What should be done to make life in Poland better and more enjoyable?

delphiandomine:

Once I learn the Polish for "you have the change, you don't need to ask"...then it's getting repeated constantly. I even witnessed a woman in a sports shop in Galeria Malta (the brand new shopping mall in Poznan!) refuse to take a 100zl note for an 18.00zl purchase. Why on earth didn't she have change for that in the till?

AdminThreads: 74 Posts: 3,059 Joined: Oct 31, 05 [Administrator]	Apr 15, 09, 05:13 / #
This thread is in relation to the PF competition thread. As always, please stay on topic. Good luck!

Patrycja19Threads: 76 Posts: 3,877 Joined: Oct 31, 06	Apr 15, 09, 07:25 / #
I think alot of bitter feelings towards other countries need to be broken and time to heal. I suggest wonderful traditional dancing and festivals in each others countries to celebrate life and to show how much fun each others traditions can be. Poland and germany have festivals in each others countries as well as Russia. I did look it up online and didnt see a polish festival in Russia, or Germany so I looked up Russian Festivals in Poland and didnt see it either. In America , we have alot of festivals, of each nationality.. German, Polish, Italian, Hungarian etc. its pretty cool, its really something to go to someone elses traditional party and actually see that they are not much different then you.. no matter what country. I think it would take away some of the fear people hold by enjoying and Appreciating someone elses culture.

ArienThreads: 6 Posts: 1,604 Joined: Oct 20, 08	Apr 15, 09, 11:21 / #
Admin: What should be done to make life in Poland better and more enjoyable? What should be done? Well, maybe it's better to ask yourself what can be done? Start with yourself? Dare to dream? Be optimistic? Be creative? Celebrate life? Break with religious fanaticism and don't judge eachother for making mistakes or doing stupid things sometimes? (Hey, everyone does that atleast once in a lifetime!) Accept eachother's differences? (Be curious about those differences, instead of being afraid!) Keep in mind that most people are just like you, and they don't like to be lonely either, and just want to have fun most of the time. Try to look at all the things you do have, because the most valuable things in life won't cost you anything but the effort you're willing to put into it! Try to help your brothers and sisters whenever you can, and always welcome a guest who's willing to lend you a hand, and be kind to strangers who are kind to you? Oh, and money does make your life easier, we all know that, but it certainly doesn't help to create a better atmosphere out there, it's usually a smile, a friendly answer to a friendly question, or even the smallest act of kindness which helps to add to a better atmosphere. If you can laugh, cry, have fun and share with friends, I'd say you're pretty succesful, whatever you're doing for a living. So try to see the humour in all things around you, and try to make the best out of what you have? :) Hey, it's all about the little things! Oh, and last but not least: Add a bunch of smilies to your forums, because if they're funny and properly done, they make people smile sometimes.. ;)

EurolaThreads: 6 Posts: 2,647 Joined: Dec 2, 06	Apr 16, 09, 03:18 / #
I don't live in Poland, but here the quirks my family complains about: If you have a doctor's or a dentist's appointment, please respect your clients time. I don't need to show in your office at appointment time only to wait another 2 or three hours (beacuse you stroll into the office late yourself). When I go to the town hall to get some kind of business (or not) certification, don't make hop through many multiple hoops and request tons of additional proof, including signatures and original stamps. Be nice and helpful to me when I ask for an item I don't seem to locate in Biedronka. You don't need to take my hand and lead me there, but pointing in the right direction with a smile would make feel appreciated. Please don't sit behind that bullet proof glass at the Bank, pretend being busy, so I can stand there expecting to be invited to the window to do my business, which is also yours. OK, that's the few I heard recently.

nauczyciel	Apr 16, 09, 14:18 / #
i've got an idea- how about every shop just accept the banknote given to them and stop asking for exact change!!

terrabullThreads: 4 Posts: 35 Joined: Jul 6, 08	Apr 16, 09, 14:23 / #
It'd be nicer, and I know this will never change, if the holidays weren't so serious. Every holiday involves a trip to the cemetery. Independence day isn't celebrated with fanfare, you're lucky if someone puts up a Polish flag. Have some fun on your holidays! It's just so stuffy, and as a foreigner living here, it drives me nuts! Another thing is when you're in line at the grocery store and you see that I have not put all my goods down on the belt, don't put all your stuff down on the belt just because you got in line and you're near it. Please be considerate and gasp wait a second. And lastly, trust us. I find it ridiculous that there are security guards everywhere. 99% of the people won't steal anything. Theft losses are often calculated into company's earnings. There are 1000 speed cameras up on highways that have warnings before them, and then we slow down and speed right back to what we were going. Just trust the people already. I've noticed here people are much more cooperative than back in the USA.

berni23Threads: 2 Posts: 41 Joined: Mar 26, 09	Apr 16, 09, 14:58 / #
Maybe something like that would help: It reads: "The danger map of Germany is finally there!"

time meansThreads: 9 Posts: 2,309 Joined: Apr 21, 08	Apr 16, 09, 18:35 / #
A ceiling on the price of a beer to no more than 1zl and a return to 7zl to the £.

FoxxiGoldThreads: 6 Posts: 36 Joined: Apr 30, 08	Apr 16, 09, 23:28 / #
Boost the econony! More jobs - and higher wages! Appreciate Polish Education & Labour ....

delphiandomineThreads: 40 Posts: 9,587 Joined: Nov 25, 08	Apr 16, 09, 23:42 / #
nauczyciel: i've got an idea- how about every shop just accept the banknote given to them and stop asking for exact change!! Yes. YES. YES YES YES. I'm sick to death of this, to the point where I point blank refuse to give them the change out of sheer stubbornness. Are Polish businesses really so greedy as to not supply adequate change? Once I learn the Polish for "you have the change, you don't need to ask"...then it's getting repeated constantly. I even witnessed a woman in a sports shop in Galeria Malta (the brand new shopping mall in Poznan!) refuse to take a 100zl note for an 18.00zl purchase. Why on earth didn't she have change for that in the till?

delphiandomineThreads: 40 Posts: 9,587 Joined: Nov 25, 08	Apr 17, 09, 11:58 / #
dtaylor: That really pisses me of too, i mean, for feck sake, your a shop, we have just made you more profit, at least have the decency to accept our money. Geeeez isn't money good enough to buy things nowadays??? The thing I can't understand about it is that with the amount of time wasted getting every last grosz from someone, they could probably afford to cut down on the amount of people actually working there. I was in Carrefour and timed the amount of time wasted on asking for change. The average? 22 seconds. Having said this, why they haven't eliminated the 1 and 2 grosz coins by now is beyond me. The other irritating thing is when you've got quite a bit of stuff, and the cashier will just go ahead and serve the next person without any consideration for you at all. Don't they realise that making someone feel comfortable is a guaranteed way for them to come back and spend more? I can understand this mentality in shops like Biedronka - but in Alma?

mafketisThreads: 15 Posts: 1,830 Joined: Mar 31, 08	Apr 17, 09, 12:19 / #
This asking for change isn't exclusively Polish. I remember it used to be very common in Spain too. For the other extreme, go to Hungary. Before they got rid of 1 and 2 forint coins they used to _hate_ it if you tried to give them exact change. For example try to give the cashier 567 forints for a 467 forint purchase and they'd glare at you, refuse to touch the 67 forints I just painstakingly counted out and all but throw the change in your face while looking at you as if you were scum o' the earth.

krysiaThreads: 26 Posts: 3,604 Joined: Aug 10, 06	Apr 17, 09, 15:03 / #
1.Get rid of the paid bathrooms! A person can't even take a dump without paying for it! 2.When ordering water or soda in restaurant it comes warm! 3.Stop pushing! You get on to a bus or tramwaj and everyone pushes you to be first!

LondonChickThreads: 43 Posts: 1,261 Joined: Nov 19, 07	Apr 17, 09, 15:42 / #
A simple suggestion from me: a bit of a glass half full, rather than a glass half empty attitude wouldn't go amiss...

dtaylorThreads: 15 Posts: 992 Joined: Sep 15, 07	Apr 16, 09, 23:45 / #
delphiandomine: Once I learn the Polish for "you have the change, you don't need to ask"...then it's getting repeated constantly. I even witnessed a woman in a sports shop in Galeria Malta (the brand new shopping mall in Poznan!) refuse to take a 100zl note for an 18.00zl purchase. Why on earth didn't she have change for that in the till? That really pisses me of too, i mean, for feck sake, your a shop, we have just made you more profit, at least have the decency to accept our money. Geeeez isn't money good enough to buy things nowadays???

krakowiakThreads: 4 Posts: 131 Joined: Jul 30, 08	Apr 17, 09, 11:54 / #
get rid of money

Wroclaw Boy	Edited by: Wroclaw Boy Apr 17, 09, 16:33 / #
Admin: What should be done to make life in Poland better and more enjoyable? Reminds me of one of mine actually: http://www.polishforums.com/citizens_make_poland_better_place-7_32741_ 0.html In any case to answer the question and get a hand in this comp here goes. Thats a tough one and hard to summarise in just a few sentences. For me the hardest thing about living in Poland is not the state of the roads not the red tape but the mentality of the people. 1. Incompetence in a so called educated nation. 2. Con artists everywhere in a religous country. A guy came here today to fix my other computer he was a student of computer science i would say around 20 years old. What a breath of fresh air talking to an educated guy whos not here to rip me off the minute he sees my house. he couldnt fix the issue and as a result refused payment, I paid him for his time anyway. He claimed to research the issue and come back next week. I believe him as this is the second time hes tried. Theres a lesson in the above in that for the most part the younger communist free generation are now shining through in leaps and bounds to replace the old and put Poland firmly on the EU map as a fully free, culturally rich and prosporus nation. What should be done to make life in Poland better and more enjoyable? Its an impossibole situation unless you can re-program the minds of 20 million or so Poles, the solution lies with the younger more world widely generation. Its so easy to slip into a "cant beat them join them scenario" which i am guilty of. The younger Poles see more the importance of good service, smiling, being talkative to stragners and generally more pleasant on the whole. What should be done to make life in Poland better and more enjoyable? Get a time machine and leap forward 15 years, thats the only solution i can see. Otherwise concentrate on the things which we love about Poland which cannot be spoilt by somebody not holding a door open or smiling back when we say good morning such as: 1. Family values 2. Great natural food produce 3. Polish food 4. Beer 5. Relaxed way of life Peace out........

freebirdThreads: 3 Posts: 638 Joined: Jun 8, 07	Apr 17, 09, 17:36 / #
Admin: What should be done to make life in Poland better and more enjoyable? 1. Better music 2. Better customer service 3. Better streets 4. No drunks at the "kiosks" 5. Better pay for all Poles so they show more happiness in their faces and smile more often :-)

krysiaThreads: 26 Posts: 3,604 Joined: Aug 10, 06	Edited by: krysia Apr 17, 09, 20:35 / #
1. Clean up the poop after your dog on the sidewalks. 2. Put more garbage cans everywhere. Too much garbage and cigarette butts blowing around. 3. Believe in yourself and don't rely on what others think of you. Don't try to impress others with how much money you have and what kind of car you got. Be self sufficient. 4. Don't drink and smoke so much then complain you have no money!!! 5. For God's sake SMILE!!!! It makes you look younger! (unless your teeth are yellow from the nicotine)

SashaThreads: 2 Posts: 1,558 Joined: Apr 19, 08	Apr 17, 09, 21:23 / #
Admin: What should be done to make life in Poland better and more enjoyable? The question makes me wonder "better for whom"? I will answer it keeping in mind "to make life better for... Polish people". I strongly believe you Polish people shouldn't ever forget about your traditions, about your forefathers and beautiful cultural heritage they brought to this world, you should say "yes" when you feel like saying "yes" meanwhile declining whatever you think is wrong. Be yourself, be who you are and use your own brain not denying the common sense of course. Don't try to look for the national idea in Iraq or in Afghanistan, don't replicate the bygone mistakes. Soviets said it was in Siberia. Has anybody found it over there? Nope... Your idea is on your soil and in your hearts therefore don't even try to keep smiling like a dumb american saying "f*ck off" and crossing your fingers behind the back. Your authentic emotions are your soul, something that distinguishes you from other allowing to proudly say "I'm Polish", don't lose it or otherwise you'll lose your identity and we Russians will finally lose Poland we love (well... many of us love). As long as you live the way you want you'll the happiest nation. I wish you that... All the best for you and your land! Sasha

krysiaThreads: 26 Posts: 3,604 Joined: Aug 10, 06	Apr 17, 09, 21:27 / #
It was OK up to this point: Sasha: don't even try to keep smiling like a dumb american saying "f*ck off" and crossing your fingers behind the back. hahaha, please, don't ever smile, or you'll look like an American!

SashaThreads: 2 Posts: 1,558 Joined: Apr 19, 08	Apr 17, 09, 21:37 / #
krysia: hahaha, please, don't ever smile, or you'll look like an American! I've beheld for many times situations when one said to another literally "go to hell" keeping on smiling. That irritates me and that was my point. Yet you're free to make any evaluation. I realize I might sound primitive or even stupid comparing to other posts here but this was in all sincerity. :)

freebirdThreads: 3 Posts: 638 Joined: Jun 8, 07	Apr 17, 09, 22:18 / #
Sasha: we Russians will finally lose Poland we love (well... many of us love) hahahaha good 1

gaskThreads: - Posts: 11 Joined: Sep 4, 08	Apr 23, 09, 13:24 / #
But it is not good enough ? According to myself why do it yourself when you can get somebody else to do it? All English, Russians, Americans and so on. Joke ? not exactly but the tip of this post is't thoughtful one.

TrevekThreads: 30 Posts: 2,088 Joined: May 21, 08	Apr 26, 09, 23:11 / #
Improve the roads and the standard of driving. Less paperwork and bureaucracy. More communication between government organisations and credit/bank organisations (I was once refused credit for not having an ID card which doesn't exist). Better conditions and training for shop assistants. Better systems at check-outs in supermarkets (especially for getting the baskets back to the door). More money put into small communities in rural areas to help boost tourism. In Warmia-Mazury there are many lovely little towns which look like cr@p because the buildings aren't maintained etc and there are no facilities for tourists (or locals, for that matter).

kasiapinkThreads: - Posts: 2 Joined: Apr 27, 09	Apr 27, 09, 23:39 / #
Totally Agree!!!!!! lol

paulina05	May 4, 09, 20:05 / #
that's funny. We always joke there's some old ladies holding all the change for the whole country.

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	May 4, 09, 20:55 / #
Sadly, another vote for better level of service. Unfvckingbelievable! Well, when I lived there it was sh.itty. It appears that not much changed.

TrevekThreads: 30 Posts: 2,088 Joined: May 21, 08	May 5, 09, 17:13 / #
It used to be that if you walked into a shop a member of the old-fat-ugly security service followed you around watching to make sure you felt uncomfortable. Now the young assistant shows you the top of her head, whilst talking to her friend behind her, totally ignoring you and just stretching her hand out for the money.

minty	May 5, 09, 17:24 / #
Again YES,YES,YES. I now make a point of emptying my pockets completely of anything less than 20 grosz.before I leave home so I can say, NIE,NIE,NIE every time I am asked for 23 grosz.Just give the pot full of coins to some deserving non-Polish concern and have the pleasure of non-cooperation in this silly game!