After living in Poland for the last 7.5 months, I’ve experienced some really cool things but also noticed some things that don’t make any sense at all. Obviously “hate” is too strong a word, but the title “What I love and what needs improvement in Poland” doesn’t sound as punchy.
Let’s start with the positive things:
Food
Most ingredients in Poland are usually local. Really local. I cannot recall how many times someone said, “These fresh eggs are from the neighbour’s chickens”, or “My father and his brother went hunting last week and killed the wild boar we are now eating”.
Chicken actually tastes like chicken, without the need for extra spices or sauces to be savoury. Eggs, tomatoes, cheese, bread don’t have any preservatives and need to be eaten within a few days or they go bad. As food is one of the greatest pleasure of life, I’ve really come to quickly appreciate the simple and hardy tastes of Polish cuisine.
Women
Not only are Polish women usually slim and beautiful (blue eyes everywhere!), most enjoy being treated like a lady. As most of you know, I’m a feminist and believe women should be allowed to pursue any career, provided they are mentally and/or physically capable. Rules or politics should not stand in their way, and they should be paid equally. This should not even be a question in 2017.
That being said, I believe the rise of feminism in North America diminished women’s vulnerable and gentle side. Encouraged to be a gentlemen is an important part in the male-female dynamic. Opening doors, offering a hand to help a lady rise, greeting women before men or leading a lady along the sidewalk; these are simple but powerful gestures that make a man feel like a man and a woman feel like a woman (note: there are obviously other, more important things men and women need to do to be real a man and a real woman; I’m just grazing the subject here).
Women in North America tend to focused on being strong and unwieldy independent, and I believe if we move too far from these gender roles, relationships fall apart. Women in Poland seem to understand this concept.
For example, Weronika is a truly independent woman. She owns two successful businesses, and is soon launching a third. She doesn’t a need a man for anything. Yet, she pauses at doors, graciously accepts my hand when exiting the taxi and slides her hand into mine when going for a walk, wanting to be led to our destination. And Weronika isn’t the only one; Ola, Stef’s wife has similar behaviours.
So if you want a real woman, capable and self-sufficient and yet balanced with a gentle and feminine side (and super sexy), come to Poland.
Personal responsibility
In the US, if there is a hole in the street, it would be surround by a fence, blinking lights and a huge sign warning everyone of the imposing danger. In Canada, there would be a orange traffic cone and orange post.
In Poland, there wouldn’t be a damn thing, and if you fell into it, it would be your own damn fault! And I love that. It’s called taking responsibility for your actions, and unlike the US, which treats it’s citizens like babies, Poland forces you to “man-up” and look out for yourself. Of course, this can also lead to dangerous situations, such as near-missing the tram as it plows through a red light, but that’s all part of the adventure 🙂
Geography
I won’t exaggerate; Poland isn’t pleasant during the winter. I’m going crazy waking up to grey overcasts every morning, wondering why the sun is hiding behind thick grey clouds day after day. Nightfall begins around 4pm, and because I tend to wake up late, I spent most of time in total darkness. It’s an excellent recipe for depression.
However, it’s incredibly cheap and fast to hop on a plane and within an hour or two, be anywhere else in Europe. Two weeks ago, after a long stretch of particular depressing weather, I brought Weronika to Sicily for a week (that blog post is next). A direct flight took 2 hours, and loe and behold, sunshine and 18C! Booyah.
Next, things that need improvement:
T.I.P.
Not everything in Poland makes sense, and you cannot assume anything. Just because something works a particular way in every other country in the world doesn’t mean it’ll work the same way in Poland. It’s deceiving, because when you look around, it looks like a 1st world country: there are beautiful and modern shopping malls, fancy cars, and fashionable people. But when you look at the details, things start breaking apart.
Examples:
- My previous apartment was #502, which, of course, was on the 7th floor. In every other (modern) country, you would expect it to be located on the 5th floor. In Poland however, they had to include a little legend next to the elevator console to display where you can find each apartment. Weird.
- Next to my current apartment is a local grocery called Fresh Market. In front of the store, and circling around a small concrete park, is a security fence. The park is supposed to be used by the tenants of the adjacent building, but the fence around the park makes the area look like a prison. You need to walk around the fence to reach the Fresh Market, and a much simpler solution would be make the fence flush with the building. This is hard to explain in a few sentences, but look at this picture and understand the fence doesn’t make sense to be so predominant.
- Most movie theatres have the walkway smack in the middle of the cinema. That’s right, the most priced seating location is not available for actual seating.
- At the gym, the lockers are numbered, but the sequence is not in order. You’ll find locker 1, 2, and 3 next to 56, 57 and 68, followed by 11, 12 and 13. So each time you visit and are given a new locker, it’s a treasure hunt.
I’ll stop there, because I really could go on and on. I’ve starting saying “T.I.P.” to many things.
T.I.P. = This is Poland
It’s the answer to the question, “Why are things the way they are?” and is usually accompanied by a slight shrug.
In the end, life here is quite good and I’m enjoying each moment as much as possible. It’s closer to “real-life” than continuous travel, but not close to having “real” responsibilities.
