Uptight Poles

Why didn’t you ask that person beforehand if the smoke is going to bother him/her, you know, just to be polite? That's what people do here. I also cover my mouth when I sneeze or cough and I apologize when I fart or burp in public too... well at least most of the time.

Midas
Ye... "staż" specialisation lasts 4-6 years where you salary is about 2500zl/month well let's say 2750zl it is 1000USD :P heh specialist like... Trauma/Orthopedic surgery is 3600-5500/month = 1350-2050usd it is 24000usd/year in US the same specialist got salary about 200,000 up to 1,200,000usd/year you must admit it's a little bit difference. And the life comfort difference... mercedes C300 in USA - 33.900usd in poland 64000usd!!! And it's a german car! I live 15KM from pol/ger border and i have to pay for german car almost 2x more.

And what is most annoying, Polish people don't like those who achieved somthing. If someone got a BMW must be a drug diller or he must have stolen it or robbed bank or whatever. It's a poor country that's the truth!

In germany "staż" 3200eur then 3800eur :) specialist - up to 120,000eur/year

I'm not whining, i'm just telling truth. Look how many Poles are in US and I must say, I have met maybe 5 people from US in poland and they were here on vacation :P

General quote: Most of our Poles are indeed uptight, so what? Live with that. This discussion will not make Poles different. The approach may change over years but it's not happening over time.

Just before last Easter, I recorded a music video where I sing, play guitar, bass and dance (I'm fifty). A colleague of mine (a Norwegian born in Poland) visited his Polish families and showed my video to them. Their comment was "Has Antek gone completely insane?!" ;-) Should I cry?, Well, no, I'm too much easy going person now ;)

True... as I said I was reading a lot of topics on forum and when i saw "Uptight Poles" i started reading this. After a while I reached a conclusion, that You really don't know why we are uptight. All what i wrote was mean't to explain you the situation. Polish people, the comunity is whining everyday, complaining about politics, petrol price (2$/litre - more than 7$/galon), taxes, roads, law, schools, doctors, hospitals, health insurance and many others... All is about life comfort... That's why we're Uptight, angry etc. we're swearing much more than any other nation i supose :P maybe because our "dirty words" are very expresive or maybe we're pissed off all the time:P

A good orthopedist in Poland can make 15k net/ easily. Dunno about Trauma, I never had any dealings with them while in Poland.

And if You're that money-oriented ( just look at all these numbers in Your posts ) I can personally point You towards a hospital near the German border in Poland where they will pay You within the realm of 5-7k PLN net while You're going through specialization in orthopedics ( on a basis of a civil contract, they replace a lot of hips of German pensioners and simply need the manpower ). Head doctor is a dick though, supposedly.

salary about 200,000 up to 1,200,000usd/year

If You honestly think that if You emigrate to U.S. then someone will quickly allow You, a guy "fresh off the boat", so to speak, to enter a lucrative private partnership ( that's where doctors make the money similiar to what You describe ) without having tons ( I really mean tons, like in 30 years worth of ) of U.S. medical experience - well, if You honestly think so then You're, quite simply, delusional.

Not to mention the 1.000.000 $ per annum, or even anything above 500.000 $ per annum is usually reserved for top-of-the-foodchain Ivy League educated doctors working in private partnerships in one of the two following fields: orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery.

Good luck getting into either of these in the U.S., You might as well be trying to get into the NFL.

Are you on the same page as the rest of us Midas? ;)

Can't disagree. I would also like to add resourceful and stubborn to the list. As for salaries, the money doesn't seem to go very far, with pays really low and employers expectations really high. Yes the Polish Zloty got stronger against Euros, Dollars and Pounds but also since joining the EU prices continue to go up. That's where Polish resourcefulness comes handy, but kombinowanie can be very stressful and leaves a lot of Poles grumpy and hard faced ;).

Are you on the same page as the rest of us Midas? ;) - totally, I've just seen too many rich doctors in Poland to have any sympathy for a Polish med student complaining and whining <grins>

OK, just checking. ;)

I just heard on the Polish news that Poland is the most uptight nation in the world. Followed my Korea, Denmark, China, Germany, North America and the UK.

The most laid back nation is Brazil.

Of course there's really no real way to measure this kind of stuff, the point is yes Poles can be uptight so when it comes to finding a Pole for life choose wisely.

Outside of that if you make a friend with Pole they'll stick with you through thick or thin, even if you don't think you're that close. Where as in the US friends come and friends go.

You're propably right... the best chances to get Trauma and Orthopedic surgery I have in poland, Plastic Surgery in Germany i supose... In poland two individuals get their chances to specialize in Plastic Surgery per year :P It's like geting into NASA space program :P

Outside of that if you make a friend with Pole they'll stick with you through thick or thin, even if you don't think you're that close. Where as in the US friends come and friends go.

A generalization if there ever was one.

Another thing the Polish should be so proud. Having the most difficult language in the world was not enough.
Ah, I've almost forgotten. If I'm not wrong, Poland had beaten the world record in the number of guitarists playing simultaneously at a single event, (yet the record was not broken this year again) ;))))))))))))

Well, if we have nothing more interesting to offer... let us be the most uptight in the world with the most complex language and the biggest number of people able to gather at one place and play "Hey Joe" ;-)))

Has anybody been to Switzerland recently? :D

Tell me about it! One of the reasons I divorced her ;)

She didn't ask you to change your habit for her, she asked you to not smoke in her presence. And what you did? You decided to nonchalantly ignore her wishes. And went on to complain on the internet forum to tell everybody how rude *she* was. Priceless.

One of the best posts on this forum ever.

all depends on the person. i thought i had made friends for life before and they randomly started avoiding me, getting their partner or whatever to make excuses for them. i've even seen people say on this forum about their Polish friends starting to ignore them out of the blue and not giving an explanation as to why that is, and I have to say from my own experience as well that this does happen. so maybe this is not what we're best at after all? :)

Bzi, if a friend asked me not to smoke in her presence or in her home, I would certainly honor her wishes. I remember being in bars or homes full of smoke and without open windows... But, if she tried to give me a lecture about smoking, I'd tell her to go to he*l. It amazes me that people who who feed on canned and processed food dare to mind smoking. Processed food is much worse than smoking, yet - there are no restrictions. Being in a company of a smoker, OMG, it will kill you right away! I blame marketing for this BS. No, I'm not saying smoking is good, it is not. Let's just not make it the villain of diseases nowadays. Additive, Red No 5 or 3, which makes food look pretty, is just as bad.

It's simply about common courtesy and good manners to respect wishes of others, if it bothers them, for a time while in their company. Lecturing is pushing it too far.


It amazes me all those Hollywood stars who talk endlessly about healthy living but injecting themselves with poison (drugs, botox) and fail to see any hypocrisy in that.

My bad. Poles are the most stressed not the most uptight...a little language barrier there.

I agree, people tend to have certain believes (drugs, botox) yet, they see a harm in smoking. Some people I know are vegetarians, eat lots of veggies but don't believe in organic food...My friend eats only raw foods, no meat...., and looks quite aged for her age...really, we all need to let other people be. Does anybody know what really works? Naah..My former landlady lived to 93 and smoked since she was 17, healthy and smart as a button. I say, it's all in the genes.

I would tend to agree with that.

Edit:
I copied your whole post because rarely i see anything as honest as this on PF.

I don't know, if I smoked and someone was bothered by it I would just wander off to an open area finish up and come back.

What's the big deal?

I used to know a lady with chronic asthma and believe it or not second smoke would bring out her asthma. She would ask people to stop smoking around her and they'd roll her eyes at her, so I'd usually have to tell them off. Then they'd go outside and smoke where they weren't bothering anybody, which they should have done in the first place.

SHEEESH!

Smoking can be considered unpleasant by some, just like talking loudly, or having a bad breath. A considerate person would ask, "hey do you mind if i smoke?" I really don't think this is a good example of being uptight.

Aphrodisiac hun, there are better examples of how Polish people can be uptight.
edit:

I know it's hard to imagine on the forum, but part of socializing includes reading other person's body language. You can easily tell if someone is uncomfortable just by looking at them and than adjusting your behavior accordingly. Reading someones body language accurately is as important as talking.

Tip for guys, learn how to accurately read your girl's body language. She may say no, but she really means yes and than she can say no and it means no... I hope it's not too confusing.

I feel i need to add something. Polish people tend to a have chip on their shoulder, it's part of our culture. It really helps to know that. We tend to camouflage our feelings in public settings because it feels necessary. Being frank is considered by many as naive. A lot of people in Poland confuse American openness of the body language with being laid back. I hope this makes sense to you kids.

Forget about practicing Medicine in the States without doing a residency(full 3-5 year training program) all over again. Unfortunately, your many years of training in whatever speciality will not be recognized..Przykro mi.

Good job, Havok. I agree. Shake off the darn chip off your shoulder my dear Poles. You are not the most important person in the world. Not in the USA, not in the EU. Who the heck put it in your mind?

years and years of natural selection ;)

Then it's time to join the civilized world and step away from 'natural selection'. Animals and birds do it. Not that it's wrong for a female bird to pick a boy with the most bright eyes or the the best looking nest he built for her... Humans have more choices. :)

You can't just "step away" from who you are. To borrow from your bird analogy, a crow knows it's a crow and not a swan ;)

he obviously doesn't or he wouldn't be posting so much crap on PF, LOL

good one! lol

Not really, many crows think they are swans and it's good to bring them to reality.

yeah and the reality is often sad, lol