Canadian moving to Poland...any advice?

I am a Canadian and I will be moving to Poland in the late Spring. Does anybody have any advice for me on how to deal with the culture shock. I have visited but that was 8 years ago. My languages are English and French and a smattering of Polish, so I am aware of the language problem. I am also moving with my 4 year old who also doesn't speak Polish.

It seems like it's not going to be just a culture shock for you but also for yur child. I figure that you must have some serious reasons why you want to move to Poland. Anyways, It's so hard to advise someone but I would strongly suggest checking "Articles about Poland" section of this forum. They have some stuff you could benefit from knowing. But in generl after coming to the country you should enroll in some polish language courses as English IS NOT widely known, young people know it but it will not be fluent among all and Polish is the key to communicate.

Thanks for the reply. Obviously the language is going to be a huge hinderance, unfortunately I have not been able to find any place to get lessons before I go. Besides language though, are their any cultural quirks that I may have as a Canadian that would be important for me to know before I go there and make some huge faux pas. Or are there any quirks about the Polish culture that I should know that would make me better understand where the people that I am trying to get closer to are coming from.

You will notice lots of differences, for instance:

1. You do not say hi or smile to unknown people you walk by on the street (that's something we're used to do in Canada).

2. When greeting with friends and relative there is lots of bear-shakes or kissing the cheeks (even for guys) and so on .. whereas in Canada private space is considered much bigger

3. Vodka/beer is sold in grocery stores next to bread or deli (dont have to look for that LCBO store that closes so early

5. If you will be driving a car, watch it ... roads and drivers are far different from Canadian conditions (much more aggressive)

6. Poland has a huge percentage of practising catholics .. therefore very religious country. Try not to talk about religion or politics with the person you dont know well yet as these are a two very sensitive topics.

7. Customer's rights and privilages in stores are much more limited in Poland. Remember that it is not easy to return purchased merchandise. (return policy is different from store to store)

8. Dont assume anything whilke being in the foreign countyr. Things aren't done same way as in Canada.

One may identify lots of similarities when comparing Polish culture to the Canadian one, however you have to equip yourself with a lot of patience and traveller's wisdom Although lots of things may seem difficult to understand at first, I am sure you will quickly find out that Poland is a great country and you will enjoy learning about its culture, customs, and history.

Watch out for thieves, assault merchants and con men/women.

It all depends on how long you are intending to go there for. Are you of Polish origin? Do you have family there? Are you there for just a couple of months? If you are going there for good, one thing you will notice is that there is a very limited wealfare system. Compared to the U.K. where we are used to getting things, especially for children for free on the National Health service you will be expected to pay for everything in Poland. Medicines can be expensive. The Poles are not generous, they give nothing away. Language is something you will have to pick up. If you are in a big town there may be classes run by a private language institute, you may even try the local university, if there is one. A language student will give lessons in exchange for a fee though as I have already said a Pole does nothing for free you will be expected to open your purse and wallet.

This sounded like from a horror movie ... just watch yourself and what you do and I'm sure you'll be fine :P

And unless you have a satelite dish, there is nothing good on TV, specially if your child likes cartoons. There are nice toys, clothes for children tend to be more expensive, the fruits and vegetables are very tasty. There aren't any malls but they have large grocery stores like Tesco where you can buy everything, and open markets.
You pay "abonament" for your TV which you can pay at the post office.
When in a crowded bus make sure you got all your belongings safely stored, there are pick-pockets who operate on crowded buses and if they they hear you're a foreigner, you are in double trouble.
When in restaurant, they don't follow the policy "customer is always right" like in the US and some waitresses won't even smile.
But overall, people are very polite.

Thanks for everybody's advice it was sounding pretty optimistic until that last reply. How will Poland crush me?
To answer Michal's question, no I am not of Polish origin. My in-laws live there and we will be going to run the family business and set up our own by extension. We intend to go there permanently, however that is up to me and how well I adjust and learn the language.
I used to manage a cafe that employed mostly Polish kids and the clientel was mostly Polish and Ukranian, most of my friends are Polish, so I am not completely ignorant to the Polish ways, however I am sure there is a big difference between Polish people in Canada and Polish people in Poland.

It depends on your attitude. If you believe it's the end of the road, think negatively, looking for bad things in Poland and not willing to open your eyes to the beauty of Poland, you will be crushed.
But if you come to Poland with the willingness to explore and learn, there is so much history, architecture, beautiful scenery, culture, people, you won't be crushed.
There is this story of two people who were put in jail. One only saw the bars, the other looked up and saw the stars.

In general, life in Poland will be much harder for you.

How do you know that ?


Geez after such advices she should commit suicide...

oh really?? no malls?? I don't know what village you are refering to, but in Szczecin (pop 400,000) there are a few.

Carrefour Turzyn>>URL

Galaxy Centrum>>URL

there are many more around the city as well.



oh really?? i have 60+ channels on cable. lots of things to watch. you do not need a dish.

Where will you be living?

They have a big mall in Krakow and on Zakopianska there is a small plaza with a Carrefour food/variety store, Empik for mags, books, etc, , there's a food court--with a KFC--, several clothing stores, phone stores,wine shop, sweets stand, etc--with a toy store, pet shop and movie theatre nearby. They have Costarama--like Home Depot in the states. Tesco--like Aldi or Meijer at home-- is further in toward the city and Ikea is somewhere south.

Prices are higher for everything but the food. Quality of clothing, electronics and towels, kitchenwares, etc is poor unless you're willing to pay big bucks. Rents are very high. Taxis and buses are cheap.

I've been here one week and already go shopping on foot, have ordered kebabs and pizza, been to the park with my son, have enrolled him and arranged for taxi bus service for him at ISK school, take taxis by myself all over the place, opened a bank acct in the city, etc---and I do not speak Polish and this is my first time living abroad.

Many people speak English with you when asked and if you try Polish with them first, they are very happy to try and help you.

True, my German, French and Polish neighbors don't say dobry or hello to me yet--but I am starting to get little head nods from the dog walkers I see regularly and I got a small hand wave from the older woman across the street and a nod, too. No smiles yet, though the cashier at Lewitan grocery now says "hello" and "ok, thank you" to us when we shop there. I even got a "you're welcome" from the deli counter girl yesterday.

My satellite tv--a leftover from the previous renter, a consulate employee, apparently---is some weird Austrian budget lineup, all in German---but with our residency permits coming soon, we will soon be able to sign up for something better and get a better home phone situation. I borrowed a phone from a friend, switched out the cards, loaded it up at PLAY, a phone store, and started using it the same day. A Polish friend did go with me there and I bet you can find the wife of your husband's co worker to help you, too.

Just write stuff down and show it to them in the shops if you can't be understood--many who will not try their English with you may be able to read it and understand what you want. They'll say "ah" and get it right away.

I did this when I wanted 1/2 kg of gouda cheese, sliced. I wrote "gouda, 0,5 kg" then made the motion for chopping to her. She smiled, said "ok", got it and off I went.

We bought Rosetta Stone software for Polish instruction--the home school edition---off ebay and are using that to get some familiarity with the language, but I will sign up for Polish lessons soon. I have seen signs for Glossa here and that language school seems to be popular w/foreigners.

When you get here, join IWAK or a similar group (like an int'l women's society, arts club, etc) or sign up at your child's school to be a PTA rep for his/her grade. Many expats do speak English and you should be ok.

Good luck and have a great time in Poland.

PM if you'll be in Krakow and we'll try and meet up

There's nothing wrong with Polish TV. And you'll find malls in the major cities, along with plenty of small stores and open markets. Krakow has Galeria Krakowska with 270 stores.

don't wear a t-short that says USA on it. lol

kissing on the cheeks (guy kissing guy on cheek) is generally reserved for family, if friends do it it means they are very old or maybe from the countryside - in the cities this isnt done..but beware Polish guys are enthusiastic handshakers, whereas Amerciancs and Canadians not as much

yes there is, it sucks and the commercials are broadcast at a louder volume than the actual program which forces you to keep the remote handy so you can mute

there are many, at least in warsaw, and there will be more and more

seriously - what are the chances of a Canadian parading around town with a USA t-shirt? this guy probably wouldnt be caught dead wearing one..

ummmm go back and read what i wrote. better yet go back and read what Krysia wrote about no malls. I NEVER said there were no malls, the contrary.

and "remotes" for TV's are called "pilots"

Well Rzeszow is a smaller city and it had plenty of malls.

I read somewhere that Poland, after Spain, has the most sq. metres of mall space in the whole of Europe.


..... a bit like anywhere else in the world !



Maybe not the ones you have met .... but then again it may be something to do with you and not the Poles.

Generally I have found the Poles to be extremely generous and hospitable people :o)



I wish you all the best in your new life .... I hope it all works out for you :o) I will also be moving out to Poland (Krakow) in 2009 , but the difference is that my wife and I already speak Polish fluently as do our two kids aged 6 yrs and 4 yrs; I think that will be the biggest hurdle for you to overcome .... the language !

Let us know how you get on :o)

ps. what line of business will you be in , and where in Poland will you be living/working ?