Thoughts, reports and insights connected to our life and relationships in Poland.
All 3 of us are together in Poland – now, how great is that? It feels familiar and odd being back. As usual it was a whirlwind of a time as we prepared to travel and Daxon put flights 18 and 19 under his belt (his 3rd trans-Atlantic flight) with style…though baby jet lag is… Read More We Share Colours
After jumping through countless hoops to get our temporary residency papers, our lawyer had some good news for us (with a catch). All 3 of us have been approved for temporary residency (karta pobytu) until June 2014, but getting our physical residency cards may prove to be a challenge. We’ve come to expect nothing less.… Read More The Last Hurdle(s)
This past semester was Matthew’s first foray into the world of teaching English as a second language. It’s not just a means to a visa, but a great way to meet new people and collect some funny / awkward stories along the way. Arguably, the hardest part of teaching is not laughing when you want… Read More ESL Adventures
We’ve learned to be cautiously optimistic when Polish office workers use words like “promise” and “guarantee”. Instead we expect flexibility. We were promised a decision about our temporary residency applications by June 15th. If by decision they meant bumping their decision date back a month and asking for more documents from us, then yes we… Read More Zobaczymy jak to będzie
In the run-up to EURO 2012, host nations Poland and Ukraine have been working hard to put their best foot forward. There are several coats of fresh paint on everything in Warsaw and not a single skyscraper has been left naked as banners hang from towers around the downtown core. Meanwhile, the BBC has put… Read More Stadiums of Hate?
We tip our hats to Norse culture for giving us the word “saga” – a long story involving dramatic events…sounds just like our journey towards obtaining temporary residency. On Monday Matthew went with a lawyer to Urząd Wojewódzki in Bydgoszcz, the state capital of Kujwasko-Pomorskie, to submit his application for Karta Pobytu (temporary residency). Last… Read More No Temporary Residency = Temporarily Unwelcome
Sticking with our Bambi vs. Godzilla analogy, it’s safe to say that Bambi is on the ropes and Godzilla is working the torso. Feeling like we’d done all we could, we met with a firm that specializes in Polish hoop jumping for foreigners (otherwise known as paperwork). Bringing in the big guns got us more… Read More Bambi’s on the Ropes
In the world of hoops to jump through, I’s to dot, T’s to cross and forms to fill-out in triplicate, Poland’s bureaucratic machine is a predator like none other. We’ve stepped into the ring as a contender and have been knocked around trying to register our car (score one for Poland), get Zameldowanie (score one… Read More Bambi vs. Godzilla
Canadians try to out-polite one another. In the Middle East, people see who can offer the longest, most poetic greeting. In Poland, maintaining a certain level of discontentment seems to be a national past-time and there are some real experts out there. “Ale” is the worst and most over-used word in the Polish language. It… Read More You Can’t Pronounce it, but Włocławek is Apathetic About that Too
“I know where you live” is never a statement you want to hear while sitting in a stranger’s car, but we get it semi-regularly. In a flat country subject to the brisk Baltic blast where cab fare is more than affordable, taxis are a lovely alternative on cold Polish days. Not being on any tourist… Read More City Mouse / Medium-Sized Industrial Town Mouse
the price post 