hipis
14 May 2012
History / Ukrainian-occupied Eastern Poland [135]
Pawian, it was on that principle that Stalin re-drew the Polish borders and I guess the UK and USA also agreed. It's not my idea of where our borders should be but I'm not going to go into that as it's been argued about too many times on here. Also as you say, this 21st century and hopefully all that territorial crap is behind us. Our borders are where they are now and there is still much to be done wit the territory we have to bring it up to modern standards without having to deal with the mess that our Lost Territories are in.
Pawian, it was on that principle that Stalin re-drew the Polish borders and I guess the UK and USA also agreed. It's not my idea of where our borders should be but I'm not going to go into that as it's been argued about too many times on here. Also as you say, this 21st century and hopefully all that territorial crap is behind us. Our borders are where they are now and there is still much to be done wit the territory we have to bring it up to modern standards without having to deal with the mess that our Lost Territories are in.
Hipis
14 May 2012
News / Achievements of the Tusk's Polish government [532]
I see the nuances of political debate a la PO-PiS have reached Polish Forums :D
I see the nuances of political debate a la PO-PiS have reached Polish Forums :D
Hipis
17 May 2012
News / Will EURO 2012 be a proud moment for Poland and its people or set back Poland 20 years? [86]
The tournament lasts for about 5 weeks so of course the jobs will only be temporary but look at the jobs that were created in order to build the new stadia and infrastructure.
Is this a problem exclusive to Euro 2012 in Poland? Get real!
"Rafal Pankowski, a member of Never Again and the Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare) network, says racist incidents are less frequent now.
Clubs now have safety directors and stewards trained to recognise racist banners. Never Again is involved in their training and its volunteers lead educational programmes for schools.
"We are not promising we can eliminate racism overnight but overall Euro 2012 has had a positive impact in terms of raising awareness of racism in Polish football and society," Mr Pankowski told the BBC.
Some argue that racism and violence are much more prevalent among supporters of rival clubs than they are among fans of the Polish national team."
The tournament lasts for about 5 weeks so of course the jobs will only be temporary but look at the jobs that were created in order to build the new stadia and infrastructure.
Rip off merchants...hotels, restaurants and taxis... ticket touts!!!
Is this a problem exclusive to Euro 2012 in Poland? Get real!
Racism and football violence... seriously it's like stepping back into 1970's England on match days!
"Rafal Pankowski, a member of Never Again and the Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare) network, says racist incidents are less frequent now.
Clubs now have safety directors and stewards trained to recognise racist banners. Never Again is involved in their training and its volunteers lead educational programmes for schools.
"We are not promising we can eliminate racism overnight but overall Euro 2012 has had a positive impact in terms of raising awareness of racism in Polish football and society," Mr Pankowski told the BBC.
Some argue that racism and violence are much more prevalent among supporters of rival clubs than they are among fans of the Polish national team."
Hipis
17 May 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]
I live in a university town. Why do you keep making statements trying to make out I'm stupid? I have already provided reasoning as to why I think 2000PLN is excessive but also qualified my statement by saying it is not aimed at you personally. I have seen the links you provided and those are also excessive. Do you want me to provide some of my own so I can say those are excessive too?
I live in a university town. Why do you keep making statements trying to make out I'm stupid? I have already provided reasoning as to why I think 2000PLN is excessive but also qualified my statement by saying it is not aimed at you personally. I have seen the links you provided and those are also excessive. Do you want me to provide some of my own so I can say those are excessive too?
Hipis
17 May 2012
Life / Poles always ask how much money you earn. Why do they do this? [30]
I have had this conversation with my family members too. My UK earnings seem like a fortune to them but when I then tell them how much I pay for rent, council tax, utility bills etc plus the cost of food and transport expenses they soon realise that comparatively speaking I'm no better off than they are.
I have had this conversation with my family members too. My UK earnings seem like a fortune to them but when I then tell them how much I pay for rent, council tax, utility bills etc plus the cost of food and transport expenses they soon realise that comparatively speaking I'm no better off than they are.
Hipis
17 May 2012
News / Will EURO 2012 be a proud moment for Poland and its people or set back Poland 20 years? [86]
Not really. I was in Germany for WC 2006 and Austria for Euro 2008 and people were trying to sell tickets at those events up to 4x, 5x ticket face value. What hacks me off about this is that the footballing authorities do sod all to stop it happening. Of course football fans could also help themselves by refusing to buy off these guys. I've offered quite a few of them face value of their tickets plus admin and postage expenses but of course they've all knocked me back. One guy even told me he wasn't bothered if he didn't sell his remaining tickets because he'd already made a profit from the tickets he'd already bought and he couldn't care less if genuine fans like myself are deprived of the chance of seeing my country play on home turf in a major tournament.
Yes, there is a fine line but you usually find that in most countries that in towns that have a lot of tourists you will find that stuff tends to be a little bit more expensive. I tend to gauge things by the price of a beer eg in Warsaw I could pay between 9-12PLN, in Kraków 8PLN is not uncommon but in Katowice or Kutno between 4.50-7PLN is the norm. Eating out pretty much follows the same trend although I do know where there are a Bar Mleczny or two where the food is pretty good so I tend to eat cheap anyway :D
I can't say anyone has tried charging me more as a tourist than they would a local but then again my Polish is good enough to get by.
The Olympics had a massive boost on Barcelona simply because it had suffered decades of neglect under the Franco régime. The Olympics helped transform the city and put it on the tourist map. Any tourist destination that is already well visited won't see that much of an boost. Will London benefit from a post Olympics tourist boost? I doubt it very much as it's already a major tourist destination. Why hasn't Athens benefited? Easy, anyone who has ever been to Athens will know that apart from the area around the Parthenon the rest of the city is a dump and you can see all there is to see in 3 days so why bother going back.
I also doubt the Polish host cities will see much of a post Euro tourist boost but other parts of the country might. Kraków and Warsaw are already well established destinations for tourists, Wrocław and Poznań less so but I'm sure people who haven't been to Poland before will be pleasantly surprised.
Not really. I was in Germany for WC 2006 and Austria for Euro 2008 and people were trying to sell tickets at those events up to 4x, 5x ticket face value. What hacks me off about this is that the footballing authorities do sod all to stop it happening. Of course football fans could also help themselves by refusing to buy off these guys. I've offered quite a few of them face value of their tickets plus admin and postage expenses but of course they've all knocked me back. One guy even told me he wasn't bothered if he didn't sell his remaining tickets because he'd already made a profit from the tickets he'd already bought and he couldn't care less if genuine fans like myself are deprived of the chance of seeing my country play on home turf in a major tournament.
Yes, there is a fine line but you usually find that in most countries that in towns that have a lot of tourists you will find that stuff tends to be a little bit more expensive. I tend to gauge things by the price of a beer eg in Warsaw I could pay between 9-12PLN, in Kraków 8PLN is not uncommon but in Katowice or Kutno between 4.50-7PLN is the norm. Eating out pretty much follows the same trend although I do know where there are a Bar Mleczny or two where the food is pretty good so I tend to eat cheap anyway :D
I can't say anyone has tried charging me more as a tourist than they would a local but then again my Polish is good enough to get by.
The Olympics had a massive boost on Barcelona simply because it had suffered decades of neglect under the Franco régime. The Olympics helped transform the city and put it on the tourist map. Any tourist destination that is already well visited won't see that much of an boost. Will London benefit from a post Olympics tourist boost? I doubt it very much as it's already a major tourist destination. Why hasn't Athens benefited? Easy, anyone who has ever been to Athens will know that apart from the area around the Parthenon the rest of the city is a dump and you can see all there is to see in 3 days so why bother going back.
I also doubt the Polish host cities will see much of a post Euro tourist boost but other parts of the country might. Kraków and Warsaw are already well established destinations for tourists, Wrocław and Poznań less so but I'm sure people who haven't been to Poland before will be pleasantly surprised.
Hipis
18 May 2012
Love / Polish women are the most beautiful in the world! [1718]
Are you serious?
Polish women are not on any top 5 or 10 worldwide lists for beauty!
Are you serious?