When anyone refers to NYC they are referring to Manhattan.
I flat out disagree. I grew up in NJ. When people I knew lived in Brooklyn/Queens/Bronx/Staten Island/Harlem, they say NYC as well.
Only if you consider *pizza*as food.
what a ridiculous statement. oh......sorry, I'm just speaking for like a billion people, and everyone that lives in Italy.
Actually, while we're at it, why not find me a husband as well. Any takers? :)))
I suggest the bars in the upper east side :)
I've seen enough. Sorry nanna, but I don't take you as a serious "move to Poland" candidate anymore because I don't think you're going anywhere, you can just tell by your posts.
Hi, I know this is an old thread.
But I think that people from Europe that live in the USA because their parents moved in the 80's etc think that especially people in Poland have no idea what it is like to live in the great USA.
My story- I left Poland at 5 during communism (obviously with parents!) moved to Germany and then South Africa. We went back to Poland on vacation and also as a trial for a year and it was VERY different culture wise, even as a 15 year old I saw it.
We then moved to the USA and have been here for 12 years. English is my native language but I do speak, read and write Polish. I speak some German.
The misconception is that in the USA you make money and live some great life. It is very far from the truth. As a person that has a college degree a good school costs 35-40k a YEAR for 4 years, then Masters/MBA goes up to 40-50k a year.. nevermind doing some type of phd or MD (add in an extra 100k for that). There is also capped financial aid, so you owe money no matter what, especially now. Even a bad state school or community college will set you back a pretty penny.
As for Poland and cramped apartments, you obviously have not seen ads in New York for a CLOSET literally going for 2k a month or probably more, and that's with 5 roommates!
Same goes for most of "developed" USA, and moving to states that are sunny, such as Texas, Arizona, Florida etc is a joke. The cost of living is low, but they do NOT have any labor laws, and employ/fire at will. The salary is VERY low, if you can find a job at all (jobs in Florida pay $8.50 an hour on average)
I have been very successful in the USA, but I can tell you no matter how much you save when something happens it won't be enough. Ironically I think a lot of the reason Polish people do well in the USA when they attend school/speak the language is that we are POLISH, and most places LOVE that- good work ethic, smart, adaptable (esp the people/kids who have lived all over).
Now let me say that there are a lot of things I do not like as someone who would not be considered "Polish enough" by most.. Poland has a culture very much rooted in the Catholic church, and although Christianity is in the USA (aka Conservative party) it is mostly in certain states, and what we call "The Bible Belt".
You think that that would not matter, even if you consider yourself conservative in the USA, but it does. I found myself dumbfounded by the Church's influence in Poland, and law that is extremely outdated re: abortions, use of contraceptives, artificial insemination, gay rights, things like DNR (Do not resuscitate) is considered euthanasia in Poland, although the debates continue. If you have been raised in a very Polish environment, attend church and are Conservative (go watch Polish TV) then maybe you will be okay. If however you live in New York and are left leaning liberal you may have some issues (I am very involved in left Politics in the USA and have issues with Church and law)
BTW I do not think that as a bad thing. The reason certain states in the USA have immigrants from all over, and Progressive policy is that people have different values. In order for Poland to be modern, have a good workforce and policy that attracts multiple types of individuals you will need people moving back and making a change socially!
I also think if you are planning of switching careers or getting a higher degree Poland and Europe will be more open for you, vs trying to do that in the USA- unless you are a millionaire.
Just to let you know I live in Chicago, my income from age 23-30 has been 60k-100k, with my significant other making 40k-70k and we still cannot get by! We do not live a lavish lifestyle and we do not own crazy expensive cars or go on vacations all the time. It's very expensive in the USA- food, gas (almost $5 a gallon), cars, insurance (or medical costs) around $600-1400 for a family of 4 a month, then RENT or mortgage which is very high, and my school loans? Payments are ridiculous! I just had some dental work done and paid 10k CASH and need to pay another 5k more. It's very expensive in the USA, don't be fooled. We also don't get a lot of vacation time (10 days-2 weeks) have terrible maternity leave (12 weeks, most women go back in 4!) and really can be fired for anything at anytime- unless you are lucky enough to work for a union that they are trying to push out. My average work week is 55-80 hours.
If you are healthy and lived in the USA all your life, your parents had money and pushed you, well you may be doing okay. But we now have almost NO middle class, and 50% of children live in poverty, unemployment is very high, wages are very low, and the reason for almost all bankruptcy is medical bills, my mother has stage 4 cancer and works 40-50 hours a week while in chemotherapy because she can't afford not to. (her total insurance paid almost 4 million already, and before they had caps on that!)
Sorry for the rant. I hope people in Poland can see that really there seems to be good opportunity in EU and Poland, which is GOOD, and people coming back is good also, we have different ideas and experiences we can share, as well as hopefully improve things.
As for my brother and sister? They left the USA almost 10 years ago and went to school in Europe. Both have great jobs, take tons of vacations and visit here often. I kick myself for staying here and am now looking at going back to EU for school and work.
Sorry I wanted to clarify, with private insurance here the huge issue is that even if you get it through an employer out of pocket costs are very high, as an example we have to pay $1500 a deductible year before we can even start to use coverage (and additionally money is taken out every month for insurance premium). Most insurance then pays 80%, with you paying 20% until you reach an "out of pocket maximum" that for our plan (which is a very good plan) is $5000 single, $12000 family. Only after that do they pay for 100%. This repeats every year.
Obama is changing some things, before if you were diagnosed with a minor or major condition and lost insurance- did not buy private right away after 60 days of not being insured you would not be eligible for private due to preexisting condition (could be anything - asthma, cancer etc) we have the highest medical costs of any developed country in the world. The insurance company could also drop you at anytime, and they had 1 million caps. To give you an example if you had a baby that was born premature you would use up the 1 million insurance cap in about a month.
This is VERY important for anyone even thinking that USA is great/cheap and you will not have problems...
I needed surgery 2 years ago, we paid $1500 + $5000 I had surgery, and then the after care was the same (because it resets every year) so another $1500+ $5000. Not including my husband and his stuff.
Medication is also expensive, at one point my medication costs were $900 a month, so the cost of a nice 2 bedroom apartment in suburbs of Chicago.
Dental is even WORSE as benefits are total $2000 a year and a root canal + crown costs approx $1800 total at a normal dentist! It's INSANE here! So I don't blame people for wanting to get out and live their lives. Maybe you will be middle class but with the mobility of Europe you can probably end up being happy and actually raising a family, travelling etc.
Why do you think the average age for college educated women to have a child is 35? No MONEY!
Plus they just released statistics that women are now 40% of the time breadwinners in the USA. We have high everything, including infant mortality, healthcare costs.. gas, energy etc.
Chicago-Girl: now compare all what you wrote with information that median net salary per month in big polish city is around
650 euro per month (10 000 USD per year net) and 2 rooms apartment prices starts from 300 - 500 euro (depending on city).
People in USA at least have salary to pay this high bills. Your mother here probably wouldn't be treated at all, because hospitals don't use modern cancer treatment. Which is better? You're showing many prices, but they're meaningless without comparing them with American salaries.
In USA studies can be expensive, but in Poland 50% of people age 25 - 35 graduated, so for many of them there is no graduated job, so are in worse situation than if they have had learned some profession instead.
Just to let you know I live in Chicago, my income from age 23-30 has been 60k-100k, with my significant other making 40k-70k and we still cannot get by!
- then what makes you think that you could make it in Poland?
As a person that has a college degree a good school costs 35-40k a YEAR for 4 years
For a "good" school, huh? OK. Tuition currently costs $38,891 per year to attend an undergrad program at Harvard University, one of the most prominent universities in not just the United States, but the entire world. Let that little bit of information stand as our first piece of evidence of how this girl is looking to exaggerate the facts.
(jobs in Florida pay $8.50 an hour on average)
haha, "jobs" huh? Burger King? Cleaning lady? Supermarket cashier? Holy crap this is absurd.
gas (almost $5 a gallon)
Chicago currently has the most expensive gas in the COUNTRY, averaging $4.48/gallon. Compare that to where I live down south, at $3.53. Either way, gas in the US is far more affordable than anywhere in europe by a long shot.
I just had some dental work done and paid 10k CASH and need to pay another 5k more.
"some" dental work? what the hell did you have done, all your top teeth yanked out and replaced with implants? $15,000?!!!
Just reading over some of this stuff, I do get the feeling that American is very expensive. I know a lot of people earn more, but the prices are still expensive. They have you by the balls in the USA. You have a house, a car, and other, what one might call, 'luxuries,' but you spend most of your life paying them off. If you lose your job, and have a family, you're family is stuffed and it can cause serious stress. The stuff is yours, although it's not ever really, fully yours.
I've never understood why the Americans have the healthcare system they do. I don't get it. I don't get why so many of them fight against it being changed. I mean people must be afraid to go to a hospital, even when they are actually ill, just because of the amount of money it could cost them.
