Love / My Polish LUV - Poem to my Polish girlfriend - Atlanta, GA [5]

I like the poem. Maybe was harsh and judgmental. Pleasing woman saying half truths is not my kind of thing unless of course it would be ...positive pleasing and half truths were consciously expressed.

Oh well ...poetry. Every time you read a good one discoveries are made

Love / My Polish LUV - Poem to my Polish girlfriend - Atlanta, GA [5]

no wonder dude is in this relationship for her body.

History / The Polish Spirit - Deployed When and Where it Would Count [2]

We would fight ( not this one ) - :)
Kind of similar question is present in a well known joke. If Poland was attack again by both Russia and Germany,at the same time. Who would the Poles fight first?

Answer: The Germans. Why? Duty first, pleasure second.

- figures reflecting the past resistance fighters would manifest, yes.
- there would be though less to join war as we had lower number of violent upbringing since pre WW2

Travel / Weekend In Lodz. Things to do? [10]


good one.


unless you are Irish.

Travel / Snow in Zakopane in Summer? [13]

You might be fed up by the crowds everywhere including popular trails.... love Zakopane just not in July/August...noisy school kids on popular trails..... .... live web camera in Zakopane center:

zakopane.webcamera.pl

Travel / Cheap hotel price in Warsaw? [16]

hostelsmolna30.pl/?d=2

UK, Ireland / Polish opinion of England as a country and the English nation [64]

I've been to London 4 times each time spending there just one night to take a plane next day. My only negative experience would be occasional poor customer service based on, what I would assume on a dislike for foreigners. Once me saying: "Hi, I"ll take Marlboro Lights, please" would bring a salesperson a look as If I was offending him with a straight forward ..demanding maybe ..tone. On the other occasion and it was on Victoria train information booth I was told: " we don't talk here like that" and what I did was saying " Hello, I need next train to (name of the station)". The lady there actually went further into argument with me...demanding - I think - some pleasantries prior to her giving information....I'm only guessing here. I could be tired after some 8 hrs flight and train ride from Heatrhow so perhaps indeed I wasn't much of a smiling and catching an eye contact with her. Anyway after me getting little angry she would give up and tell me what I needed...

One day a bartender told me her wish that I wouldn't stay in UK forever after asking me where I was from...
Those are negative and were sort of a put back but over all I liked London street scene...my English friend I was staying at was as great and welcoming as always. I was surprised that I didn't run into any Poles - what I was kind of expecting influenced by media in Poland probably.

Great parks, good beer, women were looking good and more natural and less done then in Polska

Life / Fascination of Poles with German Laundry Detergent [16]


And in the past, Nazi racial hygiene was confused by Poles with hygiene itself! Since then Cleanliness and Germany are one, effectively influencing markets.

Travel / Trip from Szczecin to.. - advice on when to stop off in Poland [5]


Drawsko Pomorskie. Zlocieniec. Czaplinek. Szczecinek. Kolobrzeg. Mielno. Koszalin

Travel / ZAPROSZENIE? (visiting our Polish friend this summer) [8]

It is not that they are too poor to apply for zaproszenie/invitation but more likely they do not meet income criteria required to get such document. They would take fiscal responsibility for the invited person in case of his/her any medical cost while in Poland and also would face fine if he/she wouldn't leave Poland.

Travel / Mushroom picking in spring in Poland? [35]

wait for rain

• 
  those are most popular in spring
  

Travel / A Night or Day In GDANSK....how to spend the time?.. [9]

Leave the city for Sopot instead, just minutes away by train. While there enjoy the beach and small town feel Sopot has.
Eee, maybe not a good idea for you as you are in the bushes of Zachodniopomorskie and may enjoy crowd, noise and the rush.

Travel / Do I need an invitation to enter Poland as a tourist? [53]

You've got full Schengen visa - that's all. The one valid for one member state only is less expensive - I think one can choose which one to take when approved already. Some go to one country for few days and don't need more and over 90 days visa is probably always full Schengen visa.

Travel / Do I need an invitation to enter Poland as a tourist? [53]

As far as I know there are some country specific visas, too and Schengen wide visas. Although there's no border checks, technically a holder of a country-specific visa (a Schengen member country) should remain within that country borders.

In other words one may get full Schengen visa or one country visa.
If you're flying from UK there's no passport checks at airports, nor anywhere else though.

History / What Was Poland like in the year 1988? [50]

1988
Solidarity oposition was already in a sort of defensive mode. Not many believed in Solidarity anymore. Some resistence was shown by new groups notably Freedom and Peace (Wolnosc i Pokoj) or Orange Alternative (Pomaranczowa Alternatywa).

Demonstration that had gathered 10-20 thousand crowd in 1982-86. now were reduced to hundreds only. Many had already immigrated to Austria, Germany, Sweden and so on but government had somhow allowed to obtain passports to young people so more and more were leaving in 1988.

In 1988 I went to Eeast Berlin where I bought some beautifull art books - I sold them all for some 30 USD in West Berlin - it was enough to live for a month! - beer and food that is :)

As economy was gloomy and prospects were doom, the government was looking for a way out. Gorbachov in Russia made communists in Poland thinking they could "negotiatie" with oposition to switch into more capitalism and with a help of oposition pacify possible social unrest. It finalized in 1990/91 with semi-free elections to the parliament and free elections to the Senat. The new goverment was formed by opostion. Comunism was over along with all the regulations holding the market economy.

In 1988 the nomenklatura ruled in all aspects of public life - all imaginable important public seats were party appointed.
Good times over all. One enemy united us all.

Work / Studies In Poland, is it easy to survive on part-time jobs? [259]

e-mail: international-studies@univ.szczecin.pl

Travel / Weird and wonderful sights in Poland [30]

^ It's a man-made forest, 400 trees were formed this way some 70 years ago probably by intentional cuts when trees were some 7 yrs old . 22 rows were formed this way.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles [3134]

Makabryła roku 2008?

Life / Does Poland have an equivalent to Amazon.com? [18]

Sites that compare PL prices - a good source for major online stores
ceneo.pl
skapiec.pl
nokaut.pl
kupujemy.pl
gemino.pl
eprice.pl

Life / Polish Organizational Skills [83]

Ahh those processed people complaining others are not. Time stealing is an effective way of sabotage in any workplace.
It's not about full employment but full enjoyment!
Now, check your watch for time and get dressed for something.

News / Topless sunbathers acquitted in Szczecin, Poland [128]

Oh well , not that it matters a lot in this case but let's clarify things:

Girls were not topless on the beach, they went topless on an outdoor swimming pool called Arkonka. Arkonka pools in Szczecin are mainly for kids and are loaded with children all summer. Not that I justify Police action by this, by no means, it was stupid.

I go to Baltic beaches from time to time and have seen topless girls - it is not such a rarity.
See Arkonka pools in Szczecin pic:

Food / Typical lunch in Poland? [50]

Lunch is a relatively new concept in Poland. If lunch is what we eat around noon or later then in rural Poland it is a dinner time - soup, meat, potatoes salads etc.

Polish lunch is a dinner!
sandwich is for second breakfast, before dinner/lunch

1. At what time do people in Poland usually have lunch?
1-3 PM
2. Normally, how long is the lunch break?
1 hour
3. Do people go out to get just to get a sandwich or do they have a "sit down" lunch in a restaraunt?
sit down
4. Does big offices have cafeterias / lunch restaurants of their own (= in the same building?
yes
5. What would be a typical Polish lunch, that is, what do you normally eat for lunch?
dinner menu

Travel / Entering Poland from Germany on the A4 motorway [23]

A4 , some 50 km toward Germany is one of the most troubled project so far. They had a guy still living in his house right on the A4 route refusing to leave so for some time they couldn't connect two existing parts of A4. Now the major developer is asking for additional money to complete job, they'd put extra time and manpower to catch up but the agency is/was refusing to pay any extras.

July 2009 deadline is supposedly a deal they have reached. < the latest

Travel / Entering Poland from Germany on the A4 motorway [23]


in July 2009

Language / Use of A/An/The ...... Articles [186]

Tell me about an article "a" and "the"....How come you sometimes skip "a" or "the" before a noun....

Example:

A noun is a word used to name a person, animal, place, thing, and abstract idea.

Why not:

A noun is a word used to name a person, animal, place, thing, and AN abstract idea.

Are both sentences ok?
Do you have to ..feel it or what?

These as and thes are beyond me!

Law / How can I get Polish citizenship after been married to a Polish spouse [75]


3 years living in Poland; if not married 5 yrs

Law / Laundromats in Poland? Good business venture or not? [90]

Students HAVE lanudromats where they live.
It's been tried here and there with not much of success..

Travel / ERA prepaid sim card availability ? [2]

Era prepaid cards are available in some newstands and small food stores. Ask for ERA "pakiet startowy" (starter kit).
If you can't find - all have refills I'm sure - your option is finding ERA shop, most shopping centers have ERA outlet (I think)

Travel / Cheap places to stay in Szczecin? [12]


that lady meant students term would be on in October. They have separate rooms for guests

ar.szczecin.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=66

some budget places in Szczecin:

ptsm.home.pl/index.php
stay up to 3 days, starting ~20pln

hotelarbet.webpark.pl
60pln single

investa.dk/Stettin-eng/Camping_Marina.htm
about 50pln - about 30 min bus from town center

hotels.lonelyplanet.com/hotel/-P1000492609.html
40 single

Polonia / Ever been to Sweden? [185]

My first trip to Sweden was at dearly age of 15 and it was a school trip, back under communists. My school class wychowawca, Mrs Rychter was wife to high ranked SB officer and had used her influence to organize school trip to the West and got all the permits, passports etc.

Some weeks before taking ferry we had spent all school classes with this teacher to prepare. All was carefully planned...we had learnt a song we were to perform (went really badly), we all had to buy/dress in white long sleeved shirt and were given 50 usd cash on great official rate. On one of the school classes it was decided one pupil wouldn't go as he was overweight and ugly - kind of reminds me current China Olimpic paranoia.

Anyway I had fallen in love with Anna on Swinoujscie Ystad ferry and had tried my first luck on gambling machines. In Sweden I bought myself a pair of blue jeans and a jacket.

As a kid I was impressed with the school they had there in Ystad and all those neon advertisements and parking meters and trendy, shiny cars.

At swidish school I was picked by Swedish journalist with interpretor and remember had been asked a question whether polish communist leader was popular in Poland.

I understood "popular" as 'well known" and therefore answered properly that indeed he WAS popular. Second question was if I wanted to stay in Sweden forever - that made me puzzled as I had never - age 15! - been outside home for longer then 2 weeks....I remember trying hardly understand what was meaning of this question...can't remember now what my answer was.

Anyway after visiting school premises, performing our song and listening to Swedish kids songs we all jumped into shopping. Then remember we were asking everywhere for more plastic bags as they were salable in Poland. One store they gave me plenty in another we were refused as apparently other kids were there before us already lol

Back trip ..we all were wasted as it was one day trip. Remember one kid won some money in gambling machine ...another got from his Swedish pal a box of Beatles and Abba LP ( huge treasure )

On the way out of Poland our passports were carefully inspected....guy looking veeery carefully into passport picture. When we were entering Sweden they had just collected our group passport and counted us and let go in.. :)

I had been dating Anna for some time later on ..having my first movie date with her..
Back home mom praised me for spending money wisely and dad complained that I am being brainwashed at school. Before taking that trip to Sweden whole class had joined Poland-Russia Frienship Society...yeah, then we went to Sweden lol