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Posts by Jardinero  

Joined: 8 May 2013 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 13 Sep 2019
Threads: 1
Posts: 402 		From: UK/PL
Interests: History, travel, languages, cultures

Displayed posts: 403 / page 12 of 14
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Jardinero   
22 Dec 2013
News / Poland has the most dangerous roads in Europe [34]

Maybe it's not surprising that Poland is on top

There is some good news: 15% reduction from 2011-12, and PL now ranks "only" 3rd worst... See latest data for 2012.

I don't think that road network changed so much in most developed countries, so it must be caused by safer cars I guess.

It has much more to do with the attitude of the drivers (first and foremost sticking to simple rules such as adjusting your speed to existing driving/road conditions), driver training, and severity of law/penalties more than anything else... I would be very much in favour of the following the leader (UK) in driver training/attitude and severity of penalties for violators.
Jardinero   
17 Dec 2013
USA, Canada / Are prices for Laptops, Cell Phones or Tablets in Poland cheaper than in the US? [18]

It is true that it will be - in general - very tough to beat the US prices (sales + rebate offers, etc). However, if you intend to stay in PL for an extended period, it would be advantageous to have the warranty coverage there (most purchases in the US will not be accepted elsewhere, unless you pay for international coverage).

Unless you can speak Polish, a laptop purchased here won't be much use.

Not necessarily so. I managed a language switch in Windows (Vista?) several ago, so I know it can be done - and quite easily at that (took me <2hrs including google searching for instructions). In addition, most of the computer literate sales people speak some English and I bet if you were to use your personal charm and asked nicely, they could do it for you free of charge with the purchase of the new machine.
Jardinero   
15 Dec 2013
Law / buying a new mobile phone on allegro (is it safe ? ) [6]

That's up to you, but the seller appears honest and states this fact in the ad...
Duty tax is due on all merchandise from the US/Asia, it is up to your luck whether or not your package is selected for inspection by customs.
Jardinero   
15 Dec 2013
Food / Cheese in Poland is too bland [37]

My biggest disappointment with cheese in Poland, that it is so bland.

My understanding is that most Polish (yellow) cheeses are Dutch style cheeses, which are supposed to be that way.
Jardinero   
15 Dec 2013
USA, Canada / If you moved from US to Poland, could you please share your experience? [16]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Hubertus.

Customer service obviously is no where near what it is in the States

I've made the move the other way not that long ago after several years in Poland and the UK, and based on my own experiences I would argue just the opposite. I too often find customer service here focused purely on going through the motions, rude, half-assed and just plain incompetent. Poland fairs better in my opinion (UK would top the list).
Jardinero   
26 Nov 2013
Life / Conflicting views about life in Poland? [45]

anyone who likes strong tea will be disappointed

If the issue is not quality, but strength, surely one could adjust the tea:water proportions to suit rather easily?
Jardinero   
25 Nov 2013
Life / Conflicting views about life in Poland? [45]

Another limitation is a lack of ready meals or TV dinners!

I would see it as a +. Gets people to cook proper meals from scratch ;-)

...difficulty in getting... decent tea bags.

Not sure what "decent" means to you. Most people would agree that Twinings and Dilmah are excellent and readily available in PL.
Jardinero   
22 Nov 2013
USA, Canada / Returning to Poland! Has anyone seen this influx of people from the US? [27]

There are always those returning, not only from the US, but also Canada, UK and Ireland. But are the numbers high enough to call it a trend? Probably not (I haven't seen any numbers). And when compared with the outward immigration/migration, it would most certainly be insignificant. It appears that the majority of those returning from the US are in their retirement years, yet I personally know several families in their 30,s who have moved back after many years in the US, Canada and UK within the last 2-3 years. So with such small numbers returning, it is all about individual circumstances and preferences.
Jardinero   
4 Nov 2013
USA, Canada / Would like to move back to Poland from New York after living in USA for 20 years. [155]

They all drive $100,000 cars in Madison

And I'm sure you also believe they all drink $20 coffees and have $30 bagels for breakfast... if you don't know that you are talking about then please don't sell your fantasy for reality on this forum.

I had a Google at the average house price in Madison in 2011, it's around $800,000

i had a look on zillow and it is closer to $500k - why are you skewing the facts?

if you live in Madison, chances are you're a doctor, lawyer, banker, high level executive

i doubt you have ever set your your foot there, yet claim to know all about it. there are plenty of average professional couples who choose to move to places like that with decent enough public school system that they feel it is worth it.

to sum it up: i get the impression you are harbouring an agenda of some sort. be man enough to come out of the closet and let us hear it. who knows, maybe we'll even be able to help you with your problems. but don't mistake your wishes/fantasy for reality.
Jardinero   
1 Nov 2013
Love / Advice Please! Meeting my Polish boyfriend's parents!! Gifts, customs... [105]

Good advice and a glass or two of scotch or bourbon is always nice... But when it's time for serious drinking, most Poles will tell you to put the coloured spirits away and make room for the national drink: vodka. So with that in mind, you would appear more original and in the know if you showed up with a couple of large bottles of quality American vodka, such as Tito's/Hangar 1/Prairie/American Harvest/Koenig/Glacier (whatever you pick, make sure it is at least 5x distilled to minimise your headache the day after...). Most Poles appreciate good vodka & minimal side effects...

Good luck!
Jardinero   
23 Oct 2013
Language / Is Polish an easy language to learn and is there a way of learning it easily? [105]

Professor Miótek's short volume "Polski - Straszny język"

Did you not mean Prof. Jan Miodek?

merlin.pl/Jezyk-polski-Nie-taki-jezyk-straszny-o-polszczyznie-do-uczniow_Jan-Miodek/browse/product/1,595086.html

Regarding how easy (difficult) it is to learn a foreign language is relative at the end of the day, as it would seem the main criterion - everything else being equal - determining their experience would be how related (unrelated) it is to the learner's own or learned language(s)...
Jardinero   
13 Oct 2013
Work / Moving to Poland from Iceland (salary of 6500 pln a month) - can I build a house? [25]

If you couldn't limit your expenses to save at least half of this amount in 15 years living in the country with over 2 x higher salaries than in Poland, then how are you going to pay it back here?

Fair comment - but not entirely true. Don't forget that there are two variables determining what one can save, hence looking only at the income part without considering the living expenses is not going to produce a true picture of one's saving potential. Yes, the salaries in the Nordic countries have not only much higher minimum salaries, but equally living expenses are way higher than in PL, thus the saving potential is not great, which is what the OP is trying to say.

Best of luck, rabbi!
Jardinero   
8 Oct 2013
USA, Canada / Would like to move back to Poland from New York after living in USA for 20 years. [155]

everyoe seems to get this but you

???

you are using $1,200/month, which is inaccurate. my family lives in NJ, one of the most expensive states in the USA, and my sister pays $800/month for an excellent facility. i didn't use Warsaw-like prices because it's not a fair depiction. you shot for the stars with $1,200

really? just because your sister pays what she does - how does that make my information "inaccurate"??? something tells me that logic is not exactly your strongest side... ;-)

madisonareaymca.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/fee-schedules-2011-2012.pdf?sfvrsn=6

note this is a YMCA center - and it does not get much cheaper than this. note if you are a serious professional, you will most likely need the preschool, 7AM to 6PM 5days a week - which currently is... $1,480 to $1,880/month (depends on age of child)

i didn't use Warsaw-like prices because it's not a fair depiction

likewise - note I have not used a fancy facility; those could easily run in excess of $25,000/yr...

99% of the USA pays far less than that

oh, i am sure in states such as KY, SC, TN, MS, etc they do. but that will certainly not be true in metropolitan areas.
Jardinero   
11 Sep 2013
News / Poland's universities go up in world rankings [23]

Given that all the top ten are either British or American, would this not suggest an anglocentric bias to the rankings?

Certainly the Germans seem to agree:

dw.de/new-university-league-table-betrays-anglo-saxon-bias/a-4774241
Jardinero   
5 Sep 2013
Study / What is the best medical school in Poland? [33]

This has been discussed in here before in numerous threads - feel free to use the search field.

For a foreigner from far away, I would say generally the larger the city the safer the bet if you were concerned with "mixing in the crowd", variety/availability of "western" food items, entertainment, etc.

While there are good medical schools in Poland, their English programs are of very low quality.

I would not necessarily agree with this, especially without any facts or statistics presented (although there are some issues with these programmes).
I personally know many alumni of these programmes, vast majority of whom successfully got into residencies in UK/Canada/US - the ones who did not were slackers and/or immature and not able to get high enough grades both in-house and on the USMLE Steps.

I would say, however, that these programmes from the start will generally be tougher on a foreigner due to the local language barrier and often cultural differences. The BIGGEST downside, however, is that these programmes tend to attract large numbers of spoiled, immature brats with poor grades (especially from the US), so the overall learning environment may not be most conducive (not to mention poor public perception - which I think is what the above posters have in mind). But as with almost anything else, you will undoubtedly also find dedicated, mature students being there for the right reasons. If you can afford it, I would say it is probably better to go elsewhere. The mature/dedicated/on the budget student will do well under any circumstances - including these, so in the end it is a personal choice.
Jardinero   
2 Sep 2013
Study / Private Universities vs Public Universities in Poland [31]

because colleges that offer ABET approved courses go over the very necessary skills engineers need.

This is a good point - having an overseeing QA entity in place in the form of ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) is a big plus. I think that one of the greatest ills of the education system in general in PL is the omnipresent cheating at all levels, which goes without saying does not reflect well on alumni of Polish universities.

You would still have to take specialized exams to be recognized as a medical doctor in the US. (From what I hear, it's a lengthy process too)

That is true, there is a number of exams, and medical alumni of foreign universities will have ONE extra exam to test their language and patient skills, so overall not an insurmountable task.

And are worth perhaps 1/3rd of a US degree too.

This has been discussed on the forum in some detail... My opinion is that what you get out is directly proportional to what you put in (rubbish in -> rubbish out). You will find plenty an unsuccessful slacker faulting their university for not giving them the tools to be able to pass the required exams, when the reasons are more often simple and hit closer to home. but that does require, i am afraid, just a bit of maturity and honesty... which may be too much to handle for some.
Jardinero   
2 Sep 2013
Study / Private Universities vs Public Universities in Poland [31]

This is very true. In the US, a Polish degree is viewed as subpar compared to a Bachelor's earned here.

not sure that would be necessarily the case for areas such as engineering and sciences - the material covered in PL or any other UE nation for that matter would very often be more specialised that in the US.

t. I would personally stay away from those so called "English-language" programs organized in Poland just to attract Third World students.

again, very sweeping statements. while that may be true for some areas of study, if you look at the medical courses offered for example, they are about 1/3 of their US price tag, and offer US recognised degrees...