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Posts by DominicB  

Joined: 28 Sep 2012 / Male ♂
Warnings: 1 - O
Last Post: 23 Sep 2020
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Posts: 2,707
From: Chicago
Speaks Polish?: Yes

Displayed posts: 2707 / page 8 of 91
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DominicB   
6 Jan 2018
Life / English family in Wroclaw! [70]

you clearly infer

I most certainly did no such thing. I refer you to the first word of that quote, "most", which means that I did not imply what you think I did, and that you inferred erroneously. (The writer implies, and the reader infers).
DominicB   
5 Jan 2018
Life / English family in Wroclaw! [70]

They are looking for the type of people who would want to hang out with a married couple with child. Most single young people don't, nor do many of the short-haul technical specialists and consultants. And, of course, that they would want to hang out with themselves. In other words, other married couples, preferably with children, who are established or settling down, not single males who are just passing through. That narrows the pool a lot. It's a lot easier to be friends with someone who shares your values, priorities, lifestyle and circumstances. What's so difficult to understand about that?

You're married yourself, and established enough that under interests in your forum profile, you wrote "Walking the dog", and major concerns of yours include when the streetlights turn on and noise from an airshow. What kind of people are you friends with with? Hopefully not beer-chugging, poontang-chasing yahoos half your age (unless you have a drinking problem yourself). Backpackers can be interesting, but they are here today, gone tomorrow.
DominicB   
5 Jan 2018
Work / Studies In Poland, is it easy to survive on part-time jobs? [259]

I am sorry ... I am just tensed as i have got admission in university and when i got to know now there will be no job opportunities so m totally tensed that's it m sorry ...

There are no jobs for foreign students. If you can't pay 100% for your studies and stay, then Poland is not the place for you. Make your plans on the very safe assumption that you will never be able to earn a single penny in Poland.

Degrees from programs taught in English at Polish universities are not worth anything on the job market. This is especially true for private universities like Vistula.

Yes, it is a waste of time coming to study at Vistula. Make more realistic plans for studying in your own country.
DominicB   
4 Jan 2018
Life / English family in Wroclaw! [70]

facebook.com/groups/137849303558717

Frankly, it will be a lot easier for her to meet Polish couples who can speak English than British and mixed couples with children living in Wrocław. While I'm sure the latter do exist, I never met any. The only English speaking foreigner I met with family was an American who came years ago and married a Pole.

There is a facebook group called Expats in Wrocław, but it doesn't want to load for me at the moment. There is, or was, also a group called International Friends of Wrocław. I'm sure that if you get out there and look for them, you might find a couple of British or mixed couples with kids. Check with the international schools. You might want to ask around at the British and Irish Pubs on Plac Solny. There is also a Scottish pub across from Renoma. Never been to any of them, so I can't vouch for their authenticity, but they might be able to put you in touch with some. There might be a couple of academics at the universities, too, though I never met or heard about any.

There is no British "community" in Wrocław. There are scattered Brits of various sorts, but nothing that resembles a community. If she thinks she is going to be able to operate in an English speaking bubble long term in Wrocław, and isn't gung-ho about learning Polish, then she has another think coming. You might want to reconsider moving to Poland if that's what she expects.

Most of the Brits in Wrocław fall into two broad classes: 1) Employees of British companies that are deployed short-term as consultants and technical specialists. If they have families, they practically always leave them at home. They're there to get a job done and aren't interested in socializing. And 2) assorted flotsam and jetsam, young backpackers, slackers, horny boys hoping to score, idiots who came to Poland with their Polish "girlfriends" who told them they could strike it rich there. Predominantly single males, often with alcohol problems. Not the type of people you're looking for.

Actual British and mixed couples are a distinct minority, and those with children even fewer. If you're planning on staying in Poland for long, then your wife should intensively study Polish, morning, noon and night. Even if she works her a$$ off, it will take her a few years to become conversant. Be super-ultra-supportive and helpful, and make sure you never, ever do or say anything that will turn her off, or else she will slam that book shut and never open it again, and will be on the next plane back to Scotland. Be patient, but constantly motivate her to keep working hard at it.

Good luck!
DominicB   
4 Jan 2018
Law / Polish Visa Refused, Going To Make Appeal, What should I do ? [81]

Basically, there is nothing you can do besides making more realistic plans for studying in your home country. An appeal would be a waste of time. The consul came to the conclusion that you were dishonest about wanting to study in Poland, and there is nothing you can do to convince him or anyone else otherwise.
DominicB   
4 Jan 2018
Life / Costs of living in Bialystok [17]

@PatExpat

Like Jardinero said, it will be a challenge, but it could be a great adventure for you and your family provided you are earning well enough, especially if you are earning the same wages you did in the Netherlands.

It's difficult to give a price for the house. It depends on location, standard and yard size. It's going to be a lot cheaper to rent in a village outside the city than in the city itself, but that comes with disadvantages for you sons, who don't speak Polish, together with increased costs in transporting them to the city for school, lessons and social activities. I guess that a good ballpark price for the house is going to be about 5000 PLN a month. Add another 5000 PLN a month for living expenses, and how much you want to save, and multiply the total by 1.5 to get how much you should be earning. For example, if you want to save 1000 Euros a month (5000 PLN), it would be (5000 + 5000 + 5000) x 1.5 = 22,500 a month.

It sounds like you are coming for a long stay. If so, then it would probably be wise to rent an apartment at first and take your time looking for the right house.

Schooling for the kids is going to be a big problem. I'm not sure whether there is an international school in Białystok. There appears to be an IB program at one of the public high schools, and I suggest you contact them for further details. The person to contact is:

Ms Emilia Makarska
ul. Narewska 11
Bialystok 15840

email: zso2@um.bialystok.pl

This is going to work out best if your boys are outgoing and willing to take this as an advantage and opportunity. It is not going to work if your boys are shy and are going to take it as an ordeal. If your boys are not 100% vanilla in terms of sexuality, then reconsider whether this is a move you ought to make. A provincial eastern town in Poland is no place for a foreign kid with a non-conventional sexuality.
DominicB   
3 Jan 2018
Life / Costs of living in Bialystok [17]

Where are you from? Yes, it does make a big difference.

What do you mean by "family"? How many people and how old are they?

Do any of you speak Polish?
DominicB   
2 Jan 2018
Language / Spelling "aunt" in Polish [142]

Hutsuls are a subgroup of Ruthenians. Not all Ruthenians are Hutsuls, though. Lemkos and Boikos are two other larger subgroups of Ruthenians.
DominicB   
2 Jan 2018
Language / Spelling "aunt" in Polish [142]

I'm from up the line a bit, Dupont, and Babci and Cioci were the normal forms among third generation kids grandmother and aunt there, including in my family. All of my grandparents spoke proper standard Polish, so it probably has nothing to do with the variety of Polish the grandparents spoke, but is more likely a matter of regional expression originating in the States.
DominicB   
2 Jan 2018
Love / About Marriage agencies In Poland [20]

For mail-order brides? You won't find many Polish women going in for that sort of thing anymore. and those that do are far from the cream of the crop. Economic conditions have improved too much for that, and the draw of living in the US has gone down a bit since Poland joined the EU. Your chances are MUCH higher with Russian or Ukrainian women.
DominicB   
2 Jan 2018
Travel / Help with a travel plan to Poland [72]

In Ireland it was zero most of the time

Ireland is positively toasty in winter compared to Poland. Winter in Ireland is like Poland at the times of the spring and autumn that I listed above. In January or February, temperatures in Poland can go down to below -20 degrees Celsius. Toss in a good wind and you'll freeze your balls off walking to the corner store unless you are properly bundled up in (real) wool, (real) down and (real) leather, which are bulky, heavy and costly. I'm living in Vermont, USA, now and we're in the middle of a nasty cold snap. It's -20 outside right now. If I just want to go out on the patio to have a smoke, I have to bundle up.

I understand what you are saying. You want to experience winter and snow. But I also know how they can greatly inconvenience travel. Like I said, if you do come in winter, keep the traveling to a minimum and spend more time in two places rather than bouncing all over the place.
DominicB   
2 Jan 2018
Travel / Help with a travel plan to Poland [72]

But I still want near zero temperatures.

You can't have near zero temperatures without the risk of paralyzing ice and snow. And believe me when I say that Poland is dark and gray in the winter time.

If you do come in winter, abandon all plans for visiting many places, and stick to at most two of the nicer cities that are tourist friendly and easy to get around like Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Toruń or Gdańsk, anchoring yourself in Warsaw at the beginning and end of the trip. And stick to train travel between them. While road travel and travel on less busy train lines can be paralyzed, the main train lines between these cities are rarely paralyzed.

Even in the summer time, Poland rarely gets hot enough to be considered hot and sweaty. Perhaps a week or two in August, at the most.

You do realize that you have to dress appropriately for winter weather, and that those clothes are very bulky and heavy, and a pain to drag around?

If you want cool, wet weather, then come during the last two weeks of April or the first two weeks of May, or the last two weeks of September or the first two weeks of October. You might even see snow during those times, but it won't be enough to paralyze travel.
DominicB   
2 Jan 2018
Travel / Help with a travel plan to Poland [72]

When Poles go on winter vacation, they don't travel around. They pick a nice place and hole up there for the duration, as traveling around can be quite difficult. For example, I would spend my winter vacations in a seaside fishing town near Gdynia called Orłowo. Most of the time would be spent indoors by the fire with friends, or on very short city train rides to Gdańsk or Gdynia for a good meal and some limited sightseeing. I've also spent winter vacation in Cieszyn, Chojnice and Jelenia Góra.

Some people like to ski and do winter sports, and again, they pick one place and stay there. Zakopane and Karpacz can be a zoo at this time of the year with all the Polish tourists.

Save the snow for another time. It's not worth the risk of ruining your entire vacation because you are stuck and can't get around. And then there is the small, but real, possibility that there might not be any snow at all for the duration of your stay. Just slush and mud.

If you've never even seen ice and snow, take it from those of us who deal with it regularly an have an idea how inconvenient and tiring it can be, especially when you are traveling.
DominicB   
2 Jan 2018
Travel / Help with a travel plan to Poland [72]

You're going to be so exhausted just from traveling and adjusting to new locations, that you are not going to have much energy to want to see much. It's way to ambitious. And are you planning on renting a car?

Again, seriously rethink coming in January and February, when the roads can be totally impassable because of ice and snow, and the days are short, dark and grey. If it warms up, then you've got to deal with the slush, which is worse than the snow. You are going to enjoy this a lot more in June, July or August. You won't have to be lugging around all that bulky winter clothing, the weather is sunny, warm and dry, and you don't have to worry about air and ground transport being paralyzed.
DominicB   
30 Dec 2017
Study / Coming to Study in Poland after being raised In USA [7]

I decided that I want to study in Poland

Why? What do you want to study? And where do you want to study it?

I am completely confused as to how I would apply to a polish university seeing as how my circumstances are weird.

The place to start is with the admissions department of the university you wish to attend. They can answer your questions.
DominicB   
30 Dec 2017
Language / Writing "to" and "from" on gifts in Polish. [41]

@The Elves

The name would be Felicia in Latin, not Felixa, which looks bizarre in Latin. And Felikska is an obvious mis-reading. There is no such name, nor has there ever been. As Kaprys said, it's hard to pronounce in Polish and doesn't follow Polish name-formation rules. Nor does it look Russian, Ukrainian or Ruthenian. It would be Felicja in Polish. Feliksa would be the genitive of a male name, as in "córka Feliksa", meaning daughter of Feliks.
DominicB   
30 Dec 2017
Travel / Help with a travel plan to Poland [72]

I hope to do this at the end of January or begging of February.

The weather can be downright awful at that time of the year. From May 1 to August 31 is when the weather is best. April can be cold and wet, as can November. September can be cold already, and October is usually cold. December, January, February and March are the worst months to travel because there is a real possibility that snowfall can paralyze air and surface traffic. It's not unusual to have two weeks of solid horrible weather from the beginning of November to the end of April.

Three cities are more than enough for two weeks. Four at the outside. In terms of tourist friendliness, I recommend Kraków, Wrocław and Poznań. Or Kraków, Toruń, and Gdańsk. You can also see a bit of Warsaw if you land and depart from there. It's a matter of taste, but Warsaw just doesn't have the charm that these cities do. Others may disagree, but I personally don't like it.

Białystok is not at all charming. The draw there is the countryside, which is incredible in the summertime. You could easily spend two weeks canoeing in the wetlands and river valleys that surround it. As for the city, though, a single day is more than enough to see all there is to see. Lublin just isn't set up for tourism like the cities I mentioned are. It has a lot of potential, but it just hasn't been developed yet.
DominicB   
29 Dec 2017
Language / Help with idiomatic translation ... [48]

I wonder if there are many expressions in Polish that come from Romany languages.

I've been wondering about that for years and have never come across even a single example of a true loan word from Romany into Polish.
DominicB   
29 Dec 2017
Work / Are there any jobs for Americans in Poland? [46]

Money isnt everything.

It is when you don't have it.

As for the rest, it's romantic idealizing. Grass is greener syndrome. If those are the reasons you are relocating to Poland, you're in for a bit of a shock. If you are really interested in relocating, best do so with a firm grasp of reality rather than silly romantic notions.
DominicB   
29 Dec 2017
Love / What do Polish guys think of Asian girls? [50]

@Thunderbee

Did you ever think of asking him to join you for a coffee so that you can get to know each other better? Life is a lot easier if you don't play games like a silly little teenager, especially mind reading games. As the Good Lord said, "Knock, and the door will be open unto you". And even if it isn't, then at least you know that you are wasting your time and move on to a more promising target.
DominicB   
28 Dec 2017
Genealogy / Trying to find a town called Kadyz. [13]

The change occurred during the course of post-war treaty negotiations, after the matter of relocation of populations had already been settled. The original border proposal ran along the Nieman. During negotiations, it was decided to move it further west, closer to the Curzon line, without revisiting the question of relocating the ethnic Polish population.

Do you use some specific websites for your research?

Various and sundry, depending what Google searches in Polish turn up. You're not going to find a lot of this information in English.