3 reasons why you hate Poland.

dancingfireThreads: 2 Posts: 4 Joined: Nov 30, 09 ♀	Nov 30, 09, 07:42 #631
Number 1- I dont hate poland Number 2- I dont hate polish food Number 3- I dont hate Polish people Im one of them :) I really cant think of three reasons why I hate it when I dont

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Nov 30, 09, 09:01 #632

FUZZYWICKETS:

1. Nothing is convenient in Poland

Not especially true, once you know how to get things done.

FUZZYWICKETS:

2. Overpriced

Often, yes.

FUZZYWICKETS:

3. The country's mentality is still stuck in the communist era

No. Contrary to common opinion the country's mentality hasn't changed much one way or the other during or after communism. It is what it is.

FUZZYWICKETS:

4. Customer Service is non-existent

AFAICT Poles don't want western style smiley happy customer service. This hasn't bugged me in a loooonnnnggg time.

FUZZYWICKETS:

5. The only good food in Poland is Polish food

Polish raw ingredients are generally good quality, learn to cook what you want if you can't find it any other way.

FUZZYWICKETS:

6. The country's language is painfully difficult compared to nearly every other language in the world making assimilation frustrating and for many, futile.

It's not that hard at all if you actually speak and don't expect to understand everything at once. Comprehension is a gradual thing in any language.

FUZZYWICKETS:

7. Lektors on TV

Preach on brother!!!!!! The stupidest, vilest way of localizing films. The only way of translating movies that _always_ ruins the movie for native speakers of the original language (even when they know they know Polish too). If Poles want audio translations instead of subtitle they should learn to properly dub. I have nothing against dubbing (which would have made it much easier to learn Polish) but lektors are just ugly sounding.

FUZZYWICKETS:

8. Public transport is downright filthy and inefficient

Compared to what? Polish public transport might be grubby but it goes and works better than 99 % of public transport in the US (which mostly doesn't exist).

FUZZYWICKETS:

9. Polish weather is crap. 4 months of sun and warmth, 8 months of gray, cold, wind and wet.

No real argument there.

FUZZYWICKETS:

10. The complete lack of business sense

Yes and no.

FUZZYWICKETS:

i could go on forever.

No need, we get the idea.

DannyJThreads: 1 Posts: 253 Joined: Oct 30, 09 ♂	Nov 30, 09, 09:57 #633
delphiandomine: 1) The driving standards are absolutely shocking. Quite why they don't just get unmarked cars to drive round with cameras fitted and fine every single incident of shockingly bad driving is beyond me - it would be very easy money! Been saying that for years,, Just look at the money that could be made on cocks with Mobiles stuck to theirs faces.

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Nov 30, 09, 10:23 #634

Uuuuuuuuchhhh! just awful, people. you can't argue with blind patriotism. the same crap i see in America. I struggle to have conversation with most of the general population there as well for the same reason.....blind patriotism. arguing with this mentality is futile.

let me guess Delphian, you walk around saying how unhealthy america is and that we all eat at fast food joints, yet at the same time, you visit your mom on the weekend and she fries you up a foot long kielbasa with some greasy pierogi on the side. Oh, then it's time for cake. Sorry for the assumption, but it's my 1st to your several ;)

for those of you waving your polish flags, convinced it's great here and that my complaints about your country are false or inaccurate, misguided, "just another American with that typical attitude", then be my guest, go on thinking that way. after all, it's people like you in the population in Poland that keep the country going. as for the mass exodus of poles to other countries once Poland became part of the EU along with the open border policy now, along with the 4-5 million Poles living in America (imagine how many Poles would be there if America didn't require VISA's....), ask them what they think of good ole' Poland.

i didn't want this to turn into a comparison war, but as an American, it's always the inevitable responses one will get from Poles because they automatically assume you're saying outright, "America is better than Poland in every way," and take every criticism of their precious Poland to mean just that. But, in Poland's defense, for every ultra-patriot i meet here, i meet another Pole who can tell it like it is and speak honestly about their country.

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Nov 30, 09, 11:38 #635

FUZZYWICKETS:

Uuuuuuuuchhhh! just awful, people. you can't argue with blind patriotism. the same crap i see in America. I struggle to have conversation with most of the general population there as well for the same reason.....blind patriotism. arguing with this mentality is futile.

Unfortunately for you, I'm not Polish and don't have any particular tie to the country apart from living here. I'm anything but a Polish patriot - but the fat that you immediately assumed that anyone defending Poland must be Polish is comical.

FUZZYWICKETS:

let me guess Delphian, you walk around saying how unhealthy america is and that we all eat at fast food joints, yet at the same time, you visit your mom on the weekend and she fries you up a foot long kielbasa with some greasy pierogi on the side. Oh, then it's time for cake. Sorry for the assumption, but it's my 1st to your several ;)

America is unhealthy, there's no doubt about that. What's not unhealthy about unlimited refills and portions the size of Mars? And there's nothing worse than greasy pierogi!

FUZZYWICKETS:

for those of you waving your polish flags, convinced it's great here and that my complaints about your country are false or inaccurate,

The problem is that you sound incredibly like someone who doesn't want to be here, but can't leave. I don't understand this mentality pesonally - if the country is so bad, why on earth are you staying?

misguided, "just another American with that typical attitude", then be my guest, go on thinking that way. after all, it's people like you in the population in Poland that keep the country going.

I think most people here can see you for what you are - an American who wants everything exactly the same way as it is in America.

as for the mass exodus of poles to other countries once Poland became part of the EU along with the open border policy now, along with the 4-5 million Poles living in America (imagine how many Poles would be there if America didn't require VISA's....), ask them what they think of good ole' Poland.

Most of the post-WW2 emigrants are quite homesick for their country, actually. The amount of post-2004 Poles that have returned from the UK alone is quite considerable - these poeple are nothing but economic migrants. You've never been to the UK, you don't know who actually left - in many cases, these were uneducated idiots who didn't have much chance in Poland, but could do menial work in the UK for very good money (to them).

It's simply lunacy to expect American standards from a country that was devastated by two world wars and then 44 years of communism.

FUZZYWICKETSThreads: 12 Posts: 1,821 Joined: Nov 3, 09 ♂	Nov 30, 09, 11:57 #636
the fat that you immediately assumed that anyone defending Poland must be Polish is comical. no, it's the norm. America is unhealthy, there's no doubt about that. why is america unhealthy. why. other questions: how long have you lived in Poland? why are you here? what's your occupation?

k98_man

Nov 30, 09, 12:33 #637

Will visit in about two weeks time and I'll get a real sense I guess. I doubt I'll hate the country (I'm attending Jagiellonian Univ. next year!), but there are pros and cons to everything so I assume I'll find something.

1. I've been spoiled in Switzerland with the public transportation being probably the best in the world so that might be one point.
2. I'm also hoping it's not too expensive...
3. The language is somewhat difficult for an American English speaker to learn. It's not any more difficult than I would expect other eastern European languages to be, but going from English (Germanic) and German (Germanic) with knowledge of Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian) to Slavic Polish....bahh. Hard work :)

We will simply wait and see.

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Nov 30, 09, 12:52 #638

k98_man:

1. I've been spoiled in Switzerland with the public transportation being probably the best in the world so that might be one point.

The public transportation here can be described as reliable and functional. It might not be the most luxurious in some cases, but they do generally turn up on time and can be relied upon.

k98_man:

2. I'm also hoping it's not too expensive...

Oh, definitely not. If you can cook from raw ingredients, Poland will be unbelievably cheap for you.

k98_man:

3. The language is somewhat difficult for an American English speaker to learn.

You'll be surprised, I think - if you know German, French and English, there's quite a lot of similarities in there.

jwojcieThreads: 3 Posts: 801 Joined: Jan 3, 09 ♂	Nov 30, 09, 13:17 #639
k98_man: 1. I've been spoiled in Switzerland with the public transportation being probably the best in the world so that might be one point. I agree. Switzerland public transport is second to none. Polish is not even near but at least a lot cheaper :-) With exception of some trains, in general is reliable and functional too.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,160 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Nov 30, 09, 13:39 #640
Swiss public may be second to none in Europe but Japan is the model of punctuality and high standards.

k98_man

Nov 30, 09, 15:11 #641

Seanus, have you used both? I've never used the Japanese, so I can't accurately compare.

jwojcie, it is expensive, but if you live here and do it right - it's not bad at all. First off, everything here is expensive. Second of all, if you get a half pass for ~140CHF then for an entire year everything is half-price. If you get that and add an after 7 pass (total ~240CHF) then you can travel anywhere with public transport for free after 7.

I've only been here about 4 months and I have used the half and after 7 passes to the fullest. I've spent in the range of 300 CHF (plus the pass), but have saved 970 CHF in just 1/3 of the passes life.

Thread isn't about Switzerland, though so if you visit I hope that helps. PM if you want :P

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,160 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Nov 30, 09, 15:19 #642
Well, I haven't used the Swiss but it's nigh on impossible to be as efficient as the Japanese system. It is the model of efficiency.

k98_man	Nov 30, 09, 15:30 #643
Hmm, well we'll have to try them out and report back. ;)

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Nov 30, 09, 16:41 #644

Delphin, by your blatant disregard for my questions in my last post which you conveniently skipped past and commented on another post immediately following mine, until you respond, I can only assume that the information I asked for would lessen the credibility of your posts and be in some way self incriminating. you did nothing but challenge, quite directly, every other post of mine before that, but after a direct challenge, you have, thus far, balked on it.

still patiently waiting......

RogalskiThreads: 9 Posts: 146 Joined: May 8, 09 ♂	Nov 30, 09, 17:44 #645
1. The way strangers maintain eye contact on the street for too long. 2. The way shop assistants laugh when they gabble something and then expect a foreigner to understand it. 3. The way that the Communist mentality seems so entrenched. When did the Berlin Wall come down?

TheOtherThreads: 4 Posts: 1,438 Joined: Jul 13, 09 ♂	Nov 30, 09, 17:49 #646
Rogalski: 3. The way that the Communist mentality seems so entrenched. When did the Berlin Wall come down? IMHO, that's nothing unusual and can be found in all former East Bloc countries.

k98_man

Nov 30, 09, 20:42 #647

Try to take staring with a grain of salt. I moved from the U.S to Switzerland and some of the Swiss people stare horribly bad. Just because it is rude in the U.S to stare, does not mean it necessarily is so in other cultures (or at least to the extent that it is in the U.S). Humans are naturally curious beings - it is in ones nature to gain as much information about their surroundings through this. Even Americans do it, but when they are caught they'll quickly look away...

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Dec 1, 09, 11:03 #648

k98_man:

Thread isn't about Switzerland, though so if you visit I hope that helps. PM if you want :P

I was on vacation there with Euro train ticket, so I was travelling whenever I wanted whereever I wanted and it was great :-)

I've never used the Japanese too, so I can't compare it either. But I wonder isn't Japan a little overcrowded, especially in public transport?

Well, ok it is an offtop... sorry :-)

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Dec 1, 09, 12:00 #649

That's the downside of Japanese transport. They are so stupid that they actually forcibly push people onto trains. Have a look at this and laugh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33qxTMA9XTA, this cracks me up every time. Friggin zombies!

What's worse is that they have chikan (train perverts). They touch up and grope young girls. I was mortified at that. The little lemming sardines.

So, overall, the Swiss system may be for choice.

As for Poland, I think PKP gets a bad rap but they shouldn't. The only criticism would be the doors which can be a bi*ch to open. I love the Scottish trains, more comfortable and you only need to press a light button to open the doors when activated. Not wrench a door off of its hinges.

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Dec 1, 09, 14:30 #650

Seanus:

That's the downside of Japanese transport. They are so stupid that they actually forcibly push people onto trains. Have a look at this and laugh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33qxTMA9XTA, this cracks me up every time. Friggin zombies!

OMG it must be a joke! How old is that video? 2008? Japanese are strange people, I suppose in Poland most of the time such "pushers" would end under the train, pushed there by angry mob... :-) Unimaginable, though I have to say that in my youth I traveled in such packed train in Poland too, but it was train full of youth headed toward music event (of course PKP and event organizers didn't foresee unusual influx of people...).

Seanus:

As for Poland, I think PKP gets a bad rap but they shouldn't. The only criticism would be the doors which can be a bi*ch to open.

Believe me, I have much more against them :-) They are complex problem. They are like dinozaur from previous era. They survived because PKP was one of the biggest employer in PRL, influential labor unions etc., nobody dared to touch them. Yes, they are changing... with a speed of tanker.

DannyJThreads: 1 Posts: 253 Joined: Oct 30, 09 ♂	Dec 1, 09, 14:36 #651
Rogalski: he way that the Communist mentality seems so entrenched. When did the Berlin Wall come down? In what way?? and wot has a GERMAN wall got to do with Poland??

TheOtherThreads: 4 Posts: 1,438 Joined: Jul 13, 09 ♂	Dec 1, 09, 17:39 #652
DannyJ: and wot has a GERMAN wall got to do with Poland The Wall and the fortified border between the GDR and West Germany was there to keep everybody in - including the Poles.

AmathystThreads: 30 Posts: 3,898 Joined: Nov 10, 06 ♀	Dec 1, 09, 17:46 #653
DannyJ: In what way?? and wot has a GERMAN wall got to do with Poland?? How many GCSE's did you need to be a prison officer? Evidently not many! TheOther: The Wall and the fortified border between the GDR and West Germany was there to keep everybody in - including the Poles. This idiot had a cheek to say British girls were thick tut tut

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Dec 1, 09, 17:50 #654

3. The way that the Communist mentality seems so entrenched. When did the Berlin Wall come down?

Is this really the case? If so I am quite surprised. I would have suspected that the generation X, the kids born in the 70's would have been the people at the forefront of change, that living through the transition during their formative years and now be 30-40 year olds that they would have led a totally different direction.

I was discussing this very topic with a Polish friend the other day and I asked what they thought about the legacy, how long until it becomes a distant memory? He has been gone many years now, but thought in many ways it would be rooted out of society already and I tended to agree that this seemed a logical likelihood.

If it is still so deeply rooted, when does it become a memory? When does it just become something that is taught as school but is distant from reality for any person? I was actually bemoaning that it would get to a stage where it would soon enough be hard to find people to recall the state of affairs when the country was under the stiff arm of the Soviets (not for a second am I suggesting that it should ever have been or that I wished it was longer). Just that it would be interesting to speak with people from that era about how the era actually was. That is one of my main interests in all of the former Eastern Bloc countries... How was life truly during the years after WWII and up until the break from communism and even the 5 years directly after that.

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Dec 1, 09, 17:57 #655

mateinone:

If it is still so deeply rooted, when does it become a memory?

It will become memory as soon as everyone who actually lived behind the Iron Curtain is dead. I have friends in East Berlin who are really nostalgic when it comes to the communist past of the GDR. They see everything in a rosy light (ie, in the old system there was no unemployment, there were kindergarten spots for everyone, there was free healthcare, bla bla bla) even though they are now very successful business people. I'm always making fun of them because I don't understand how you can be a successful capitalist and at the same time a nostalgic commie.

RogalskiThreads: 9 Posts: 146 Joined: May 8, 09 ♂	Dec 1, 09, 18:16 #656
Yes it is a cultural difference and more to do with my own mood than the person staring at me. It's just annoying sometimes. Or could be taken as a pick-up manoeuvre!

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,160 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Dec 1, 09, 18:27 #657
jwojcie, I meant for a country which professes itself to be behind the times when it comes to such things as trains. I don't like some of the hard seats but they are rare.

DannyJThreads: 1 Posts: 253 Joined: Oct 30, 09 ♂	Dec 1, 09, 18:56 #658
Amathyst: How many GCSE's did you need to be a prison officer? Evidently not many! No ur right,, that how I got the job :) Rogalski: The way that the Communist mentality seems so entrenched. When did the Berlin Wall come down? Anyhow i,m still trying to work out (being as i,m so thick) Wot has a German Wall got to do with this so called commie mentality the poles are ment to have??

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Dec 1, 09, 19:26 #659

THREE REASONS WHY I HATE POLAND!!!

1. The Food……. Hang on, I really like the food here, it's full of flavour, very fresh, ok forget that one….

2. The People!…… No I really like the people I have met, they have been friendly, funny and interesting… ok forget that one too…

3. The Roads!….. Well they are much the same as other countries I have been to, and the way people drive is much the same as well……. So best forget that one…

4. No Jobs!……. Ooo I got a job within a week of being here, nice boss, good company and salary… so not that one……..

Hang on… I must be on the wrong thread altogether…. I bloody love it here, it’s a great place… sorry I didn’t mean to waste your time folks, I’ll go and join the ‘3 reasons why I love Poland thread!’

BzibziohThreads: 6 Posts: 3,648 Joined: Oct 15, 08 ♀	Dec 1, 09, 22:41 #660
Seanus: I meant for a country which professes itself to be behind the times when it comes to such things as trains. I don't like some of the hard seats but they are rare. Hey, be grateful there's a train at all and you don't have to sit on the rooftop :) Gee, those foreigners are sooo cranky ...

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