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Posts by newpip  

Joined: 19 Mar 2013 / Female ♀ 		Last Post: 24 Jul 2013
Threads: -
Posts: 139 		From: Poland, warsaw
Speaks Polish?: yes

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newpip   
15 May 2013
Life / Bribery and corruption 'fact of life' in Poland? [152]

newpip: and it is also well known that lawyers in Poland are exceptionally good at taking bribes.

No more than in your country !

agreed, but I would never be arrogant enough to say that there isn't.
newpip   
13 May 2013
Life / Bribery and corruption 'fact of life' in Poland? [152]

It is not just a Polish phenom, I'm afraid.

There are loads of international companies that do businesses this way. My husband deals with this daily. Most recently and Polish was a bank but all companies all over the world do this. They just hide it better.
newpip   
10 May 2013
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

yes and? If we were really in a bubble it would have burst by now, hence the term bubble. the prices are steadily decreasing. big deal. nothing new.
newpip   
7 May 2013
USA, Canada / Moving to Krakow from Canada-questions; the best way to ship my things / clothes prices [4]

laptop is cheaper in Canada but then you can only watch a few dvd's on it before the region locks itself. More importantly the operations will all be done in Polish- if you are not bilingual it is useless. H and M is pretty cheap and many other decent Scandinavian brands. You can find cheap stuff here if you know where to look.
newpip   
28 Apr 2013
Life / Student from Denmark, wanting to know about Poland's culture and how it is to live in Warsaw [21]

I see people of different nationalities all the time. There are places, like in any country, that you shouldn't go. This is not specific to Poland. It is all about enjoying your time here and making wise decisions. There is a mosque in my end of the city so I see many Muslim people. Poland is not a multicultural country but there are Vietnamese, Indian and other groups living here quite peacefully.

Don't let some idiot prevent you from coming to Warsaw. You will probably have a great time.
newpip   
28 Apr 2013
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

didn't buy in the peak of the market. didn't buy in swiss francs. we are good. I have nothing to lose or gain. I have inside information because my husband is in real estate and knows all of the recognized companies that deal with properties in Poland. REAS is a second tier company. The information they have collected for their reports has been gathered by the big name firms in Warsaw, and ironically by my husband.

It is difficult to prove a point if you don't have insider information or knowing about the goings on in the sector.

Nobody has ever denied that the prices are coming down. But they were over inflated in the first place. So it only makes sense that they will come down now that there is more selection. Why is this so difficult to understand.

I don't understand the logic. I own a house as well as other properties, wise business decisions. my husband is in the real estate sector but I don't have a fecking clue what is going on in the market?

yet people here that have no connection to real estate, perhaps they teach english, should be taken seriously because they post links?

perhaps you can give medical advice too.
newpip   
27 Apr 2013
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

how many times do I have to write that REAS is considered a joke in the real estate market. They are nothing. Don't take their word for it because they are all hacks.
newpip   
26 Apr 2013
Life / Have you wonder how to recognise a Polish person on the street? [21]

I think you are missing the point of the article. Obviously, just like he stated in his article, not all Poles speak like this, but the ones in the UK do because they are village boys in the big city and these idiots give a bad name to the rest of the Poles who don't speak like this.

non-lower class Poles rarely do such things but I guess "expats" with inferiority complex need to boost their funny ego with such garbage.

I am married to a Pole. "non lower class" as you call it. No ego, just facts and the article is not wrong.

How exactly do you tell a non-lower class Pole from a regular Pole? Blokersi with money are still lower class, you do know that right? They just have clothing with names on them with the hopes of making others jealous but they still drop the k word.
newpip   
26 Apr 2013
Life / Have you wonder how to recognise a Polish person on the street? [21]

He is not wrong. And he explained himself. Not all Polish people are like this- but this is who uses the word loudly.

As I mentioned before, most (not all, but most) of Polish people who arrived, especially to London, didn't speak English and didn't have any education. They came from small cities or villages. Very often such people didn't have good behaviour.

please, this isn't shocking. The same people come from their small towns and villages into Warsaw- I hear them speak quite clearly with colourful language around the construction sites.
newpip   
23 Apr 2013
USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

This is why I am happy to have English speaking Poles teach my kids. This year there are quite a few native speakers teaching so I am not so concerned, but, if it were only Poles it wouldn't bother me as we speak both at home so my kids wouldn't suffer. They get paid well for Polish standards and they are very happy to be there.

From my understanding, the American school- not certain about the British but it is probably similar, doesn't offer the best pay as compared to other Amer or Brit schools in the world.

There is usually a recruiting fair once a year where potential teachers look for work abroad. some of the higher paying jobs would be Dubai or Asia- Warsaw is on the lower end so it often doesn't attract a lot of potential teachers.

I am not saying the teachers that teach at any of the schools are poor quality- so please don't read it like that.
My kids had a super American teacher but after two years he left for Dubai. That is just the way it goes.
newpip   
22 Apr 2013
Love / Wedding in Poland, Bydgoszcz Ideas! [6]

Not to be a downer, but Poles are heavy meat eaters. I can't imagine it would go over well if the wedding didn't have meat. Particularly those from a smaller city.

I could just hear the muttering under their breath- "what, no meat", "this woman lives in London but can't afford meat".

and then she would get talked about for the next two years--the wedding that didn't have meat.

And I am not joking- I can see this playing out just like this.
newpip   
22 Apr 2013
USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

I don't think there is a perfect school in Warsaw.

Like I posted previously, we are happy with our school but it is lacking in other languages besides English or Polish. The maths and sciences are super - but it doesn't have the best gym facilities, but luckily the school cooperates with a local public school so they are able to use their gym and pool facilities.
newpip   
22 Apr 2013
USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

newpip: The so called Canadian school is run by Poles, one of them is married to an American- neither have ties to Canada but are using the name to make money.

I won't disagree. I am basing my statement on a meeting I had with them 9 years ago. No doubt things may have changed- I personally don't know anybody that has children there but my daughter's teacher used to teach there.
newpip   
22 Apr 2013
USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

I am not xenophobic at all- I am just giving my experiences as a foreigner living in Warsaw for about 11 years...with two kids in a private school and I disagree that the American or British schools should only be considered- but if she is only here for a short time and wants to hang out with other expats who are also only here for a short time than yes, the American or British school is what she is looking for. My children's school is more a Polish/English school and is not geared towards children whose native language is something like Spanish, French or German. It is smaller and really caters to the native Poles. I do think our schools French lessons are very poor and at some point I will probably have to think about extra French lessons for my kids. I do know the German lessons are quite poor as well.

It just depends what she is looking for in a school.
As I said, my opinion is that the American school has curriculum that I feel is behind our school, particularly maths. Another issue is that my children have their birthdays in October and November which means that they would be put back a year as the cut off date is Sept 30th. And another issue- we are not American. I want my kids to learn world history and geography not just American centred. I haven't really investigated the British school, I have friends with children there and they are happy with it but as we are happy with our school there is no need to move our kids.

Just out of curiousity- why have you worked at so many of these schools? floating from school to school doesn't really give you a lot of credence in your opinion.
newpip   
22 Apr 2013
USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

Anna, I am just giving my perspective. Primarily, the curriculum is lacking. It follows the American curriculum yet the majority of the students are international- it needs to offer more courses to accommodate the population. But your American and you may be happy with it. My daughter's best friend goes to the American school and she tells her the maths they are learning are something just above a basic level. My eldest is learning maths of which I have absolutely no idea how to do.

My kids are half Polish so they go to a school that offers curriculum in Polish and English. It is not one of the ones listed above. We are extremely happy with it but we are also a bilingual family.

There is no perfect school. We have been thrilled with my children's school but I also know a French lady who was completely disappointed with it after having her children in the school for two years.

I also have an American friend who sends her children to the British school and will never send hers to the American school. They attended for one year until she found out that the American school has a charity status and pays no taxes as well as receiving monies from the U.S. gov't. However, the facilities are amazing and it is great to get to know other expats. I have many friends who have kids at the American school and they participate in lots of fun things but at the same time they are highly segregated from the rest of Poland. We don't want that.

Basically, it is not a simple decision, you need to find what works for you. The International American school is a joke- don't even look there. The so called Canadian school is run by Poles, one of them is married to an American- neither have ties to Canada but are using the name to make money.

There is a montesori school for older children here but I believe it is in the north end of the city.

Basically, for English speakers, there are only 2 schools in Warsaw : the British and the American Schools - all the others are expensive Polish private schools with poor English, poor management and underqualified, overworked, underpaid and therefore not staying long teachers and suitable only for some Polish snobs. I personally believe that only the British and the American Schools should be considered.

are you kidding me? no Polish snobs go the British or American schools? is this a joke?
the school my kids go to is managed well and the English is fine with a combination of native speakers and English speaking Poles- but it is not trying to be an English school it is a bilingual school.
newpip   
20 Apr 2013
USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

I have friends with kids in the British school and they are happy with it. There is no perfect school. But I would never send my kids to the American school, because quite frankly the curriculum is lacking- the facilities are amazing, however. And primarily my kids are not American. But having said that, the community next to the school is all expats if that is your thing while you are here.

Warsaw is a great place to live. Don't be scared. It is worth the trip.
newpip   
20 Apr 2013
USA, Canada / American family moving to Poland - looking for advice! [44]

There is a huge expat community in Konstancin next to the American school.

it is easy to get around Warsaw if you don't speak Polish but not everybody speaks English

there are English speaking doctors and hospitals Medicover and Luxmed.

I would suggest an area like Mokotow or Kabaty if you are looking for an apartment. For a house there is Sadyba, Wilanow, Powsin and Konstancin.

you can rent furnished or unfurnished- depends what you want. There are two Ikea's in Warsaw so you can furnish yourself for cheap.

I think the American school tuition is about 60,000 pln per year. The British school is slightly cheaper and there are other options too.

There are also private preschools, The English playhouse (I think) and a few others which I can't remember. There are loads.

20 to 30 thousand pln per month should be enough- I think it really depends on your school fees. Apartment prices have gone down, so that should help.
newpip   
20 Apr 2013
USA, Canada / Question about health care in the US for American permanent residents [19]

Poland has a two tier health care system. For those who want private care they can pay for it- it is directly to the company (medicover, luxmed)--there is no thieving insurance company that inflates the price. The monthly payments very from about 250 to 550 pln per month depending on what you need. (I could be wrong about those prices...it has been a while since I have checked)

There is also public health care, which is paid via taxes. Who ever in this world says any country has "free health care" they are grossly mistaken. The public care is hit or miss. In Warsaw we have used public care and have been absolutely fine with it. We have also used private and was angered and disappointed.

In our family we use a combo of public and private. If we need blood work or other tests we pay directly to the private clinic and have them done there, but I have had two minor surgeries at a public health care and was more than pleased.