Studying in Poznan for an Arab student.

Hello all,

Please give me your honest feedback

I'm a Lebanese christian guy interested in studying in Poland specifically in Poznan city since I got accepted from one of the universities there However, after searching the web I found that there is racism against Mediterranean looking people in Poland, Is that true ? am I going to struggle there because of my look ?

Should I cancel my plan ?

Waiting for your suggestion.

Thank you :)

Best Regards,
Michele

No, not at all. There are plenty of overseas students in Poznan, including one guy from Syria who I think is Catholic that posts here.

And plenty of people from all around the world, Africa, Asia, wherever who come to Poland to study. Poznan is a big city and much more broad-minded than an isolated rural community where people aren't used to seeing people who look different.

Thank you jon357 for your feedback.

Why not make contact with the overseas students' club at the university - perhaps they can put your mind at rest.

Yes this is a good idea I will definitely do that.
Thx again

Cheers,
M

edited.

Expect some troubles but... it's not like you will get abused 5 times a day... and in most cases saying that you are not the pedophile worshipper should solve the problem. The "racism" is not really against "Mediterranean looking people" but against the pedophile worshippers. Just some people may assume that being an Arab, you must be one of them.

The real issue is that some people might take you for a Muslim but even that just common sense should suffice to avoid problems.

Plenty of foreign students who follow that particular religion too.

It's a few years since I lived in Poznan but there were certainly people thee attending the university who come from many places in the world from diverse backgrounds.

To be objective as a Lebanese christian guy I totally understand Polish people concern over the rise of Islamic extremism in Europe and the problems they are causing because we already suffer from their barbarian actions in Lebanon and because of that ****** people Christianity is persecuted in the Middle east and Christians are disappearing .

I will keep wearing a cross around my neck in and hope that everything will be fine there :)

I highly appreciate your help, Thank you all.

Cheers,
M

Good choice, many international students and student events, may I ask you what you're gonna to study ?

There is some racism, but these are (till now) still minor incidents, you're not going to struggle.


I don't think so.


Hahahahaha, that's what my mom told me to do when she heard about racist problems.

The racism is sometimes against black people, indians..

If you want, you can ask me any questions about life in Poznan, what to do.. tips etc.. I've been living here as a student for nearly three years, you can PM or just ask here in the thread. la te5jal :P

Hi Dany,

Thank you for your useful info, you've just given me hope :)
I am going to study industrial design, the program is in English.
What about you ? What do you study there ?
How much doest it cost approx to rent a flat in the city centre or in a decent area ? How can i find a flat ? can you recommend any website ?

How much should I expect to pay approx on a monthly bases for Internet, mobile,food and transportation etc....
Can I open a bank account there on student visa ?
I know it is very difficult to find a work in Poland for non-Polish speakers but if I get the chance to get some freelance jobs or part time job can I work legally as an international student ?

how hard it is to learn Polish ?

btw how can I PM you, i'm not familiar with this website.

Thanks again man ;)

Cool, where ? At Poznan universtiy of technology ? (politechnika)

I'm studying business at Poznan University of Economics


That depends, do you want to have your own flat ? have you considered living in the university's dorm ?

Internet costs around 45 zloty (11.5$) per month , mobile subscription around 30 zloty (7.5$) monthly (I prefer to use a prepaid sim as I mostly use my sim card for mobile internet, thus I pay around 50 zloty (12.5$) every 3 months),

The transportation in Poland is quite cheap for students and it's much better than Beirut (or Damascus), you can subscribe and pay 185 zloty (47$) for 5 months, Polish trains are also cheap, a ticket between Warsaw and Poznan (300km) costs around 30 zloty (7.5$) for students.

When it comes to food costs, it depends if you're cooking or eating in restaurants, I pay around 300-400 zloty ( 75-100$) on food monthly (I mostly cook), and I always eat around 250 grams of meat minimum per day, generally, food is much more cheaper in Poland than in Lebanon, I remember buying a big combo from Burger King in Beirut for 15000 L.L (10$) , Whereas in Poland it will cost you around 20 Zloty ( 5$)


Yes you can.


You can, but it's difficult, if you only speak English and Arabic and have no qualifications it will be almost impossible, there are many jobs if you speak English and German/French/Dutch/Russian in Poznan, you are from Lebanon so I assume that there is a good chance that you speak french.


Quite hard, and it depends on your effort/determination, don't expect to be fluent in one year (or maybe even two)


You need to create an account

Hi again Dany,

You're right, Comparing to Lebanon the prices in Poland are relatively cheap as you know here we have many chronic problems that need to be solved that is why Beirut is a very expensive city .


No, at School of form


Frankly, I prefer to live in my own flat & you're welcome to visit any time :D
Is there any website where I can find flats for rent ? I just want to know the approx rate to see if it fits into your budget.

What speed of Internet I can get for (11.5$) per month ? is there any upload / download limitations

Thx dear :)

Correction :)
fits into my budget

There is gumtree.pl, but it's in Polish, and even if you manage to use it, you might have problems in finding a landlord who speaks English, there is also airbnb.com, it's in english, but people usually use it for vacations rather than long term renting (though you can), maybe someone else in this forum knows other methods ?

Oh, and you also need to have a contract when you rent to show it at the municipality for the residence papers (and I don't know if it's possible to obtain a contract through airbnb)

Btw, students usually rent a room in a flat rather than the whole flat, because most of the flats here accommodate at least 2 persons

I also found this website :
housing.justlanded/en/Poland_Greater-Poland_Poznan/For-Rent_Apartments

and found for example this apartment 5 min walking from the city center :
housing.justlanded/en/Poland_Greater-Poland_Poznan/For-Rent_Apartments/Studio-in-the-center-of-Poznan-Full-equipment
the cost is around 2000 zloty plus bills, so around 2300-2400 zloty ( 600$) , it gets cheaper if you choose an apartment that is further away from the city center.

10 Mbps (which has the download speed of 1mb/s), unlimited of course, not like Lebanon :P , usually you don't have to worry about the internet subscription because it is provided with the apartment.

Thanks a million, Dany

Merged: A 20y/o Arab (atheist) wants to study in Poland - safety concerns.

I'm planning on studying in warsaw in the next few months. I'm really confused on whether it's safe for an arab ( egyptian ) to live in Poland or not. or would being an atheist make it easier or worse.

Do you honestly think that a skinhead is going to ask you what religion you are before he punches you?
Is he going to ask this in Polish/English or Arabic?

Anyway, Warsaw has loads of foreigners living there, you'll be grand.
But by some pepper spray in case

Thousands. The OP should not worry.

Hi there
I am a Sudanese citizen and thinking to joining at Poznan University of technology for an one year MSc program, and I am about gathering some information so I found some useful answers here. Mainly I ask for racism cases and anti-equality toward foreigners Students and like me as a Sudanese native mixed Afro-Arab cultured and totally eastern. Even I heard good news about Polish People are likely very friendly and most popular and highly welcoming some others. As I said my main reason for thinking staying there is Study a MSc Mechatronic constructions engineering as well as knowing people form wide different culture.

Jacupp5630

Merged:

Inquiry about Arabic students in Poland

Dear
I have a strong opportunity to start PhD at Warsaw University by the beginning of 2018 .
I would like to know if arabs faces any trouble in there.
Where I watchd via YouTube before many vedios includes non-welcoming massages .

Thank you

The only active trouble you will get it from drunk people. So stay way from drunk people and you won't have a problem with that. Also stay away from groups of football fans.

The most common form of discrimination you will encounter is "benign neglect". People will simply ignore you until you make the first steps of initiating contact. You won't be exactly excluded, but you won't be included, either. If you are assertive and even a bit bold, you may be able to make some friends. If you are shy or reserved, then you might as well be invisible, even to the people you work with every day,

Do expect a lot of questions about terrorism, violence and human rights in the Muslim world. It can be quite confrontational and make you uncomfortable. Be careful how you respond. Trying to defend abuses against women's rights in particular will earn you a bad reputation.

Yes, there is a section of society that will give you a hard time for being a Muslim, but they generally don't present much of a threat unless alcohol is involved.

BTW I am on the same page with you.
Thanks for advice :)

@Michele Haddad
Yes that correct, I mean Polish people were so racist toward me, in kinder garden I was always ignored never had friends from school, it`s like parents of the kids were warning not to get close to this homeless Jew ,I`m Syrian Jew BTW ;(

Well, they might have an issue with you. After all a grown man doesn't belong in a kindergarten.

As a Jew, why didn`t you go to Israel but to Poland instead? Random guess - Polish people are kinder than Israelis?