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Well, Poland is a victim of Russian propaganda and vastly ignorant takes on our state by foreigners. So that is why people tend to be extremely defensive regard outside criticism. But at the same time, there is no more critical people about Poland, then the Poles. But it is made from position of the love to the country.
About Sunday’s brother I wish you gonna have a family then and your wife has to work on the weekends of course I don’t wish you that I wish you have a family and you can spend every weekend with your family
@@WheresWes why would I subscribe to your channel…yes, I’m from Poland , I live in USA, I know both sides of the spectrum to the core, but majority of of your commentators are total buffoons…. no logic, no rational objectivity, just blah blah blah illogical rant.
@@supreme3376 po co to dzielenie na my i oni, po co ten nienawistny ton? Przypomnę: oglądamy kanał gościa zakochanego w Polsce, który jest przemiły i świetnie oraz kulturalnie podsumowuje nasze niektóre cechy narodowe. Myślę, że takie skłócające komentarze rodem z jakiegoś pseudopatriotycznego "Marszu Niepodległości", czy pasujące pod filmy republika tv możesz zachować dla takiego właśnie towarzystwa
Complaining = Polish small talk. Instead of pretending to be super happy in front of others, we know that there are only beautiful moments in life and we prefer to build connections between people based on struggles with common problems.
Ja tam wolę myśleć pozytywnie a zwłaszcza gdy jestem wśród ludzi, dlatego że uśmiech jest zaraźliwy. To nie znaczy że nie mam swoich osobistych porażek i tragedii, mam, życie to nie bajka. Ale WYBIERAM przynosić innym promyk radości swoją obecnością ❤💟💛💙
Exactly. This is a problem I see when Americans or other people from abroad talk about Poland. They dont understand that "complaining" means something different here than in USA. For us complaining is just talking about everything.
The moment in your life when actually everything is fine and you realise you doesn't know how to talk with people anymore, bc you have nothing to complain about😅
I agree. How can you get to know the person and actually make connection with them, when you don't know what bugs them? I can't count the times I've solved my everyday problems (with bureaucracy too) when I've "complained" to my colegues about it. And I put it in quotation marks because I think it's more the way we talk (edit: that makes "complaining"), rather than what we communicate.
Who is a pessimist? A pessimist sees a tunnel. An optimist sees light at the end of the tunnel. A realist sees tracks. And a train driver sees three fools on the track.
and these fools at the track that are just three polish guys complaining that its too dark, the tracks are too bumpy, and the lazy guy with the lantern at the end of the tunnel is coming too slowly in their direction
"I don't like that polish ppl complain a lot" - makes video what he do not like in Poland 😂 Sir, it was sooo polish of You 😉 And we do not complain, it's small talk 😉😅
When it comes to "customer service", you probably won't find many allies ;) We like it the way it is. When we go to a store, office, restaurant, we want to take care of our business and not make friends with the staff. Naturally, we expect mutual culture, goodwill, being polite to each other, etc. However, we don't accept intrusive "making people happy". When we are in a restaurant, we know who our waiter is and after he first checks if everything is ok with our food, we don't need him to come every five minutes to check if something has changed, if we need something, or maybe we want to fix something, etc. etc. We are adults and we know how to use our hands. If we need something, we know where the waiter is so we will ask him to come to our table. Such constant, arbitrary arrival of the waiter at the table is interpreted by us as intrusive, rude, and proposing things as an attempt to push a purchase on us. Similarly, when we are in a store, we do not want the staff following us around and asking how they can help - if we need something or have questions, we will approach them. We don't like pretending to be "nice", a fake smile. We are interested in directness and practicality. That's why you have certainly gained our respect with this material, because you have honestly said what you don't like. The fact that we will disagree with some things and even argue about them does not eliminate it ;) Being honest and complaining about things is in our citizenship exam, so you can check that off, there is still learning the language, culture, history and law, but that's a minor thing ;)
Yea. Its Perfect. We sit with friends, waiter or bartender looks at us sometimes from the distance, if we catch eachother sight, we know that we need something and understand each other.
Two different topics. I agree with what you wrote about service being not too ushy. But different topic is being rude or without enthusiasm or will of helping. There are still places where the customer service is just bad. Without smile, talking with the tone of offended person and approaching customer with bad attitude. The part of the work of customer service is to be nice and helpful and that is sometimes forgotten. Fortunately it is changing for better.
Graffiti is the worst. I think Poland has made improvements in the overall cleanliness: there's generally no garbage on the streets etc. but the grafitti sticks out like a sore thumb. I really hope this can be sorted out.
...aaaand ad banners along the roads. Simply removing them would up the looks of the countryside 100% (big cities fare better, luckily, with local laws).
I don’t think so. Not unless there is going to be some way of dealing with people who do it. There is this one tunel in Cracow. Since it was modernised it had graffiti painted all over and cleaned at least 5 times. It is like a game.
@@bip5395 then not remove it , just allow to happen ,make a place for graffiti artist to free themselves , like a place for graffiti community that already exist in Poland , just allow rule that say that no gore etc. on walls , but motivation talk , or Christianity art ( good + good love you etc. would be ok
Also, tips were invented to be given out to waiters and cooks as a way to show gratitude for good service. The whole idea of having a predetermined amount of tip you have to give BEFORE you even see the food is just bonkers, in USA it basicly evolved into a standard fee, it has nothing to do with tiping... here in Poland WE decide if the tip is deserved at all and how much it should be, it exist to encourage waiters and cooks to do even better. Tips for food delivery is a another can of worms
True. Now. But it wasn’t always like that. Tipping is an old outdated custom that has been institutionalized in the US. We need a higher minimum wage and to pay the workers well. P.s. Not taxing tips is ridiculous. I worked as a waiter for a total is 15 years. We always cheated on declaring for taxing. Everyone in every restaurant everywhere does. I’ve worked in places where I would take home $300/$400 every night and in places where I was lucky to take home $30.
These are pretty valid. And I HATE graffiti too, believe me - most Poles share this sentiment but there will always be idiots that will ruin things for the rest :)
1. Complaining about Poland by Poles is very much sibling type of relationship - I can complain but don’t you dare to say a bad word about them! 2. Bad drivers: let me remind you that you live in Krakow (I do to). Currently for past few years we see huge group of foreigners who started to work as Bolt/Uber drivers. Suddenly the accidents and crushes got more common (even fatal sometimes, which was not happening before), because they brought in their driving style, which just doesn’t work in here. And I say that as a person who worked as a female professional driver in Cracow since 2018. 3. I must disagree strongly on advancement of governmentals systems - I literally only need to use my bank account data to do most of things in governmental sites. I can get ID this way, I can get my baby’s passport this way, I don’t have to calculate my taxes, system does it on its own. 4. Optimism isn’t necessary for development. Poland has one of the best growth rates if not the best one in Europe for past 30 years. Can you imagine that I cannot talk too long to Americans because to me most of them completely lack depth and awareness of the world outside the US once you get into like second hour around them? 😂 I guess it is the opposite of our seriousness.
1. Graffiti - I agree, till now we didn't find a good solution for that problem. 2. Bad Drivers - it depends. Probably the bolt's drivers are the worst... 3.1 Wheather - we cannot change it ;) Many people has a seasonal depression. So we are waiting for a beautiful spring. 3.2 AC wasn't needed that much back then. That's why most of it is new... 4. Language - don't try to be perfectionist. We know that it's a difficult language, so if you start by saying "Wes chcieć zjeść tutaj" = "Wes to want to eat here" (infinitives) instead of "Chciałbym tutaj coś zjeść" = "I'd like to eat here" - we'll understand and appreciate it very much. 5. Smoking - there is much less of it now. But i dont like it too. 6. Hard to Make Friend - try to assimilate more (start using Polish language - it will help). If you want to understand us - watch this vlog (Vigo's dad - the very good observer): th-cam.com/video/2TL6Vdunvqk/w-d-xo.html Most of the people who showed you around treated you as an acquaintance ("znajomy"), not a friend ("przyjaciel"). But many translators use word "friend". Znać kogoś = To know someone Znajomy = someone we know, acquaintance 7. Bureaucracy = true. 8. National self-pity - yes and no. To long to explain. We are generally realists with a touch of pessimism. We prefer to prepare for pessimistic scenarios. You argue why in this film you criticize something in Poland and quite similarly you can say why we criticize "everything" in Poland - because we want it to be better (maybe even perfect). And maybe that's why we have certain convenient everyday solutions that only work in Poland: blik, parcel lockers (paczkomaty), allegro (our eBay), increasingly better public transport etc. If we stop criticizing something, it means that there is basically nothing to improve. I know, we should praise it, but .. there are still so many things to improve (and complain about), it's a waste of time to praise ;) 9. Customer service - OK, agree. But, even a rude person need a job. Such a person would probably lose his job in the US and end up homeless or a criminal. If he is a good driver (who doesn't earn much), but isn't completely rude, then so be it - at least he makes a living from that and not from robbery. 10. Public transportation - good observation - It's getting better every year, but you're right - it's a reason to complain. And here you proposed a good improvement. 11. Closed on Sundays - it depends. Think about people working in such places (who doesn't earn much) - it's hard for them to meet up with family or friends, because even if they have a day off, their friends don't. For people working from Monday to Friday/Saturday, open shops are convenient, but they themselves don't work on Sundays. We don't want to divide Poles into castes, it makes coexistence difficult. 12. In Poland we usually eat dinner (our last meal) at home around 7-8 p.m. If we go out it can be a bit later, but few people make plans for 10 p.m. So it's not profitable for restaurants to work late for just one customer. This is not like in Spain. 13. Fashion - not my subject. On a daily basis, we tend to dress comfortably and adapt our clothes to the weather, rather than to follow the fashion created by consumerism.
I agree with this comment a lot so I will just add a few points :D 2. Bad drivers - the question is compared to who? Road safety in Poland is not the best and at the same time it's not the worst as well. In comparison to road safety in Norway... well, we should never go outside anywhere in Poland😉Safety level is improving, though it's not happening fast enough. I feel like drink-driving and inappropriate speed are too socially accepted, even among older drivers. 3. Weather can be quite shitty and depressing but at the same time - we have legit four seasons and that's kinda cool
@@paulinanowicka4987 Norway is not very good example because of one stark difference - population density. Poland is much more densly populated country. Mix it with mashup of new and very old road rules, new very fast roads and old bumpy full of pot holes ones and you will get disaster brewing. Statistics are also skewed by road design differences. Take pedestrian accidents on crosswalks in Poland. Very high number. You can draw a conclusion that it is very dangerous place but reality is we have crosswalks everywhere. They take up like 10% of the roads no wonder accidents happen on them. It is due to very old law prohibiting pedestrians from crossing the street at any point but crosswalk.
I love your content but there is one thing that bothers me about this list. It is easy to feel optimistic about the future if your country has never been attacked by force and probably never will be, if it has never experienced military action on its territory. We, on the other hand, have just thrown off the shackles of a regime after an earlier war that destroyed culture, territory and above all people, and not only "ordinary citizens" but also the lion's share of our intellectual elite, who could rebuild the country after the war, and on the horizon we see the enemy raising its head and glaring at us, destroying our neighbor. Don't be surprised by our "self-pity" if you come from a country that will never experience so many generational traumas.
Let me point out that the USA had been attacked by Japan on December 7t1h, 1941. Thousands of sailors died. Also, hundreds of soldiers, marines, and civilians died. On September 11th, 2001, Islamic terrorists attacked World Trade Center in NYC. Over 3000 died in the attack. Not to mention the destruction in both cases. If he's Chinese, well, China had been attacked by Japan. In 1937, the Japanese took the capital of Nanjing, and the Japanese massacred thousands of civilians. In 1858, Russia attacked China, and again Soviet Union attacked China in 1969.
Another thing is that we really don't like criticism about our country, but it is so for a good reason. In the past(not so distant one - through 1990 until the last decade) we have been defamed, smeared, disdained, loathed, diminished and deprived of our virtues and achievements by many Western European countries all the time. Some petty and pathetic politicians and political fronts and powers tried it all the time, they've spread rumors, disinformation and anti-polish agenda, so in the result we became extremely sensitive over any form of criticism.
We are very optimistic people. Just, when you're pesimist you say: "it can't be worse". But when you're optimist, you say "oh, o'course, that it can be worse"😅
I want to let you know. Worst drivers in Poland came here since 2022 from Ukraine, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Azerbijan etc. When I see polish guy in Uber/Bolt I am happiest man in the world.
Ziom ale Polacy serio chujowo jeżdżą. Jeżdżą za szybko, bez szacunku dla innych kierowców, zamiast sobie pomagać przeszkadzają sobie. A do tego chujowo parkują .
@@szymonmaraszewski1514 podróżując dużo po Europie, jestem w stanie zagwarantować że Polska należy do krajów o wyjątkowo dobrej kulturze jazdy. Wedle moich obserwacji, kierowcy nie są wybitni, ale współczynnik wariatów i złych prowadzących auta jest zdecydowanie mniejszy jak np. na całym południu Europy. Uważam że w ostatecznym rozrachunku jeździmy na podobnym poziomie jak Czesi i Niemcy. Nie jest idealnie, a pojedyncze przypadki wariatów nie powinny psuć całkowitego odbioru Polaków za kółkiem.
@@szymonmaraszewski1514 a kto był na bałkanach, w Grecji, Włoszech, Francji, Hiszpanii, Turcji i tak dalej, doceni to co sie dzieje na drogach w Polsce :)
The thing about being aggressive towards outsiders criticising polish matters is from our national trauma. For 123 years our people were disallowed by foreign forces to act, dress and sometimes even speak Polish. After WW1 we had 2 decades of freedom, and then again for 50 years we were told what to do and how to think by outsiders. So I think it should be at least understandable that we tend to be overprotective it terms of our culture and way of thinking, even if it can be a bit irrational.
You better learn some history, because you're writing hilarious nonsense about the period of the communist regime in Poland. Poland was a communist country in 1947-1989) - for less than 42 years, not for 50 years, for God's sake! In the years 1945-1947 the communists were gradually gaining strength thanks to the support of the Soviets, but the country was still capitalist and pre-war companies and social organizations were being revived, private property was functioning dynamically, life functioned efficiently and was quite well organized (in addition, at the same time, in many areas, there was a civil war against the communists). This rebirth with the hope of democracy and full independence finished due to the suppression of the armed opposition (i.e. anti-communist underground), suppression of the legal, political opposition and the falsification of the parliamentary elections in 1947. In addition, truly monstrous communism, in the Soviet style (with Soviet bastards, imported from Russia, in the government and power structures), was in force only in the years 1948-1956 (and in Czechoslovakia, for example, it was until 1968). Then, after 1956, liberalization took place in Poland (because society en masse did not accept communism and it was widely demonstrated, and - even in the period of the most brutal communism, it failed, among other things, to abolish private property in the countryside). As a result, Poland was the most liberal and "disobedient" country in the communist world. Of course, it still wasn't a free, fully independent country. Soviet troops were stationed here, there was culture censorship (fortunately full of holes and defenseless towards the attitude of society), and most of the economy was state-owned and centrally controlled. In any case, even counting the times of the civil war and the gradual acquisition of power by the communists after 1945, you get not 50 years in total, but 44. In other words, after the 2WW, Poland was enslaved by the Soviets for 44 years, but it was a communist country for 42 years. To this, of course, we must add the years 1939-1941, when the USSR occupied half of Poland (the USSR was an ally of Nazi Germany at that time) and committed genocide and deportations in Polish territories, and 1944 - when the USSR did not actually liberate Poland, but conquered it, murdering members of the Polish anti-German underground, and also the civilian population, and deliberately robbing Poland on a huge scale of cultural assets, economic assets, like production lines, trains, in fact committing killing and robbery everywhere.
@@alh6255 first of all if you count WW2, when we didn't really have a say in our own matters, then from 1939 to 1989 we have 50 years. Then after WW2 do you really think that State National Council that was literally made by polish commies were independent from USSR? I don't think so. Then after 1947 lets say that if you are on a leash, and the one holding it loosens it a bit, then that doesn't change the fact that you are on a leash. So you have a perfect history knowledge, but on the other hand you should think more critically before you make a point
Yes, you can but it doesn't mean it shouldn't be presented properly at the station. Online time-schedule being available shouldn't be an excuse to not provide quality service at the station.
Mysle ze gdzies czytalem ze USA ma kulture optymizmu a niemcy(i najwyrazniej polska) pesymizmu. Ale to nie znaczy ze nie zalatwiamy spraw. Dla mnie amerykanski optymizm.jest meczacy. W korpo sie odbijalem od zarzadu bo nie chcieli sluchac mojej negatywnosci. Czy problem zniknal? Nie. I zaplacili za to cene. A ja zmienilem prace na taka gdzie doceniaja ze szukam problemow i je rozwiazuje zawczasu
Moim zdaniem my jesteśmy bardziej realistami niż pesymistami. Po prostu świat robi się teraz walnięty i nie udajemy, że wszystko idzie w dobrym kierunku.
Masz rację. A corpo w amerykanskim stylu wciaz uczą się, że pewna doza pesymizmu, a nawet paranoi, jest w biznesie błogosławieństwem. Zwłaszcza ze czasy łatwizny gospodarczej dla Zachodu, z okresu po II wojnie światowej do końca XX. w., dawno sie skończyły i potrzebne jest elastyczne myślenie i podejście, oraz wyobraźnia uwzględniająca wiele scenariuszy i zagrożeń. Cóż, korpo w stylu amerykańskim wciąż sie tego uczą (sa w nich prowadzone dla zarządów szkolenia w tym względzie, ale myślę, ze kultura pracy w nich jeszcze długo sienie zmieni).
About the customer service, they're not trying to be rude in poland we don't do the small talk thing. They're supposed to do their job and you're supposed to do your business. Tbh the concept of small talk seem kinda crazy to me. I've been to america and it must be really tiring and annoying to do this all the time. Btw with friends we complain instead of doing the small talk
@@LadyRevania I've noticed that even the most grumpy nurse/office worker changing to lovely person when you are patient and nice to them. Waiting is frustrating for people so they are taking this out on workers and then those workers are acting like a**holes. Yes, you can run across rude people but trust me -when you are patient and nice to them - they will be nice and helpful to you 90% of the time. I can count bad interactions in hospitals and offices on my one hand.
@@kubiyoshi2744 Po pierwsze; nieprawda. W UK jeżeli ktoś podniesie głos, to w wielu firmach jest to już powód do wyrzucenia klienta ze sklepu. Po drugie, podejście "nasz klient nasz pan' sprzyja cwaniactwu i tworzeniu ludzi roszczeniowych, którym się wydaje że im wszystko wolno. Jakie są tego skutki, to można obejrzeć na filmach z USA z hasłem "Karens"
Lepiej jak pracownik cie ochrzani niż Ty potem zrobisz coś źle:// i przynajmniej jak ktoś jest mega hamski dla pracownika to on może coś odpowiedzieć i nie będzie ,,HoW dErE yOU?!" bo w większości wtedy po prostu się nie odzywasz i rozumiesz swój błąd (w większości)
As for the "late eating option" - after all, this food doesn't fall from space, someone has to make it. No one will want to cook until the early morning hours for a few night owls. No one likes working at night at the expense of sleeping during the day and as a result having nothing from that day. Neither working at these hours is good because it disrupts the biological circadian rhythm, nor is eating late at night healthy.
especially polish food - polish food is extremely packed with either fat or sour stuff like vinegar or sour rye, all of em aren't great to eat very late at night cuz then you won't sleep well at all
I loved working night shifts - organizing parties :) I was supervising other parties/companies (like DJ/band, security, food providers etc) while working for a building owner (cultural institution). When everything was ready and party was going smooth I could read, play games on phone etc.I am an night owl and working from 4 pm to 4 am was perfect :) So stating that "No one likes working at night" is wrong - some people do... I had to find different job because I wanted more stability - some months we had a lot of parties, some were dead (I remember that in 2016 in February I worked 27 of 29 days, after January where I worked maybe 6 or 7 days :/). Now I work 8-16 office job and every weekend I switch to staying awake late at night and Mondays kills me after that - it seems worse to my well being ... Also: eating late at night is unhealthy if you go sleep right away... if you stay awake after eating for next few hours it doesn't make any difference. With crazy hot summers like last ones staying open late at night should make sense for restaurants and cafes in the summer. When I was in Rome there was great ice cream place/cafe right in front of apartment we rented - it was open until 3 am and until 1 am there still were whole families with kids and after that many adults sat there. It was way too hot during day and nights was were people lived - I often miss that here in Poland
I think the answer here is different. Culturally we rarely don't have food at home... so why you need schobowy at 1 am if you have it at home? If we don't meet in the city we always have too much food for the guests xD So it doesn't pay off to have schobowy at 1 am, if you have it at home and it's better at home xD
Krakow has a problem with air pollution because it is located in a valley. For several years there has been a ban on burning coal in furnaces, but despite everything the air is still polluted
It's not like we can complain but foreigners can't. They can, but they usually complain about the wrong things xd like for example that they can't get schabowy or żurek at 1 am, or that we have poor customer service because the waiter doesn't run to the table every five minutes ;)
Yeah, public transport system is e good point (there are limited options to travel across the country) but customer serivce... I personally feel irritated when waiter constantly asks me if everything is fine or salesman harasses me when I'm looking for some clothes xD.
Bureaucracy is a weird one. On one hand going to any local clerk office is something that makes my stomach churn, it got better in recent years but it is still something that stinks of communism, especially if there are older workers you have to deal with. On the other hand you can actually get most things done through government sites and apps and your presence is only required in some very niche cases. Compared to Germany or Italy it seems like we are decades ahead. It might be harder for a foreigner with no ability to speak Polish. Workers there are often not the best when it comes to communicating in their native language, let alone in English.
the thing is, Poles are really aware that we hate when other people complain about the things we complain about, its become basically a meme rule, but congrats as you seem to be the first foreigner ever with complaining permission lol
I realized Polish bureaucrazy is heaven after moving to Germany. I've never received as many letters in my life in Poland as here :D but I assume it's different for citizens of Poland and expats and I hope it's gonna get better.
My friend from US told me once that it's hard to get friend in Poland. Cause we have different meaning of this word. In Poland we have 1,2 maybe 3 friends. In Poland friend is like best friend in US. We have a lot of colleagues, but just few friends. And yeah it's hard to make a friend cause its commitment for (in majority of cases) life. I hope you will enjoy Poland and will find some fantastic people. :) If you ever want to visit Olsztyn (beautiful town in north-east of Poland) I will be glad to show it to you. And of course I'll complain as typical polish girl. ;) but maybe not as much.
this and saying "I love you" - we don't tell that to everyone we like. Love is very important to us, sacred I would say and we don't say those words when we really, really don't mean it.
I don't know if you've encountered something like this, but sometimes it's like this, which from the outside may look like "verbally bashing each other" in every possible sentence, but in reality it's a variation of "small talk" and a certain style of joking with each other. Sometimes Poles simply "verbally bash each other" just to have a laugh, and then, when someone overdoes it, they apologize to each other
I have lived in Malta for 7 years. I thought Italians drivers are crazy but Maltese are on a different level od bad. Polish drivers in comparison are super good.
@@WheresWes I just wanted to write it - mostly they are from east (Georgia, Ukraine, and other former USSR republics). Many times I had same feelig: I will die in Uber/Bolt 😅
I am Polish and I love your honest opinion. Most of the points you are making here are extremely valid. I think to some people arguing is like a national sport. I actually hate that you always need to convince somebody that you are right and they are wrong. Sometimes I would rather they say: "Let's agree to disagree" and move on.
When it comes to criticism from foreigners, I've noticed the same pattern in England. You can criticize if you're British, but it provokes anger when you're a foreigner. I lived there for over five years, and as a college employee, I had accommodation provided in a British household. I know what I'm talking about.
As for bureaucracy, most of the simplest and most common matters can be handled online. We have a very efficient system where you can easily file taxes, obtain social benefits, issue documents, and schedule appointments for specific matters. During the pandemic, the entire vaccination registration was conducted online. However, obtaining a visa is not a primary need for people living in this country. In this area, we still have some work to do.
Kiedyś czytałem artykuł pewnej Amerykanki, która też na poczatku narzekała na nasze narzekanie, ale z czasem znalazła w tym następujacy duży pozytyw. Amerykanie zapytani w autobusie, co słychać, odpowiadają " wszytko ok " i na tym właściwie rozmowa dobiega końca nim się jeszcze zaczęła. My natomiast zaraz podchwytujemy temat i rozwijamy go narzekając przy tym niemiłosiernie ale też dajac niejako asumpt do głebszej rozmowy. Może choć takie podejscie nas pocieszy, ten plusik w minusach.
I'm sorry, but I can't help but comment on one thing. You mentioned that Poland is an investing country and if you go to Warsaw, you can see they're building quite rapidly and it's a very modern city. That's true, but the building you showed in the video is the Palace of Culture, built by the Soviets about 70 years ago, after they enslaved us following WWII. According to the USSR, the Palace was a "gift from the Soviet people to the Polish people". For many Poles, it is a symbol of oppression, a symbol of the communist regime under which Poland was for nearly 45 years. There were even protests after the Palace was listed as a historical monument. I understand that it’s somewhat of an icon of Warsaw, but still, it has nothing to do with the fact that Poland is now a country that eagerly invests. Personally, I like the building, often even more than the modern glass and metal structures, and I can't imagine Warsaw without it. But I think it's important to highlight that this building symbolizes the backwardness of communist-era Poland rather than the development and modernity of today's Poland. Don't get me wrong, I’m not trying to nitpick or anything! I really liked this video and you were right about so many things, like bureaucracy or that Poland doesn't invest enough in native engineers and tech, and the thing about customer service, Kebab being often the only night food option or about Polish army attacking when they hear outside criticism 😅This last one made my evening 😂That's so true! I always feel a bit embarrassed when I see such reactions and I love your honesty! We need it more 😄Anyway, I just thought I’d give some history context about the palace you showed, since it’s such an important part of Warsaw’s story, and it really caught my eye when I saw it in a context of modern symbols of progress and investment. I know, I’m probably coming across as very Polish right now 😆focusing on these historical details, when you likely just showed the building most associated with Warsaw, especially since you were talking about the city in that moment. Please accept my apologies, I just couldn’t help myself 😅
You're not wrong since it was built in 1953 and officially Stalin's idea. It's worth to mention however, that an almost exactly same looking building was supposed to be built in Warsaw before the war, under the name 'Tower of Independence'. There is no evidence Soviets tried to imitate it, but Rudniew claimed he tried to imprint Polish style into. Polish architects also insisted to make the building taller than Rudniew wanted, so one could think it's an example of; 'we'll build it anyway, and the way WE want.'
As for the language, at least we have the decency to have a language where spoken language matches written language fairly well. Compared to languages like English or French, where guessing the pronunciation based on written language is close to impossible, and where common are cases where the same syllable is pronounced differently in different words or contexts.
Regarding the A/C topic. The standard "split air conditioner" is not quite popular in poland because most of the apartments/houses were built in the 70's or 80's and those were the times when designers didn't care about such things and didn't even anticipate that residents would want to buy air conditioning. It is much cheaper and better to buy a mobile air conditioner in Poland (so I have one ^^)
I think the hardest part about learning Polish is that in the big cities you can get by in English, so there's not the same intense pressure to learn in like Spanish in LATAM. Still worth learning if you plan to live there long term.
Bro, do not worry the grammar. Whatever gets you through the day is good. In my book any effort matters. Just mix it up with English and you will be good. Baw sie dobrze :)
As a Pole living in the Netherlands for 5 years,I agree with you completely. Nice video done with taste and good humor. Subscribed 🙂 Good luck and keep pushing,we Poles are getting used to things and people slowly,but when once done,you will be 'na zawsze swojak' Cheers!
I think you’re hitting the nail on the head with Polish characteristics and I find it really impressive that after relatively short stay in Poland you have learnt so much about it! Really interesting content :)
About the technology in bureaucracy Poland is one of the most innovative countries. However, it’s the law what’s causing these issues and constant change of people in charge when the government changes that obstructs the processes.
With other people complaining about Poland it is like with little siblings. You will talk shit about them, sometimes you even hate them, but if anyone say a word or attack your little brother or sister you will stand for them.
There's a big difference in culture. When you are asked "How are you?" in the western countries you HAVE TO say a positive thing because people do not give a rats ass about how you are actually doing. In Poland (at least in the older generations like millenials and older) when you are asked "How are you?" people expect you to be honest. You do not ask "How are you?" if you do not want to know how is the person doing Also, we are VERY protective of our language, culture and country (because of our history) so if WE complain then it's all good (we have the rights to change our own country) but if foreigner complains then we take that as an attack on our culture
I would say you are expected to complain ;p. Saying that you are great may be honest, but people will think you lie or brag. 'Ujowo, ale stabilnie' is the best we can go ;p
I'm glad to see someone finally dishing out criticism, and yet doing it in such a sort of tongue-in-cheek way. However valid the points listed in this video might be, you're still not off the hook. Get new locks installed on your doors. I think (and all of this is just my own biased and shrouded pov/opinion) the main crux of our aversion to criticism, is that we're not only argumentative and somewhat mopey people at our core, but we also feel more comfortable criticizing our country, since we know all the nuances and have this sort of mentality or mindset, or simply just this way of thinking, that we don't feel foreigners understand. Same goes for history, I've noticed we feel much more informed (and in a lot of cases, we are, not many people just study Polish history in detail, but that's besides the point) than others, and so, since we're also very prideful, we tend to be pretty unpleasant in that regard. I think this is a bit of a problem, especially when valid criticism or historical citations are brought up, as it's not wise to be so suddenly dismissive, and so unwilling to accept the fact that Poland isn't heaven on earth, that we aren't misunderstood victims, but we're just another place where things are done slightly differently, where our culture is allowed to thrive. There's a lot of ignorance, from what I've seen, when it comes to historical examples of Polish oppression. I was surprised to find out that my mother didn't know about a lot of Polish-Ukrainian history, and the guilt shared between both nations. And I'm sure there's tons of societal issues that none of us notice, or pay any mind, that foreigners would rightfully point out, just to be met with pure, unbridled, patriotic word salad. Graffiti? Absolutely an issue. I live in Łódź, and it's so incredibly annoying at times, to see streets riddled with graffiti, while some of our beautiful murals are in poor condition, and you can barely make out some parts. I don't think this issue is getting resolved anytime in the future, though. Not an easy task, cleaning everything up, and making sure it stays that way. In terms of language, I think what puts those workers off is probably just the fact that you're both communicating in English. If you spoke Polish, even with the most broken accent, I feel you'd get their attention. There's a sense of trust and kinship, I feel, regardless of background, particularly with older people, when both parties can speak in the native language. Again, it's that sort of mindset thing I mentioned earlier. It feels like you're part of the club, like you GET us, man. Those foreigners, they don't get us, dude. But YOU. You GET us. All I can say about learning the language is, take it slow. Don't jump into multiple things at once, just start with the basics, start at the very bottom, and be meticulous about it, make sure you understand everything well, in order to jump to the next hurdle. Find someone that can help you with pronunciation (that's another thing that helps with GETTING us), and getting through it all. You have all the time in the world to learn, so if you feel like you wanna give it a shot, I'm sure there are lots of people that would be willing to help you with learning it, given how much we adore our own language. I've noticed the self-pitying as well, and it's pretty ridiculous. I do think it's important to be aware of the things that have happened to our people throughout history, and it's important to remember the sacrafices made, and how our history affects us today. However, I think one important thing to remember is, we haven't had to experience any horrible events on a national scale. I certainly haven't. I was born in this century, I've never experienced life under the PRL regime. I've never experienced what it was like during the lowest, most depressing periods during the long lifespan of the PRL state, I've never seen any massacres, I've never experienced life during Martial Law. I've never had to go through the darkest chapter in human history, never seen a łapanka with my own two eyes. I've never been alive during the Polish-Bolshevik war, or the many insurrections we staged. The worst problems facing Poland today are trivial when compared to our history, and, while I'm not saying that nullifies all the injustices we face today (like people do in any other part of the world, in any other imperfect country), that certainly doesn't mean I know first-hand what it's like to be a victim. It's important to look back at history, and to us, it's important to view it from our own perspective, to sympathize with, and honor the people that came before us, the people that were needlessly beaten, killed, and the people that died fighting for the right to wave a red-and-white flag, and see an eagle with it's crown still in place. While some older people today, have very likely lived through some awful things, they don't represent the majority of us, who are living in a country like any other. In a place graced with many things other countries don't have. I'm not a fan of pity, or twitter-esque self-victimization, and I wish people nowadays didn't look at history from a first person perspective, despite the blood we share with our ancestors. I don't think the Yalta conference was an act of "selling us out" to the Soviets, of "ditching us", but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it. We should look at history from others' perspectives also, and see, how, there was little to be done. In this case, we were already under the communist sphere of influence, and while, I wish there was more pushback, and I do think it was unwise, how the allies handled our whole situation (from the start of the war), I don't think it's right to call brits and frenchies, in this day and age, traitors. I do think chamberlain was an idiot, yeah. I do think Polish people, Polish soldiers and generals, post-war, were treated awfully, specifically in the UK. But I didn't experience that, and I also know how ruthless some of our own select few partisan groups also committed heinous acts, and why the Ukrainian insurgents came to be in the first place. Why Ukraine has always been so hell-bent on seeing Polish power being diminished. I think we're stuck in a bit of a bubble, and it would be great to look at things from other perspectives, whilst also having the insight and nuances that non-Poles don't. Regardless of our history, and our few chapters of oppressing others, I'm still proud of Poland's history, I'm proud of our culture, and I'm proud of our people. I'd love to see a bit less self-pitying, and more pure pride and self-reflection.
I forgot, I was gonna say one thing about cross-city transport. It's hell, yeah. I visited Kraków with my mother twice, and both times, our return tickets were due the day before our departure. Both times, I'm pretty sure, we bought train tickets for the return journey, during the trip, and only realized the invalid date, when we boarded both trains. While I do think most of the blame lies with us, since we did order the tickets, and only checked the dates whilst boarding, ordering online could still be easier. If it were at least more user friendly, I'd be happy. The train-station issues are annoying enough as is, as you rightfully pointed out with the arrival and departure screens being so short.
Chyba tego nie przeczytał XD, a szkoda, bo mądre rzeczy napisałeś/aś. Ten monolog serio może pomóc zrozumieć polską duszę i mentalność (odwoływaniem się do historii, poświęcenia i patriotyzmu), myślę, że ludzie w innych krajach tak nie rozmawiają między sobą jak my (nie liczę innych Słowian) Naprawdę mnie wkurzył z tym podpunktem o "self-pity", chyba naprawdę nie rozumie, co się tu działo (i to non stop, jedna tragedia za drugą), powinien bardziej się otworzyć na tą patriotyczną (i trochę pompatyczną) wrażliwość. I nauczyć się lepiej historii!
@@xdlol59 Podejrzewam, że masz rację z tym że nie zna naszej historii na tyle, by móc mówić o użalaniu, ale z moich obserwacji jest jednak troszkę tego. Ale tak, trzeba znać historię żeby dojść do takiego wniosku. Dziękuję za miłą odpowiedź, aż się rumienię.
5:49 B.S. 🧐 we have one of the best internet infrastructure in EU and our bureaucracy is in big part digital, so for younger peoples it is quite easy IMO. New ID or MD notce for work 🤷♂️ maybe if you foriegner it is not digitised to much 🧐
I knew a brit who had PTSD from driving in Poland. He would wake up in the middle of the night because he had a nightmare about driving in Poland. The funny thing is, once you learn to drive in Poland, you won't want to drive any other way. It's just so efficient and surprising orderly. Indian friend couldn't stop commenting how ppl don't honk at each other and patiently wait for right of way.
If you can speak Chinese mandarin you can learn polish language too-two most difficult languages in the world. It isn't easy to make friends here but if I travel to China for example, can I find friends there so easy? I don't think so. Different culture and language and so on.
Having grown up in Poland and living all my adult life abroad I can 100% agree that the negative/pessimistic outlook is what holds the nation back… it’s largely the reason I’ve left the country. We are incredibly hardworking and talented, but mindset shift nationwide is what separates us from being a powerhouse in Europe
😊 u nailed it. As a Pole i agree to nearly all of the points in this vid. But it's still a lovely place especially taking into account things that happen all over the world in last years. Nice having u here bro :)
Hi, just a quick comment about your seasonal depression - try supplementing vitamin D, it'll make it much better. Some of it will stay, but the change in mood will be VERY noticeable. Great video, thanks!
10:10 about closed shops. Few years ago shops weren't closed but christians decided that the Sunday is the day we all should rest of work so after a big fight about that it was decided that that shops should be closed because the workers also are christians (at least most of them). I think there are good sides and bad sides because of it but we all got used to it already. I wish I helped 😅
The thing with fashion (in my eyes) is we see everyone who cares a lot about their looks as narcissist and attention seeker. We enjoy our culture of "don't stand out or you're weird"
It was a very sympathetic dose of criticism, and with some I will agree with you as a Pole. Graffiti is nice when is an art street not a random doodles, and I hate double standards and smoking places, lucky we have more and more zones where smoking is not allowed 😉. Some of the things are just a question of perspective and... not only Polish, but European culture, to this group I will put: bureaucracy, customer service, closed markets on Sundays, no late-night-meal restaurants, it is just our typical EU thing, actually I am living 10 years in Spain, and knowing customer service and bureaucracy here, I am really missing Polish one... shocking! Polish, German, NL, are more reliable, than people on the Southern European. If you have 6 months hot and high humidity weather, you also start to appreciate more temperate climate. I will never ever complain more about Polish weather! I am really enjoying winter in Spain 🤣.
1. You need to be over 18 to buy everything that contains alcohol or nicotine... so you're absolutely wrong.. and they do check that. 2. We don't feel pity, we're in general much more educated than an average USA citizen, so our conversations, or arguments if you prefer to call it so, are about disagreements on how our country and politics should look like, in USA it seems that not many people know much about economics and life in general, if you don't know = you don't care, that's why they don't talk about it so much. And looking at what's happening there (been to US multiple times), I don't regret that we are who we are. 3. You've said many times that you don't have many Polish friends so you're just spreading polish stereotypes around without understanding them or knowing the reality. (how we think and that we always argue at the dinner tables) 4. We don't care about your opinions. You're a guest here, don't understand our country and culture well enough to criticize it, so respect that and learn. 5. Don't expect a bus driver to speak english or understand you speaking in another language. If you want to have better experience, learn polish.
JEZU, W KOŃCU KTOŚ TO POWIEDZIAŁ. A to, że oczekuje, że wszyscy będą mówić w jego języku? Amerykocentryzm mocny, on nigdy nie zrozumie nas ani naszej kultury bez znajomości języka.
@@xdlol59 to arogancki azjata, który ma to szczęście, że urodził się w ameryce, Polacy mają tendencje do gloryfikowania cudzoziemców w Polsce tylko przez to, że są cudzoziemcami w Polsce. Gość totalnie nadal nie rozumie kultury i historii tego kraju, bo żeby to zrobić, nie wystarczy obejrzeć kilka filmikow na yt na ten temat i nagrać swoje udawane, emocjonalne reakcje. Im dłużej go oglądam, tym większe czuje do niego zniechęcenie.
I know it is an American thing, this AC stuff...... And I believe it is something that you miss, when you are used to it or grew up with. Honestly I must admit, I find it weird entering a room in hot summer and it's cold all of the sudden. I mean this hot temperature inside is part of the summer feeling, at least for me. Even if my apartment had AC, I would not use it, because I don't like it.
if poles would not complain they would end up by now in the same situation as britain or france also if anyone think that they know Poland/poles and they only been living in warsaw then they know nothing, people born in warsaw are entire different breed (big ephasis on born not just living there)
Regarding the public transit issues, try checking if there is some kind of smartphone app available. Here in Czechia, there are some very good companion apps for each of the main train and bus carriers, which compensate for the sometimes outdated infrastructure. I am sure, they must have them in Poland as well.
you are absolutely right! polish pronunciation is purposely difficult, even word like "cześć" sounds that way for instant identification if you are foreign or not .
There is nothing wrong with complaining, unless it is pointless complaining. Sunday being free day is good. Public transport in a lot of Poland is bad. No obligatory tipping is great. "Sensitive", if people from, for example, Buenos Aires responded the same way to criticism they would be described as "passionate" - just an observation. Chinese are as bad or even worse at taking criticism, some might even call you a ræsict just for pointing out facts.
6:06 - other than Puławski, I think Tadeusz Kościuszko is worth mentioning - he also fought in the Civil War and his Statue is standing across from Copernicus in Philadelphia, PA.
I have to disagree about friends. Its a lot easier to make friends in Poland than most of Europe, especially the Netherlands. Also. The tech in Poland's bureaucracy is actially better than much of Europe, shockingly! Some countries like to add difficulties,!
It's not easy for him because he doesn't speak Polish. It's all over the world the same, I live in Germany if you don't speak German you are not gonna find friends here..
I also have to disagree about friends: to be friends you have to spend time, it will not happen at the first meeting. You have to talk a lot: small talk but also discuss serious matters. After that, we will know You and You become our friend. It's not an issue with the fact that you are a foreigner or shy, because it's the same for everyone.
Facet żyje rok w polsce i już ma znajomych w bloku i administracji, a ja żyję w jednym bloku większość życia i mojeje znajomosci blokowe ograniczają się nadal do dzien dobry, dowodzenia 😂
The self-pity for being Polish comes from an omnipresent glorification of everything that’s western. In my case, I moved to the UK for a few years and after seeing the reality of how the abroad really looks like, my Polish inferior complex vanished. Cudze chwalicie, swego nie znacie wariaty.
So, about the self-pity. I suppose it's difficult for you as an American to fully understand our point of view. The Usa hasn't really been attacked or hasn't had it's growth supressed so much at any point in the history. I believe that us saying how bad we've had it in the past shows that we are confident in our potential. It shows that our ego as a nation rises high (it's a good thing) because we know we could have been a much more powerful country if it hadn't been for so many terrible historical events. It's a source of motivation to keep improving since we finally have the ability to show the world what Poland is capable of after gaining independece. At least I understand it that way :) Have a nice day man
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Well, we do have border with Russia. Politics unfortunately are important to us.
Well, Poland is a victim of Russian propaganda and vastly ignorant takes on our state by foreigners. So that is why people tend to be extremely defensive regard outside criticism. But at the same time, there is no more critical people about Poland, then the Poles. But it is made from position of the love to the country.
About Sunday’s brother I wish you gonna have a family then and your wife has to work on the weekends of course I don’t wish you that I wish you have a family and you can spend every weekend with your family
@@WheresWes why would I subscribe to your channel…yes, I’m from Poland , I live in USA, I know both sides of the spectrum to the core, but majority of of your commentators are total buffoons….
no logic, no rational objectivity, just blah blah blah illogical rant.
We really like ro have our own word
P.S. You've started complaining! Now you're one of us! ;-)
hahaha a good one :)
Hahahaha
one of us... one of us... one of us
Haha true. If you complaine/give somebody your honest but unwanted opinion- welcome home buddy😂
one of us! one of us! one of us!
It's not arguing - it's just the way we communicate :) And complaining is our version of American small talk :)
That's the point!
W punkt!❤
@@barbarellla1553 Nie raczej nie My to Możemy ONI MAJA SIĘ DOSTOSOWAĆ
Inaczej będziesz Miała Europe Zachodnią
@@supreme3376 po co to dzielenie na my i oni, po co ten nienawistny ton? Przypomnę: oglądamy kanał gościa zakochanego w Polsce, który jest przemiły i świetnie oraz kulturalnie podsumowuje nasze niektóre cechy narodowe. Myślę, że takie skłócające komentarze rodem z jakiegoś pseudopatriotycznego "Marszu Niepodległości", czy pasujące pod filmy republika tv możesz zachować dla takiego właśnie towarzystwa
Complaining = Polish small talk. Instead of pretending to be super happy in front of others, we know that there are only beautiful moments in life and we prefer to build connections between people based on struggles with common problems.
There is a reason why there is a saying "Misery loves company"
Ja tam wolę myśleć pozytywnie a zwłaszcza gdy jestem wśród ludzi, dlatego że uśmiech jest zaraźliwy. To nie znaczy że nie mam swoich osobistych porażek i tragedii, mam, życie to nie bajka. Ale WYBIERAM przynosić innym promyk radości swoją obecnością ❤💟💛💙
Exactly. This is a problem I see when Americans or other people from abroad talk about Poland. They dont understand that "complaining" means something different here than in USA. For us complaining is just talking about everything.
The moment in your life when actually everything is fine and you realise you doesn't know how to talk with people anymore, bc you have nothing to complain about😅
I agree.
How can you get to know the person and actually make connection with them, when you don't know what bugs them?
I can't count the times I've solved my everyday problems (with bureaucracy too) when I've "complained" to my colegues about it. And I put it in quotation marks because I think it's more the way we talk (edit: that makes "complaining"), rather than what we communicate.
Chłop już tyle tworzy o Polsce, że chyba możemy mu pozwolić narzekać na Polskę razem z nami...
XD
Unga bunga guy in the video talks about Poland so i will speak polish.
For sure everyone will understand
Taa mozna mu dac paszport polsatu😂
No nie wiem....😁
Ale dopiero jak zacznie pić wódkę i jeść kiszone ogórki.
:D
Zmienię nazwisko na Kurwaski
Who is a pessimist?
A pessimist sees a tunnel.
An optimist sees light at the end of the tunnel.
A realist sees tracks.
And a train driver sees three fools on the track.
kolego rozjebałeś mnie od minuty nie mogę się przestać śmiać
Good 'ol classic.
and these fools at the track that are just three polish guys complaining that its too dark, the tracks are too bumpy, and the lazy guy with the lantern at the end of the tunnel is coming too slowly in their direction
@@zuzinkaw Nah, not tracks, rails are to low to reach ;)
And train driver is Polish and says sth like 'Kur*a co za debile'
"I don't like that polish ppl complain a lot" - makes video what he do not like in Poland 😂
Sir, it was sooo polish of You 😉
And we do not complain, it's small talk 😉😅
Yeah, It is OUR version of small talk. This moring I just started complaning about the change of weather and that gives me headache 😅
The guy fits well to the society 😂
"Polish" goes with capital "P" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
/ Polish raging intensifies.
there is a difference between complaining and critical thinking
When it comes to "customer service", you probably won't find many allies ;) We like it the way it is. When we go to a store, office, restaurant, we want to take care of our business and not make friends with the staff. Naturally, we expect mutual culture, goodwill, being polite to each other, etc. However, we don't accept intrusive "making people happy". When we are in a restaurant, we know who our waiter is and after he first checks if everything is ok with our food, we don't need him to come every five minutes to check if something has changed, if we need something, or maybe we want to fix something, etc. etc. We are adults and we know how to use our hands. If we need something, we know where the waiter is so we will ask him to come to our table. Such constant, arbitrary arrival of the waiter at the table is interpreted by us as intrusive, rude, and proposing things as an attempt to push a purchase on us. Similarly, when we are in a store, we do not want the staff following us around and asking how they can help - if we need something or have questions, we will approach them.
We don't like pretending to be "nice", a fake smile. We are interested in directness and practicality. That's why you have certainly gained our respect with this material, because you have honestly said what you don't like. The fact that we will disagree with some things and even argue about them does not eliminate it ;) Being honest and complaining about things is in our citizenship exam, so you can check that off, there is still learning the language, culture, history and law, but that's a minor thing ;)
So true.
Yea. Its Perfect. We sit with friends, waiter or bartender looks at us sometimes from the distance, if we catch eachother sight, we know that we need something and understand each other.
As an Australian living in Thailand wow that sounds so great I should checkout Poland
Two different topics. I agree with what you wrote about service being not too ushy. But different topic is being rude or without enthusiasm or will of helping. There are still places where the customer service is just bad. Without smile, talking with the tone of offended person and approaching customer with bad attitude. The part of the work of customer service is to be nice and helpful and that is sometimes forgotten. Fortunately it is changing for better.
It is called customer service, not customer annoying for a reason ;)
Graffiti is the worst. I think Poland has made improvements in the overall cleanliness: there's generally no garbage on the streets etc. but the grafitti sticks out like a sore thumb. I really hope this can be sorted out.
...aaaand ad banners along the roads. Simply removing them would up the looks of the countryside 100% (big cities fare better, luckily, with local laws).
I don’t think so.
Not unless there is going to be some way of dealing with people who do it. There is this one tunel in Cracow. Since it was modernised it had graffiti painted all over and cleaned at least 5 times. It is like a game.
how is it the worst, it's literaly just some paint on walls, no harm to anyone
@@lv.1crook fascinating take.
I’d say that harm is the cost of removing it. Would you agree?
@@bip5395 then not remove it , just allow to happen ,make a place for graffiti artist to free themselves , like a place for graffiti community that already exist in Poland , just allow rule that say that no gore etc. on walls , but motivation talk , or Christianity art ( good + good love you etc. would be ok
Excuse me but tipping culture in America is toxic. You don't get better customer service for having to pay 15% more for your meal.
20& now, going ut to 25%
Also, tips were invented to be given out to waiters and cooks as a way to show gratitude for good service. The whole idea of having a predetermined amount of tip you have to give BEFORE you even see the food is just bonkers, in USA it basicly evolved into a standard fee, it has nothing to do with tiping... here in Poland WE decide if the tip is deserved at all and how much it should be, it exist to encourage waiters and cooks to do even better. Tips for food delivery is a another can of worms
@@BeckenPowerPL I think I should move there, seems like a nice country
True. Now. But it wasn’t always like that. Tipping is an old outdated custom that has been institutionalized in the US. We need a higher minimum wage and to pay the workers well.
P.s. Not taxing tips is ridiculous. I worked as a waiter for a total is 15 years. We always cheated on declaring for taxing. Everyone in every restaurant everywhere does.
I’ve worked in places where I would take home $300/$400 every night and in places where I was lucky to take home $30.
These are pretty valid. And I HATE graffiti too, believe me - most Poles share this sentiment but there will always be idiots that will ruin things for the rest :)
Patusy lol
Nienawidze grafitti aaaa
Graffiti is the human equivalent of dogs marking their territory by peeing everywhere. Stop it, it's not nice and we shouldn't behave like dogs
Jakie k***a graffiti?? Bazgroły wandali!
It's really hard to call that a graffiti.
1. Complaining about Poland by Poles is very much sibling type of relationship - I can complain but don’t you dare to say a bad word about them!
2. Bad drivers: let me remind you that you live in Krakow (I do to). Currently for past few years we see huge group of foreigners who started to work as Bolt/Uber drivers. Suddenly the accidents and crushes got more common (even fatal sometimes, which was not happening before), because they brought in their driving style, which just doesn’t work in here. And I say that as a person who worked as a female professional driver in Cracow since 2018.
3. I must disagree strongly on advancement of governmentals systems - I literally only need to use my bank account data to do most of things in governmental sites. I can get ID this way, I can get my baby’s passport this way, I don’t have to calculate my taxes, system does it on its own.
4. Optimism isn’t necessary for development. Poland has one of the best growth rates if not the best one in Europe for past 30 years.
Can you imagine that I cannot talk too long to Americans because to me most of them completely lack depth and awareness of the world outside the US once you get into like second hour around them? 😂 I guess it is the opposite of our seriousness.
1. Graffiti - I agree, till now we didn't find a good solution for that problem.
2. Bad Drivers - it depends. Probably the bolt's drivers are the worst...
3.1 Wheather - we cannot change it ;) Many people has a seasonal depression. So we are waiting for a beautiful spring.
3.2 AC wasn't needed that much back then. That's why most of it is new...
4. Language - don't try to be perfectionist. We know that it's a difficult language, so if you start by saying "Wes chcieć zjeść tutaj" = "Wes to want to eat here" (infinitives) instead of "Chciałbym tutaj coś zjeść" = "I'd like to eat here" - we'll understand and appreciate it very much.
5. Smoking - there is much less of it now. But i dont like it too.
6. Hard to Make Friend - try to assimilate more (start using Polish language - it will help). If you want to understand us - watch this vlog (Vigo's dad - the very good observer):
th-cam.com/video/2TL6Vdunvqk/w-d-xo.html
Most of the people who showed you around treated you as an acquaintance ("znajomy"), not a friend ("przyjaciel"). But many translators use word "friend".
Znać kogoś = To know someone
Znajomy = someone we know, acquaintance
7. Bureaucracy = true.
8. National self-pity - yes and no. To long to explain. We are generally realists with a touch of pessimism. We prefer to prepare for pessimistic scenarios.
You argue why in this film you criticize something in Poland and quite similarly you can say why we criticize "everything" in Poland - because we want it to be better (maybe even perfect). And maybe that's why we have certain convenient everyday solutions that only work in Poland: blik, parcel lockers (paczkomaty), allegro (our eBay), increasingly better public transport etc.
If we stop criticizing something, it means that there is basically nothing to improve. I know, we should praise it, but .. there are still so many things to improve (and complain about), it's a waste of time to praise ;)
9. Customer service - OK, agree. But, even a rude person need a job. Such a person would probably lose his job in the US and end up homeless or a criminal. If he is a good driver (who doesn't earn much), but isn't completely rude, then so be it - at least he makes a living from that and not from robbery.
10. Public transportation - good observation - It's getting better every year, but you're right - it's a reason to complain. And here you proposed a good improvement.
11. Closed on Sundays - it depends. Think about people working in such places (who doesn't earn much) - it's hard for them to meet up with family or friends, because even if they have a day off, their friends don't. For people working from Monday to Friday/Saturday, open shops are convenient, but they themselves don't work on Sundays. We don't want to divide Poles into castes, it makes coexistence difficult.
12. In Poland we usually eat dinner (our last meal) at home around 7-8 p.m. If we go out it can be a bit later, but few people make plans for 10 p.m. So it's not profitable for restaurants to work late for just one customer. This is not like in Spain.
13. Fashion - not my subject. On a daily basis, we tend to dress comfortably and adapt our clothes to the weather, rather than to follow the fashion created by consumerism.
I agree with this comment a lot so I will just add a few points :D
2. Bad drivers - the question is compared to who? Road safety in Poland is not the best and at the same time it's not the worst as well. In comparison to road safety in Norway... well, we should never go outside anywhere in Poland😉Safety level is improving, though it's not happening fast enough. I feel like drink-driving and inappropriate speed are too socially accepted, even among older drivers.
3. Weather can be quite shitty and depressing but at the same time - we have legit four seasons and that's kinda cool
@@paulinanowicka4987 Norway is not very good example because of one stark difference - population density. Poland is much more densly populated country. Mix it with mashup of new and very old road rules, new very fast roads and old bumpy full of pot holes ones and you will get disaster brewing. Statistics are also skewed by road design differences. Take pedestrian accidents on crosswalks in Poland. Very high number. You can draw a conclusion that it is very dangerous place but reality is we have crosswalks everywhere. They take up like 10% of the roads no wonder accidents happen on them. It is due to very old law prohibiting pedestrians from crossing the street at any point but crosswalk.
I love your content but there is one thing that bothers me about this list.
It is easy to feel optimistic about the future if your country has never been attacked by force and probably never will be, if it has never experienced military action on its territory. We, on the other hand, have just thrown off the shackles of a regime after an earlier war that destroyed culture, territory and above all people, and not only "ordinary citizens" but also the lion's share of our intellectual elite, who could rebuild the country after the war, and on the horizon we see the enemy raising its head and glaring at us, destroying our neighbor. Don't be surprised by our "self-pity" if you come from a country that will never experience so many generational traumas.
This.
He said he is from China...that traumatic enough
@@satyagirl1797 Isn't he american born Chinese thou? 🤔
He compare us to americans not to chinese
Let me point out that the USA had been attacked by Japan on December 7t1h, 1941. Thousands of sailors died. Also, hundreds of soldiers, marines, and civilians died. On September 11th, 2001, Islamic terrorists attacked World Trade Center in NYC. Over 3000 died in the attack. Not to mention the destruction in both cases. If he's Chinese, well, China had been attacked by Japan. In 1937, the Japanese took the capital of Nanjing, and the Japanese massacred thousands of civilians. In 1858, Russia attacked China, and again Soviet Union attacked China in 1969.
Another thing is that we really don't like criticism about our country, but it is so for a good reason. In the past(not so distant one - through 1990 until the last decade) we have been defamed, smeared, disdained, loathed, diminished and deprived of our virtues and achievements by many Western European countries all the time. Some petty and pathetic politicians and political fronts and powers tried it all the time, they've spread rumors, disinformation and anti-polish agenda, so in the result we became extremely sensitive over any form of criticism.
We are very optimistic people. Just, when you're pesimist you say: "it can't be worse". But when you're optimist, you say "oh, o'course, that it can be worse"😅
I want to let you know.
Worst drivers in Poland came here since 2022 from Ukraine, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Azerbijan etc.
When I see polish guy in Uber/Bolt I am happiest man in the world.
I've also made that observation
Ziom ale Polacy serio chujowo jeżdżą. Jeżdżą za szybko, bez szacunku dla innych kierowców, zamiast sobie pomagać przeszkadzają sobie. A do tego chujowo parkują .
@@szymonmaraszewski1514 podróżując dużo po Europie, jestem w stanie zagwarantować że Polska należy do krajów o wyjątkowo dobrej kulturze jazdy. Wedle moich obserwacji, kierowcy nie są wybitni, ale współczynnik wariatów i złych prowadzących auta jest zdecydowanie mniejszy jak np. na całym południu Europy. Uważam że w ostatecznym rozrachunku jeździmy na podobnym poziomie jak Czesi i Niemcy. Nie jest idealnie, a pojedyncze przypadki wariatów nie powinny psuć całkowitego odbioru Polaków za kółkiem.
@@szymonmaraszewski1514 a kto był na bałkanach, w Grecji, Włoszech, Francji, Hiszpanii, Turcji i tak dalej, doceni to co sie dzieje na drogach w Polsce :)
@@szymonmaraszewski1514 akurat polacy w porownaniu do innych krajow czy zachodnich czy wschodnich to jezdza bardzo dobrze
The thing about being aggressive towards outsiders criticising polish matters is from our national trauma. For 123 years our people were disallowed by foreign forces to act, dress and sometimes even speak Polish. After WW1 we had 2 decades of freedom, and then again for 50 years we were told what to do and how to think by outsiders. So I think it should be at least understandable that we tend to be overprotective it terms of our culture and way of thinking, even if it can be a bit irrational.
Even now we are under the boot of the EU globalists telling us what we can and can't do in our own country. I think we deserve some anger
You better learn some history, because you're writing hilarious nonsense about the period of the communist regime in Poland. Poland was a communist country in 1947-1989) - for less than 42 years, not for 50 years, for God's sake! In the years 1945-1947 the communists were gradually gaining strength thanks to the support of the Soviets, but the country was still capitalist and pre-war companies and social organizations were being revived, private property was functioning dynamically, life functioned efficiently and was quite well organized (in addition, at the same time, in many areas, there was a civil war against the communists).
This rebirth with the hope of democracy and full independence finished due to the suppression of the armed opposition (i.e. anti-communist underground), suppression of the legal, political opposition and the falsification of the parliamentary elections in 1947.
In addition, truly monstrous communism, in the Soviet style (with Soviet bastards, imported from Russia, in the government and power structures), was in force only in the years 1948-1956 (and in Czechoslovakia, for example, it was until 1968).
Then, after 1956, liberalization took place in Poland (because society en masse did not accept communism and it was widely demonstrated, and - even in the period of the most brutal communism, it failed, among other things, to abolish private property in the countryside). As a result, Poland was the most liberal and "disobedient" country in the communist world. Of course, it still wasn't a free, fully independent country. Soviet troops were stationed here, there was culture censorship (fortunately full of holes and defenseless towards the attitude of society), and most of the economy was state-owned and centrally controlled.
In any case, even counting the times of the civil war and the gradual acquisition of power by the communists after 1945, you get not 50 years in total, but 44.
In other words, after the 2WW, Poland was enslaved by the Soviets for 44 years, but it was a communist country for 42 years.
To this, of course, we must add the years 1939-1941, when the USSR occupied half of Poland (the USSR was an ally of Nazi Germany at that time) and committed genocide and deportations in Polish territories, and 1944 - when the USSR did not actually liberate Poland, but conquered it, murdering members of the Polish anti-German underground, and also the civilian population, and deliberately robbing Poland on a huge scale of cultural assets, economic assets, like production lines, trains, in fact committing killing and robbery everywhere.
@@alh6255 first of all if you count WW2, when we didn't really have a say in our own matters, then from 1939 to 1989 we have 50 years. Then after WW2 do you really think that State National Council that was literally made by polish commies were independent from USSR? I don't think so. Then after 1947 lets say that if you are on a leash, and the one holding it loosens it a bit, then that doesn't change the fact that you are on a leash. So you have a perfect history knowledge, but on the other hand you should think more critically before you make a point
Hey if you have problem with train station you can use page portal pasażera to check the schedule and place of departure of every train in advance
Yes, you can but it doesn't mean it shouldn't be presented properly at the station. Online time-schedule being available shouldn't be an excuse to not provide quality service at the station.
Him: Polish people argue about everything
Polish people: NO WE NOT!
Because we argue about the fact if we argue or not.
What you don't understand?
Where 2 Polish people, there 3 different opinions😂
Well, actually...
Mysle ze gdzies czytalem ze USA ma kulture optymizmu a niemcy(i najwyrazniej polska) pesymizmu. Ale to nie znaczy ze nie zalatwiamy spraw. Dla mnie amerykanski optymizm.jest meczacy. W korpo sie odbijalem od zarzadu bo nie chcieli sluchac mojej negatywnosci. Czy problem zniknal? Nie. I zaplacili za to cene. A ja zmienilem prace na taka gdzie doceniaja ze szukam problemow i je rozwiazuje zawczasu
Dodrze dla ciebie
Moim zdaniem my jesteśmy bardziej realistami niż pesymistami. Po prostu świat robi się teraz walnięty i nie udajemy, że wszystko idzie w dobrym kierunku.
Lepiej gadać o samych złych rzeczach niż żyć w błogim udawaniu że wszystko jest git
Masz rację. A corpo w amerykanskim stylu wciaz uczą się, że pewna doza pesymizmu, a nawet paranoi, jest w biznesie błogosławieństwem. Zwłaszcza ze czasy łatwizny gospodarczej dla Zachodu, z okresu po II wojnie światowej do końca XX. w., dawno sie skończyły i potrzebne jest elastyczne myślenie i podejście, oraz wyobraźnia uwzględniająca wiele scenariuszy i zagrożeń. Cóż, korpo w stylu amerykańskim wciąż sie tego uczą (sa w nich prowadzone dla zarządów szkolenia w tym względzie, ale myślę, ze kultura pracy w nich jeszcze długo sienie zmieni).
About the customer service, they're not trying to be rude in poland we don't do the small talk thing. They're supposed to do their job and you're supposed to do your business. Tbh the concept of small talk seem kinda crazy to me. I've been to america and it must be really tiring and annoying to do this all the time. Btw with friends we complain instead of doing the small talk
Sometimes they're assholes, though. Especially the older ladies who grew up at a different time 😅 (especially at public offices/health care)
@@LadyRevania I've noticed that even the most grumpy nurse/office worker changing to lovely person when you are patient and nice to them. Waiting is frustrating for people so they are taking this out on workers and then those workers are acting like a**holes. Yes, you can run across rude people but trust me -when you are patient and nice to them - they will be nice and helpful to you 90% of the time. I can count bad interactions in hospitals and offices on my one hand.
@@kubiyoshi2744 Po pierwsze; nieprawda. W UK jeżeli ktoś podniesie głos, to w wielu firmach jest to już powód do wyrzucenia klienta ze sklepu. Po drugie, podejście "nasz klient nasz pan' sprzyja cwaniactwu i tworzeniu ludzi roszczeniowych, którym się wydaje że im wszystko wolno. Jakie są tego skutki, to można obejrzeć na filmach z USA z hasłem "Karens"
@@Yoonji9212 just wait until you have to call to book an appointment 😂. They often don't pick up.
Lepiej jak pracownik cie ochrzani niż Ty potem zrobisz coś źle:// i przynajmniej jak ktoś jest mega hamski dla pracownika to on może coś odpowiedzieć i nie będzie ,,HoW dErE yOU?!" bo w większości wtedy po prostu się nie odzywasz i rozumiesz swój błąd (w większości)
As for the "late eating option" - after all, this food doesn't fall from space, someone has to make it. No one will want to cook until the early morning hours for a few night owls. No one likes working at night at the expense of sleeping during the day and as a result having nothing from that day. Neither working at these hours is good because it disrupts the biological circadian rhythm, nor is eating late at night healthy.
especially polish food - polish food is extremely packed with either fat or sour stuff like vinegar or sour rye, all of em aren't great to eat very late at night cuz then you won't sleep well at all
I loved working night shifts - organizing parties :) I was supervising other parties/companies (like DJ/band, security, food providers etc) while working for a building owner (cultural institution). When everything was ready and party was going smooth I could read, play games on phone etc.I am an night owl and working from 4 pm to 4 am was perfect :) So stating that "No one likes working at night" is wrong - some people do... I had to find different job because I wanted more stability - some months we had a lot of parties, some were dead (I remember that in 2016 in February I worked 27 of 29 days, after January where I worked maybe 6 or 7 days :/). Now I work 8-16 office job and every weekend I switch to staying awake late at night and Mondays kills me after that - it seems worse to my well being ...
Also: eating late at night is unhealthy if you go sleep right away... if you stay awake after eating for next few hours it doesn't make any difference.
With crazy hot summers like last ones staying open late at night should make sense for restaurants and cafes in the summer. When I was in Rome there was great ice cream place/cafe right in front of apartment we rented - it was open until 3 am and until 1 am there still were whole families with kids and after that many adults sat there. It was way too hot during day and nights was were people lived - I often miss that here in Poland
I think the answer here is different.
Culturally we rarely don't have food at home... so why you need schobowy at 1 am if you have it at home?
If we don't meet in the city we always have too much food for the guests xD
So it doesn't pay off to have schobowy at 1 am, if you have it at home and it's better at home xD
Krakow has a problem with air pollution because it is located in a valley. For several years there has been a ban on burning coal in furnaces, but despite everything the air is still polluted
It's not like we can complain but foreigners can't. They can, but they usually complain about the wrong things xd like for example that they can't get schabowy or żurek at 1 am, or that we have poor customer service because the waiter doesn't run to the table every five minutes ;)
XD jak się im nie podoba, to wiesz co.
Pół żartem pół serio, ale uważam, że to dobrze, że dajemy sobie wejść na głowę, to jest nasz kraj.
Yeah, public transport system is e good point (there are limited options to travel across the country) but customer serivce... I personally feel irritated when waiter constantly asks me if everything is fine or salesman harasses me when I'm looking for some clothes xD.
Bureaucracy is a weird one. On one hand going to any local clerk office is something that makes my stomach churn, it got better in recent years but it is still something that stinks of communism, especially if there are older workers you have to deal with. On the other hand you can actually get most things done through government sites and apps and your presence is only required in some very niche cases. Compared to Germany or Italy it seems like we are decades ahead.
It might be harder for a foreigner with no ability to speak Polish. Workers there are often not the best when it comes to communicating in their native language, let alone in English.
Technically you can get most things done through government sites. In reality they never work as intended🥲
the thing is, Poles are really aware that we hate when other people complain about the things we complain about, its become basically a meme rule, but congrats as you seem to be the first foreigner ever with complaining permission lol
I realized Polish bureaucrazy is heaven after moving to Germany. I've never received as many letters in my life in Poland as here :D but I assume it's different for citizens of Poland and expats and I hope it's gonna get better.
My friend from US told me once that it's hard to get friend in Poland. Cause we have different meaning of this word. In Poland we have 1,2 maybe 3 friends. In Poland friend is like best friend in US. We have a lot of colleagues, but just few friends.
And yeah it's hard to make a friend cause its commitment for (in majority of cases) life.
I hope you will enjoy Poland and will find some fantastic people. :)
If you ever want to visit Olsztyn (beautiful town in north-east of Poland) I will be glad to show it to you. And of course I'll complain as typical polish girl. ;) but maybe not as much.
this and saying "I love you" - we don't tell that to everyone we like. Love is very important to us, sacred I would say and we don't say those words when we really, really don't mean it.
I don't know if you've encountered something like this, but sometimes it's like this, which from the outside may look like "verbally bashing each other" in every possible sentence, but in reality it's a variation of "small talk" and a certain style of joking with each other. Sometimes Poles simply "verbally bash each other" just to have a laugh, and then, when someone overdoes it, they apologize to each other
I love everything about Poland. Literally. I love all of the things. And I am here just so thanful for being in this country.
I have lived in Malta for 7 years. I thought Italians drivers are crazy but Maltese are on a different level od bad. Polish drivers in comparison are super good.
in the end "please, don't kill me" - it was awesome :D :D I really like watching Your videos :D
how many bolt drivers are polish? xD but yeah, we have roadrage
very good point.
@@WheresWes I just wanted to write it - mostly they are from east (Georgia, Ukraine, and other former USSR republics). Many times I had same feelig: I will die in Uber/Bolt 😅
I'm a Pole and I agree with most of what you've said.
I am Polish and I love your honest opinion. Most of the points you are making here are extremely valid. I think to some people arguing is like a national sport. I actually hate that you always need to convince somebody that you are right and they are wrong. Sometimes I would rather they say: "Let's agree to disagree" and move on.
Kiedyś spory kończyły pojedynki na broń białą i pistolety, także było jakieś ryzyko a później mniej adwersarzy.😅
When it comes to criticism from foreigners, I've noticed the same pattern in England. You can criticize if you're British, but it provokes anger when you're a foreigner. I lived there for over five years, and as a college employee, I had accommodation provided in a British household. I know what I'm talking about.
As for bureaucracy, most of the simplest and most common matters can be handled online. We have a very efficient system where you can easily file taxes, obtain social benefits, issue documents, and schedule appointments for specific matters. During the pandemic, the entire vaccination registration was conducted online. However, obtaining a visa is not a primary need for people living in this country. In this area, we still have some work to do.
About transport,trains- it's excellent and clear. We buy ticket online and there's written everything what I need. Even which platform or if it's late
An Asian guy complaining about bad drivers... Hmmm...🤔😆
LMAO. Our eyes are small so we can't see the road, what's your guys' excuse?
@@WheresWes Our windscreens are overPOLISHed, so we get blinded by the reflections. Badum tss. I will show myself out now.
And he is right, in many countries there are crazy drivers, but they are not bad drivers. Unfortunately, in Poland, there are many bad ones.
I am Polish and i agree, our drivers are the worst.
@@WheresWes lol
Kiedyś czytałem artykuł pewnej Amerykanki, która też na poczatku narzekała na nasze narzekanie, ale z czasem znalazła w tym następujacy duży pozytyw. Amerykanie zapytani w autobusie, co słychać, odpowiadają " wszytko ok " i na tym właściwie rozmowa dobiega końca nim się jeszcze zaczęła. My natomiast zaraz podchwytujemy temat i rozwijamy go narzekając przy tym niemiłosiernie ale też dajac niejako asumpt do głebszej rozmowy. Może choć takie podejscie nas pocieszy, ten plusik w minusach.
I'm sorry, but I can't help but comment on one thing. You mentioned that Poland is an investing country and if you go to Warsaw, you can see they're building quite rapidly and it's a very modern city. That's true, but the building you showed in the video is the Palace of Culture, built by the Soviets about 70 years ago, after they enslaved us following WWII. According to the USSR, the Palace was a "gift from the Soviet people to the Polish people". For many Poles, it is a symbol of oppression, a symbol of the communist regime under which Poland was for nearly 45 years. There were even protests after the Palace was listed as a historical monument. I understand that it’s somewhat of an icon of Warsaw, but still, it has nothing to do with the fact that Poland is now a country that eagerly invests. Personally, I like the building, often even more than the modern glass and metal structures, and I can't imagine Warsaw without it. But I think it's important to highlight that this building symbolizes the backwardness of communist-era Poland rather than the development and modernity of today's Poland. Don't get me wrong, I’m not trying to nitpick or anything! I really liked this video and you were right about so many things, like bureaucracy or that Poland doesn't invest enough in native engineers and tech, and the thing about customer service, Kebab being often the only night food option or about Polish army attacking when they hear outside criticism 😅This last one made my evening 😂That's so true! I always feel a bit embarrassed when I see such reactions and I love your honesty! We need it more 😄Anyway, I just thought I’d give some history context about the palace you showed, since it’s such an important part of Warsaw’s story, and it really caught my eye when I saw it in a context of modern symbols of progress and investment. I know, I’m probably coming across as very Polish right now 😆focusing on these historical details, when you likely just showed the building most associated with Warsaw, especially since you were talking about the city in that moment. Please accept my apologies, I just couldn’t help myself 😅
You're not wrong since it was built in 1953 and officially Stalin's idea.
It's worth to mention however, that an almost exactly same looking building was supposed to be built in Warsaw before the war, under the name 'Tower of Independence'. There is no evidence Soviets tried to imitate it, but Rudniew claimed he tried to imprint Polish style into. Polish architects also insisted to make the building taller than Rudniew wanted, so one could think it's an example of; 'we'll build it anyway, and the way WE want.'
As for the language, at least we have the decency to have a language where spoken language matches written language fairly well. Compared to languages like English or French, where guessing the pronunciation based on written language is close to impossible, and where common are cases where the same syllable is pronounced differently in different words or contexts.
Regarding the A/C topic. The standard "split air conditioner" is not quite popular in poland because most of the apartments/houses were built in the 70's or 80's and those were the times when designers didn't care about such things and didn't even anticipate that residents would want to buy air conditioning. It is much cheaper and better to buy a mobile air conditioner in Poland (so I have one ^^)
I think the hardest part about learning Polish is that in the big cities you can get by in English, so there's not the same intense pressure to learn in like Spanish in LATAM. Still worth learning if you plan to live there long term.
Agreed
I also had a lot more time to learn Spanish before
Bro, do not worry the grammar. Whatever gets you through the day is good. In my book any effort matters. Just mix it up with English and you will be good. Baw sie dobrze :)
if you try to love these 13 things you will become a real Pole 😂😂😂😂
As a Pole living in the Netherlands for 5 years,I agree with you completely. Nice video done with taste and good humor. Subscribed 🙂
Good luck and keep pushing,we Poles are getting used to things and people slowly,but when once done,you will be 'na zawsze swojak'
Cheers!
In Germany everything is closed on Sundays too
I think you’re hitting the nail on the head with Polish characteristics and I find it really impressive that after relatively short stay in Poland you have learnt so much about it! Really interesting content :)
About the technology in bureaucracy Poland is one of the most innovative countries. However, it’s the law what’s causing these issues and constant change of people in charge when the government changes that obstructs the processes.
With other people complaining about Poland it is like with little siblings. You will talk shit about them, sometimes you even hate them, but if anyone say a word or attack your little brother or sister you will stand for them.
There's a big difference in culture. When you are asked "How are you?" in the western countries you HAVE TO say a positive thing because people do not give a rats ass about how you are actually doing. In Poland (at least in the older generations like millenials and older) when you are asked "How are you?" people expect you to be honest. You do not ask "How are you?" if you do not want to know how is the person doing
Also, we are VERY protective of our language, culture and country (because of our history) so if WE complain then it's all good (we have the rights to change our own country) but if foreigner complains then we take that as an attack on our culture
I would say you are expected to complain ;p. Saying that you are great may be honest, but people will think you lie or brag. 'Ujowo, ale stabilnie' is the best we can go ;p
I'm glad to see someone finally dishing out criticism, and yet doing it in such a sort of tongue-in-cheek way. However valid the points listed in this video might be, you're still not off the hook. Get new locks installed on your doors.
I think (and all of this is just my own biased and shrouded pov/opinion) the main crux of our aversion to criticism, is that we're not only argumentative and somewhat mopey people at our core, but we also feel more comfortable criticizing our country, since we know all the nuances and have this sort of mentality or mindset, or simply just this way of thinking, that we don't feel foreigners understand. Same goes for history, I've noticed we feel much more informed (and in a lot of cases, we are, not many people just study Polish history in detail, but that's besides the point) than others, and so, since we're also very prideful, we tend to be pretty unpleasant in that regard.
I think this is a bit of a problem, especially when valid criticism or historical citations are brought up, as it's not wise to be so suddenly dismissive, and so unwilling to accept the fact that Poland isn't heaven on earth, that we aren't misunderstood victims, but we're just another place where things are done slightly differently, where our culture is allowed to thrive. There's a lot of ignorance, from what I've seen, when it comes to historical examples of Polish oppression.
I was surprised to find out that my mother didn't know about a lot of Polish-Ukrainian history, and the guilt shared between both nations. And I'm sure there's tons of societal issues that none of us notice, or pay any mind, that foreigners would rightfully point out, just to be met with pure, unbridled, patriotic word salad.
Graffiti? Absolutely an issue. I live in Łódź, and it's so incredibly annoying at times, to see streets riddled with graffiti, while some of our beautiful murals are in poor condition, and you can barely make out some parts. I don't think this issue is getting resolved anytime in the future, though. Not an easy task, cleaning everything up, and making sure it stays that way.
In terms of language, I think what puts those workers off is probably just the fact that you're both communicating in English. If you spoke Polish, even with the most broken accent, I feel you'd get their attention. There's a sense of trust and kinship, I feel, regardless of background, particularly with older people, when both parties can speak in the native language. Again, it's that sort of mindset thing I mentioned earlier. It feels like you're part of the club, like you GET us, man. Those foreigners, they don't get us, dude. But YOU. You GET us.
All I can say about learning the language is, take it slow. Don't jump into multiple things at once, just start with the basics, start at the very bottom, and be meticulous about it, make sure you understand everything well, in order to jump to the next hurdle. Find someone that can help you with pronunciation (that's another thing that helps with GETTING us), and getting through it all. You have all the time in the world to learn, so if you feel like you wanna give it a shot, I'm sure there are lots of people that would be willing to help you with learning it, given how much we adore our own language.
I've noticed the self-pitying as well, and it's pretty ridiculous. I do think it's important to be aware of the things that have happened to our people throughout history, and it's important to remember the sacrafices made, and how our history affects us today. However, I think one important thing to remember is, we haven't had to experience any horrible events on a national scale. I certainly haven't. I was born in this century, I've never experienced life under the PRL regime. I've never experienced what it was like during the lowest, most depressing periods during the long lifespan of the PRL state, I've never seen any massacres, I've never experienced life during Martial Law.
I've never had to go through the darkest chapter in human history, never seen a łapanka with my own two eyes. I've never been alive during the Polish-Bolshevik war, or the many insurrections we staged. The worst problems facing Poland today are trivial when compared to our history, and, while I'm not saying that nullifies all the injustices we face today (like people do in any other part of the world, in any other imperfect country), that certainly doesn't mean I know first-hand what it's like to be a victim.
It's important to look back at history, and to us, it's important to view it from our own perspective, to sympathize with, and honor the people that came before us, the people that were needlessly beaten, killed, and the people that died fighting for the right to wave a red-and-white flag, and see an eagle with it's crown still in place.
While some older people today, have very likely lived through some awful things, they don't represent the majority of us, who are living in a country like any other. In a place graced with many things other countries don't have. I'm not a fan of pity, or twitter-esque self-victimization, and I wish people nowadays didn't look at history from a first person perspective, despite the blood we share with our ancestors.
I don't think the Yalta conference was an act of "selling us out" to the Soviets, of "ditching us", but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it. We should look at history from others' perspectives also, and see, how, there was little to be done. In this case, we were already under the communist sphere of influence, and while, I wish there was more pushback, and I do think it was unwise, how the allies handled our whole situation (from the start of the war), I don't think it's right to call brits and frenchies, in this day and age, traitors. I do think chamberlain was an idiot, yeah. I do think Polish people, Polish soldiers and generals, post-war, were treated awfully, specifically in the UK. But I didn't experience that, and I also know how ruthless some of our own select few partisan groups also committed heinous acts, and why the Ukrainian insurgents came to be in the first place. Why Ukraine has always been so hell-bent on seeing Polish power being diminished.
I think we're stuck in a bit of a bubble, and it would be great to look at things from other perspectives, whilst also having the insight and nuances that non-Poles don't. Regardless of our history, and our few chapters of oppressing others, I'm still proud of Poland's history, I'm proud of our culture, and I'm proud of our people. I'd love to see a bit less self-pitying, and more pure pride and self-reflection.
I forgot, I was gonna say one thing about cross-city transport.
It's hell, yeah. I visited Kraków with my mother twice, and both times, our return tickets were due the day before our departure.
Both times, I'm pretty sure, we bought train tickets for the return journey, during the trip, and only realized the invalid date, when we boarded both trains. While I do think most of the blame lies with us, since we did order the tickets, and only checked the dates whilst boarding, ordering online could still be easier. If it were at least more user friendly, I'd be happy. The train-station issues are annoying enough as is, as you rightfully pointed out with the arrival and departure screens being so short.
Chyba tego nie przeczytał XD, a szkoda, bo mądre rzeczy napisałeś/aś.
Ten monolog serio może pomóc zrozumieć polską duszę i mentalność (odwoływaniem się do historii, poświęcenia i patriotyzmu), myślę, że ludzie w innych krajach tak nie rozmawiają między sobą jak my (nie liczę innych Słowian)
Naprawdę mnie wkurzył z tym podpunktem o "self-pity", chyba naprawdę nie rozumie, co się tu działo (i to non stop, jedna tragedia za drugą), powinien bardziej się otworzyć na tą patriotyczną (i trochę pompatyczną) wrażliwość.
I nauczyć się lepiej historii!
@@xdlol59 Podejrzewam, że masz rację z tym że nie zna naszej historii na tyle, by móc mówić o użalaniu, ale z moich obserwacji jest jednak troszkę tego. Ale tak, trzeba znać historię żeby dojść do takiego wniosku.
Dziękuję za miłą odpowiedź, aż się rumienię.
he starts complaining... it's so cute ^^
5:49 B.S. 🧐 we have one of the best internet infrastructure in EU and our bureaucracy is in big part digital, so for younger peoples it is quite easy IMO. New ID or MD notce for work 🤷♂️ maybe if you foriegner it is not digitised to much 🧐
I knew a brit who had PTSD from driving in Poland. He would wake up in the middle of the night because he had a nightmare about driving in Poland. The funny thing is, once you learn to drive in Poland, you won't want to drive any other way. It's just so efficient and surprising orderly. Indian friend couldn't stop commenting how ppl don't honk at each other and patiently wait for right of way.
If you can speak Chinese mandarin you can learn polish language too-two most difficult languages in the world. It isn't easy to make friends here but if I travel to China for example, can I find friends there so easy? I don't think so. Different culture and language and so on.
Having grown up in Poland and living all my adult life abroad I can 100% agree that the negative/pessimistic outlook is what holds the nation back… it’s largely the reason I’ve left the country. We are incredibly hardworking and talented, but mindset shift nationwide is what separates us from being a powerhouse in Europe
me from poland: those points are valid
😊 u nailed it. As a Pole i agree to nearly all of the points in this vid. But it's still a lovely place especially taking into account things that happen all over the world in last years. Nice having u here bro :)
Hi, just a quick comment about your seasonal depression - try supplementing vitamin D, it'll make it much better. Some of it will stay, but the change in mood will be VERY noticeable. Great video, thanks!
10:10 about closed shops. Few years ago shops weren't closed but christians decided that the Sunday is the day we all should rest of work so after a big fight about that it was decided that that shops should be closed because the workers also are christians (at least most of them). I think there are good sides and bad sides because of it but we all got used to it already. I wish I helped 😅
The thing with fashion (in my eyes) is we see everyone who cares a lot about their looks as narcissist and attention seeker. We enjoy our culture of "don't stand out or you're weird"
Ja tam uwielbiam zimę i ogólnie chłodną pogodę, bo na zimno idzie coś poradzić na ciepło nie za bardzo
It was a very sympathetic dose of criticism, and with some I will agree with you as a Pole. Graffiti is nice when is an art street not a
random doodles, and I hate double standards and smoking places, lucky we have more and more zones where smoking is not allowed 😉. Some of the things are just a question of perspective and... not only Polish, but European culture, to this group I will put: bureaucracy, customer service, closed markets on Sundays, no late-night-meal restaurants, it is just our typical EU thing, actually I am living 10 years in Spain, and knowing customer service and bureaucracy here, I am really missing Polish one... shocking! Polish, German, NL, are more reliable, than people on the Southern European. If you have 6 months hot and high humidity weather, you also start to appreciate more temperate climate. I will never ever complain more about Polish weather! I am really enjoying winter in Spain 🤣.
Pamiętajcie że wszystkie nasze wady są naszymi zaletami.
1. You need to be over 18 to buy everything that contains alcohol or nicotine... so you're absolutely wrong.. and they do check that.
2. We don't feel pity, we're in general much more educated than an average USA citizen, so our conversations, or arguments if you prefer to call it so, are about disagreements on how our country and politics should look like, in USA it seems that not many people know much about economics and life in general, if you don't know = you don't care, that's why they don't talk about it so much. And looking at what's happening there (been to US multiple times), I don't regret that we are who we are.
3. You've said many times that you don't have many Polish friends so you're just spreading polish stereotypes around without understanding them or knowing the reality. (how we think and that we always argue at the dinner tables)
4. We don't care about your opinions. You're a guest here, don't understand our country and culture well enough to criticize it, so respect that and learn.
5. Don't expect a bus driver to speak english or understand you speaking in another language. If you want to have better experience, learn polish.
JEZU, W KOŃCU KTOŚ TO POWIEDZIAŁ.
A to, że oczekuje, że wszyscy będą mówić w jego języku? Amerykocentryzm mocny, on nigdy nie zrozumie nas ani naszej kultury bez znajomości języka.
@@xdlol59 to arogancki azjata, który ma to szczęście, że urodził się w ameryce, Polacy mają tendencje do gloryfikowania cudzoziemców w Polsce tylko przez to, że są cudzoziemcami w Polsce. Gość totalnie nadal nie rozumie kultury i historii tego kraju, bo żeby to zrobić, nie wystarczy obejrzeć kilka filmikow na yt na ten temat i nagrać swoje udawane, emocjonalne reakcje. Im dłużej go oglądam, tym większe czuje do niego zniechęcenie.
Thank you
Ps. also cracovic people are very different to a person that lives in the north, south, east, west, just like in other countries
This "American optimism" hasn't gotten America very far, and to put it bluntly, it's made them idiots in the eyes of others.
Not necessarily. Our optimism has led to the biggest innovations in the world. But most of the population is dumb, it's true
Yes, it is. It's good that you talk about our flaws. Of course, these flaws are subjective, but it's good to know another perspective.
Cool points! After another year or two in Poland you should react to this video and I bet you will find it very interesting experience :D
I am a Pole and I have to admit that your opinion is very accurate :)
There are at least 2 apps that take care of this, 6 years ago when I rode trains a lot, I no longer use these boards.
what are they? I want to know for personal use
Natural skills of complaining like you’re breathing air is the first sign of adjusting into our culture. Well done, you have passed the test.
I know it is an American thing, this AC stuff...... And I believe it is something that you miss, when you are used to it or grew up with. Honestly I must admit, I find it weird entering a room in hot summer and it's cold all of the sudden. I mean this hot temperature inside is part of the summer feeling, at least for me. Even if my apartment had AC, I would not use it, because I don't like it.
Good housing dosent have problem with hot rooms😂 Germans knew how to built houses.
It's nice to check different point of view. Especially on myself. Thumb up!
if poles would not complain they would end up by now in the same situation as britain or france
also if anyone think that they know Poland/poles and they only been living in warsaw then they know nothing, people born in warsaw are entire different breed (big ephasis on born not just living there)
Regarding the public transit issues, try checking if there is some kind of smartphone app available. Here in Czechia, there are some very good companion apps for each of the main train and bus carriers, which compensate for the sometimes outdated infrastructure. I am sure, they must have them in Poland as well.
you are absolutely right! polish pronunciation is purposely difficult, even word like "cześć" sounds that way for instant identification if you are foreign or not .
Dziękuje za podzielenie się swoją opinią o naszym kraju.👍
I love your theory with conspiracy 😂
Thanks to your videos I got a new appreciation for my country, thank you ❤️
There is nothing wrong with complaining, unless it is pointless complaining. Sunday being free day is good. Public transport in a lot of Poland is bad. No obligatory tipping is great. "Sensitive", if people from, for example, Buenos Aires responded the same way to criticism they would be described as "passionate" - just an observation. Chinese are as bad or even worse at taking criticism, some might even call you a ræsict just for pointing out facts.
6:06 - other than Puławski, I think Tadeusz Kościuszko is worth mentioning - he also fought in the Civil War and his Statue is standing across from Copernicus in Philadelphia, PA.
Eating at night is unhealthy.
Not for everyone. And it depends on the food
I absoluitely love your every video about Poland. I watch with a coffee and smile - hah, yeah we are like this, good observation
I have to disagree about friends. Its a lot easier to make friends in Poland than most of Europe, especially the Netherlands. Also. The tech in Poland's bureaucracy is actially better than much of Europe, shockingly! Some countries like to add difficulties,!
It's not easy for him because he doesn't speak Polish. It's all over the world the same, I live in Germany if you don't speak German you are not gonna find friends here..
I also have to disagree about friends: to be friends you have to spend time, it will not happen at the first meeting. You have to talk a lot: small talk but also discuss serious matters. After that, we will know You and You become our friend. It's not an issue with the fact that you are a foreigner or shy, because it's the same for everyone.
I honestly hope US tipping culture NEVER makes it's way to Europe. Good content tho! :)
Facet żyje rok w polsce i już ma znajomych w bloku i administracji, a ja żyję w jednym bloku większość życia i mojeje znajomosci blokowe ograniczają się nadal do dzien dobry, dowodzenia 😂
Please check your vitamin D level especially from October to March - no pun intended, Deficiency of vitamin D impacts your mood.
Great vid and I agree with your points.
Constructive criticism is ok. We are still a developing country :)
świetny filmik :D
Now, give this man a passport as he has already started complaining lol! 😂
11:03 problem is a price of good quality men colthes, they are really expensive, 2 Times more expensive than woman
The self-pity for being Polish comes from an omnipresent glorification of everything that’s western. In my case, I moved to the UK for a few years and after seeing the reality of how the abroad really looks like, my Polish inferior complex vanished. Cudze chwalicie, swego nie znacie wariaty.
100%
We don’t call a friend just any schmuck on the street just because he expressed gratitude for being asked “how are you”
Bolt/Uber drivers are not Polish.
So, about the self-pity. I suppose it's difficult for you as an American to fully understand our point of view. The Usa hasn't really been attacked or hasn't had it's growth supressed so much at any point in the history. I believe that us saying how bad we've had it in the past shows that we are confident in our potential. It shows that our ego as a nation rises high (it's a good thing) because we know we could have been a much more powerful country if it hadn't been for so many terrible historical events. It's a source of motivation to keep improving since we finally have the ability to show the world what Poland is capable of after gaining independece.
At least I understand it that way :) Have a nice day man