What do you actually LIKE about living in Poland?

02.04.06, 19:41
Hello all you Foreigners living in Poland!!
Read up on your complaints about the "hardships" you endure while living in
Poland. Perhaps you would like to share your thoughts about what you actually
LIKE about living in Poland and what still keeps you from packing up and
flying back to wherever "home sweet home" is...
    • usenetposts Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 02.04.06, 20:23
      We have done this, but just so that people see positives as well as negatives
      in the recent threads, I think this is a good question and due for a recap.

      In keywords, people from other countries are enjoying the following things in
      this country, (I've put them under three main headings):

      _Human aspects_

      The people, their friendliness, openness and humour
      The beauty of the women
      The freedom
      The ease of expression on a variety of subjects, without fear of offending
      people too easily
      People tend to treat each other with a fair degree of respect and good will.
      although there is crime, it's not of the violent kind. You are generally safe
      to walk the streets.
      Poles tend to admit when they don't know something, and don't lie to you just
      to save face. They are sincere people.
      They are experimenters, and you can usually get them to buy into something new.
      They are less afraid of change than most people.
      They might be ardent catholics, but at least there are fewer Muslims than
      elsewhere in Europe.
      They don't need to be given a detailed set of instructions like the Czechs. You
      can give them an idea and they will run with it and make it work.
      Poles are more "on-line" and open to the world than almost anoy other people.
      Poles are usually better educated than other nations, and the society is
      classless, so education counts for that much more, and background for nothing.

      _Natural world_

      A climate which actually has a traditional winter and a traditional summer
      Plenty of space, and access to it - it's not all fenced off
      Plenty of forest - 23% of land use is forest
      Warsaw is not too large and not overcrowded, so you still have fresh air and a
      lot of parks here.
      Still has numerous species you won't find in much of Europe.
      Poles love nature, and understand it and know a lot about it.

      _Other aspects_

      Food, tasty and original, and no shortage
      Prices generally, but especially of food and real estate
      Quality of real estate for a reasonable price
      Good service in restaurants and most service industries apart from dry-cleaning
      and plumbing
      Good hygiene, not a load of mess and litter - other than just after large
      amounts of snow melt, but that is understandable.
      You can usually drive around ok and park ok, not like London, or most western
      cities.
      Even on days when things are closed, you can usually find what you are looking
      for, and there's always someone who is willing to try out any piece of business
      you have in mind.


      I expect others will want to enlarge on these points or add more of their own.
      • minimus Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 02.04.06, 21:23
        I am not pointing my finger at anyone in particular (especially on this forum)
        but the simple fact is that most of "foreigners living in Poland" are here
        simply for the money. Most of the expats I've known stayed here for a few
        years, which gave them a huge boost in their careers back home. Some came back
        with wives. Some enjoyed their stay here, some did not.
        • usenetposts Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 02.04.06, 21:45
          minimus napisał:

          > I am not pointing my finger at anyone in particular (especially on this
          forum)
          > but the simple fact is that most of "foreigners living in Poland" are here
          > simply for the money. Most of the expats I've known stayed here for a few
          > years, which gave them a huge boost in their careers back home. Some came
          back
          > with wives. Some enjoyed their stay here, some did not.

          If I went back to the UK I would immediately double my income.

          But the equivalent in the UK of my home would cost me six times what this one
          costs.

          In this country, I am surrounded by Europeans and non-Islamics, which is very
          good, and if there is a drugs problem, then it certainly doesn't get in my face
          in this place, or it hasn't so far.
          • portulaco Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 02.04.06, 23:10
            <<that most of "foreigners living in Poland" are here simply for the money. Most of the expats I've known stayed here for a few years, which gave them a huge boost in their careers back home.>>

            Love. That's the reason why I'm in Poland.

            Money. I had more money selling and washing cars in a car sallon in Portugal than here in Lodz seated in the office in front of the computer - anyway it's much beeter now -.

            All the other things usenetpost said I agree.

            Lately I'm appreciating more and more the Polish Spring after so many months of snow and ice smile

            I love the real Polish designed cars like Warszawa, Syrena, Micrus and even the Zuk!

            Sorry about Polonezes and to all Polonez fans, but those cars are dull like dishwater sad

            • portulaco Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 02.04.06, 23:11
              Moi said: <<anyway it's much beeter now>>

              lololol

              Much better now I mean...
            • minimus Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 02.04.06, 23:15
              > I love the real Polish designed cars like Warszawa, Syrena, Micrus and even
              the
              > Zuk!

              Warszawa is actually Russian. The original was called Pobieda - Victory. What
              is Micrus (sounds like my brother lol)?
              • portulaco Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 02.04.06, 23:35
                Err... I didn't know that about Warszawa, shame on me...

                About Mikrus - with K - pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikrus
                • ejmarkow Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 03.04.06, 08:34
                  Everything that Dave mentioned, and the following (not in any particular order,
                  and there might be duplicates):

                  - cultural life
                  - food
                  - atmosphere and scenery
                  - architecture
                  - people
                  - women, especially their femininity and seductiveness
                  - entrepreneurial spirit
                  - opportunity to be creative
                  - challenge of living here
                  - customs and traditions
                  - cuisine
                  - traditional music, especially Chopin and Goralski folk music
                  - arts and crafts
                  - local festivals
                  - tolerance
                  - close knit family life and values
                  - cost of living relative to other countries
                  - local beer
                  - ability of people here to find alternative solutions
                  - wit and humor
                  - rebelliousness

                  Cheers,

                  Eugene



                  • asiaasia1 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 03.04.06, 09:08
                    "- tolerance"
                    It's almost impossible smile Tolerance in Poland ?
                    • portulaco Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 03.04.06, 09:18
                      Regarding religious matters not really smile

                      I consider Poles very tolerant to mistakes or misspelling when foreigners are speaking Polish language.

                    • ejmarkow Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 03.04.06, 10:44
                      asiaasia1 napisała:

                      > "- tolerance"
                      > It's almost impossible smile Tolerance in Poland ?

                      Sure! For us foreigners that have lived here in Poland for quite a while now,
                      so far our communities for the most part have tolerated and even accepted us,
                      haven't they? Life hasn't been particularly easy in the beginning, but now it's
                      much better. It takes alot of tolerance for a foreigner from a large city to be
                      accepted into the society of a small village. It's much different for a
                      foreigner living in a large city like Warszawa or Kraków due to the magnitude
                      of people already living there. They just don't take notice of you as much. An
                      outsider in a village is usually front page news in 'Gazeta Plotki'. smile Have
                      you seen the film "Chocolat"?
                      www.imdb.com/title/tt0241303/
                      Cheers,

                      Eugene

                      • bimbelek Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 04.04.07, 14:27
                        well.. it is possible.. I'm very tolerant. I see you've had some bad
                        experience.. shouldn't generalise though.
              • ka-8 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 15.04.06, 17:14
                > Warszawa is actually Russian. The original was called Pobieda - Victory.

                To be exact, Warszawa, and it's soviet counterpart Pobieda were copies of a US
                Ford designed in '20s.

                Mikrus has been a tiny car manufactured once upon a time in Poland:
                pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikrus
              • margotje Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 29.04.07, 18:13
                minimus napisał:


                > Warszawa is actually Russian. The original was called Pobieda - Victory. What
                > is Micrus (sounds like my brother lol)?

                WRONG!! Warszawa was Polish, Pobieda was Russian... Moreover, your information
                was not complete at all. You should have known what was the basic of
                Pobieda.......
                • coppermind Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 07.04.10, 13:21
                  Pobieda & Warszawa were based on Chevrolet construction which was
                  given to ussr as a war help.

                  Warszawa used to be an excellent car wink
            • marcus_anglikiem Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 04.04.06, 22:27
              > I love the real Polish designed cars like Warszawa, Syrena, Micrus and even
              the Zuk!

              I once saw a Żuk with the two diagonal elements of the letter 'k' on the
              badge broken off so it read 'Żul' .
              • ianek70 Desecrating the letters K and C 08.04.06, 11:07
                marcus_anglikiem napisał:

                > > I love the real Polish designed cars like Warszawa, Syrena, Micrus and ev
                > en
                > the Zuk!
                >
                > I once saw a Żuk with the two diagonal elements of the letter 'k' on the
                > badge broken off so it read 'Żul' .

                I once saw a Syrena with the 'y', the 'e' and the 'n' broken off.
                No, you're right, I didn't really.

                But there's a building in Canal Street in Paisley with a sign on the front
                reading CANAL HOUSE - ENTRANCE AT REAR, and they have to repaint it on average
                3 times a week because the 'c' in 'canal' has been rubbed off.

                And there is no canal on Canal Street. Also, Canal Street Station is somewhere
                completely different, but that's another story.
                • kylie1 Re: Desecrating the letters K and C 15.04.06, 19:57
                  Ianek, I laughed so hard I thought I was going to die! This Canal thing is
                  priceless. Thanks.

                  How do you like the "OSRAM" light manufacturer? Wanna see the world in a new
                  light: " Ah, osram that!"

                  Happy Easter!

          • sliczny70 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 01.11.08, 10:25
            Co to znaczy non-Islamics...Ty rasisto jeden! Redskin! Idz do diabla
            parszywy Angliku!
            • usenetposts Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 10.04.10, 20:58
              Islam isn't a race, Sliczny. I just thought someone ought to let you
              know.
    • ianek70 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 03.04.06, 09:52
      The cakes
      The long weekends
      • portulaco Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 03.04.06, 10:13
        Solone ogórki and patisony... to pick mushrooms in the forest in Bąkowa Góra...

        smile)

        The Góralsky guys playing violin...
        • ianek70 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 03.04.06, 10:48
          The smell of Spring in early April, after 4 months of snow and a week of mud smile
          • pace1 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 04.04.06, 15:45
            Reading all your posts, I am starting to realize, what I am missing. I am
            considering moving back to PLsmile)
            • usenetposts Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 04.04.06, 18:26
              pace1 napisała:

              > Reading all your posts, I am starting to realize, what I am missing. I am
              > considering moving back to PLsmile)

              You should. I vote all the Polish ladies come back, and all the Polish gents
              stay over there.
              • russh Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 04.04.06, 21:30
                Now your talking!
                • marcus_anglikiem Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 04.04.06, 22:21
                  hmm... Polki wink
                  i also like the atmosphere (in socio-cultural and an environmental sense) ,
                  jezdzic PKSem , smoking on the balcony , bloki i osiedle , Okocim (though it
                  was better b4 theCarlsberg takeover) , polski hip hop i inne muzyki , chillin'
                  out by the lake (like you could do that in da uk! well, maybe 1ce or 2ce /yr.)
                  , jezdzic Maluchem/Kaszlakiem , kielbasa , polskie knajpy , koncerty muzyczne
                  , ciemne chłodne korytarzy latem , PRLowy design , LATO ! , chillin' outdoors
                  on a bench or wherever (or at the foot of Mickiewicz's statue in Kraków) , parki
                  , cameraderie like nowhere else , balconies in general , pierogi , jezdzic
                  PKPem (the best in the summer, well, in good weather anytime, and in winter too,
                  standing at the window in the corridor) , rynki , SŁONCE! , stołówki , tatanka
                  (w sensie Żubrówka with applejuice)... i love it all!
                  • easystreet Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 08.04.06, 03:00
                    Thanks for your generous input!
                    Those are the things I liked about living in Poland. Add to that the smell of
                    forests in late summer;
                    August in the country
                    people actually WALKING outside;
                    mushroom and wild blueberry picking;
                    cycling along unpaved paths through fields of wheat and poppies;
                    the fragrance of wildflowers in the meadows;
                    the sight of plants commonly known as weeds coming through the pavement and on
                    the side of the road and, in general,
                    lawns unaltered through herbicide use;
                    the aroma of a bread bakery
                    the true taste of milk and good quality dairy
                    the quality of radio programming in talk shows and
                    the general culture of radio.
                    "Lato z radiem"
                    just hanging out without signs to tell you "No loitering"

                    and when I go back to visit, the feeling that I have never left, a feeling of
                    being here and now (or there and then). Who knows...one day, maybe...
                    --------------------
                    Ah, nostalgia...
                    • easystreet Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 08.04.06, 03:09
                      and one more thing: people's gardens and orchards - not just for SHOW, but with
                      all kinds of veggies and fruits
                      and genetically unaltered flowers that actually GIVE OFF fragrance!
                      -----------------------------------
                      red currant, gooseberries, wild strawberries, plums
                      mmmm....goooooood!
                    • ianek70 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 08.04.06, 11:14
                      easystreet napisała:

                      > people actually WALKING outside;

                      I like it when spring comes and cities come back to life, and suddenly there's
                      millions of people everywhere, after the streets have been more or less
                      deserted for several months.

                      > the aroma of a bread bakery

                      And the number of bread bakeries. There's at least ten within 500 yards of my
                      house smile

                      > just hanging out without signs to tell you "No loitering"

                      But loitering's more fun if you do it beside a "no loitering" sign.
                      • raggety Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 11.04.07, 20:06
                        I'd add - close proximity to Ukraine/Belarus/Russia. I don't think it'll get me
                        many brownie points among the Poles, but it's definitely one of the reasons I
                        stay (and I am not here for love or money). I love being able to hop on a train
                        and the next day find myself in the land of the russkis. The lack of Muslims
                        was a good point - plus the fact that we can actually say so without worrying
                        about being non-PC.
                        • usenetposts Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 20.04.07, 15:52
                          100% @ raggety.
                          • stevepatrick Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 12.05.07, 11:19
                            I lived in Poland for 5 years, on and off, (i tez umiem pomieszkac angielsczyna
                            z nieprawnym polszczyzna, ale nie bede, bo to byloby troche kiczowaty)
                            Reading these posts I find a lot that I can identify with. It also strikes me
                            though that just about every point that was mentioned could be applied equally
                            (perhaps with minimal adaptation) to Romania, Hungary, Czechia or Estonia.
                            Probably to other countries too, but those are the ones I know best.
                            Talk to ex-pats in Budapest (and they are legion) and you'll hear many of the
                            same things praised - well, gulyas would replace bigos, obviously. The gripes
                            are almost the same too.
                            I am sure most of the people on this foum have travelled to neighbouring
                            countries, and lived in them too. What aspects of life in Poland are
                            specifically Polish, and not generally post-communist-east-European? I'd suggest:

                            -insisting that it is "Central Europe" - oh, hang on, the Hungarians and Czechs
                            do that too...
                            Of course, some delicacies:
                            -czysty Barszcz czerwony
                            -placki po wegiersku (never found them in Hungary!)
                            -bigos - although there are definitely similar Hungarian and Romanian cabbage dishes
                            -pierogi

                            The atmosphere in the osiedle - I found Romanian estates a bit scarier, and
                            Romanians in general shiftier - although nowhere near the Polish stereotyp of
                            Romanians. Hungarian estates seem less communal, although it must depend on the
                            city and area.

                            Poland is less capital-centric than other E.European countries. This is
                            definitely a good thing. There are other big cities in Poland, and most people
                            who don't come from Warsaw think it is a dump and wouldn't want to live there,
                            which can hardly be said of Prague or Budapest. In Transylvania Bucharest is
                            widely derided, although Romanian media and government often forgets that the
                            rest of the country exists.

                            Co jeszcze jest naprawde specyfyczny dla Polski?


            • urbanchild Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 15.11.07, 06:31
              me too.

              It is so nice to hear so many nice things about ones country.

              I've been living in Canada for 19 years, and went back twice (to
              PL.), I've been thinking about moving back, but there is a Canadian
              hubby, who loves his work, and who is not as flexible at starting
              new live, and there are 2 kids, who do all the activites all
              toddlers are used to doing when such are available, and me as the
              stay at home mom. I'm at a loss trying to figure out what should I
              do there, and uprooting the whole "herd", seem discouraging.
              However, 1 year hyatus could be educating. I would love to move
              back, but...it's a different ball game with 2 kids in tow. Has any
              of you moved with kids to Poland? Also anyone knows how much is and
              english school or a french school in Poland for kids?

              thank you kindly,
              Kinga
              • marcus_anglikiem Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 16.11.07, 22:12
                does your husband speak Polish? what area does he work in? and you?
                do you have family in Poland? if so, whereabouts?
    • myshen82 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 18.06.07, 12:45
      Hi,

      Just wanted to say - I read all the comments and started to miss my own
      country!!! I must say it's really interesting to read about foreigner's opinions
      of Poland...
      I'm currently in NZ and apart from obvious things like family and friends I
      really miss the smell of bakeries and ogorki.. yum smile
      • usenetposts Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 19.06.07, 13:54
        It must feel very remote living in New Zealand.

        Is there much of a Polish community there?
        • sliczny70 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 01.11.08, 10:27
          Masz tylko pizde w glowie parszywy Angliku!
          • europeanguy27 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 19.06.09, 09:37
            Hej sliczny, wyluzuj baranie jeden i nie obrazaj nikogo. Chcesz zeby
            ktos o tobie przez male "t" mowil parszywy Polaku?
            • pensioner63 Do not yell at sliczny! 10.04.10, 17:40
              europeanguy27 napisał:
              > Hej sliczny, wyluzuj baranie jeden i nie obrazaj nikogo.

              Nie krzycz na ślicznego. Czytałem wypowiedzi cudzoziemców i myślałem - Polska to
              chyba niebo. A śliczny sprowadził mnie na ziemię.
    • sanai Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 06.11.08, 10:02
      It's nice to know, the foreigners actually enjoy a lot of things in Poland, as
      one could read from the above postings.
      • cherokee77 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 23.06.09, 01:40
        Kinga from Canada , there actually is canadian school in Warsaw ,
        fee is about 30 000 ZL per school year, well ,to much for
        me ,fortunately there are other bilingual private schools moore
        affordable, about 1500Zl per month. My family can't wait , we are
        relocating this summer from the US . Will see how it goes ... can't
        wait for those wild mushrooms.
        • aggie0304 Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 27.07.09, 14:33
          Hi, cherokee77, I was wondering what bilingual schools are there in
          Warsaw, apart from the British and the Canadian school, that you can
          recommend. We are going to move back to Warsaw from the UK with our
          4 year old boy next year and would like to find such a school for
          him, too. Will be grateful for any tips about schools, those more
          affordable especially...
          • hulababula Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 31.03.10, 22:48
            Hi aggie0304, that's another pre-school
            www.warsawmontessori.edu.pl/bambini/en/index.php I know about but there
            should definitely be more. If you are still looking for one, maybe try google...
    • gieroj_asfalta Re: What do you actually LIKE about living in Pol 19.08.10, 17:56
      The lack of Muslims was a good point - plus the fact that we can actually say
      so without worrying about being non-PC.


      It really sounds funny when (I ASSume) it comes from an English person. If you
      people had better history programms back in UK you would know why they are
      inviding your land -)
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