Life / Positive things which make a Pole stand out positively in the World! [30]


I am an American, and I agree!


Nevertheless, the question was asked. ;-)

Life / Uptight Poles [262]


Be that as it may....outside of the Vatican, The Catholic Church has played a very important part in Poland's history. If it were not for the Catholic faith, it may not have been possible for Poland to be Poland after the Partitions.

I believe that while the strong religious sentiments of the past may be declining somewhat now, most Poles are grateful for the way the Church supported them during the Partitions and during Communist times.

USA, Canada / Chicago's 1.1 million Polish Americans celebrated Constitution Day [47]


Good reply.

Delph's comment that they are morons is just his personal opinion. Obviously lots of other people feel differently. He still, evidently cannot tell the difference between ethnicity and nationality. These folks are celebrating their roots, not their citizenship. Anyway, who cares what he thinks. It is predictable that he will hop on a thread like this to pour cold water on something that makes a lot of other people smile.

Because he works hard in Poland, he beats that drum when it comes to anyone else who says they love the country. Maybe he just wants some kudos for what he does. Many misunderstand him and feel he hates Poland and Polish people. I've come to see that he evidently cares a lot for Poland. But not everyone cares in the same way. Thanks Delph for what you do for Poland. But, have a little respect for what others do even if you think they should be more like you.

Love / Hot Polish girls in clubs - why don't they dance/talk with the most attractive men only? [148]

In general, females love a man with a great sense of humor. And someone who is confident. Maybe the men that hold their attention are funny and full of confidence.

USA, Canada / What do Poles think about drinking raw milk? In America, unpasteurized milk is PROHIBITED. [49]

Raw milk is actually better for you, but you have to have healthy animals. It is easier for the FDA to allow questionable practices for dairies, and just cook the milk to kill germs.

Better to have healthy cows, healthy milk, and no need to pasteurize.

Or, I agree, tell people of the risks and make an informed decision. Good point about the things that are legal and can definitely harm you.

Years ago, I bought raw goat's milk from a farm. I did not know it was illegal now to buy your own raw milk.

Genealogy / Schnell / Robinson - Finding Polish Ancestry/Relatives [5]

This might help, too:

boards.ancestry.com/localities.ceeurope.histreg.westprussia/118.2/mb.ashx

And here are other suggestions:

jewishgen.org/danzig/resources.php

Love / Your Thoughts about 20 Year Age Difference Between Men & Women in Poland? [74]

Anyone who needs to get great advice about age gap relationships can find a very helpful forum called Ageless Love. At one time, I was in an age gap relationship and it was a fantastic source of information.

They have great archives with just about every concern. Stories of success and failures and community support. Here is the link:

agelesslove.com/boards/index.php

Life / Why should the Polish all over the world wear red on St. Joseph's day? [32]


Yes, it is judgment-free, only an answer in response to the original question as to if it is a worldwide custom. And I agree, that is how culture develops. Offshoots that carry something of the old, and add a new twist.

It is quite similar here in the USA. On St. Patrick's Day almost everyone wears some green. Yet at one time, the newer immigrants felt excluded, and added their own customs. Red on St. Joseph's Day. After awhile people enjoy participating in, and recognizing the customs of everyone. Cinco de Mayo day is a popular custom now.

Life / Why should the Polish all over the world wear red on St. Joseph's day? [32]

Yes, it seems to be a Polish American thing in response to St. Patrick's Day. Polish Americans and Italian Americans got together to have a day to wear "their" colors.

USA, Canada / Where is loyalty of Polish diaspora in America? In USA or in Poland? What is priority? [63]

Well, it is an idealized belief. And if everyone practiced it, there would be no enemies.

And while there is a lot of accusations on this board about who killed who, (whether the Russians were worse, or the Germans worse), at least they can say they stood up to Hitler and and were good citizens of Poland, Germany and the USA, but would not follow Hitler's orders that went against their God-given beliefs. They were willing to die for this principle.

Others had no choice as they could hardly stop being Jews or Poles. But they were offered freedom in exchange for their allegiance to Hitler, and they would rather die than do that.

They obey all laws, and probably are more honest on taxes than those who swear allegiance.
So, they are model citizens, but give their allegiance only to God.

USA, Canada / Where is loyalty of Polish diaspora in America? In USA or in Poland? What is priority? [63]


Yes, that is correct. And it was a little scary as a young child to take such a stand. But, I was taught that it is o.k. to be different as a matter of principle.

Some teachers in the assembly hall would frown and grab you, but then they would learn either from you or your own teacher that it was a stand for a religious belief, rather than disrespect.

USA, Canada / Where is loyalty of Polish diaspora in America? In USA or in Poland? What is priority? [63]


No, I went to normal public schools. Jehovah's Witnesses won a legal case many years ago. The pledge is not considered neutral. You pledge your allegiance to the United States of America. Their argument is that only God should have that type of allegiance.

But, it is also drilled into Jehovah's Witnesses, that they must be model citizens in all other areas. Total honesty, paying taxes without cheating, and doing civic duty. You are an ambassador for Christ's Kingdom, therefore no swearing allegiance to any earthly government, but respecting the laws of the country you are in. They are taught that the nations of the earth are God's superior authority and bring law and order. However, if there is ever a conflict between God and Country, "...give Caesar's things to Caesar, and God's things to God."

Along with Poles and Jews, many Jehovah's Witnesses died in the concentration camps. They had the opportunity to Heil Hitler, and live, but refused. However, they could be trusted to shave the Nazi officers and obey in all things, except allegiance to an earthly leader especially one in conflict with God.

Model citizens, but neutral towards all governments requiring allegiance. Only allegiance to God's Kingdom.

USA, Canada / Where is loyalty of Polish diaspora in America? In USA or in Poland? What is priority? [63]


Actually, no. :-)

I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and they maintain political neutrality. The reasoning being that Jesus said, "My kingdom is no part of this world."

I am no longer active in this religion, but I am out of school, so it has never come up.

News / 9 year old Polish girl and 10 year old brother killed by World War II bomb [46]


Pretty amazing accomplishment. I have a coffee table book that was made in the 1960's and was given to me by the grandmother of my host family in Poland. It shows the incredible devastation and how all the people were actively involved.

I marvel at what they did. And Poland is advancing now. More well established places are at the point where they need to rebuild things. Nothing stays the same. Hopefully the EU with Germany as a major participant will continue to benefit Poland. It is impossible to fix everything bad that ever happened. To dwell on it, hinders progress.

There is an old saying that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Friendships between countries benefits everyone.

News / 9 year old Polish girl and 10 year old brother killed by World War II bomb [46]


There is a big difference between the desire to be fully compensated for damages, as opposed to saying that you wish other people would die. Especially those who had nothing to do with what happened in the past.

That kind of retaliation keeps hatred going forever like in the Arab world. You did this, I kill you. You killed my family, so I kill yours back. It never ends. Is that the world you wish for your children?

From my visits to Poland, I have talked with many who had suffered immensely, so it is natural to have raw feelings. It is understandable. But, it is better to direct those feelings to something that can be done that is positive. Anything else results in more killing, more strife, and Poland will never reach her full potential.

News / 9 year old Polish girl and 10 year old brother killed by World War II bomb [46]

Good question Wildrover! My sentiments exactly.

USA, Canada / Where is loyalty of Polish diaspora in America? In USA or in Poland? What is priority? [63]


Yes, it sure has! It's been about ten years. But even then, I was amazed. My mother was baptized in the church, Our Lady of Częstochowa and my family is buried at Holy Name Cemetery.

USA, Canada / Where is loyalty of Polish diaspora in America? In USA or in Poland? What is priority? [63]

If you listen to Delph, your Serbian diaspora would also be traitors no matter how much they are involved in Serbian affairs. Just becoming a citizen here in the USA would mean they were traitors. But this is only in his extreme mind and in his extreme way of thinking.

Most people move to a place where they have new opportunities and make a new life. There is no thought to fighting against their former homeland. The possibility exists that this could happen. But it is not a very likely scenario. It is splitting hairs unnecessarily.

Said to make people feel bad more than to point out a valid likely reality.

USA, Canada / Where is loyalty of Polish diaspora in America? In USA or in Poland? What is priority? [63]


Well, being born an American, I never had to swear to anything. :-P

And my ethnically Polish grandparents would loved to have been nationals of Poland, but they were Prussian citizens and it was out of their control.

My German grandparents were also in a situation beyond their control. They volunteered to come to Poland to help drain the swamps and in return they received land. They got along well with the Polish nobles, but then they were victims of the partitions and became Russian citizens against their will.

Not everything is about swearing allegiance. Nations often decide who you are whether you like it or not. My grandparents all came to America seeking freedom from the forced upon them nationalities.

When Poland became a country again, my great grand parents were still there and alive. So, technically, I could probably apply for a Polish passport as the rule says that citizenship can be passed down to someone like me, if they have but two great grandparents.

So, then.....would I be a traitor to the USA to do this? Or a traitor to Poland to ignore this option. See? Not all things are so cut and dry as you make it out to be.

USA, Canada / Where is loyalty of Polish diaspora in America? In USA or in Poland? What is priority? [63]

Crow....I am sure feelings are different depending upon the individual and whether one is a recent immigrant to America, a recent citizen of the USA, or removed several generations.

Those who come to this forum, come to learn about their history, today's culture in Poland, and take pride in their roots. My grandparents were born in Poland, but some of my ancestors were Polish by ethnicity, and the others were Polish by nationality, until Russia took over where they lived.

My grandparents lived in a Polish community (Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY and Jersey City, NJ), when they first came to this country. After a time, they moved to other parts of the New York City area. My mother spoke Polish and my father spoke German, but were Americans. Growing up, I appreciated my ethnic background, but always considered myself American.

As I got older, I had more of a hunger to know more and began to do genealogy and to learn more about the history of Poland and the history of Prussia.

I have come to have a deep love for Poland, but I am an American. (Not plastic anything) ;-)

And on my visits to Poland, I often wonder about what it would be like to move back to Poland. How surprised my grandparents would be if they were alive.

Genealogy / Family name Kustosz [13]

Here is where there is property for sale in Ostrowite that is just lovely.....I am SO tempted! :-)

moje-miejsce.net.pl/en/41/offer/ostrowite.html

Life / Why should the Polish all over the world wear red on St. Joseph's day? [32]

Not just Poles, also Italians:

ehow.com/how_2125593_celebrate-st-josephs-day.html
democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4901150#4901372

And I believe this is the reason why red in America in particular:

scrapgirls.com.ipbhost.com/index.php?autocom=blog&blogid=2&show entry=81

UK, Ireland / How ENGLISH has been affected by POLISH [73]


Yes, Zloty is not well known, but we do know Sejm in the USA. Not a common everyday word, but people who are in history class would be familiar that it is a type of parliament.

I am surprised that any Polish words influenced English. I liked the example about spruce up. I learned something new. :-)

The reason Polish is so hard to learn for English speakers is that the words are not similar at all. In French, Spanish, or German you can find words that sound something like the English equivalent and it makes learning the vocabulary easier.

This is a difficult assignment. However, while many foods may have Russian origin, everyone in the USA associates kielbasa with Poland. And in most big cities people know pierogie and eat them even if they are not Polish. Heck, I can even get frozen pierogie in South Carolina. And there are hardly any Polish people here.

UK, Ireland / Poles in Ireland by Peadar de Burca. They "turned their backs on a country that gave them" [195]

Ireland4ever is one of those posters who always complains about Poles. I doubt he is typical of most Irish people. Every country has people who fear immigrants, and blame all their troubles on them. It is/was the same in the USA as each new wave of immigrants had stereotypes and prejudices to overcome.

UK, Ireland / Poles in Ireland by Peadar de Burca. They "turned their backs on a country that gave them" [195]

My ex-Polish boyfriend moved to Ireland during the boom, and he and his wife are still there. They are very happy and bought a new house last year, and welcomed their first child a few days ago. When they arrived in Ireland they had another couple for roommates. Now they are on their own. No working 22 hours or sharing with 19 other migrants.

They like that they were able to make a great life, and yet it is close enough to go back home to Poland often.

In 2008 I visited them in Ireland and the country is as green as they say. It does rain at inconvenient times, but the weather goes from rain to sun and back again in short order. And the climate is relatively mild.

Travel / Is Poland worth visiting? [35]


I had not thought of it that way, but yes. That makes sense. Now you have me curious and I will probably look up those other songs. However, I'll never know what it is they said. I only know a few words in Polish.

As for your English....it is very good. Any little imperfection adds charm. I love accents. And I especially love Polish accents. How cool that you want to share your country and life with English-speaking people and have made a song in our language. And it is nice for us to hear that you are Polish, not English, not American. :-D

I sent the video to many of my friends and everyone was very positive. In fact, a sociology professor with a PhD from Alabama who is also a musician enjoyed the slide guitar. He has also expressed the thought that maybe he will visit Poland one day. See? It has had a good effect.

Travel / Is Poland worth visiting? [35]

In all fairness to the song, how many songs do you know that include negatives about a place? Usually when we sing about something, we extol the virtues. So, I think the song is great just as it is. :-)

I grew up in the USA, but I enjoyed every minute in Poland. The roads, everything. If I wanted to see lots of interstate highways, I would stay home. Instead, I traveled down some dirt roads in the countryside (thank goodness for GPS), that looked a bit like the dirt road in the video that turns to a snow covered scene.

Being from the north in the USA, I am used to people being a little distant in public till you get to know them. I did not find anyone rude in Poland. Once three years ago, in Gdańsk, I was lost walking and noticed a reluctance to help me, but it was more like people were busy during rush hour and had other things on their mind.

Travel / Is Poland worth visiting? [35]

Thanks for posting the video.

P.S. Love listening to the slide guitar.

Travel / Is Poland worth visiting? [35]

Thanks! I'll check it out!

Now I remember the name of the place I was thinking about. Biskupin.
Maybe next time I am in Poland I can ride the train at Jędrzejów.

Travel / Is Poland worth visiting? [35]

I liked your video. Thank you for sharing it with us. The song is catchy, and the pictures show the contrast between the cities, countryside, seashore and mountains.

The video is heartfelt, and makes me feel happy. It is well done with an endearing touch of homespun.

Is the train the one that is at the ancient lake settlement?