Archive for 'Culture'
Dear Sir/Madam: Writing Letters in Polish Posted by Anna on Oct 8, 2008
Yesterday I got an email from somebody, and I just about fell over while reading it. Luckily, I was sitting on a bed. The email began with the words “Szanowna Pani!” which would be something like “Dear Madam” but much more pompous. “Szanowna Pani” ??? People still use this expression? Even young people? Dang, I…
How to Say ‘You’re Welcome!’ in Polish Posted by Anna on Oct 4, 2008
Like I said in the comments to the previous post, it’s official, I have the best readers ever! Thank you so much for all your kind words, and even more – for your suggestions. Today’s post is inspired by a comment made by Thomas in the post below. Remember his problems with finding the Polish…
Subtitles: Yes or No? Posted by Anna on Sep 27, 2008
There’s been quite a discussion going on among my friends about this plan of TVP2 (one of the Polish TV channels, link sadly in Polish only) to start using Polish subtitles for some of its programming. And it’s about blerry time, I’d say! You see, while most countries either use subtitles in their native language…
The Mysterious Ways of Polish Surnames, part 2 Posted by Anna on Sep 12, 2008
As David pointed out in the comment section to the previous post, we still have one more group of Polish last names to discuss. Actually, come to think of it, TWO more. But let’s start with the easier one of the two: 4. Surnames ending in vowels OTHER than “a”, “i” and “y”. And yes…
The Mysterious Ways of Polish Surnames Posted by Anna on Sep 9, 2008
My friend called me today and that should be good news, right? But it wasn’t. The poor woman was very stressed and urgently requested my help. You see, she was applying for a visa to one of those countries that still require a woman to provide information about her male guardian, either a father or…
Westerplatte Film Controversy Posted by Anna on Sep 4, 2008
So, continuing on the subject of Westerplatte, I don’t know if you’ve heard about this new Polish movie “Tajemnica Westerplatte” (The Secret of Westerplatte). The movie is not even made yet, the script has barely been written, and it’s already a huge scandal in Poland. For those who don’t know, here’s a quick recap: Paweł…
Polish Pessimism Posted by Anna on Aug 27, 2008
A friend sent me this link and asked me what I thought about it. Go ahead, read it, it’s in English. So, apparently, Poles are pessimistic about the future. And how exactly is that news? Poles think that the country is heading in the wrong direction. Yeah, what else is new? Complaining about the future…