Archive for September, 2012
How’s life in Poland? Posted by Kasia on Sep 17, 2012
Life is good – we all know it. But let’s take a look at some statistics. Money (pieniądze), while it cannot buy happiness (szczęście), is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Poland, the average person earns 14 508 USD a year. But there is a considerable gap between the richest and poorest…
How healthy are Polish people? Posted by Kasia on Sep 16, 2012
People in Poland have enjoyed large gains in life expectancy over the past decades, thanks to improvements in living conditions, public health interventions and progress in medical care. In 2010, life expectancy at birth in Poland stood at 76 years. Life expectancy for women is 81 years, compared with 72 for men. Higher life expectancy…
Civic Engagement Posted by Kasia on Sep 15, 2012
A cohesive society (solidarne społeczeństwo) is one where citizens (obywatele) have a high degree of confidence (zaufanie) in their governmental institutions (instytucje rządowe) and public administration (administracja publiczna). In Poland, 56% of people say they trust their political institutions. High voter turnout is another measure of public trust in government and of citizens’ participation in the…
September 21st – Międzynarodowy Dzień Pokoju – International Peace Day Posted by Kasia on Sep 14, 2012
This year, 2012, the International Day of Peace is on a Friday, special activities and celebrations will take place all across the world over the 2012 Peace Day Weekend, including festivals, concerts, a global Peace Wave with moments of silence at noon in every time zone, and much more. The International Day of Peace, a.k.a…
Environment Posted by Kasia on Sep 13, 2012
The quality of our local living environment (środowisko) has a direct impact on our health (zdrowie). Having access to green spaces for example, is essential for quality of life (jakość życia). An unspoiled environment is a source of satisfaction, improves mental well-being, allows people to recover from the stress of everyday life and to perform…
Have you heard about Szydłów Prunes? Posted by Kasia on Sep 12, 2012
Szydłów prunes (suszone śliwki) are the first Polish dried fruit to be registered by the European Commission as a protected geographical indication. Szydłów prunes are pitted or unpitted prunes that have been dried and smoked and are made in the district of Szydłów, in Staszów county, Świętokrzyskie province. The fruit has uniform, elastic flesh (miąższ) and…
How do you remember September 11th? Posted by Kasia on Sep 11, 2012
I don’t want to sound annoying with this subject, because I’m sure you heard so much about it today. But I wanted to share with you how I remember this day… At that time I was living in Poland. Together with friends from college we were renting a house and we often used to watch…