Archive for 'Culture'
Friends Will Be Friends Posted by Anna on Dec 15, 2008
Basia’s comment about the whole przyjaciółka/koleżanka/relationship thing made me think. And she’s right, it IS a very nuanced thing, indeed. In English I refer to approximately 1395 people as my “friends.” Yet, when talking to a Pole, about 1390 of those people are not “friends” (przyjaciółki) but “koleżanki/koledzy” or “znajome/znajomi” or “kumpelki/kumple” and so on…
The Story Of NIP – the Polish Tax ID Number Posted by Anna on Dec 13, 2008
This post is not a rant, even though it may sound like one. I am simply attempting to explain the issue in a slightly irritated manner. Because I am slightly irritated right now. Numbers always do that to me. Yes, we’ll talk about numbers today. Numbers of the official kind. In most civilized countries, and…
Meldunek Posted by Anna on Dec 11, 2008
I don’t remember if I’ve already told you this but I’ve been trying to establish myself in Poland. You know, doing stuff like getting a Polish address (meldunek), ID card (dowód osobisty) and all that bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo. And compared to other countries, I have to say that the Polish system is quite complicated. The biggest…
Mikołajki – Polish Mini-Christmas Posted by Anna on Dec 5, 2008
Until last week, when Pinolona kindly reminded me about it, I had totally forgotten about Mikołajki. Maybe because it wasn’t really a big occasion at our house when I was little. Or rather, it was a non-occasion. I vaguely recall getting chocolates from my grandma, or maybe a new toy, or a book, and I…
Mazurek Dąbrowskiego – Polish National Anthem Posted by Anna on Dec 3, 2008
Yesterday I had a very interesting, if a bit odd conversation with one of my friends. The friend in question is also very interesting, if a bit odd, and I suppose that goes a long way towards explaining her strange musical hobbies. Anyway, she walked up to me, hugged me and said: “I really love…
Andrzejki – The Night Before St. Andrew’s Day Posted by Anna on Nov 29, 2008
One of my friends asked me if I knew any fortune-telling games for Andrzejki and my answer was “What on earth are you talking about?” Actually, it was much more to the point than that, but since this is a PG blog, I will refrain from quoting directly. And she said, “You know, hot wax…
Polish in the Kitchen Posted by Anna on Nov 22, 2008
Last week I went food shopping with my dad. We went to one of the Carrefours in Gdańsk. Don’t ask me which one, I don’t know, I have absolutely no sense of direction. Anyway, while walking around that Carrefour and looking for balsamic vinegar (ocet balsamiczny), I ended up in their “foreign foods” section. And…