IS POLAND A GOOD PLACE TO RETIRE IN (FOR A POLONIAN)?

beckyinjozefow:

1. The mentality is different here. They won't fit with the other older people, if they have lived in the USA for long, they are used to seniors being fit, active, and having hobbies. Here, they seem to not really do too much of anything special. I mean, in the states they have quilting clubs, golf clubs, widows groups who go to different restaurants, the Purple Hat society, etc. FL is a cheap place for seniors and they cater to them. It seems that many here just sit around waiting to die. There are exceptions, of course, but there isn't a very well developed senior citizen's group here.

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08	Sep 19, 08, 09:38 / #
Is Poland a good palce for an American or Canadian of Polish ancestry to spend their retirement in? Would his old-age pension go further in Poland than back home? Let's say he was getting $1,300 a month. What would be other pluses and minuses? How well would he have to speak Polish to get by comfortably? Would he be accepted by native Poles? Could he make friends easily? Any other suggestions or comments on this?

SobottkaThreads: 2 Posts: 114 Joined: Sep 11, 08	Sep 19, 08, 09:59 / #
I think all Poles around the world who could do good for Poland by settling in Poland should do that, not only the oldest: The richest, the most intelligent and so on. Poland needs the best of it´s children more than ever. Otherwise Poles living in other countries can give their best to Poland sometimes from those places.

Grzegorz_Threads: 81 Posts: 6,213 Joined: Nov 16, 06	Sep 19, 08, 10:38 / #
Unfortunately... Polonius3: Would his old-age pension go further in Poland than back home? Let's say he was getting $1,300 a month. Rather not unless USD becomes much stronger. Polonius3: How well would he have to speak Polish to get by comfortably? Quite well. Polonius3: Would he be accepted by native Poles? Yes. Polonius3: Could he make friends easily? Depends on his level of Polish as most of older people don't know any English.

beckyinjozefowThreads: 1 Posts: 28 Joined: Sep 5, 08	Edited by: beckyinjozefow Sep 20, 08, 14:04 / #
I don't think they should come back. Why? 1. The mentality is different here. They won't fit with the other older people, if they have lived in the USA for long, they are used to seniors being fit, active, and having hobbies. Here, they seem to not really do too much of anything special. I mean, in the states they have quilting clubs, golf clubs, widows groups who go to different restaurants, the Purple Hat society, etc. FL is a cheap place for seniors and they cater to them. It seems that many here just sit around waiting to die. There are exceptions, of course, but there isn't a very well developed senior citizen's group here. 2. The dollar doesn't go very far now. $1300 won't get very much if you have rent a flat. Even a one room place goes for approximately 1500 zl in Warsaw. That doesn't leave much room for travelling, hobbies (at $20/meter, you can't buy much cotton to make quilts, either.) OF Course, if you have family here, by all means. If you have a flat and can live in it (and stand it...I don't think that living in the typical high rise apt. is very appealing), then you would be ahead. So, my answer...if your ties aren't very strong in the USA and are strong here, by all means come here, but if it is "6 one way and half dozen the other", I don't see the motivation to come back here for someone who is used to freedom of actions and independence of thought. There is a lot of "group think" here that revolves around the Catholic Church. If you aren't Catholic anymore, you may find that you don't fit very well anymore.

McCoyThreads: 46 Posts: 1,756 Joined: Jul 3, 08	Sep 20, 08, 14:20 / #
http://david-polanddavid.blogspot.com/ here's smth for you

beckyinjozefowThreads: 1 Posts: 28 Joined: Sep 5, 08	Sep 21, 08, 15:57 / #
http://david-polanddavid.blogspot.com/ here's smth for you That was interesting. I didn't see how much they are living on but he was shocked at the price of toner for his ink jet printer and the price of a pint of good ice cream. Those things were/are difficult for us as well. But you get used to them...we don't eat much ice cream anymore.

enkiduThreads: 18 Posts: 981 Joined: Sep 23, 08	Sep 23, 08, 16:11 / #
beckyinjozefow: 1. The mentality is different here. They won't fit with the other older people, if they have lived in the USA for long, they are used to seniors being fit, active, and having hobbies. Here, they seem to not really do too much of anything special. I mean, in the states they have quilting clubs, golf clubs, widows groups who go to different restaurants, the Purple Hat society, etc. FL is a cheap place for seniors and they cater to them. It seems that many here just sit around waiting to die. There are exceptions, of course, but there isn't a very well developed senior citizen's group here. For me all of these activities seems rather like a way "to kill time" before death. Like when you are in McDonalds with you noisy-high maintenance baby and you just drop it on the "play area". My point? No - we haven't got " quilting clubs, golf clubs, widows groups who go to different restaurants, the Purple Hat society, etc." specially designed for old people. We have got families and granny is important part of it. We also have got communities.

loco polacoThreads: 3 Posts: 421 Joined: Aug 5, 08	Sep 23, 08, 17:16 / #
Grzegorz_: Yes. from the feeling i see perpetuated around here that would definitely be a NO. Grzegorz_: Depends on his level of Polish as most of older people don't know any English. i can see that but poles aren't the easiest people to get to know, poles can also be quite standoffish and if a person wasn't raised in another country with strict polish values, it would kinda suck to be in PL. imho. beckyinjozefow: I don't think they should come back. see what i mean above.. poles can definitely come accross like such arses. 1. i disagree with that too.. there are sanatoriums and all kinds of stuff that retired poles do.. don't be fooled by some here.