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What is life like in Poland for a student? [26]
Americans have very superficial and depth-less relationships with each other. Typical American conversation:
"Hey. How are you?"
"Great. How are you?"
"Great. Okay, see you later."
Discussing issues such as politics or even everyday struggles belongs behind closed doors in your own home with the windows closed shut and locked. Meaning most Americans want to live their life in ignorance to the world around them. The less they know about you and the world around them, the less they have to face reality. This is not the case in European countries and especially Central/Eastern European. It will take longer to be-friend people from these regions but the relationships are MUCH more worth while & rewarding.
Speaking Polish is crucial in Poland. If you do not, you will be looked at as a user and treated as an outsider. Poles have a deep recent history of being manipulated and controlled by outsiders so they have no desire to continue this. Hence why it remains a homogeneous nation. I do not encounter that many Polish immigrants living in Non-English speaking nations. Poles are viewed as hard working whites, so they are more accepted in Western nations. And it is true work is difficult to find etc, but the family members I have living in Poland that focused on school and worked hard, are doing well. It honestly depends on the individual and the amount of effort they put forth. My experience is that many Poles still have an unhealthy infatuation with the USA & UK. The relatives I had visit me in Southern California stated they love the area as a vacation spot but not somewhere they would want to live.
I spent time in Wroclaw the past couple months and I was impressed at how vibrant, expanding and yet not over run by immigrants the city is. It is truly a place I could see myself leaving the USA for (and plan to). Berlin, although offering me more money and bigger lifestyle, is at times too random, dirty/over run by immigrants and ultimately not a Polish city. My Deutsche needs much improvement if I plan to go that route. If you were born in Europe like myself, you have a large advantage. I know my University offers study abroad programs but not sure about Poland. I don't think I would recommend doing my degree in Poland, the education system is different and takes some getting use to. If you are American, you might find the learning curve to be quite hard at first. Europeans in college are better and more focused students, while Americans simply strive to get by while "living in the greatest nation in history of human kind"
