Dice wrote:
But what happens when you go to visit the Old Country? Don't you talk about your family living in a large house, with maybe a swimming pool and a couple of cars, don't you show pictures, tell'em how much you make? And all that while visiting someone who's appartement is the size of your bedroom closet and he lives there with a wife, two kids and in-laws.
Maybe a little sensitivity would be in order? maybe if we didn't throw the money at their faces by bringing each and every one a "present"?
No wonder they feel envious!
Sorry but this is not how my family behaves around my family in Poland. I don't talk about how i live in canada, i never show pictures of my house, i never brag about new purchases, i never discuss pay(even in canada no one talks about this!) i don't wear expensive clothes, drive expensive cars, or anything - i'm not materialistic at all. Many poles (especially wealthy poles in poland) do love to show off and compete with others (i see where you're coming from), i however have been raised in canada and am not like this.
You've missed the point. Nobody in poland needs someone from abroad to rub this stuff in their faces. They only need to turn on the TV or go out to the cinema to watch an american film to see how people live in the west!
Aside from children (ie: a little present for my cousin's kids) we never buy presents when we go to poland. Why? Because no matter what you buy, they're not happy. We stopped doing this many many years ago.
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