Tag Archives: Culture
Diversity or Political Correctness? Posted by Anna on Nov 5, 2008
A while back I pledged that I wouldn’t write here about politics and religion, and for the most part, I stuck to my promise. But today, I will break it and talk about religion, albeit vaguely and not in the way you think. People abroad always think that Poland is a uniformly Catholic country. And…
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…
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…
A Little Bit About Mrągowo Posted by Anna on Jul 1, 2008
One of our readers is going to Poland this summer, and that in itself is nothing unusual, tons of people visit Poland every year. But not very many of them go to Mrągowo. In fact, I was rather surprised to hear that anyone from abroad would actually know where Mrągowo is. Because I’d bet that…
Time for Dinner Posted by Anna on Jun 25, 2008
Most foreigners, whether they realize it or not, have had some sort of contact with Polish culture. And it happened, most likely, in the kitchen. Yep, it’s Polish food time! And if you’re going to argue that food is not culture, then I dare you to eat nothing but burgers next time you’re in Italy…
Henryk Sienkiewicz – Required Reading Posted by Anna on Jun 18, 2008
Lately I have been hearing a lot about what it means to be Polish. It seems to be a trendy discussion topic, both among my countrymen and foreign expats living in Poland. And while neither side can agree on what exactly characterizes a typical Pole, they are both of the same opinion when it comes…