Which services is Poland still waiting for?

Absolutely. Though, I did notice far fewer insectoid intruders when in Poland than in the States during similar seasons. I think those hoards of ravens are murderously efficient. But as far as peace of mind goes, yes, I would much like a screen on my Polish window.

#

You can also fit them yourself, there are many options. I fitted mesh netting to the doors and windows.

Well, put it in then. You can buy them in PL, you know. Unless you don't really have a Polish window to put it in.

nobody's arguing its availability, just saying that they are not standard.

This is something I think you have been conditioned to worry about...not that it is an actual threat. I have never heard of a kid falling out of a flat here. Nor is my flat full of bugs due to the lack of screens. I normally tip my windows back at the top and don't swing them open like a door.

Polish flats retain energy a lot better than wood frame buildings in the USA for example. In the winter I never have to turn the heat above half way and in the summer even without air conditioning it is much more even than in the USA where people turn the AC on and make it cold and run the heat up and down in the winter. I hate forced air heating common there. Since I got back to Poland my bloody noses and dry skin have healed since I am not being subjected to that nonsense.

A lot of the stuff I see in this thread is "make it like I am used to in the USA or UK" not what is actually missing.

consider yourself lucky. my wife and i used to wake up in the morning in Wroclaw covered in welts from mosquitos, not to mention lose sleep because we'd hear them buzzing right over our heads waiting to land on a fresh piece of meat. it was ridiculous.


"it is much more"? what does that mean?

>>terri: I have thought of another service which may be needed in Poland - bespoke / made to measure ...shoes, suits, dresses.
>>Ever heard of "krawiec" or "szewc"?
...yes, I have, but in Krakow I have maybe seen one shewc willing to make made-to-measure shoes.

>>>terri: Also I have never seen a window-cleaner for private residences. I think there is something in this - as cleaning windows from the outside

....You can clean Polish windows on both sides from the inside of your home. They open into the room. But wait, even so many people earn their living by cleaning other people's homes, including their windows.

...You assume a lot. Not every window can be cleaned from the outside. I actually have windows which I cannot clean from the inside and would appreciate the services of a window-cleaner.

>>>>Have you ever actually been to Poland?
...yes, I spend approx. 4 months a year in Krakow...every year

Much more "even". Meaning consistent and without the constant up and down that forced air heating causes.

I also don't choose flats on the parter or low levels, or with trees up against the windows, which is surely helpful with bugs.

Why didn't you put a screen up. They cost about 10pln and can be fitted in minutes.

Why didn't you buy the bug screens, as are standard in many flats?

Not one thing you've mentioned on this thread are unavailable in Poland. As for them not being standard - they are.

I'm frankly amazed that you would lie around being bitten to death when something so cheap and universally available is on offer.

I have noticed from Fuzzy's posts he is in the "Poland sucks" expat phase. We all go through it...I may go through it again as I just moved back after a break. But he does seem to complain about a lot of stuff that either isn't true or is just "different" than other places not worse. If he was going on about customer service, or office workers (government AND private both) lying and passing blame without ever giving you accurate info THEN I could get behind it as a cultural issue. But bug screens and sandwiches? Silly.

Yes, the house we used to live in in Wilanow was fitted with such screens

hot is hot. sure, you might tell me that you open your windows and turn a fan on and you're "just fine", but in the summer, the air is hot outside and the air inside that the fan is blowing is hot air too. to each his own, but I gotta have A/C in the summer to sleep well consistently.


what flats are you referring to? my flat/building in Poland was built (well, completely gutted and refurbed) in 2006, didn't have them. in 4 years living in Poland, I had never seen a single window with bug screens in a flat. ever. just sayin'.

quote=landora]Not one thing you've mentioned on this thread are unavailable in Poland.[/quote]

not one thing? now that's a stretch. as far as bug screens, nobody said they weren't available, just that they're not standard. because they're not.


You know the title of the thread. If you don't want to read about stuff Poland lacks but could certainly use.....go to other threads.

Fuzzy,

First...the things you have listed are available to those who want them. Most people don't so they might not come standard (bug screens for example) meaning YOU are the outlier and it's not something Poland could "use".

Regarding A/C I grew up in the US where everyone uses it and thought I "needed" it as well. But when I adjusted to life here I found I didn't and was more comfortable in the long run. Same with the lack of electric dryers for clothes as a standard. When I went back to the States I found I hung my clothes up so they didn't shrink...and hated AC as it felt WORSE going in and out of massive temperature extremes. Sure maybe if you live in Rome and it's 50 in the summer you might say hot is hot..but Poland is ever so hot like that. There might be some days in the 30s but it's ridiculous to act like its intolerable.

Its pretty clear you **** and moan constantly about Poland and life here. I know lots of expats like you and have even been that way at times so I get it...but it is off putting. Following your own rude advice...if you don't like it move back to a place where you can have a 50sq meter living room and sandwiches to go as you like them and you won't have to deal with uncivilized life with flats too small for your superiority since you NEED so much space and all these special things.

that's great advice. i guess that's why i left Poland last year.

but seriously:


That's simply a false statement.

there is no equivalent to Subway in Poland. great meats and great bread in Poland, but you still can't walk into a deli and walk out with a sandwich, just as you want, made fresh, like Subway. I think that service would make a killing in Poland and it is something unavailable. Poles LOVE food on the go. Gyros, zapiekanki, KFC and McD's are absolutely packed all day long.....it's already a fast food culture, now just give them a more healthy, "Polish" alternative.


sorry dude, but i sweat like a pig in the summers out there and had trouble sleeping. oh, and no, i'm not fat.

tell you what....is there anything that has been brought up in this thread that you agree with? a service that Poland could use?

maybe you could suggest one?

or is Poland just perfect as it is.

So you left and still come here to moan about Poland? Brilliant!

No place is perfect but some of the stuff expats complain about in their host nations is just ridiculous.

There are Subway sandwich shops all over Warsaw however they are often empty. People complain about the high prices.

Sorry, I cant` say bullseye because it is a complete miss!

I had my first tailored suit made in 1980s.

As for dresses, my half sister is a garment designer who works for this company: fularazywczyk.eu/en/individual-design

As for shoes: meskaelegancja.fora.pl/przewodnik-miejski,5/jerzy-bukowski-szewc-krakow-ul-slawkowska-11,33.html

etc etc.


You must have stayed in Poland 10 years ago, I suppose. Today, there are hundreds of firms which offer such services.

turboclean.pl
cleanwindows.pl

Come on. Don`t you think it would be nice if you refreshed your perception before providing outdated or even false info?

Bug screens
They are from around 6zl in Kaufland and Auchan. They are a net curtain which you affix to the window using a tape that they adhere to similarly to how velcro works. They can be taken down and washed but they are very cheap so you just buy another and cut it to size using the old one as a template. I am not sure they would keep mosquitoes out - they seem to come in anyway from somewhere, as do moths,

The mosquito problem in Wroclaw in my experience is awful. I was bitten last week in the park and I know this summer I will wake most mornings covered in bites. I don't like those chemical things that you plug in but even when I use them there is little improvement.

The mosquitoes are for me one of the worst things about Wroc.

Oh yeah

???? :):):):)

Unfortunately it happens from time to time. Use google transator to translate this link:

pomorska.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120206/KRAJSWIAT/940266052

yeah, we tried those too. no dice. if those make-shift screens work, that may be the best bet.

You obviously have a vent/window open somewhere else, they can't get through the screen if its installed right (and it has to be fixed to the Velcro all around the window - absolutely no gaps).

I've had no problem with Mosquito's this year, unlike the last two years

screens are not standard here but neither is buying a new construction home that is fully fitted out. Just like everything else there are companies that make them. Usually somebody that makes windows has a guy that makes them. we have them on our house- no big deal.

Subway is in Poland and people buy it. They buy it because they think it is healthy- because more and more Poles believe what is advertised is true.

My friends from Canada are here at the moment and one thing they noticed is the amount of McD's and KFC's that are here. crazy.

Customer service. There is none. I have a perfect example. Yesterday my 12 year old went to Wilanow with my friends and their son- They walked up to the entrance to try and get in to the palace and the old ***** at the counter was so rude. They couldn't figure out how to get in- my daughter speaks Polish and it wasn't clear that they needed to buy tickets at the gate than go to the entrance. The woman was completely rude and told my daughter "stop bugging her" in Polish. She offered no help. Finally a security guard helped them.

This is less than a week away from Euro 2012 where Poland will play host to the world and people will visit Wilanow- and there is some old ***** at the counter that has no consideration for a few English speaking tourists?

pawian-
>>>>Come on. Don`t you think it would be nice if you refreshed your perception before providing outdated or even false info?

Just for your information, my perception of POland is bang on. I bought a flat in Poland 10 years ago, in the centre of Krakow and since then I visited every year for approx 3 months, and since I am now retired will visit for at least 6 months a year, so you could say that my information is current.

.
The fact that I was perhaps unaware of the services which I suggested and which you so kindly pointed out already exist, can ONLY MEAN one thing and that is that they are not advertised enough for a 'man/woman in the street' to know about them. Not everyone is as savvy with IT - (read - has an internet connection at home).

Just out of interest what is your connection with Poland, do you live there?

If so, then perhaps you would be in the best place to suggest to prospective entrepreneurs what kind of business is likely to succeed in Poland. I cannot believe that all avenues for new businesses are now closed. Sometimes even the simplest can be most successful.

Fuzzy,

I get your frustration with some things. But something that annoys me about expats is that they moan about how things are not like "home" instead of adapting. And in most cases the things they moan about are not real problems but just things they won't try to figure out or deal with like the locals. I don't hang around Americans here as they generally behave in ways that bug me and are constantly complaining about things like "no air conditioning" or "no dryers" etc, they talk too damn loud and don't seem aware of their obnoxiousness, and are generally fake ('Hi how are you?!? Me I am fabulous!") and seem to try and bend things around them rather than the other way. The locals get along just fine without these things we HAVE to have, and so can we. I have lived in a few different nations and it's always the same with expats not trying to fit in often.

Healthy compared to what? If you have a few slices of bread covered in butter with a few kielbasa and some cream based "salad" that consists basically of cucumbers, a few spices and onions swimming in fatty creamy stuff, which meal is healthier? Subway lists the number of calories of every single one of their sandwiches and unless you get a cheesesteak or meatball sandwich, Subway isn't bad at all.

You know what would be better and certainly taste better though? Instead of Subway hams, you get those sandwiches made for you fresh with Polish meats. But I digress......

No Subway in Krakow that I'm aware of. However there are two French 'sandwich' shops. Think expensive (5pln croissants, 14pln for a tiny chocolate muffin. 7pln chocolate eclair), but delicious, French breads. croissants etc. Popular, but that maybe because its French.

Really? You sure? There's even one in Plock!

[edit] I take that back: there are two in Plock.

There appear to be four in Krakow: ul. Slawkowska 22; Bracka 4; Pawia 5 (Galeria Krakowska); and Bobrzyskiego 37 (Europejskie Shopping Center)

If anybody else is looking for a Subway near them: world.subway.com/Countries/frmLocatorResult.aspx?CC=POL&LC=POL