Posts by HolaYola

HolaYola

23 Mar 2018

Law / Exchanging Canadian Drivers License for Polish in Lublin needs Exam? [12]

I'll check out Grupa Image, thanks for the recommendation. I went online and did a quick free test in English on prawojazdy.com.pl and got 64/74 which was better than I expected but most of the questions were pretty easy and they probably left out the tricky ones. WORD did confirm that I can write it in english so don't need a translator with me. I wasn't aware of the PKK profile and will look into getting that set up.

Thank you all for the feedback and advice. When the lady in Urzad Miasta told me I needed to pass an exam I thought "I'm going to ask Polish Forum for help with this..." and you all came through.

HolaYola

22 Mar 2018

Law / Exchanging Canadian Drivers License for Polish in Lublin needs Exam? [12]

Thanks for the heads up. I was wondering if the category on my license which is 5 would pose a problem. I'll search for a government site that explains this so that it is clear. Would hate to accidently end up with a license for a tractor by mistake :)

HolaYola

22 Mar 2018

Law / Exchanging Canadian Drivers License for Polish in Lublin needs Exam? [12]

Thanks for the response O WELL. If it is only the written part (prawo jazdy teoretystyczna) which WORD confirmed I can do in English I will look into the best way to study as I haven't found any schools in Lublin yet that offer the course in English. I guess the brochure they gave me neglected to include this part which just made what I thought was a straightforward exchange just a little more complicated.

HolaYola

22 Mar 2018

Law / Exchanging Canadian Drivers License for Polish in Lublin needs Exam? [12]

Wondering if anyone has gone through the process of exchanging a Drivers License for a Polish one. I am living in Lublin and have a Polish Passport. I went to the Urzad Miasta with my application, photo, translation of my Canadian license, proof of current residence here and was told I also have to pass the written exam? The confusing part is the brochure that the lady gave me clearly has a checklist but no mention of an exam. Is this one of those situations where the process is interpreted at the discretion of the office, or is this the standard process for an exchange.

HolaYola

18 Apr 2016

Life / Exam for Drivers License in Poland; English? [99]

I was wondering if anyone has come across an online version of the Polish Driving Test (B category). I have a book that is in english, but my computer doesn't have a CD drive so would prefer an online version. I checked a few of the sites noted in this thread but they seem to just sell CDs, but nothing online in English.

HolaYola

2 Apr 2016

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

Thank you Polonius. I appreciate you taking the time to research/answer mine and others questions.

HolaYola

1 Apr 2016

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

Have been doing family genealogy for past few years and found the following names in family tree:
ROJ: gg-grandmother. Wondering if this could be a Polish version of the Scottish surname Roy since I read that many Scottish names were changed phonetically.

STELMACH: ggg-grandmother. Is this German in origin?

Thank you

HolaYola

25 Jul 2013

Travel / Why does everyone seem to hate LOT Polish Airlines? [380]

I actually found LOT just fine when I flew from Toronto to Warszawa and back. Staff very friendly and helpful, food was fine and overall the flight was no worse than any other airline I've been on (American, Air Canada, West Jet, Porter, etc). My only very small complaint was the entertainment because the inflight show was a TV program that they stopped before the ending so I never found out what happened! (side note: show was about a group of priests who were dealing with a suicidal sister of a nun, a young girl rebelling against her family and a priest infiltrating a Buddhist retreat) It looked like an older show (maybe from the 80s?) but I enjoyed it so was a bit peeved when I couldn't find out what happened. Other than that...LOT was great and I will definitely book with them again when I return.

HolaYola

17 Jul 2013

Life / Where do artists like to live in Poland? [21]

Thanks! Lublin is on my list of places to visit next trip to Poland as my family is from close by. I read that Lublin was a candidate for the title of European Capital of Culture, but lost to Wrocław. They also seem to have a lot of art galleries so I am guessing the art scene is quite active.

HolaYola

17 Jul 2013

Travel / Worth visiting Warsaw? [20]

I visited early this year and found Warsaw an incredible city to visit as a tourist. There is a Warsaw city double decker bus which I took my first day to get a good overview of the city. But as others have noted, it's really easy to get around using public transport as well. Tripadvisor also has some great suggestions on what you can check out.

tripadvisor/QuickGuide-g274856-Warsaw_Mazovia_Province_Central_Poland.html

HolaYola

16 Jul 2013

Life / Where do artists like to live in Poland? [21]

That's funny you say that since I personally LOVED Warszawa and yet so many seem to hate it. She is from Lublin so maybe it was just an off-hand comment and with my poor Polish she wanted to use an English sounding example. Always fun to hear all the different opinions of Poland -- both good and bad -- as they just paint an more vivid picture of an amazing country.

HolaYola

16 Jul 2013

Life / Where do artists like to live in Poland? [21]

I didn't ask for further clarification since as a tourist myself I didn't want to challenge an off-hand remark by someone who lives in Poland. Who knows. I can only speculate that she had her reasons (maybe wishing for less tourists in the area?). I usually live and let live instead of jumping on anyone who may have a point of view.

HolaYola

16 Jul 2013

Life / Where do artists like to live in Poland? [21]

Thanks all for the very interesting and informative info!

Also aware of KD as an artsy destination, but yeah the impression I had was that it was a bit more on the expensive side. Thanks for the list of smaller towns. As a Canadian I forget how close villages or towns are in Europe and that travel isn't as big an issue so a smaller place would also work. I would need to explore Krakow more since I found it to be very touristy (someone I was travelling with who is Polish said it was like Disneyland, selling a tourist's vision of Poland). Kazimierz is lovely and I can see the appeal for artists.

Hope to check out the suggestions in the New Year as soon a the consulate here can process my Citizenship paperwork :)

HolaYola

15 Jul 2013

Life / Where do artists like to live in Poland? [21]

Poland has a few fine art schools, mostly in the major cities (Warszawa, Kraków, Wrocława) but I was wondering what the artist community was like and if there is any city in Poland that where artists (painters, writers, sculptors, etc) gravitate more to. I see Warsaw as more a financial centre and too expensive for someone trying to get by as a writer or painter (please correct me if I'm wrong in this observation). Krakow also isn't that cheap but I guess it also depends on the area of the city. I know moving to a village would be cheaper but you'll be a bit isolated and away from any arts community. Just as an example, I'm Canadian and surprisingly smaller cities like Winnipeg or Halifax have really thriving music and art scenes because the cost of living is cheaper than the big cities. Or is it more hip to move to a place like Berlin or Paris?

HolaYola

26 Jun 2013

Real Estate / Tips on finding an Apartment in Lublin in Spring [4]

Hi, Sorry for the late reply but yes, if you by chance read this I would appreciate his information. I was in Poland in March 2013 to check it out and I still plan to move but will probably be more like March 2014.

Thanks!

HolaYola

23 Oct 2012

Real Estate / Tips on finding an Apartment in Lublin in Spring [4]

Hi all!
I've been reading the forums in preparation for a move to Lublin in the spring. Hope to rent a small (studio or 1 bedroom apt) that will also allow a small dog. I've checked out a few real estate sites such as Metrohouse (metrohouse.pl), Leach & Lang (leachandlang.com which doesn't cover Lubelskie region), and Regiodom (regiodom.pl). Luckily I know enough Polish to read what is on offer but was wondering if anyone had any other sites they would recommend. I'm Canadian but family all came from nearby villages of Rakówka and £ukowa so grew up with Polish at home when I was younger, but am a bit rusty as I haven't spoken it in years. Any help appreciated :)