The BEST Guide to POLAND
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Posts by Atch  

Joined: 1 Apr 2015 / Female ♀
Warnings: 1 - O
Last Post: 11 Jul 2025
Threads: Total: 22 / Live: 10 / Archived: 12
Posts: Total: 4295 / Live: 2407 / Archived: 1888

Displayed posts: 2417 / page 1 of 81
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Atch   
11 Jul 2025
Genealogy / Polish and gypsy traditions [140]

Every depiction of Irish Travellers and English Gypsies I've seen - shows them as thieving bastards.

When I was a kid, they used to go door to door. They've stopped doing that now. Back in the day the men would come and offer to do odd jobs, gardening, the classic tarmac your drive Sir, or the really ancient fellas would mend cast iron pots, sharpen knives etc. The aul fellas were generally very courteous with a kind of old-fashioned chivalry, They always asked for 'the lady of the house' when they came to the door, addressed the young girls as 'Miss' and the older ones as 'Ma,'am'. They were a relic of the old days of Ireland when itinerant workers and labourers offered their services to big farms and the gentry. So they behaved accordingly, using the manners of a century before. At some point, when they realised that the people in the houses were mostly just new rich and rough as old bags themselves, the younger ones, thought 'f@ck that for a game o' soldiers' (as we say in Ireland) and though they were still civil enough, they didn't tug the forelock quite as much, or take so much care over the work.

The women would always come begging, either with a child/children or a 'babby' as they called it. 'Would you have a drop of milk for the babby/a drink o' water for the child. Have you a few old clothes for the 'chillder' Missus?'. They were always a bit cheekier and pushier than the men, and addressed the lady of the house as plain Missus, rather than Ma'am ;) You had to be careful with them as they were known to dodge into the house and nick something if you left them on the doorstep while you went to get the milk or something for the child. A lot of kindhearted women would tell them to wait outside while they went and looked out some outgrown clothes to give the children and would close the front door while they did so. Later that day, they'd find the clothes dumped at the side of the road somewhere nearby. The women incidentally were always wrapped in a tartan travelling rug, a legacy of the old Gaelic days when people wore a cloak, known as the Irish mantle. There were a few nice old women though, who were selling 'holy pictures' - what you'd call icons. If you bought one, they'd give you a rapturous eulogy in the old Gaelic style and then a blessing 'God bless ya on the height of your journey Missus' or similar. But we had one who came to the door on Christmas Day who cursed us - lovely stuff :))

They've moved on to various more elaborate ways of making a living these days. Insurance fraud is a favourite. 'Ah Jaysus, Missus, I'm after fallin' on somethin' and breakin' me arse above in the supermarket' etc etc
Atch   
10 Jul 2025
Genealogy / Polish and gypsy traditions [140]

Irish Travellers

Yes, not proper gypsies at all, just a small sub-set of nomadic, ordinary Irish who generally wandered around doing a bit of horse-dealing and so on. Used to be known as tinkers, as in itinerant tinsmiths. A very rough lot and a bit of inbreeding naturally due to the smallness of the community.

Atch   
6 Jul 2025
Life / Why there is always around a horrible smell of sweat in Poland [220]

You're supposed to put the rubber plug in the basin and mix the hot and cold water to your taste within the basin itself. They're still very popular in the UK especially with people into the retro/vintage style of decor.
Atch   
2 Jul 2025
Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

And here are the actual facts:

"Regulations vary depending on the type of building and between local authorities but residential dwellings are not required by law to have window restrictors. They are a recommendation, not a legal obligation, in houses and flats but some landlords chose to install window restrictors and child locks above the ground floor to protect tenants from injury or break-ins. Hotels often also have window restrictors to protect guests from falling but it is not mandatory by law. Depending on their purpose, some buildings must only have windows that open no more than 100mm. Windows restrictors are required by law in places with vulnerable people like children and the elderly including hospitals, schools and care homes."

If the ignorant lump of an American tourist had asked at reception, he would have been given a key that releases the restrictors.
Atch   
27 Jun 2025
Life / Poland is horrible and I have to live here - somebody call a whambulance! [95]

Healthcare - partly depends on where you live. Quality is generally very good when you can access the services. Accessing them is an ever-increasing problem. Severe staff shortages in certain areas and lack of provision of things like cancer services in the more remote regions like the northwest, also very little in the way of post-operative care etc. in those places for more serious things like heart surgery. You can get the care but you have to travel to the next county for it. There is a particular shortage of GPs (general practitioners/family doctors).

Waiting times to see specialists can be long so a lot of people will go privately for the initial consultation with a specialist in order to get into the system for treatment. That's what I did back in 2013. Waited two weeks for an appointment (instead of three months) to see the specialist at his private rooms and then he treated me as a public patient at the hospital. The surgery was done within a couple of weeks and there was no charge for it, only for one night in the hospital. We have a similar system to the UK where specialists do both private and public work at the same time.
Atch   
27 Jun 2025
Life / Poland is horrible and I have to live here - somebody call a whambulance! [95]

As someone who spent 3 years in Ireland and drove there for about 2.5 years,

I remember you commenting on how pleasant the driving was there, compared to Poland - and you were in Dublin mostly. You never really experienced how relaxing and beautiful it is when you get out of the city and drive on the open road. People don't tailgate, they don't overtake in the face of oncoming traffic, basically they don't drive recklessly for the sake of getting to their destination five minutes earlier. We had a public information campaign years ago in Ireland and I can still remember the slogan 'Arrive alive' ........ Poles could do with reflecting on that. The number of single vehicle accidents in Poland on empty country roads, with people crashing into trees etc. and being killed, is purely a result of speeding and losing control of the vehicle as a result.

a bus driver and that could color his perception.

He's talking through his arse. He has limited experience of driving in one place, Limerick city. The patience of people sharing very narrow streets in rural towns and villages, with massive expressway coaches is extraordinary - as is the skill of the drivers. If you read the comments on the video you'll see that a lot of his countrymen disagreed with him.
Atch   
27 Jun 2025
Life / Poland is horrible and I have to live here - somebody call a whambulance! [95]

This guy complains about general ugliness, depressing surroundings and 'bylejakossล›ฤ‡'... (starts around 9:10)

Why are you being so silly? Have you caught the Novi disease?

Of course there are ugly places everywhere, especially in inner cities around the world, but England is a beautiful country with some of the best preserved architectural history, including the vernacular, maintained in most cases by the ordinary citizens for love of their heritage. It also has acre upon acre of stunning countryside and coastline.

As for Ireland - he doesn't like the driving culture?? What a joke. Drive on Irish roads and see the difference between driving there and in Poland. Irish drivers generally are courteous and drive safely. We have some of the safest roads in the EU. Poles drive badly because as a society they tend to be rude and impatient. Irish people aren't, they're the opposite. Maybe visit sometime and discover for yourself.
Atch   
26 Jun 2025
Life / Poland is horrible and I have to live here - somebody call a whambulance! [95]

In fairness now, he's quite right in many of his observations. One cannot but sympathise. I notice he uses the word 'no-mark' - haven't heard that for years, wonder if he's from Liverpool. And although I'm sure he's not laughing, I found his comments rather entertaining :)

The only words of consolation I can offer him are that he has no idea how much worse it was twenty years ago!
Atch   
15 Feb 2025
Off-Topic / Music Thread - part 2 [883]

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Atch   
24 Jan 2025
UK, Ireland / English/British rudeness - what do Polish people think about it? [168]

I'm not a madam!!

I think it was a joke. A 'Madam' can be a brothel keeper in British English :) Hence her denial.

It can also be used to describe a cheeky or officious little girl 'a little madam'. Also not a good thing to be.

Madam is also used to address a woman of higher social standing. She addressed you as Sir, the male equivalent of Madam, therefore it indicates humour. She's jovially telling you that you're on the same level as her. She's not your superior.
Atch   
22 Jan 2025
Law / How do I verify a Polish company's existence? [249]

They may have moved from that address without updating their details in the register. It's probably just a small office. Incidentally the owner's name indicates that he is Indian, not Polish.

They seem to have another address:

00-137 Katowice, Sobieskiego 11 lok. 18

it-dlakazdego.pl/firma/kizzera-sp-z-o-o-8790648
Atch   
17 Jan 2025
Off-Topic / Music Thread - part 2 [883]

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Atch   
15 Jan 2025
Off-Topic / Music Thread - part 2 [883]

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Atch   
15 Jan 2025
Language / Slow Talk in Polish TV [12]

menacingly manly whisper in the movies.

I'm afraid that probably started with Clint Eastwood. He could carry it off. Most can't.
Atch   
15 Jan 2025
News / European News and Poland Thread - part 4 [609]

they chose not to comment

Nobody bothers commenting anymore, firstly, because you're boring the arse off us and we're not interested and secondly because you keep making the same comments which people have answered in the past, but you ignore the answers.

Incidentally it's a bit pathetic that you view internet discussions as a win or lose contest. You're not a teenage boy. Grow up.
Atch   
15 Jan 2025
Language / Slow Talk in Polish TV [12]

I've noticed that the speed at which presenters talk is increasing. If you watch Polish channels on YouTube, you'll see that many presenters literally gabble. I think it's something to do with the reduced attention span of the viewers/listeners. The speakers are afraid that if they don't get the information out fast enough, you'll move on. Of course the solution is actually to write a more considered script beforehand where you get to the point faster, rather than speaking faster!
Atch   
8 Jan 2025
Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

I bought by first gun in 1984

Now, that's interesting. So you didn't always feel that everybody should own a gun. You managed perfectly well without one for nearly twenty years of your adult life.
Would I do the same with sons? Not even close. Boys are suicidal imbeciles.

And yet a couple of weeks ago you were saying they should all learn to use guns from the age of twelve.
Atch   
6 Jan 2025
USA, Canada / Polish wife for Chicago Pole - TV show [8]

what do you think about such shows? Are those people genuine

Most American 'reality' shows are anything but. They're heavily staged. There have been quite a few of those 'romance' shows in America and the contestants are often just actors hired for the show. When the participants are real, the situations and outcome are often faked just to meet viewer expectations.

But if it's a Polish production, then maybe there's an element of truth in it.
Atch   
6 Jan 2025
News / R. Trzaskowski, current mayor of Warsaw, future President of Poland [354]

His English is much worse than Mr Trzaskowski`s.

Pawian, a lesson in comparatives and superlatives is in order for you. Tut, tut. Whatdoyou teach your students? In English, something can only be worse than something which is bad.

Mary's Polish is bad but Ann's Polish is worse.
John's Polish is good but Paul's Polish is not as good.

Trzaskowski's English is actually good. Therefore the other geezer's English 'is not as good as'. If you want an equivalent of 'much worse' you would have to say 'nothing as good as' or 'nowhere near as good as'.

Now you say something a bit smart-arsey but in reality you will stow this piece of information away with all the other little treasures of English that I have gifted you :)
Atch   
4 Jan 2025
Life / Why women's rights are not respected here in Poland? [160]

killing the parents

I know, where does he come up with this stuff? All I can say is that he makes a great case for America being a totally f@cked up society.
You just crossed my red line #1, stupid bit*ch.

How rude. No child of mine would use that language to a lady, I can tell you. One starts to wonder about your own upbringing.............

Anyway, things you've said in unguarded moments suggest that you are disappointed in your daughters because they're too 'woke' and liberal in their outlook. Maybe it's easier to be angry with 'women' than it is to admit that you're angry with your own children. I know you have to bit your lip around your daughters in case you say what you really think about social issues and they stop coming to see you and bringing the grandchildren. Why don't you just say what you want to and they'll adapt. You may become the delightful eccentric in the family.
Atch   
4 Jan 2025
Life / Why women's rights are not respected here in Poland? [160]

Women are psychos and drama idiots - everywhere:

No dear, only in America.
with never hearing NO

I'm sorry if your daughters can't say 'no' to their children (I imagine your wife was able to) but we're not all like that Novi. I once taught a five year old who expressed her shock at hearing a child demanding ice-cream without a 'please' attached to the request and her even greater outrage that the mother proceeded to buy the ice-cream.

'That's disgraceful,' I agreed. 'What would you have done Melissa?' I asked her. She replied 'I'd have said, 'you're getting nothing and you're going straight home to bed!' 'Quite right, Melissa', I responded. 'What a wonderful mother you'll be.' And we beamed at each other in mutual understanding :)
Atch   
4 Jan 2025
Life / Why women's rights are not respected here in Poland? [160]

99% of drunk drivers are women.

But not in real life. In real life USA around 75% of drunk drivers are men.

Munchausen by proxy mothers

You do realise I suppose that it's an incredibly rare mental disorder?

"Munchausen by proxy is incredibly rare - so rare, in fact, that reliable numbers on its incidence in the U.S. are difficult to come by. Research in other countries, such as Australia and the U.K., suggests that only a tiny percentage of children diagnosed with serious illness are cases of Munchausen by proxy."