Travel / Driving in Poland, are there any rules at all? [149]

Those are quite good - hopefully it isn't long before the equivalents are aired in PL.

Intoxication, alcohol or other (let's not forget other substances both legal and illicit), is obviously a big problem. Still, drink driving accounts for "only" 8% of all road fatalities - thus the remainder of road murderers must be sober. Quite shocking if you pause here for a few seconds, isn't it? Speeding drivers have been the single worst killer for years and account for ~30% of the fatalities. I think this important statistic is somehow missed in the media coverage, as all of the attention is given exclusively to drunk killers, whereas the fact of the matter is that drunk drivers are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Life / Why are Polish so conservative and religious? [240]


And I'd say you're guilty of stereotyping and pigeon-holing. Believe me, boondocks in the western parts (post-German & former PGR lands) are today probably worse that those in Lubelskie, Rzeszowskie, Podlaskie... I'd say the most underprivileged/conservative areas today are in the south, in the mountains...

Travel / Best/Cheap Transportation from Gdansk to Vilnius? [9]

Not the easiest of routes; perhaps PKS to Suwałki pkssuwalki.pl/0,1,848.html?locale=pl_PL

, spend the night there, and and there should be daily connections from Suwałki to Wilno - can't find it at the moment. Other than that I suggest going via Warsaw.

Travel / Best/Cheap Transportation from Gdansk to Vilnius? [9]

That's a great site, Monitor!
So if you took the 16:45 coach to Suwałki (note there's also another coach in the AM at 6:40), it gets you there 0:20, then at 1:15 you've got the connection to Vilnus (4:45).

Genealogy / Do I look Polish? (my picture) [375]

If you said you were from Russia, Hungary, Romania I'd also believe you...

History / Whom do the people in Poland hate more: Germans or Russians? [869]


Times are always a changing - time to move on folks instead of dwelling on the past needlessly. Even the title of this post is disturbing, to say the least...

To Mod: I say it's time to close this thread - don't you agree?

Food / Where is the best place to buy cheap wine in Poland? [5]

Try any large supermarket chain such as: Biedronka/Lidl/Aldi/Auchan, etc

UK, Ireland / British products in Warsaw [32]


Which section are they to be found in?

Life / Children's pocket money rate in Poland. [10]

Not more than 5PLN

Life / Not possible to find a Hardware/DIY store near Mokotów, Warszawa? (Warsaw district) [10]

Seems like you enjoy creating work for yourself... Have you tried asking your neighbour/local store/etc in the first place? Some local places would be too small/old fashion to pay to advertise on google.

Genealogy / My Grandfather was born in Poland and migrated abroad - Can I get a Polish Passport? [68]


I think you are barking at the wrong tree here. (BTW: Were the first settlers ever 'legal'?) And how exactly are you paying for them? You do realise that the illegal workforce's wages are only a fraction of the costs the American society would otherwise have to shell out for legitimate wages and their derivatives? Really, you should be thankful to all those hard working mostly Latinos doing the backbreaking work in the fields, slaughterhouses, etc - thanks to their exploitation YOUR EXPENSES basically on EVERYTHING related are only say 50% of what they otherwise would have been. And if a fraction of them happens to be drug/human trafficking gangsters? Well, remember the simple laws of supply-demand, ie where are the users of those illegal drugs/prostitutes?

News / Poland to withdraw from Visegrad defence radar project [10]


More beating in the war drum? I wonder who benefits more from this anti-Russian hysteria other than the military-industrial complex...

News / Polish MP lives as a migrant in London earning £100 [21]


Yet you totally disregard the net benefits these low wage workers have on the economy and on keeping the costs below their market value...


So it appears that the inhabitants native to the Americas are reclaiming they lands back...


And EVERY Mexican migrant I know in the US has a job and works very hard without being on welfare.

Life / Emigrate / Immigrate to Poland? I don't need to work. [33]


Well, in order to receive meaningful answers to your question, I'm afraid you would need to put in little more effort and at the very minimum state what your preferences, what you like (dislike) to do, etc.


Good location if you were planning to travel south, nice to visit and culturally vibrant, but the downside is that it tends to be touristy and the air is very polluted (one of the worst locations in the EU in that category)...


Where exactly and and why?

Life / Emigrate / Immigrate to Poland? I don't need to work. [33]

All sounds so cliche. All depends what the OP is after - no universal one size fits all in the run to happiness in this life, I'm afraid. Here's an interesting [realearth.pl/ueberuns_en.htm] of an original Swiss couple who have settled in the very NE corner some 20 years ago...

Life / Emigrate / Immigrate to Poland? I don't need to work. [33]

The OP is clearly asking about Poland and not any other country, and it seems to me they're in the right place this being the PFs.com.


Agreed. However, you're being a mind-reader here by assuming that the OP values those above all. Let them come back and be more precise about what they're after - otherwise such random advise is not very valuable.


Please back up your view - maybe others reading this post could benefit from your knowledge.

Life / Emigrate / Immigrate to Poland? I don't need to work. [33]

If posters stuck to the topic instead of going off on a tangent this forum would have a chance of being half-useful (the other problem being over representation by the perpetually frustrated types).

As a rough guide, in terms of attractiveness of the landscape and scenery the central part of the country is probably most boring - hence I would recommend either the north or the south (with the eastern flanks being culturally richer & diverse).

Life / Emigrate / Immigrate to Poland? I don't need to work. [33]

For a start, please re-read (and don't forget to understand!) OP's message.

Life / Emigrate / Immigrate to Poland? I don't need to work. [33]


Glad to hear from a positive person for a change. I feel your interest and motivation for Poland are genuine and thus wish you all the best in your road to living out your dream. Let me know if you needed more specifics, etc, I'll do my best to help out (note: my PM does not seem to work for some reason).


And it is a perfectly achievable dream (check out the link to the Swiss couple's site I pasted in my earlier response for confirmation + inspiration). They've done it 20 years ago, and with PL joining the EU since I cannot imagine it being more difficult in terms of the bureaucracy. And cost of land here is still a fraction of what it is in the UK.

Once again, congratulations on your courage to live out your dream and best of luck.

Language / "Poles" or "Polish people" - which is better to use? [200]

I think you've got it backwards. If I remember correctly, on that poster is a professional model hired specifically for that 'Polish plumber campaign' in France...

Food / Clotted cream - where I can buy it in Wroclaw? [9]


Unfortunately, it takes ages to make and is very energy demanding:
"...cook for at least 8 hours. The cream may take as long as 12 hours to fully clot."

Study / What is the best medical school in Poland? [33]


If she 1) does not speak Polish, 2) has no knowledge of how the Polish university system works (or relatives who can help her on the ground), and 3) plans on practising in the US upon graduation, then I would spare her the extra hassles if possible... hence the English language programme would make more sense despite the higher price tag.


Not necessarily. Many do - and many others don't. I personally know both - and the results sometimes were just the opposite what one would expect...


In my opinion it all boils down to the attitude - how committed they are at the end of the day. From experience, mature students will do better under these circumstances, whereas many of the youngsters enjoy the social life just a bit too much and subsequently tend to stack off and dwell on the negatives instead of just getting on with the programme... The programme level itself is not necessarily bad either I hear - but for the average US youngster (especially if they have not been out of the country and are unaccustomed to sometimes harsher realities) it will take some 'adjusting to'. And at the end of the day what matters is the class standing and the performance on the USMLEs - if they place in the top 10% they will have no problems succeeding wherever they go.

Good luck!

Life / What is Poland's view on obesity? How healthy, fit are Poles? [166]

It's true that the diet in PL in not a healthy one - it seems like a glorified PRL diet: parówki, kanapki, crisps, pepsi/coke/nasty cheap juice, lots of white bread and plenty of highly processed foods + sugar... Polish children (under 10 or 12yo) are now supposedly most (or nearly) obese in the EU... I think the problem is mainly with the parents' sheer ignorance on the subject of basic nutrition... most seem to don't care, the more sweets/comfort foods the better... perhaps it stems from their personal experiences where such foods were luxury during the PRL years, and that they can afford it they think the more the better for their children...


Agreed. Unfortunately, bad eating habits die VERY hard; in fact, most people would actually prefer to suffer the consequences than change, ie give up their comfort foods even when faced with disease/death... overall, much too much meats i PL diet - especially the nasty cheap and processed types... also, the food tends to be cooked to death...


I doubt any melons grow in PL. The golden rule is to eat local stuff. The good think in PL are the local food markets - from spring to autumn you can find good stuff grown locally with a little effort...


OK, bit it is the same all over when you have universal health care - have you ever seen what's served in, for instance, British hospitals?

Life / Life in Poland - feeling lonely and don't want to socialize much! (anyone feeling same?) [93]

And how do you serve those?

Life / Life in Poland - feeling lonely and don't want to socialize much! (anyone feeling same?) [93]

Is there any curing involved?

Love / Do Polish men think that Polish girls are materialistic and demanding ? [37]


That may well be true, but let's try to understand why. It could have to do with the lack of economic prospects and predictability during the PRL years not only in PL, but all of Soviet-dominated camp. And not only then, but even now, although to a much lesser degree. Then the natural instinct in light of instability is to secure one's materialistic needs. But to be honest, it is not only women who think this way - it is a universally accepted phenomenon amongst the younger and older generations alike: to secure a position for life, buy/own a home, own as an expensive car as you can (often not) afford. All the effort goes there. This way the non-materialistic aspect of life is easily overlooked and marginalised. But then again, one sees this all over the world, so it would be good to have a study done to measure how important 'materialism' is by country.


True.


+1


Well said, Roger5. But remembering how America was established (stolen land from the natives) and then prospered on the backs of slaves perhaps explains things a little. I say a little, as Australia or New Zealand gained their land in similar fashion (although no slavery), but don't have that problem. The common factor were the British, so there could be an Anglo-Saxon demon at work here. Also the 'American dream' of owning as big a house/land as you can afford (not need) is nightmare in disguise. European powerhouse Germany + Switzerland have lowest home ownership rates (contrast that with Romania/Lithuania, where it's the highest in EU).

Law / Purchasing used car contract in Poland [5]

I believe that would not be possible nowadays, as the policy would only be valid the day it was pre-paid (usually either a full year of half a year) and not renew by default after that - a notice would be sent out in advance as a reminder.

Life / Life in Poland - feeling lonely and don't want to socialize much! (anyone feeling same?) [93]


I was there a few times in the last year or so... not a pleasant vibe overall and not much going on - those were my impressions... and now it is also the xenophobic capital of the country judging from the press coverage? Which is a real shame given the region's multi-culti roots up until 1939...

Classifieds / English-speaking nanny in Warsaw - how to find one? [5]

Here's one in EN: greataupair.com/Nanny_Jobs_Work/Babysitter_Tutor_AuPair/Mazowieckie/Warsaw.htm
If you know PL then you could try gumtree.pl or tablica.pl...

Love / How official and important are engagements in Poland? [9]

You will need to pay a penalty equal to 50% of your annual wages + 12 cows and 24 sheep per year of engagement ;-)