Life / Comparing Poland and Romania [108]

Thanks for the replies. In Poland currently, and leaning strongly towards staying. It's just something I've been mulling over the last month.

I speak fluent Spanish, so Romanian would be far easier for me to learn quickly. However, if it's a permanent relocation, an extra year of language learning is not that big in the scheme of things. And I'm not a native Romance speaker, so I don't have a huge advantage towards eventual mastery than with a Slavic language (English has some Latin influences, but more just with the vocabulary, so really just a matter of memorization).

Thought English level was better overall in Poland, although, like in Poland, there is a small but significant percentage in Romania who speak extremely good English.

Didn't notice any oil wells. Must be a southern thing (spent more time in north/central), or maybe a thing of the past?

Public transport isn't a big issue for me since I usually drive if I can't walk. Although the suits in bars thing is not really my style.

I'm planning a start-up company that's mostly just me with some long-term, freelance IT help needed. I have a good connection for that in Romania, but can almost certainly achieve about the same outcome in Poland on my own. Taxes and wages are slightly lower in Romania, and IT talent may be a little higher, which is a business plus, but it's not a huge difference in any of those respects. I'm comparing the two countries because I have the legal ability to live in both, and am basing this as much or more on living considerations than business considerations.

I don't mind the stray dog thing. More stray animals tends to equate to a more wild, freer, and laid-back environment. I usually carry something I could kill/fight them off with, know how to avoid them, and not really a likely target anyway since animals tend to attack kids, small/weak adults, or elderly anyway.

To be honest, in many respects, the 'far behind' thing is a plus. I think most Americans were better off when they weren't as wealthy. It's a never-ending trap of running on a hamster wheel and keeping up with the Joneses, and lately turning a blind eye to everything and anything we do to the rest of the world if it means protecting one's wealth and comfortable life. Then you have many people in America won't have or severely delay having kids because they say they don't have enough money. It's all BS. People 50 or 75 years ago had kids with far less money, they just did it and made work, and the kids turned out far better than most kids today. People today are too cautious, too selfish. Much of Western culture is rotting, and there are far poorer nations out there that are much richer in non-monetary ways. I'm sure it sounds hypocritical coming from a 'Westerner' who has enjoyed the higher material wealth, but I believe it's true.

News / Should Poland exit the EU immediately? [377]

They should assert sovereignty at every opportunity, in an attempt to reduce the EU to nothing more than a defense alliance and customs-free zone. That's all the EU will ever be good for. No common currency (just a banker scheme to fleece the governments and people at every deflationary downturn) or regulations, no unelected Brussels bureaucrats, no garbage trade treaties like the TTIP.

Get out of NATO and have a new European defense alliance, so Europe can stop getting roped into American/British wars and dirty tricks. Russia doesn't want war, they just want to stop getting harassed and isolated by NATO (i.e. US/UK/France)

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

One thing I love about Poland is that, as a wider society, it has easily the best taste in American/British (mainly talking about American) music in mainland Europe. All types, from jazz to country, 60s, 90s and beyond. This is based on people I've met, musing playing at bars and coffee shops, music on the radio. I say that having been to every country in Europe. Italy is a close second. Czech Republic is decent, Finland is decent (about half the society), Portugal may be decent, everywhere else pretty much sucks in comparison. Germany, while it has huge subcultures of good music lovers, is the worst.

Poland and Italy's might even be better than Ireland.

One thing: PLEASE PLEASE stop playing Last Christmas by Wham! EVERYWHERE....it's half decent, but you don't have to play it every third Christmas song.

Life / Comparing Poland and Romania [108]

I used to think that, but then saw that they come from Dacians, who seem like a Slavic group who later adopted a Latin language for practicality or whatever other reason. Then there are also some Turkic and Hungarian ethnic influences there. Same language thing happened with Celtic groups in France, Spain, and other parts of Western Europe.

Life / Moving to Poland and not drinking vodka [26]

Thanks for the replies. A lot of interesting info here. Plum brandy sounds good but maybe for me better with just a meal.

Not panicking, not 'not my own man.' I'm my own man, but when you're with a group and you meet for a coffee or a cigar or whatever, it's usually expected that all will be partaking in the activity on roughly the same level. Maybe I hang with the wrong crowds, but there are people who I consider to be good people who are worth being friends with, including people in my family, who also are sometimes relatively heavy drinkers. So to me that's not a deal breaker, but I'd like to work around it a little if possible. About the real man stuff, I've never had that questioned so it's not a worry.

It was and is only a minor concern and wasn't even close to a make-or-break thing, but couldn't really think of any other way to put it. As I said, it would actually be a bit of an issue to move to Germany and not drink beer, or move to Italy or France and not drink wine. But it doesn't seem to be quite as pervasive in Poland, or if it is there is usually an acceptable alternative available at the times I would be looking for one.

It stemmed from nothing I'd seen, but from a story I heard about Polish house parties from a British girl who was living there (I've never been to one and have only been out late at bars 6-7 times), where a lot of eating goes on, but shots are also taken with the food basically in rounds, and it's something pretty much everyone joins in on, and that people don't get that drunk because of the food (where I maybe would anyway). And these are people I consider to be normal. I'll cross that bridge if/when I come to it, but doesn't seem like it will be any kind of a major issue regardless.

Life / Moving to Poland and not drinking vodka [26]

The father-in-law thing is not really that big of a worry for me, I probably shouldn't have focused on that. Yes, maybe I'd get stupidly drunk, more than him, but getting drunk casually hanging with people I know and trust has never been an issue, as far as doing anything I'd say I genuinely regret. Honestly, 100% of the bad nights were when I have been single, looking for girls, and out at night at a bar or party, usually a bar/club.