I am Polish immigrant. I came to America at a bit late teenage years so I speak Polish very fluently and English is my second language.
In my experience, Polish Americans in Chicago have been a lot more distant toward me in college than Polish immigrants who I met in high school in Massachusetts. It was almost not unlike dealing with non-Polish Americans.
I participated in my college Polish's club. In high school I had some Polish people in my age, in college they were all at least 2 years younger than me, so when I was senior they were sophomores. Despite Chicago being called second largest "Polish city outside Warsaw", the Polish club was small, was cliquey and it felt like I did not fit well with them. Some spoke Polish and some did not. I also knew some few Polish Americans outside club but did not associate with them. They had either a hostile or indifferent attitude before my friendship with their non-Polish friends fell out because they were conservative and did not like me for being gay, despite the fact that my relationship with them was normal.
In the Polish college club, they had some Polonia event that they did not inform me about. Not cool. After graduating, I did not stay in touch with them.
What about those Polish friends I made in high school? After separating from them when I moved from MA, they could not be bothered to keep in touch. We had some conversation going in the beginning but it was fading out. One guy and girl who were a couple, when decided to make a visit to Chicago, did not tell me and did not know about it until I saw their new posted photos on Facebook.
Before moving to States, I had a few friends in Poland with who I used to hang out after school.
Personality and age comes into play too, but I do not think it is not a coincidence it was easier to make friends with Poles than Americanized Poles.
