How do people react when you tell them you are Polish?

Eurola:

Right on z_d. Especially around Chicago. It's almost hard to meet someone who does not have some kind of polish heritage, whether immediate or or going back a couple of generations... or simply a family member who just married a Pole...Jeez :)

JustysiaSThreads: 15 Posts: 2,869 Joined: Oct 14, 07 MEMBER	Sep 13, 09, 18:44 / #
i don't use any tactics, maybe it's got something to do with my slavic looks ha ha

PiorunThreads: - Posts: 741 Joined: Nov 11, 07	Sep 13, 09, 18:50 / #
JustysiaS: i've been told i'm quite intimidating Ja się wcale nie chwalę ja po prostu mam talent. ;-) I'm already trembling in anticipation of what the response might be.

ArienThreads: 6 Posts: 1,604 Joined: Oct 20, 08	Sep 13, 09, 19:15 / #
JustysiaS: i've been told i'm quite intimidating, i make some people very nervous ha ha... Oh really? Well, you can try me. (I usually get the same response so that's why!) JustysiaS: didn't have to ;) I know, but I don't care, because I wanted to.. ;)

JustysiaSThreads: 15 Posts: 2,869 Joined: Oct 14, 07 MEMBER	Edited by: JustysiaS Sep 13, 09, 19:17 / #
Piorun: Ja się wcale nie chwalę ja po prostu mam talent. ;-) I'm already trembling in anticipation of what the response might be. don't tremble, może i mam talent ;) Arien: I usually get the same response so that's why that should be interesting then :P Arien: I know, but I don't care, because I wanted to.. i'm almost flattered lol

PolskaDollThreads: 44 Posts: 4,134 Joined: Jun 15, 07	Edited by: PolskaDoll Sep 13, 09, 19:23 / #
JustysiaS: i believe most people in UK don't have a problem with Poles. I think overall you're right. Most people I know socialise with know at least one Polish person. Most of the Polish people I know here who are at Uni etc are socialising with Scots plus people from various other countries. A small section has a problem with Poles, there is no doubt about that. When I'm out with Polish friends who are meeting some of my other friends for the first time, the reaction to finding out they are Polish is usually positive and a conversation will kick off about Polish cities or football, just whatever is on peoples minds. Or food, that's a popular one.

ArienThreads: 6 Posts: 1,604 Joined: Oct 20, 08	Sep 13, 09, 19:23 / #
JustysiaS: i'm almost flattered lol Oh, believe me, I'm much worse when I'm trying.. :P JustysiaS: that should be interesting then :P I wouldn't say no, no. ;)

BakerosThreads: - Posts: 9 Joined: Sep 15, 09	Sep 15, 09, 13:10 / #
Hi. I used to work in the Netherlands and the reactions were quite positive. One time some guy asked me about Polish average salary and when I told him, he was flabbergasted- he said that I was making fun of him because one cannot live for such a small amount of money

JBublitzThreads: 3 Posts: 5 Joined: Sep 26, 09	Sep 26, 09, 23:02 / #
Most people just tell me "Oh man. Sorry." Then they tell some polish jokes.

translatoradelaThreads: 1 Posts: 19 Joined: May 8, 09	Oct 5, 09, 08:37 / #
A Navajo Indian lady who worked at a post office in northeastern Arizona(close to the Navajo Indian Reservation) asked me if Poland was one of the UK countries. She was the postmaster at that particular post office. I'm not kidding. One time someone said "you don't look Polish". Another time someone said "you look Polish".

MareGaeaThreads: 45 Posts: 5,527 Joined: Feb 6, 08	Oct 5, 09, 09:26 / #
adrian11224: Who's going to believe a Pole owned a railroad from the 1700's ? Nobody, because in the 1700's there were no railroads :) But about the topic: nobody of the Americans I know gives a sh*t whether you're from PL or not. Poles should stop talking themselves into some sort of inferiority complex or see things which are not there and then cry about it. Nobody gives a darn if you're from PL or anywhere else in Europe. The fact that you're from Europe is interesting, the rest not, to the Americans I know, at least. M-G (grumpy Monday morning)

Mr GrunwaldThreads: 34 Posts: 2,358 Joined: Dec 16, 08	Oct 5, 09, 12:51 / #
MareGaea: The fact that you're from Europe is interesting, the rest not, to the Americans I know, at least. They are interressted to know if your from Europe?! Dang! Only I have had any contact with asked me for "Where is Mcdonalds?"

George8600Threads: 20 Posts: 1,114 Joined: Feb 19, 09	Edited by: George8600 Oct 5, 09, 16:03 / #
Eurola: Right on z_d. Especially around Chicago. It's almost hard to meet someone who does not have some kind of polish heritage, whether immediate or or going back a couple of generations... or simply a family member who just married a Pole...Jeez :) hm, not really. I would rather like to think of Poland as a pure ethnicity rather than an overpopulated one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonia According to numbers, 185,000 residents of the chicago land area claim Polish ethnicity whilst the population of Chicago is 3 million, with the Chicagoland area being at over 8 million. Personally, I think the numbers of Poles here are quite low, and that the census ought to be retaken. To add, people really haven't cared. When I tell them about the half Greek side, it usually starts a convo about history, the greek islands, or food. When I tell them about the Polish side, they go into culture, polish cities, and so forth. I would like to think what interests someone is someone who has an itnerest in culture, anthropology, and ethnicity to begin with. If not, then they probably won't care much to begin with regardless of where you come from.