USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]

Hi RubasznyRumcajs, I can toggle back and forth between English and Polish keyboard. It is an option on Windows. I got some transparent sticky Polish letters to affix to my keyboard. I can still see the English letters underneath, but also the Polish ones on top.

Biggest problem for me is the reversal of y and z and some of the punctuation.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]

I got interested in my history more intensely in recent years. It started with seeing if the town had my grandmother's birth certificate. I was amazed they did. With all the changes in government and wars, they had it. So then I got hooked on genealogy.

My mother's immediate family all came to America. Even her great grandfather. He was a retired blacksmith. Lots of the children died during one of the sicknesses that struck. Out of 8 children, only two survived, my grandmother and her brother. He had only one child and his child died as a teen, so I only have my immediate family from my Polish grandmother that I am close with. I am not aware of any family in Poland on my Polish side, but I am working on it. I know they must be there. :-)

The name Bubacz is rather rare in Poland and they come mainly from Poznan, Pila, Gniezno. Now that I know the parish church where I got my great grandparent's marriage certificate, I will look to see who their brothers and sisters were and if my grandparents had any siblings that stayed in Poland.

I did find that I have some distant family still in Poland that were ethnic Germans. They stayed because they had married into Polish families. The man who now owns my grandmother's farm appears to be a 5th cousin. I had such a wonderful time this summer in Poland visiting all the places where family had once lived.

I have been to Poland now three times and love it. I have many friends there and I almost married a Polish man and moved to Poland. But that's another story....lol

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]

My mother had Polish parents. She spoke Polish because she learned from her grandmother. Her brother and sisters did not learn. In later life, she spoke Polish with her mother when they wanted to speak privately.

My father had German parents and he knew Low German and High German. Obviously, my mother and father only spoke to each other in English. So, I only learned a little bit in each language.

All my grandparents (Polish and German) were born in Poland, either when it was non-existent during the partitions, the semi-independent Congress Poland or after WWI.

My ethnic Polish side of the family came from Gniezno, and my ethnic Germans from the Vistula area in Central Poland.

My German grandfather was a citizen of Poland till 1928. He became American at that point, but his sister remained Polish her whole life even though she lived in America.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]

Exactly, Bolle, you explained it perfectly! I think Delph gets two groups of people in America mixed up. Those recently from Poland who were born there (may or may not go back), and have more of a claim that they are Polish, as opposed to those of us who have Polish ancestry.

You are right, we are Americans first, but when asked or even if not asked, we may say that we are of Polish descent. The short way of saying this is I am Polish. And you are absolutely correct that it means of Polish descent. No need for labels of Plastic. None of us is hiding in America. We were born here as a rule and besides being American have a love for the country of our ancestry.

That is why a lot of people come here. To learn more about Poland because we know we are far from experts. We hope that Poles from Poland will help us to know the country better.

That is why I loved McCoy's posts among others, even those not Polish who live in Poland. They have posted pictures of interesting places, scenic beauty, popular music, etc.

I hope that eventually Delph can be less bitter about us in America. He may have met or read something ignorant by someone in America, but it is so unfair to judge us all adversely.

I think it is wonderful that he is in Poland and takes such a great interest in the country. Maybe he can be like one of those people living there that act as a mirror for us here in America and reflect what he wants us to know about Polska.

Polonia / What are social and cultural occupations of Poles in Germany ? [30]

Ah yes, the third one down looks just like me! LOL

There, now I feel better. Meanwhile back to occupations of Poles in Germany.....

Life / What do you like about Poland? [100]

I like the hospitality of the people. My Polish grandmother was a good example of what I'd always heard about Poles. When I went to Poland ten years ago for the first time, I found it to be very true. I had made a friend in Poland (due to my interest in genealogy) and stayed with his family. They told me, "Guest in House, God in House." As they drove me back to the airport in the rain, the father said, "All Poland is crying because you leave."

They did everything to welcome me. The family even made their traditional Easter food so I could enjoy a Polish holiday even though there was no holiday when I visited. And when I looked at anything in the stores where they sold souvenirs, they wanted to buy it. I had to say I did not want anything to avoid having them spend too much money. Yet on that last day of "Easter" celebration before I left for the USA, unknown to me they had all bought gifts of things I had looked at and really wanted, but was afraid they'd buy it.

And they were not wealthy people. I had brought gifts for them, too but in three weeks in Poland I only spent $50. That's how hospitable they were!

And this past summer when I was in Poland visiting all the villages and towns where my family had roots, I asked directions when I saw a man mowing his lawn. It was one of the few very hot days I had encountered and he asked if my companion and I would like some cold water. We attempted to say we were fine, but were invited in and the wife promptly put out coffee, water, bread, cold cuts, salad and cakes! What a surprise!

So, yes...I love the hospitality of the Polish people.

PS to fstop....I believe I'd be like you if I actually moved to another country.

Genealogy / Fabianowicz name [5]

Some Lithuanian names also had their endings changed to wicz. Have you looked at passenger ship records? Sometimes these give clues as to your roots.

Love / How should I approach this young Polish man that I like? [48]

It is very passe.....and in the intellect, it works out fine. But, for most men, they still have the biology that says they need to be the pursuer. Even if the mind says different. Many great relationships do begin that way. But, many more men only think they want it that way. Somehow, they later on wonder why they are not as attracted to the girl as they would like to be.

It takes a special man to recognize a good thing when put on a platter. Most like to believe they caught her. Wish there were more like you...enlightened....biology caught up with intellect.

Polonia / Life in Poland vs Norway - good for children, benefits, etc? [43]

Piotr123, you really have made me laugh! Actually, I do know another man who is a native from Norway, and the resemblance is uncanny!

Polonia / Life in Poland vs Norway - good for children, benefits, etc? [43]

Wow..well that bubble was certainly burst! LOL

I did read on another forum that a young man from the USA met a lady from Norway and he emigrated to her country and they seem happy. Hmmmm....maybe that smile is slightly demented like on the Shining....come to think of it....he has been typing a lot, too. ;-)

Polonia / Life in Poland vs Norway - good for children, benefits, etc? [43]

I heard that Norway was recently rated the happiest place to live.

Genealogy / TRACING THE HISTORY OF AN OLD HOUSE in POLAND [8]

More often, I've heard that the former owners families and the new owners families become friends. And as much as the old folks miss their old homes, they are too old to move and their kids are now happy somewhere else. They just want to see where their roots were.

I did the same thing. I sound like a broken record...sorry. I have both ethnic Polish and Germans roots. This past summer I found the farm that my grandmother grew up on and met the new owners. It was such a wonderful thing for me. I'll remember it always with a smile.

News / America's Tea Party like Poland's Solidarnosc? [59]

Yeah, it only takes into account payroll taxes, but the calculator got mine right on the button in SC. We have 7% sales tax on some things and I would have to factor that too, as well as property taxes.

All in all it is a good tool for a general comparison between countries. Perhaps one could google the sales taxes in other places if interested in a more complete comparison.

Food / Polish placki v latkes (potato pancakes) [22]

Wow....then this particular type of cuisine sure spread all over Europe. Interesting. I think the quiche form though developed in a way that emphasized cheese and egg as the base whereas the knish emphasizes the potato base along with possibly cheese, spinach, etc.

Meanwhile, back to potato pancakes.....

Food / Polish placki v latkes (potato pancakes) [22]

Now you have me wondering what about the origin of the word Knish. They are sold all around NYC. First information I found is that it is a Yiddish word taken from the Ukrainian word, knysh.

From the pictures online of Poznanian knysze, I'd say they look very similar. The knish I know is mainly potato, but it can be stuffed with anything, really.

Culinary definition: whatscookingamerica.net/Glossary/K.htm

knish - The knish is a pastry of Jewish origin consisting of a piece of dough that encloses a filling of seasoned mashed potatoes. Basically they are a mashed potato pie. When sold by the street corner vendors in New York City, they are fried and square shaped. The baked ones are usually round shaped, and are usually made at home and some knish bakeries.

History: Eastern European Jews developed the knish. During the early 1900s, when hundreds of thousands of Eastern European Jews Emigrated to America and settled in New York City, they brought with them their family recipes for knishes. Knishes were made at home until Yonah Schimmel, a rabbi from Romania, began to sell them at Coney Island in New York City, and also from a pushcart on the Lower East Side. In 1910, he opened his original knish bakery located on East Houston Street.

So there you have, the rest of the story. :-)

Food / Polish placki v latkes (potato pancakes) [22]

My mother always made potato pancakes very thin, and we sprinkled a light dusting of sugar and had them with apple sauce on the side, or sour cream. I would also love them with mushroom sauce.

When I lived in NYC, I sometimes ate a Jewish potato dish that was called Knish. It was very different than a potato pancake.

Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]

Good health, to you, too! *raises mug*

Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]

Yeah, Tyskie is a great! :-)

Genealogy / Polish DNA? Poles have the most genes in a group includes Balts, Macedonians and Greeks. [263]

Or new comers to the area....who liked it better home. Kind of like those annoying Yankees who move down South in the USA and make all the locals annoyed. (Me being one of those at one time who has learned to fit in.) :-)

Genealogy / Polish DNA? Poles have the most genes in a group includes Balts, Macedonians and Greeks. [263]

That was a very good hunch, Mr. Grunwald. I just happen to know about this because my ancestors were both ethnic Polish and ethnic Low Germans.

Genealogy / Polish DNA? Poles have the most genes in a group includes Balts, Macedonians and Greeks. [263]

Because at one time, they were invited to colonize the areas around the Vistula. They were living among Polish farmers and Low Germans who could drain the swamps and farm. They may have been great book keepers, but lacked the skills necessary to survive. They made fun of the local Germans and Poles. They looked down on them as though those Germans from north Germany were unsophisticated and they were more like true Germans from the south of Germany.

See Swabian settlement areas pre WWII:

upstreamvistula.org/History/Breyer_Map.htm

Genealogy / Polish DNA? Poles have the most genes in a group includes Balts, Macedonians and Greeks. [263]

Yes, I heard the same thing. That Swabians gave all Germans a bad reputation in Poland. It is commonly said that they were rude to the Germanic "natives" when they moved into the area. They felt they were better, smarter than the Poles and the German/Dutch who had lived there for hundreds of years. In the end, as colonists, they had to be helped to survive by both the Poles and the German-Poles as they themselves had few practical skills. Of course that is a generalization and probably not true for all. But enough of them were like this that the word remains today in Poland as a derogatory name for Germans.

Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]

Thanks Seanus. I thought it was pretty good, too. The youtube commercial for the beer reminded me of the rye fields all around the area. I have good memories sitting outside my hotel in the rynek cafe at sunset drinking a cold one. For a souvenir, the waiter gave me a Kasztelan glass to take home. :-)

Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]

Anyone ever hear of Kasztelan Piwo? It is a regional beer made in Sierpc. I like that it comes from near where my family once lived.

youtube.com/watch?v=zuBCq-l7FG4

Travel / Very dangerous defrauding trend started in some hotels in Krakow [49]

When I was in Poland in June/July, every hotel asked for our passports and I assume made a copy. Maybe they just copied the passport information by hand. I did not pay attention. I have no idea what law it was, but whether it was in Rypin, Lipno, or Włocławek, we had to give the clerk our passports. I did not use my credit card, my room was paid for by the group using another person's card. Hopefully, nothing has or will happen.

Genealogy / Americans of Polish descent. How many of us are on Polish forums? [216]

I understand that Native Americans can get help with college. Not sure if it is free, or just some kind of break. I am pretty certain one can even get help if you are a certain percentage of Native American. Considering what they went through when Europeans came here, it is probably one of the least things we can do.

During the great immigration period of the late 1800's and early 1900's, the census went into more detail about ethnicity of white people. It asked if you were German, Polish, etc, etc. What language you spoke at home and country of origin.

I imagine that because the main immigrants are now Hispanic, Orientals, and others that the focus is on them. I wish there were more details to the census. As someone who enjoys genealogy, they can be a treasure trove later on if there is more information on them.

USA, Canada / A Polish-American Paper's Final Edition [10]

Newspapers in general are all struggling. Not many read them anymore. At the hotel where I work we have what we call "snow birds" who come down to get away from the harsh winters. They subscribe, but most people get their news on the TV, radio or internet.

USA, Canada / Poles in Virginia / DC area USA [15]

Welcome to the forum, wish I lived nearer to you! Not much Polish food in my area except during the holidays.

From a related post:

Polish ANYTHING in Hampton/Newport News Virginia (esp. polish school)


Visit Polonia Hamton Roads on Face Book and you should have all the information you need.

Genealogy / Americans of Polish descent. How many of us are on Polish forums? [216]

I am not part of Polonia, but I have Polish ancestry and have been to Poland for three visits.

I stayed for three weeks in 2000, for one week in 2008, and for three weeks this past summer. I have good friends there from the first visit and made lots of new ones.

My relatives all came from Poland, some as ethnic Poles that were German citizens of Prussia and others as Russians that were ethnically German and others that came after Poland became a nation again, and had Polish citizenship. So it gets very complicated to answer the usual question asked in America, "where did your family come from?" lol

I found the farm where my grandmother lived and had coffee with the current owner. We could not communicate in detail as he knew no English and I was left with what I learned as a baby. However, we managed. I went to all the villages that my family ever lived in and wow what a wonderful trip. I even fell in love with a lot near where my grandmother came from so I could retire to Poland. But, I am not sure if I can purchase land. Or if I'd want to go and leave my grandkids.

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

P.S. This is the church where my Polish great grandparents were married in Gniezno, Poland.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gniezno.19th_September_2007._Franciscan_church.JPG

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]

I personally would never want to vote in any Polish elections unless I had Polish citizenship.

I would never call myself Polish-American or consider myself part of Polonia because I do not live near any Polish centers anymore. I am American. Some people do the hyphenated name thing. I personally prefer to just be American. However, what Plastic Pole says is true. People here with last names of a particular ethnicity are often asked what country were your ancestors from, or simply....what are you?

When asked, I say that I am of Polish descent and German descent. Ethnically, I am about 50% Slavic (Polish/Kashub combination), and 50% (Dutch/Frisian/North German) Germanic. My Dutch/Germans lived in Poland for 250 years before emigrating to America. They were invited to Poland by the Nobles to help drain the swamps and make productive farm land.

So, ethnically, I am about half Slavic and the other half of my background were Polish by nationality. I am American, but we all love to talk about what constitutes our background. I find it very surprising how vehemently upset OP is about this issue.

I do know the dates of all my families' emigration to America. My mother a first generation American, spoke Polish, I know a little bit. My Dad, a first generation American, spoke Low German from the Vistula Delta. (Niederung Platt). Very heavily influence by Dutch and Polish.

I have been to Poland three times, and love it there. I feel a connection to the land and the people, but I am American. Everyone knows I am into genealogy and all I come in contact with have been educated by me about Poland, the Partitions, how the country bravely fought for freedom all over the world, what a great ally Poland has always been, and how it has risen like the phoenix from the ashes. I've told them all about how Poland is an ancient kingdom with a long history and love of freedom and democracy. I truly believe I have been an ambassador of Poland and raised the respect that people here have for the country. And it makes me feel sad when some are so angry that we have a sense of connection.