Polish opinions on foreign languages?

Why was it so? Weren`t Germans friendly and outgoing?

Nope (I visited Dresden). Even some of them were not friendly abroad in the Netherlands. I don't mind reserved as much as I hate people creating drama out of nothing. They seem to strick, they want everything their way.

I've heard that Germans from the former DDR are a lot less friendly and outgoing than those from West Germany... I had a non-Polish friend who had a gig teaching in Frankfurt/Oder and while he really liked a lot about Germany he couldn't stand most East Germans... (he used the term "Scheiß fickende" a lot when talking about them....

Partly, it wasn`t their fault. They had been brainwashed by communism which was very strong in East Germany, with all that Stasi and propaganda. Germans are dutiful people so they treated communism seriously. Compared to it, communisty Poland was an oasis of freedom (Rock Festival in Jarocin in 1980s was a shock to East German visitors).

Imagine the mess after two Koreas unite one day. :)

The way he put it, they went from the kaiser to the fuehrer to communism....

Also the ones he was dealing with were not creme de la creme.... they were long-term unemployed in a training course to try to improve their chances of getting a job.... he said about a third were okay and he could see them succeeding another third.. maybe and the last third was just hopeless, not stupid as such but uninterested in taking any kind of control of their life and uninterested in anything more than two meters away...

And to be fair I've known some East Germans who were perfectly fine people... but I can imagine the dregs there are pretty bad....

I think so, based on my travels around the ex-DDR. It's usually most noticeable in smaller towns/villages - in West Germany, people are genuinely interested and curious in outsiders. I was there last summer for two weeks in a nice Rhineland village, and not only would locals always, always greet me, some of them would happily approach and ask questions, especially when they saw the Polish number plates on the car. I remember having a wonderful discussion with one older woman who spoke English with a beautiful American accent, as she'd been working for many years on a US base there. She wanted to know everything about life in Poland, she invited us for coffee, and she had very interesting stories about her life. Same story with the village pub - my German is hopelessly non-existent, yet I went for a beer there. I was treated very well and with a smile.

Ex-DDR? It just doesn't happen. They don't greet people (in fact, they rarely even walk around), they keep themselves to themselves, and the attitude is much more pessimistic. I know Frankfurt (Oder) very well, and there's a very clear divide between the ordinary people and those who work at Viadrina or in the public administration. If you go for a beer, there's clear resentment towards you (assumption being that you're Polish) if you don't speak German fluently.

My friend works in the German-Polish bilingual school there, and she says that it's a never ending battle with people from Frankfurt as they have such a huge chip on their shoulder. She's leading a campaign to make Polish a mandatory 2nd foreign language in FFO schools, but it's being met with hostility from many people.

Nah I don't think Western Germans would be that good to a Bulgarian, really (too many Bulgarians there). One coworker went to Germany recently and she told how ppl there greeted her on the street and someone else quickly pointed "That's superficial and fake". Whatever it is I think the locals in Rzeszow or Visby would me more genuinly curious.

Of course. Bratwurst Boy is East German.


Did she look like a refugee?

@pawian
Remember
BB Is a polished German, just like every German who has ever been "Polished" ;)
English is such humorous language

Nah, she has pale white skin and green eyes. :)

Yes, possible, I suppose it is the heritage of communist times when East Germans were envious of liberties which Poles could enjoy while they themselves had to live under a stalinist regime practically till 1989.

Seems like I have to either study Swedish or German - they demmand it for medical degrees. I can't afford the prices in Poland, it's like 8000+ Euros a year.

Merged:

I want to learn some foreign languages

Is there any good way to learn a foreign language quickly

@James0820
Being extremely motivated (being part of your life mission etc)
It's entertaining for you (while watching a movie with subtitles in a language your proficient in)
Practicing it in daily life and have no mental barriers in using it.

Knowing the grammar etc makes it easier to master it. (We all know the pain of grammar tho)

Already know a couple (that cuts down learning time drastically) But no, for the first language there's no way to _learn_ (as in really learn) a foreign language quickly and easy - that's why years of school are devoted to it (when those teaching/learning are serious).

Quickly yes, well, no.

I took 4 years of Latin, 7 years of Russian and retained exactly zero. To learn all the bad words in English, I read Henry Miller's books. Retention - 100%.

Schools teach about languages, not languages. If they do actually teach languages, it's all about reading dead writers' most boring stuff ever written, not how to have a conversation.

Often, foreign language instruction consists of principally grammar-translation! It's not only boring, it's impractical.

True, I learned more German from satellite TV rather than in language class being bombarded with too much grammar and too many new words, usually ot of context.

As both a teacher and erstwhile learner, I can only concur, personally as well as professionally!

I agree.

At last:-)

Good response. Actually, bordering on brilliant.

Many thanks.