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Well... what can i say, except for: welcome to our fucked up country (and as for the traffic lights, its more like "sheep" behavior, and here ill explain: when i see theres no car going on, i pass on red light, and then, miraculously, other ppl find the courage to follow :D still, dont do it, ull get a ticket if police sees u) enjoy your stay and all the best bro!
@@czerwonykrawat I've never heard anyone asking me to take my shoes off. On the other hand, my parents always reminded me to do so when entering somebody else's home. People won't be "rude" by demanding anything directly but they expect a specific behavior and treat you nice if you comply.
Dokładnie ja jestem obywatelem polskiej krwi i moge dissować masz naród ile chce ale to nie znaczy że jakiś randomly amerykanin ma Takis same uprawnienia, POLSKA GUROM 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱
You can walk in shoes in someone's house only when they say "Noooo! Don't take your shoes off!". But you still can't put them on furniture. Absolutely never!
I would say it isn't as straight forward but we usually don't mind people that are normal, hardworking people regardless of their country of origin or ethnicity (as long as they don't push their agenda onto us)
"not expecting you to speak fluently" my friend, cobble up half a sentence that almost makes sense and me and my friends will give you a standing ovation for just trying. We know our language is messed up but without it we wouldn't have the creative approach to solve things.
yes, many traders in other countries try that on us when we are abroad :D they try to catch us on few words in polish (or even guess the name) to start an interaction. Good example of the whole thing is the T=shirt I've seen: 'I speak polish, what's your superpower?' ;D
and at the time you're already fluent in Polish, we will stop the ovations and instead start correcting your every mistake 😂 because at that time you are already wholly Polish body and soul and we don't prise Poles for speaking Polish🤣😂🤣
Outside Poland's borders, Poles try to respect the rules of the country they are in, so that's why we expect the same from people coming to our country. BTW, you are a good observer. Your list is really true and to the point!
We, Poles don't want to be treated as easterners, like Russians or Ukrainians, but also don't want to be categorized as westerners like Germans or Americans
There is one polish movie where one of the characters is teaching others how to be more likable as a Pole in the USA to fit a bit more, it was something like this: „The face is supposed to be a part of the outfit, not a window to the soul. You can't walk around New York with an honest face, it's like having your dick out”. I am polish, and I hate this fake smile and false friendliness, because even if you are foreigner (check if not a pikey), when you really need help every polish person will help you, and if you need help in US/Canada/Australia people will tell you to call emergency or some other service. They were friendly only on the outside.
As Pole, I approve this message. We don't treat people with respect. We treat people with mutuality. If you're respectful to people, country, language, history, etc. you can count on receiving the same.
Exactly right. In Poland it works that way in every situation, in every interaction with a stranger, be it Polish national or a foreigner. Most often your first few sentences, your tone and a show of basic respect will determine your foreseeable experience with that person.
How to not greet poles: -Hey, how are you? -Oh you know, usual. My father died last week. And i found out that i have cancer so my wife left me for my dentist and took our children.
Yup, if you ask us how we are we will respond and be very detailed about it as this question is an invitation to compaining and we never miss that opportunity!
Funny thing: even after over a decade in "western" discourse, I am still doing this Slavic thing 😂 I guess culturally, if one doesn't tell their personal story they seem superficial, not trustworthy and not friendly.
@@janekjanek3959 wychowanie katolickie Tak jak ksiądz ci wmawiał że jesteś liściem i pyłem na wietrze i nic ci się nie uda I tak mamy wszyscy Niszczą nam pewność i wiarę w siebie już od dziecka My nigdy nie będziemy zadowoleni ..
Yeah people that chit-chat at Żabka when there's 10 people in queue or asking for their courier package which takes the cashier 10 minutes to find are the worst lol. Just use a paczkomat like a normal person.
@@WheresWes Yeah, when you chat with most workers in convinience/grocery shops you won't be treated very nicely. Especially in Żabka and Biedronka. Go in, buy and go out - No bs
@@olliepwnsall sorry, but when theres a chance I will take it 🤣 just recently I bought something online and the option to ship it to a shop by DPD was completly free. so well, Im sorry for the people who were in line behind me in Dino but why sepnd money when you can not spend it? haha
As a Pole I can say I very much like and respect tourists and foreigners from Asian countries. Very smart, very hardworking, they represent most ancient and rich cultures! Thank you for making a video about my country!
So in a nutshell - if you ask someone in Poland "How are you?" it's a pretty binding question in a conversation. It means you really are interested about what was goin on in someone's life for the past few weeks or months, want to exchange recent experiences etc.
Not really. The problem can occurre if you want to get something from the other person. Why? It can be seen as manipulative bhvr. If you want to chat for chat's sake then it's quite a pleasant starter
As someone who doesn't really like talking and socializing I'd just say not much and wait if you go away or want to talk about something more interesting
I feel seen when someone asks me “how are you?” in Polish. Because it’s genuine and I can see someone cares. In other countries they just say it to hear “fine wbu?”
3:49 I think we love complaining about our country because we're actually happy that we can do it at all. When Poland was taken over by russia you couldn't say ANYTHING about the government, if you officially opposed it you could even lose your life. So I consider complaining about my country a privilege that comes with freedom of speech. The authorities must hear criticism, not just praise, especially when we still have many things to change to really improve our quality of life. If you don't speak up - don't expect any changes ;).
It's funny how you can love your country, and "hate" it at the same time. I needed to stop myself a lot of times cos I was complaining too much to my international friends, I treated it as a normal conversation but they took it as if I was talking sht about Poland xD So if you're a pole be careful when complaining to people of other nationality since they will not understand that you're just making a "small talk"
@@kamikadzegga9188 Complaining is not hate. We wouldnt be where we are now if we didnt point out whats bad in our contry. We always compare to people who do better than us and try to keep up. We compare Poland's roads to Germanys. Working hard to Japanese. We are never content, but that keeps us going forward.
Have to disagree with you. I was there when it was communistic; and I can tell you. We complained plenty. We Poles are stubborn bunch, and if you think for one second you can suppress us, well just ask Germans how well that works. We complained bitched and moaned, and eff... anybody who didn't like that. To be fair, usually a lot of drink was involved to make sure the guy next to you was equally as drunk LOL (Can't inform when you drunk)
I'm Polish, and I'm impressed with how well you know about Poland. You even mentioned some things in this video that I never realized, and it's true. :)
@@kubounn The first official declaration of the Centre of Europe was made in 1775 by the Polish royal astronomer and cartographer Szymon Antoni Sobiekrajski, who calculated it to be in the town of Suchowola near Białystok in modern north-eastern Poland. The method used was that of calculating equal distances from the extreme points of Europe: the westernmost point in Portugal; the easternmost point in the Central Urals; the northernmost point in Norway; and the southernmost point in Greece (islands were not taken into consideration). There is a monument commemorating that definition in Suchowola 53°34′39″N 23°06′22″E.
I'm Polish and this is pretty much spot on. I went to the US a couple of times and I was bewildered that random people on the street kept trying to have a chat with me or were smiling at me. It's so weird to a Polish person. I mean, you can talk to people here, but it should be about something useful, like asking for directions. If you just come up to someone to tell them you like their t-shirt, they'll think you're either crazy or are trying to con them.
Twice in my life have I had a situation when a random complimented my shirt on the street and honestly I just considered it as something nice, not weird
Or if you are girl and a random starts a convo with you, you smile nice and talk with them, with one hand in your bag, searching for the pepper gas, phone or other weirdo-expellent
Yeah, it's rubbish and seems like someone is trying to get in postion to stab you in the back. I hated it in the UK. And people did try to stab me in the back.
This is one of the most useful, accurate, true observations put together in one film. Beautifully told. Excellent job! And I say it as a Pole. Keep up the good work, bro!
"Poland is quite open to other cultures, they just don't like it when you try to pressure them to change for your culture" -if only this was the gold standard for all immigration around the world
Yea there is no islamization of poland because we have good immigrant politics Look at france and uk fall to muslims . In poland we dont want that. But we are respectful if you respect us we are chill But do not bring ur culture we reject it.
in short: we went through a lot of shit and learned. We are cautious and sceptical to whatever anyone tries to push on us. If someone doesn't like it here, he's free to go. Associating us with Nazi/Commie triggers us, as not many nations fought these as much as we did. Reliability and consistency are the most important characteristics we value. You can disagree with us in conversations, it's ok - just be consistent with what you believe/follow. And be prepared for criticism. We nag, judge and criticize for fun. If you're looking for a nation that's respectful, but cynical - Poland is the way.
Also thinking ouside the box is a very Polish trait, which many international employers value. A Pole will always find a way to circumvent obstacles and make things happen, even if other nations say you can't or shouldn't be doing that.
Regarding the point raised at 3:00. Poland has about 1000 years of history, during which there was a period where it was, literally, world's superpower. The last 250 years however was a bumpy ride and some people take it too seriously. Especially if you consider that after second world war Poland was 'sold' to the USSR by its former allies and there is quite some resentment over that. Also, this resentment is directed, usually, against Russia and Germany. Regarding anti russian sentiment - great swaths of historical Poland was under Russian occupation for over 150 years of the last 200. People get salty over that, especially in the light of what is happening in Ukraine right now.
@@utahdan231 During the height of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - so duing the reign of Jagiellons - Poland was the largest, well organized, relatively peaceful kingdom surrounded by a cloud of smaller powers around it. As much as 'world superpower' could be used in the context of 15th century - Poland was on par with every other conteder to the title at that time.
In actuality, we are aware that there are nations with higher levels of development than Poland, and we want to learn from them. However, saying "WOW, It is SO CHEAP HERE" is a huge faux pas in Poland. Given that some people may find it difficult to make ends meet on a regular basis, it could be viewed as extremely inconsiderate or even impolite. Poles tend to complain a lot, so sharing stories about the things that happened to you last week that made you angry or sad is a weird way of bonding. Essentially, it's like you would say "It's all right mate, you are not alone"
Crossing at red light you will end up with ticket from police 😂 unlike in the USA you can’t cross street. Being American would work on girls 20 years ago, but mostly American dream dispersed from Poland mentality, less and less people dream about America, and people who comes to see “American dream” they love some parts and hugely suprised and disappointment with America. In 90s, since Poland was in huge poverty American dream was real thing, people would do almost anything to go to the USA. These times are over, standart of living hugely increased in Poland over 30 years
The shoes thing turns into an argument when you are a guest in someone's house! We are always raised to take our shoes off in someone else's home, but a lot of the time the person who owns the house will tell you "No no no, it's okay! Keep your shoes on!" And then you'll argue "nooo, I'll make a mess!" and then they will tell you "No way, don't worry, the house is dirty anyway!" even though they've just cleaned the house to make it spotless (but they will not tell you that). Whether or not you take off your shoes depends on who argues better / if you are able to take them off before the argument is over 😅
Well, historically this thing blew up our conspiracy scheme. So a group of Polish officers met in Prague in 1939 after the September defeat, and they kept arguing who should enter the buling first. The lower in ranks obviously wanted to let higher in ranks first, but the higher in ranks respectfully stopped and started arguing that the lower in rank should come first (as a sign of respect from them). The polite argument of invitations took long enough time to attract attention of Czechs who would not act like this. So someone reported to German authorities that Poles were in town, and they all got arrested in the process.
that happens often when there are no spare slippers at hand. been there done that. "oh no dont take them off, your feet will get cold" ;] . some people care about it in certain scenarios and in other ones are fine. like im fine with someone walking in with their shoes on(especially if i have currently no slippers to offer them) but i would not be fine if it was raining outside and they brought a ton of mud with them. its like, conditional xD
Wes, I can totally relate to all the things you said about Polish people. I’m really impressed how fast you grasped all the nuances of people’s behaviour and attitudes. I’m also in awe of how you talk about everything with respect. Great research! Awesome observations! Thanks for sharing and we wanna hear some more. 😊
that is the most correct observation I've seen on yt about Poland ever- polish person you got that totally right. i would say that you also shouldn't sit next to strangers in trains or busses unless there is no sits left. I've seen many ppl complaining, especially black ppl, that they felt like ppl are racist, which is not true. It's a cultural thing, a "respect privacy" kinda thing. We don't sit next to strangers unless we have to, it makes us uncomfortable and the person who sits next. So we usually leave our things on the sit next to us as a way to inform ppl the place is "taken", but its not always the case. We respect ur privacy, and u're to respect ours. That is why we look at u only for a moment, we just check if the place is taken.
Oh, that explains it, I was always annoyed by people blocking sits in bus by standing next to them (whole life in Poland and I never learned why people do that lol)
To ,,zajmowanie" miejsc torbami, zakupami i innymi rzeczami nie ma nic wspólnego z poszanowaniem prywatności. Takie zachowanie jest niegrzeczne, egoistyczne i świadczy o braku kultury. Nie rozumiem dlaczego robią z tego element kultury polskiej. Takie zabieranie miejsca torba zawsze było negatywnie odbierane.
nie powiedziałabym, ale to tylko moje osobiste doświadczenie, nie mam nic do takich ludzi, a większość akurat potwierdzi, że po prostu mamy to w zwyczaju
@@LadyRevania nie mam problemu z otwarciem buzi i wyrażeniem swoich opinii. W takich sytuacjach zawsze pytam czy mogę usiąść. Jednak nie zgadzam się że stwierdzwniwm, że to element naszej kultury oraz że jest to element poszanowania prywatności. Takie zachowanie jest niefajne. Jeśli masz miejsce pod nogami to tam kładziesz torbę. Inni też zapłacili za bilet, fotel to nie jest miejsce na przechowywanie toreb. Niesty ludzie bardzo różnie reagują gdy się ich prosi o zwolnienie miejsca które zajeli torbami. Ponadto jeśli bym nie umiała otworzyć buzi i zwrócić komuś uwagi to nie zmienia to faktu że ja też mam prawo siedzieć na fotelu, jeśli jest taka możliwość. Podobnie osoby z różnymi ograniczeniami które nie podejdą i nie zwrócą nikomu uwagi
The strangest thing I've heard abouty my country is that: Almost everyone in Poland thinks that our technology is so bad because internet connection is poor in many regions...But it seems that we are only one country in europe where you have internet connection even in the middle of the forest or in village with only one home XD
Exsactly! Expect my room cause there i cant find a good signal but that might be due to how the house is built. But i can go outside to basically a forest or stand on a field and bang 5g no problem
yeah but it doesnt change the fact that its mostly poor quality 4g/lte based connection. i dont see speeds above 1mb very often. its laughtable when compared to other countries, be it west or east of us.
Extremely informative in a way most content creators can’t deliver. I know nothing about Poland and have been informed about something other than what the women are like
Polish people also don’t really like when someone talks about their money, because during PRL when someone had more money that mostly mean they were criminals or people who will snitch on you to Milicja (something kinda like Police but during more Russian times)
@@Swirl_Girl It means "Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa PRL" (Polish People's Republic). Personally, I hate this name (we had it between 1945 and 1989 year) because it implies that our country was owned in 100% by Poles, but it's not true. It was basically Russian annexation but in milder way
Being married to a woman from Poland, I can 100% confirm many of these things. This video was very informative and had me nodding the entire time. She came to live in the states with me, but Polish pride is real.
You forgot the most important thing, never talk about "Polish extermination camps". They were in Poland, but they were founded by Germans and possibly Russians. Poles who were under occupation at that time strongly condemned them.
So true. I used to live in Oświęcim and each time I was talking about my city with my foreigner friends, they would call it "Auschwitz" which would drive me crazy. I cannot say how many times I had to correct someone in that.
@@asia5438Oswiecim is used in reference to your city, while the German name Auschwitz is used in reference to the concentration camp, both in Polish and foreign history books. The survivors of the said camp used to say "siedzialem w Auschwitzu". Actually, I think it makes the difference clearer.
Nieznany: There were no Soviet extermination camps on the Polish territory. Soviet camps were called gulags, located in the Soviet Union. The gulags were heavy labour camps, to be precise, the extermination which took place there was a by-product, so to speak. The three German death camps were Belzec, Treblinka, Sobibor. Their sole purpose was to kill people en masse, mainly of Jewish origin. The others were classified as labour/extermination camps.
2:20 The centrality of Poland is not only about culture, but also the fact that Poland is located in Central Europe, not Eastern Europe. If you don't believe it, check it yourself on the map, but remember that part of Russia is in Europe.
In general, Eastern Europe doesn't have a single definition, and the term isn't all that useful since countries classified as belonging to the region are extremely varied. Nowadays it is most commonly used to refer to the states that constituted the Eastern Bloc, i.e. the countries that Russia wants to bully and control.
About politics. As you noticed, we Poles love to discuss and argue over "heavy" topics like politics, religion etc. Of course, it depends on a group you're hanging out with, but as a general rule, we're always curious about other peoples perspectives. And that arguments? They just the way we discuss this stuff. If everyone starts talking about politics, don't be afraid to ask some questions or throw in your own three cents. No one will take offense over it.
Exactly. We actually love to debate here. It's important part of the culture. Heavy debates don't change our perception of people. Even if we disagree, we will still continue maintaining the same relations with others.
We know Polish is hard and we are super proud if someone tries to talk it, we are not mad or anything if foreigners are making mistakes. Also we don't like those who don't assimilate, but we absolutely love those who try to
When it comes to crossing the street remember that there are cameras at the light signals (so you will get a fine), but it's also frown upon since it's openly showing that you don't respect rules = comes from a bad household. Also we have a law in Poland that forces drivers stop at every crossing without lights to let the pedestrians cross, if they don't stop they could be fined. So just wait a second and you will be able to cross safely
@@adamwojtasek7177 Wręcz przeciwnie, ten przepis został "zaostrzony" w tym sensie że kiedyś pieszy na przejściu miał pierwszeństwo. Teraz także zbliżający się do przejścia co jest niekiedy upierdliwe jak się dwóm dziumdziom zbierze na dyskusję przy krawędzi jezdni bo nigdy nie wiesz kiedy skonczą a ustąpić musisz.
First (in short) is mostly bullshit, second is true. Co do pierwszego - pierdolisz waćpan. Co do drugiego się zgodzę, bo aktualna kara to tysiak... Ale pierwsze? Nie jesteśmy w Chinach żeby na każdym rogu było CCTV, a nawet jeśli jest, to praktycznie nikt nie dostaje wezwania/grzywny, co do przekraczania na czerwonym - zależy gdzie. W gęstej, ruchliwej infrastrukturze to jest po prostu czysta logika żeby się nie narażać, ale poza to często subiektywna kwestia, i gadanie o złym wychowaniu czy złym domu to kocopoły. Pomiędzy nie szanowaniem pewnych zasad a powyższymi nie ma znaku równości. Nie kompromituj się więc wciskając subiektywny kit...
As a Polish I agree. Have only few points: 1) Poland was rich but hundreds years ago. Parts of Poland were rich also in XIX because of industrialization. Yes, a lot of Americans are now poorer than Poles. It's just how capitalism works.. Still Poland is not very wealthy, however quite good for living. Maybe better than many places in USA today. 2) "Second Paris" was a term used only in Polish press before II ww. And it was much exaggerated due to political reasons. Sadly Poles still believe in it. 3) I don't know any country where it is well welcomed to show "superiority" and pushing foreign culture. 4) Men are changing around the world. In Poland also and they carry home much more than years ago.
Good point, I don't know why anyone wouls think that the second republic was prosperous in any way. We were behind economically basically since 1600, and only started to really catch up in the last two decades (though data be damned, the people will still complain like we it was 1988 economically haha).
@@adamsilverman2 I can't agree that Poland was poor from 1600. Economy in feudal times was much different than now. "90 percent" of people were living in villages, the rest in small cities. Some parts of the whole commonwealth were rich, some not. Hundreds of thousands people migrated that time from Netherlands or nowadays Germany to Poland. They migrated because of economical opportunities in XVIII. Yes, II Republic was a "banana republic" or rather "potato Republic".
@@justmynickname I didn't say it was poor, I said it lagged behind, and it did, as instead of modernising in any sensible fashion, it specialised in grain, forsaking development of the cities. The only mention of that large migration that you mentioned, was persecuted religious minorities from the west getting drawn in by land grants fron the Russians.
@@katarzynakowalska5768 WAS. Before it was ruined during the wall, literally about 3/4 of the city was obliterated. It's completely different city from prewar times. Kudos for showing 'broad' perspective tho.
I loved your observations about Poland, they are really accurate:)) hope you'll get to experience mostly positive things while being here! and maybe you'll stick around for a longer time:)
As a person from Poland - that's a pretty good summary. Not sure about humble/frugal part; I'd say it's like in most countries - some people are humble and dislike overt displays of wealth, some... not really. Not sure about openness, either... As for jaywalking: plenty of people ignore the red light when it's a small street and the coast is clear. Also, be very, very careful when it comes to counting on drivers to let you pass, especially in larger cities. Side note: I don't really care about country rankings etc, but I'm pretty sure most people don't like hearing that their country is inferior. 😅
Depends on the city. I found that drivers in Wrocław were more likely to stop, sometimes even though the light was red for me... and I had to cross on a red light.
The smiling thing - that's because we do not smile just to being polite, when we smile it is honest and that means we actually like you and we are happy to see you :)
Also, we consider smiling without reason as dumb thing. There are negative cinitations like 'he is smiling like dumbass to cheese', or 'why are you smiling so stupidly ', . No smile if there is no reason for 🤷
To rusofobia. Większość wojen z Moskwą toczyła się na wschodzie; znacznie bliżej Moskwy niż Warszawy. Wiesz dlaczego? Bo to nie Rosja, tylko Rzeczpospolita prowadziła przez wieki imperialną politykę rozszerzania się na wschód. Dobrym przykładem jest zajęcie Moskwy w 1612, którym tak lubimy się chwalić - a to my wtedy rozpoczęliśmy wojnę najeźdźczą. Ruscy w końcu się zebrali do kupy i nam odpłacili pięknym za nadobne; a potem było płaku płaku bo źli rosjanie nas biją.
As a Polish person I think this is very accurate. I could list a few more but I will let you explore and experience things yourself during your stay in Poland. Enjoy!
Funny how even as a Pole myself, i've never really paid attention to our culture and stuff like that, but everything you said is pretty much spot on. I guess you just don't pay attention to stuff like that if you've done it for your entire life.
We have an old proverb here: it's nice to hear someone who's wise. However, each of the things you mentioned in your film as something you should not do in Poland has its deep and historical roots. It's good that you're here with us. Powodzenia
jeśli chodzi o kwestie ściągania butów to myślę, że to nie jest nawet część kultury co też naszego stylu życia. W Polsce duża część mieszkań jest mała co przekłada się na to, że dysponujemy 2 czy 3 pokojami, które są wielofunkcyjne więc higiena ma duże znaczenie. myślę, że jeśli ktoś mieszka w dużym domu gdzie ma do dyspozycji strefę dzienną to nie powinno to mieć jakiegoś dużego znaczenia. w Polsce ludzie stosunkowo dużo chodzą, więc nasze buty częściej się brudzą niż kiedy jeździsz samochodem. i po trzecie mamy tu zmienną pogodę. w lato ok buty są suche ale zimą nie wyobrażam sobie chodzić w domu w ubłoconych butach.
Nigdy nie pomyślałam o tym, że Amerykanie mogą być przyzwyczajeni do "strefy dziennej" i tej na piętrze, gdzie są sypialnie. To nareszcie ma JAKIŚ sens!
Lots of things you said are actually very accurate. So instead of poking holes and correcting you, I'm just gonna say; well done at getting used to Poland! You seem like a very respectful guy. Good on you, man.
0:50 if a girl smiles back at a guy whos staring at smiling at her on the street, she most likely is doing that not to trigger that guy and cuz she feels uncomfortable. That's not how to pick a girl here in Poland. Such situations end up bad on tourists and especially african/asian refugees. I had to help one girl a few months ago. I saw it's pretty common for foregin people, especially Balkans, arabs, africans to try to pick a girl out from the streets. It doesnt work and ends up getting beaten up or posted on social media as a creep like "girls watch out in this area cuz x and y". Do not do that ever. Most Polish girls won't aggresively reject you because people sometimes don't want to sound rude to potential psycho you are becoming in eyes of person you're approaching. Sorry for grammar, just a quick guide from a Pole who kind of dislikes eastern and african tourists/refugees for behavior that is offensive towards women here but maybe not in culture of offenders.
I've seen a few videos by foreigners about Poland, but never anyone was so on point. You are a very good observer. And true - resting bitch face is real but it doesn't mean we walk constantly mad or angry, I for example may be super relaxed and in a good mood but my face will be like this 😖/😐 and here in Poland it's completely normal that everyone minds their own business. We even keep saying ,,don't stick your nose into someone's life/business" and staring at people is read as rude actually. We don't event know in first place what to answer when some stranger start the small talk. Because here if someone ask a friend ,,how are you?" we really expecting people will answer and tell us something more than ,,fine". So small talk with stranger is a big surprise, we are not ready for it 😂 If you want to get to know someone, it's better to start attending a course or an interest group . Some place for regular meetings of initially strangers. This way, everyone start to get to know each other non-invasively and gradually on neutral ground while doing something together. This gives a good starting point. Dancing lessons specially are full of women and there is not enough men there (and if they are, they are notorious players so smart women avoids them 😑). Actually guys who chase girls on the streets look like this kind of players so... only really desperate woman or the one who meet guys for fun (I'm not judging) would contiune that kind of ,,friendship". My good advice is: meet someone on neutral ground, and only if you get to know someone better and there is a good flow, try to make friendship. Catching strangers on the street is really creepy here and even if someone would talk with you for few minuts to avid being rude, it just won't last. I mean chances are low :)
That "don't stick your nose into someone's life" attitude can be detrimetal sometimes. Like when you hear your neighbour beating up his family, but nobody would call the police. Germans are shocked by this.
@@danikim235ok, when you hear someone is doing something that serious you should call the police. That rule don't include that case. Only very patologic type of people don't react in situations like this.
@@Atri-XIII You would be surprised that sadly it's the norm not to react to stuff like that in Poland. I think it's because of the mistrust towards the police, and the inconvenience in dealing with them, maybe also because of the fear of retribution by the perpetrator? But if your dog barks too much or you have a loud party in the apartment, people have no problem complaining either to you personally, your landlord or to the building administration.
@danikim235 I'm Polish and I live in Poland my whole life, so I think I know what can be called a norm here and once again: only pathologic people think it is ok to not react in situation that you described.
we do jaywalk :D not all the time - usually when there's no one around, 'cause we don't want to pay the fine... and when there are no traffic lights the cars are obliged to slow down or stop before the crosswalk if there see pedestrians nearby (they can also be fined for not stopping) - you can say we obey cause we really hate giving our money to government for free
Truth be told, Poland was a real sh*hole 30-40 years ago, and it was quite difficult to be proud of anything here. And I say that as a Pole, who's been living here for over 40 yrs. It's safe to say that Western Europe or USA were much better places to live. But it has changed A LOT for the last 10-15 years. While many countries are still wealther, the gap is closing fast. Looking at how Poland is looking now and how everything has improved, I'm really proud of my country. I don't buy the narrative that one should be proud of their country no matter the circumstances. And even if a contry is objectively very successful, it's still healthy to be a bit unsatisfied and strive for improvement.
Man you hit the nail in a coffin! Spot on could not wrapped it better. I played it to my fiancé who is English now he believes I’m not crazy but these are national Polish features!❤️
As pole I am very much impressed by your observations,due to they are much more considerable in their terms rather than being touched generally on the surface and I very much appreciate,that you're willing to obey and behave rather than to be wild and impose at all terms your behaviour from another culture in foreign nation,but it doesn't mean,that another culture is bad or not well-met with here,I rather mean that sort of wild or verage cultural aspects,that are not accepted here and are only disturbing .❤
Walking around the house in shoes in Western culture has always been disgusting to me. How can you spread dirt brought in from the street all over your house/sofa/bed? Disgusting!!!
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Well... what can i say, except for: welcome to our fucked up country (and as for the traffic lights, its more like "sheep" behavior, and here ill explain: when i see theres no car going on, i pass on red light, and then, miraculously, other ppl find the courage to follow :D still, dont do it, ull get a ticket if police sees u) enjoy your stay and all the best bro!
Tak
About the shoes its an respect thing to the owner (or just to not get dirt all over the house) enjoy your stay bro
I am Polish and part of you say on video unfortunately is truth so it say good of Polish people.
Please don't say down below. Did you even see down above? :D
It blows my mind how Americans don’t take their shoes off inside. You want dirt from outside in your home?
It also freaks me out! i cannot imagine walking in shoes around the house when there are so many microbes and dirt on the soles from the outside
It's rude to make someone take off their shoes. This custom comes from peasants who had to take off their muddy shoes when inside their huts.
Especially when they jump onto the bed or couch with the shoes on... 😵💫
@@krzysztofjarzyna3194 it's also incredibly rude to not take them off if homeowner asks you to. Just don't go inside if you feel offended.
@@czerwonykrawat I've never heard anyone asking me to take my shoes off. On the other hand, my parents always reminded me to do so when entering somebody else's home. People won't be "rude" by demanding anything directly but they expect a specific behavior and treat you nice if you comply.
You can complain about Poland, but only if you are Polish 😉
hmm? makes no sense
@@hokage2184 It's like with N-word. Some ppl can use some not :)
@@hokage2184 what country are you from?
@@rosiak12345 Best explanation ever
Dokładnie ja jestem obywatelem polskiej krwi i moge dissować masz naród ile chce ale to nie znaczy że jakiś randomly amerykanin ma Takis same uprawnienia, POLSKA GUROM 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱
You can walk in shoes in someone's house only when they say "Noooo! Don't take your shoes off!". But you still can't put them on furniture. Absolutely never!
even if they do say that, everyone takes them off anyway
@@seradotav6590Das ist hygienisch, also Polen verstehen was von Sauberkeit und Hygiene 👍
Even if they say to not take off your shoes, you take them off anyways. It is like saying ,,no i dont want that last slice of pizza"
If they insist not to but you see carpets or rugs inside, take your shoes off. They will appreciate it.
I dont know if Asians dont stick out but Poles respect Asians, they dont make trouble and they are hard working people.
This opinion does seem to change every year though and very different from person to person
I agree
I would say it isn't as straight forward but we usually don't mind people that are normal, hardworking people regardless of their country of origin or ethnicity (as long as they don't push their agenda onto us)
@@GewelReal True, but asians are respescted by default for the most part, while black and middle-eastern people have to earn it
@@jgfjfgjfhjfyup! Stereotypes doesn't come from thin air!
"not expecting you to speak fluently" my friend, cobble up half a sentence that almost makes sense and me and my friends will give you a standing ovation for just trying. We know our language is messed up but without it we wouldn't have the creative approach to solve things.
Hearing foreigners say "I learn Polish" my friends and I ask - "...but WHY?!" 😅
yep, if we see you try you are already one of us :D
yes, many traders in other countries try that on us when we are abroad :D they try to catch us on few words in polish (or even guess the name) to start an interaction.
Good example of the whole thing is the T=shirt I've seen:
'I speak polish, what's your superpower?' ;D
@@mrright3822 lol i've got that t-shirt
and at the time you're already fluent in Polish, we will stop the ovations and instead start correcting your every mistake 😂 because at that time you are already wholly Polish body and soul and we don't prise Poles for speaking Polish🤣😂🤣
Outside Poland's borders, Poles try to respect the rules of the country they are in, so that's why we expect the same from people coming to our country. BTW, you are a good observer. Your list is really true and to the point!
Dziękuje tej osobie która dała mi możliwość dania 100 lika lol
As a Pole I smile gently watching this -> 😐
Im crying😂 its so true❤
same
Dobre
Same here, :) And, of course, I'm smiling without making loud noises or showing my teeth, so Americans could say I'm very sad. ID
Fr
We, Poles don't want to be treated as easterners, like Russians or Ukrainians, but also don't want to be categorized as westerners like Germans or Americans
Good point! Somehow I am proud of the fact that we are "something in between". (napisałem po angielsku, żeby inni zrozumieli)
Germany is Central Europe.
@@andyf9560są przyciski do tłumaczenia. Można pisać w dowolnym języku, nawet po śląsku i przetłumaczy poprawnie.
@@andrzejwodynski narodowi niemieckiemu nie należy ufać
@@andyf9560I typed half Polish pół po English, coby striggerować some people and utrudnić the translation tego useless komentarza dla others 😊
laughing is a real expression of emotion for them, like crying and they don't want to show fake emotions. they smile when they mean it
There is one polish movie where one of the characters is teaching others how to be more likable as a Pole in the USA to fit a bit more, it was something like this: „The face is supposed to be a part of the outfit, not a window to the soul. You can't walk around New York with an honest face, it's like having your dick out”. I am polish, and I hate this fake smile and false friendliness, because even if you are foreigner (check if not a pikey), when you really need help every polish person will help you, and if you need help in US/Canada/Australia people will tell you to call emergency or some other service. They were friendly only on the outside.
I love how almost everyone in the comments IS Polish, we really like to see things about our country :DD
this is the case with all nations. You google your name too! :)
Real
I was curious if the guy got it right, lol.
I'm polish :D
Hejka wszyscy!
As Pole, I approve this message. We don't treat people with respect. We treat people with mutuality. If you're respectful to people, country, language, history, etc. you can count on receiving the same.
This. So much this. We're like cats in a way, we can be your best friend if you earn it, or we can be your worst menace if you show you don't.
Exactly right. In Poland it works that way in every situation, in every interaction with a stranger, be it Polish national or a foreigner. Most often your first few sentences, your tone and a show of basic respect will determine your foreseeable experience with that person.
Probably the word you want to use is reciprocity.
heh nice
😅@@karotconcarne3325
As a Pole I really wanted to debunk this video but he's actually right👍
perhaps the error is to attribute some things to the Poles instead of just all Europeans? :)
I love how you respect and describe our Polish ways without negative feelings towards our behavior or tradition. Kudos!
Also, excellent points.
Cheers
How to not greet poles:
-Hey, how are you?
-Oh you know, usual. My father died last week. And i found out that i have cancer so my wife left me for my dentist and took our children.
Yup, if you ask us how we are we will respond and be very detailed about it as this question is an invitation to compaining and we never miss that opportunity!
You (literally) get what you ask for.
And i'm proud of that no bs attitude
But at least my teeth are doing great!
no najlepiej to,,,niech kurwa bedzie pochwalony,,albo obalony
Funny thing: even after over a decade in "western" discourse, I am still doing this Slavic thing 😂 I guess culturally, if one doesn't tell their personal story they seem superficial, not trustworthy and not friendly.
Thank you. I feel proud to be Polish listening to your compilation. 🇵🇱❤
Our smalltalk is complaing about everything. It unites us😂
divided by law united in complaining XD
Our smalltalk doesnt exists
THE COMPLAINERS! It's our thing. Used to hate it, now I embraced it. We went suuuch a freaking long way in 30 years. We're the best!
@@janekjanek3959 wychowanie katolickie
Tak jak ksiądz ci wmawiał że jesteś liściem i pyłem na wietrze i nic ci się nie uda
I tak mamy wszyscy
Niszczą nam pewność i wiarę w siebie już od dziecka
My nigdy nie będziemy zadowoleni ..
@@chrisryzewicz ja bym do tego kościoła nie mieszał
Worst thing u can do is talk with the cashier in żabka like bro i just want a hotdog
lmao
Yeah people that chit-chat at Żabka when there's 10 people in queue or asking for their courier package which takes the cashier 10 minutes to find are the worst lol. Just use a paczkomat like a normal person.
@@WheresWes Yeah, when you chat with most workers in convinience/grocery shops you won't be treated very nicely. Especially in Żabka and Biedronka. Go in, buy and go out - No bs
@@olliepwnsall sorry, but when theres a chance I will take it 🤣 just recently I bought something online and the option to ship it to a shop by DPD was completly free. so well, Im sorry for the people who were in line behind me in Dino but why sepnd money when you can not spend it? haha
there are two exceptions. 1 it's you and cashier in Żabka. 2.(it is a bit combined with 1) cashier is your friend
As a Pole I can say I very much like and respect tourists and foreigners from Asian countries. Very smart, very hardworking, they represent most ancient and rich cultures! Thank you for making a video about my country!
So in a nutshell - if you ask someone in Poland "How are you?" it's a pretty binding question in a conversation. It means you really are interested about what was goin on in someone's life for the past few weeks or months, want to exchange recent experiences etc.
Not really. The problem can occurre if you want to get something from the other person. Why? It can be seen as manipulative bhvr. If you want to chat for chat's sake then it's quite a pleasant starter
As someone who doesn't really like talking and socializing I'd just say not much and wait if you go away or want to talk about something more interesting
I feel seen when someone asks me “how are you?” in Polish. Because it’s genuine and I can see someone cares. In other countries they just say it to hear “fine wbu?”
Use how are u today
Tbh yeah, we don't expect the "I'm fine, how are you?" we want to know if anything changed in your life since our last meeting. 😅
3:49 I think we love complaining about our country because we're actually happy that we can do it at all. When Poland was taken over by russia you couldn't say ANYTHING about the government, if you officially opposed it you could even lose your life. So I consider complaining about my country a privilege that comes with freedom of speech. The authorities must hear criticism, not just praise, especially when we still have many things to change to really improve our quality of life. If you don't speak up - don't expect any changes ;).
tak
It's funny how you can love your country, and "hate" it at the same time. I needed to stop myself a lot of times cos I was complaining too much to my international friends, I treated it as a normal conversation but they took it as if I was talking sht about Poland xD
So if you're a pole be careful when complaining to people of other nationality since they will not understand that you're just making a "small talk"
Prawda !
@@kamikadzegga9188 Complaining is not hate. We wouldnt be where we are now if we didnt point out whats bad in our contry. We always compare to people who do better than us and try to keep up.
We compare Poland's roads to Germanys. Working hard to Japanese. We are never content, but that keeps us going forward.
Have to disagree with you. I was there when it was communistic; and I can tell you. We complained plenty. We Poles are stubborn bunch, and if you think for one second you can suppress us, well just ask Germans how well that works.
We complained bitched and moaned, and eff... anybody who didn't like that.
To be fair, usually a lot of drink was involved to make sure the guy next to you was equally as drunk LOL (Can't inform when you drunk)
I'm Polish, and I'm impressed with how well you know about Poland. You even mentioned some things in this video that I never realized, and it's true. :)
We are central because literally there is a point in Poland that is exactly a centre of Europe
where?
@@secretname2670 bullshit, central point is in slovakia
@@kubounn fed
@@kubounn The first official declaration of the Centre of Europe was made in 1775 by the Polish royal astronomer and cartographer Szymon Antoni Sobiekrajski, who calculated it to be in the town of Suchowola near Białystok in modern north-eastern Poland. The method used was that of calculating equal distances from the extreme points of Europe: the westernmost point in Portugal; the easternmost point in the Central Urals; the northernmost point in Norway; and the southernmost point in Greece (islands were not taken into consideration). There is a monument commemorating that definition in Suchowola 53°34′39″N 23°06′22″E.
Funny thing is that Germany is also considered Central Europe but they will insist they are West :)
I'm Polish and this is pretty much spot on. I went to the US a couple of times and I was bewildered that random people on the street kept trying to have a chat with me or were smiling at me. It's so weird to a Polish person. I mean, you can talk to people here, but it should be about something useful, like asking for directions. If you just come up to someone to tell them you like their t-shirt, they'll think you're either crazy or are trying to con them.
I was very surprised that people you pass on the street in small towns in the Netherlands will say hello to you.
You are living in Poland and refuse to learn Polish??
Twice in my life have I had a situation when a random complimented my shirt on the street and honestly I just considered it as something nice, not weird
Or if you are girl and a random starts a convo with you, you smile nice and talk with them, with one hand in your bag, searching for the pepper gas, phone or other weirdo-expellent
Yeah, it's rubbish and seems like someone is trying to get in postion to stab you in the back. I hated it in the UK. And people did try to stab me in the back.
This is one of the most useful, accurate, true observations put together in one film. Beautifully told. Excellent job! And I say it as a Pole. Keep up the good work, bro!
"Poland is quite open to other cultures, they just don't like it when you try to pressure them to change for your culture" -if only this was the gold standard for all immigration around the world
agreed
It's simply: "my house, my rules". If you do not want to respect them, you're welcome to gtfo.
@@aarongoldman301so true
When in Rome do like Romans do.
Yea there is no islamization of poland because we have good immigrant politics
Look at france and uk fall to muslims .
In poland we dont want that.
But we are respectful if you respect us we are chill
But do not bring ur culture we reject it.
in short: we went through a lot of shit and learned. We are cautious and sceptical to whatever anyone tries to push on us. If someone doesn't like it here, he's free to go. Associating us with Nazi/Commie triggers us, as not many nations fought these as much as we did. Reliability and consistency are the most important characteristics we value. You can disagree with us in conversations, it's ok - just be consistent with what you believe/follow. And be prepared for criticism. We nag, judge and criticize for fun. If you're looking for a nation that's respectful, but cynical - Poland is the way.
Also thinking ouside the box is a very Polish trait, which many international employers value. A Pole will always find a way to circumvent obstacles and make things happen, even if other nations say you can't or shouldn't be doing that.
True thats just the whole true
PS. I like arguing for fun
As a polish guy i find this video very accurate. Props for u
Regarding the point raised at 3:00. Poland has about 1000 years of history, during which there was a period where it was, literally, world's superpower. The last 250 years however was a bumpy ride and some people take it too seriously. Especially if you consider that after second world war Poland was 'sold' to the USSR by its former allies and there is quite some resentment over that. Also, this resentment is directed, usually, against Russia and Germany.
Regarding anti russian sentiment - great swaths of historical Poland was under Russian occupation for over 150 years of the last 200. People get salty over that, especially in the light of what is happening in Ukraine right now.
Poland was never a world superpower. Not even a power.
@@utahdan231 Regional superpower, biggest and strongest country in region for few centuries
World's superpower is bullshit :D regional power yes, global? HOW? we never got out of eastern Europe.
not a world superpower at all
@@utahdan231 During the height of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - so duing the reign of Jagiellons - Poland was the largest, well organized, relatively peaceful kingdom surrounded by a cloud of smaller powers around it. As much as 'world superpower' could be used in the context of 15th century - Poland was on par with every other conteder to the title at that time.
In actuality, we are aware that there are nations with higher levels of development than Poland, and we want to learn from them. However, saying "WOW, It is SO CHEAP HERE" is a huge faux pas in Poland. Given that some people may find it difficult to make ends meet on a regular basis, it could be viewed as extremely inconsiderate or even impolite.
Poles tend to complain a lot, so sharing stories about the things that happened to you last week that made you angry or sad is a weird way of bonding. Essentially, it's like you would say "It's all right mate, you are not alone"
My German boyfriend is always saying how food is so cheap here, but I regularly complain how expensive it is in Germany, so fair game :P
You really got into the Polish culture. You got all off these very much deeply correct! Enjoy your life in Poland!
Crossing at red light you will end up with ticket from police 😂 unlike in the USA you can’t cross street. Being American would work on girls 20 years ago, but mostly American dream dispersed from Poland mentality, less and less people dream about America, and people who comes to see “American dream” they love some parts and hugely suprised and disappointment with America. In 90s, since Poland was in huge poverty American dream was real thing, people would do almost anything to go to the USA. These times are over, standart of living hugely increased in Poland over 30 years
Of course you can cross a single lane road if the pedestrian crossing is over 100 meters away and you make sure you are safe
@@jotjotekThey said ‚crossing at red light’.
You can walk better be careful and watch for police
Also remember you can get a ticket here for using a phone while crossing the road, even on green light! (recent law)
Bro, lights in Poland are shit. People cross roads on red lights all the time it's almost cultural
The shoes thing turns into an argument when you are a guest in someone's house! We are always raised to take our shoes off in someone else's home, but a lot of the time the person who owns the house will tell you "No no no, it's okay! Keep your shoes on!" And then you'll argue "nooo, I'll make a mess!" and then they will tell you "No way, don't worry, the house is dirty anyway!" even though they've just cleaned the house to make it spotless (but they will not tell you that). Whether or not you take off your shoes depends on who argues better / if you are able to take them off before the argument is over 😅
Exactly! It's always like that :-)
I do this all the time - spot on
Yep! it's like a contest of your upbringing vs the host's hospitaity 😆
Well, historically this thing blew up our conspiracy scheme. So a group of Polish officers met in Prague in 1939 after the September defeat, and they kept arguing who should enter the buling first. The lower in ranks obviously wanted to let higher in ranks first, but the higher in ranks respectfully stopped and started arguing that the lower in rank should come first (as a sign of respect from them). The polite argument of invitations took long enough time to attract attention of Czechs who would not act like this. So someone reported to German authorities that Poles were in town, and they all got arrested in the process.
that happens often when there are no spare slippers at hand. been there done that. "oh no dont take them off, your feet will get cold" ;] . some people care about it in certain scenarios and in other ones are fine. like im fine with someone walking in with their shoes on(especially if i have currently no slippers to offer them) but i would not be fine if it was raining outside and they brought a ton of mud with them. its like, conditional xD
Wes, I can totally relate to all the things you said about Polish people. I’m really impressed how fast you grasped all the nuances of people’s behaviour and attitudes. I’m also in awe of how you talk about everything with respect. Great research! Awesome observations! Thanks for sharing and we wanna hear some more. 😊
that is the most correct observation I've seen on yt about Poland ever- polish person
you got that totally right. i would say that you also shouldn't sit next to strangers in trains or busses unless there is no sits left. I've seen many ppl complaining, especially black ppl, that they felt like ppl are racist, which is not true. It's a cultural thing, a "respect privacy" kinda thing. We don't sit next to strangers unless we have to, it makes us uncomfortable and the person who sits next. So we usually leave our things on the sit next to us as a way to inform ppl the place is "taken", but its not always the case. We respect ur privacy, and u're to respect ours. That is why we look at u only for a moment, we just check if the place is taken.
And in such case it is cutomary to ask if the seat is free and if you can sit there, even if it's blatantly obvious. It's just a polite thing to do.
Oh, that explains it, I was always annoyed by people blocking sits in bus by standing next to them (whole life in Poland and I never learned why people do that lol)
To ,,zajmowanie" miejsc torbami, zakupami i innymi rzeczami nie ma nic wspólnego z poszanowaniem prywatności. Takie zachowanie jest niegrzeczne, egoistyczne i świadczy o braku kultury. Nie rozumiem dlaczego robią z tego element kultury polskiej. Takie zabieranie miejsca torba zawsze było negatywnie odbierane.
nie powiedziałabym, ale to tylko moje osobiste doświadczenie, nie mam nic do takich ludzi, a większość akurat potwierdzi, że po prostu mamy to w zwyczaju
@@LadyRevania nie mam problemu z otwarciem buzi i wyrażeniem swoich opinii. W takich sytuacjach zawsze pytam czy mogę usiąść. Jednak nie zgadzam się że stwierdzwniwm, że to element naszej kultury oraz że jest to element poszanowania prywatności. Takie zachowanie jest niefajne. Jeśli masz miejsce pod nogami to tam kładziesz torbę. Inni też zapłacili za bilet, fotel to nie jest miejsce na przechowywanie toreb. Niesty ludzie bardzo różnie reagują gdy się ich prosi o zwolnienie miejsca które zajeli torbami. Ponadto jeśli bym nie umiała otworzyć buzi i zwrócić komuś uwagi to nie zmienia to faktu że ja też mam prawo siedzieć na fotelu, jeśli jest taka możliwość. Podobnie osoby z różnymi ograniczeniami które nie podejdą i nie zwrócą nikomu uwagi
The strangest thing I've heard abouty my country is that: Almost everyone in Poland thinks that our technology is so bad because internet connection is poor in many regions...But it seems that we are only one country in europe where you have internet connection even in the middle of the forest or in village with only one home XD
Exsactly! Expect my room cause there i cant find a good signal but that might be due to how the house is built. But i can go outside to basically a forest or stand on a field and bang 5g no problem
@@racingraptor4758 you can try using some mesh wifi systems, that could help. Or a powerline.
Podlaskie wifi - is that what r u talking about?
yeah but it doesnt change the fact that its mostly poor quality 4g/lte based connection. i dont see speeds above 1mb very often. its laughtable when compared to other countries, be it west or east of us.
@@racingraptor4758 oh so trees in your 'forest' are 1m tall? xD
Wow. What an honest and accurate description of Poles!
Extremely informative in a way most content creators can’t deliver. I know nothing about Poland and have been informed about something other than what the women are like
Appreciate the comment bro
Polish people also don’t really like when someone talks about their money, because during PRL when someone had more money that mostly mean they were criminals or people who will snitch on you to Milicja (something kinda like Police but during more Russian times)
U should explain what is PRL first
@@Swirl_Girl It means "Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa PRL" (Polish People's Republic). Personally, I hate this name (we had it between 1945 and 1989 year) because it implies that our country was owned in 100% by Poles, but it's not true. It was basically Russian annexation but in milder way
@@paulinakowalska3601 Technically speaking, at that time Poland belonged to the Poles much more than it does today.
Thank you for that video and the statement about complaining and arguing is so true !
Being married to a woman from Poland, I can 100% confirm many of these things. This video was very informative and had me nodding the entire time. She came to live in the states with me, but Polish pride is real.
yeah, real as fck lmao
I live in northeast Poland. Pretty much homogenic population, but...
We had real Jamaican called Blake, that moved here for his wife.
Is Polish pride something weird to you? Americans are not proud?
@@Derayes Polish pride is not weird it's great, I admire it.
@@gtown0703 And your dignity shows. Oh boy you got the Yank by insulting his wife. Real classy. Have some self-respect and gain maturity.
You forgot the most important thing, never talk about "Polish extermination camps". They were in Poland, but they were founded by Germans and possibly Russians. Poles who were under occupation at that time strongly condemned them.
So true. I used to live in Oświęcim and each time I was talking about my city with my foreigner friends, they would call it "Auschwitz" which would drive me crazy. I cannot say how many times I had to correct someone in that.
@@asia5438Oswiecim is used in reference to your city, while the German name Auschwitz is used in reference to the concentration camp, both in Polish and foreign history books. The survivors of the said camp used to say "siedzialem w Auschwitzu". Actually, I think it makes the difference clearer.
Nieznany: There were no Soviet extermination camps on the Polish territory. Soviet camps were called gulags, located in the Soviet Union. The gulags were heavy labour camps, to be precise, the extermination which took place there was a by-product, so to speak. The three German death camps were Belzec, Treblinka, Sobibor. Their sole purpose was to kill people en masse, mainly of Jewish origin. The others were classified as labour/extermination camps.
All your observations are valid and true. Thank you for sharing your experience.
2:20 The centrality of Poland is not only about culture, but also the fact that Poland is located in Central Europe, not Eastern Europe. If you don't believe it, check it yourself on the map, but remember that part of Russia is in Europe.
In general, Eastern Europe doesn't have a single definition, and the term isn't all that useful since countries classified as belonging to the region are extremely varied. Nowadays it is most commonly used to refer to the states that constituted the Eastern Bloc, i.e. the countries that Russia wants to bully and control.
About politics. As you noticed, we Poles love to discuss and argue over "heavy" topics like politics, religion etc. Of course, it depends on a group you're hanging out with, but as a general rule, we're always curious about other peoples perspectives. And that arguments? They just the way we discuss this stuff. If everyone starts talking about politics, don't be afraid to ask some questions or throw in your own three cents. No one will take offense over it.
Exactly. We actually love to debate here. It's important part of the culture. Heavy debates don't change our perception of people. Even if we disagree, we will still continue maintaining the same relations with others.
@@matt-eu-polandI wouldnt agree
Those are great observations! And very interesting comparisons with other countries :)
Bro we aren't humble we broke 💔
Lmao
bro, speak for yourself, bro... kretyn
As a Pole I can confirm it is 100% correct - every foreigner should see it before coming to Poland! :)
You were spot on ❤ i hope you are happy here ❤
We know Polish is hard and we are super proud if someone tries to talk it, we are not mad or anything if foreigners are making mistakes.
Also we don't like those who don't assimilate, but we absolutely love those who try to
That zoom out from the laptop was kinda cool ngl.
Thank you for coming to Poland and being this observant and respectful and kind too 😊❤
When it comes to crossing the street remember that there are cameras at the light signals (so you will get a fine), but it's also frown upon since it's openly showing that you don't respect rules = comes from a bad household.
Also we have a law in Poland that forces drivers stop at every crossing without lights to let the pedestrians cross, if they don't stop they could be fined. So just wait a second and you will be able to cross safely
come from a bad house hold since ure not waiting for the red light? what is this bullshit, do you even live in poland wtf
Wasn't this rule removed few months ago?
@@adamwojtasek7177 nie (robię prawo jazdy)
@@adamwojtasek7177 Wręcz przeciwnie, ten przepis został "zaostrzony" w tym sensie że kiedyś pieszy na przejściu miał pierwszeństwo. Teraz także zbliżający się do przejścia co jest niekiedy upierdliwe jak się dwóm dziumdziom zbierze na dyskusję przy krawędzi jezdni bo nigdy nie wiesz kiedy skonczą a ustąpić musisz.
First (in short) is mostly bullshit, second is true.
Co do pierwszego - pierdolisz waćpan. Co do drugiego się zgodzę, bo aktualna kara to tysiak... Ale pierwsze? Nie jesteśmy w Chinach żeby na każdym rogu było CCTV, a nawet jeśli jest, to praktycznie nikt nie dostaje wezwania/grzywny, co do przekraczania na czerwonym - zależy gdzie. W gęstej, ruchliwej infrastrukturze to jest po prostu czysta logika żeby się nie narażać, ale poza to często subiektywna kwestia, i gadanie o złym wychowaniu czy złym domu to kocopoły. Pomiędzy nie szanowaniem pewnych zasad a powyższymi nie ma znaku równości. Nie kompromituj się więc wciskając subiektywny kit...
As a Pole I can agree :D
PS: 6:24 WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHOES ON A BED !?!?!?!?
HUH
You wouldn't know, but many Americans walk inside their home wearing shoes, and they even keep their feet on the sofa and bed with shoes on.😂
Congrats! You totally nailed it ❤ I agree with 100% of your conclusions
Better quality than i expected.
Very accurate observations throughout all episodes about Poland.
Hahaha very nice summary. Have a great time in Kraków !
As a Polish I agree. Have only few points:
1) Poland was rich but hundreds years ago. Parts of Poland were rich also in XIX because of industrialization.
Yes, a lot of Americans are now poorer than Poles. It's just how capitalism works.. Still Poland is not very wealthy, however quite good for living. Maybe better than many places in USA today.
2) "Second Paris" was a term used only in Polish press before II ww. And it was much exaggerated due to political reasons. Sadly Poles still believe in it.
3) I don't know any country where it is well welcomed to show "superiority" and pushing foreign culture.
4) Men are changing around the world. In Poland also and they carry home much more than years ago.
Good point, I don't know why anyone wouls think that the second republic was prosperous in any way. We were behind economically basically since 1600, and only started to really catch up in the last two decades (though data be damned, the people will still complain like we it was 1988 economically haha).
@@adamsilverman2
I can't agree that Poland was poor from 1600. Economy in feudal times was much different than now. "90 percent" of people were living in villages, the rest in small cities.
Some parts of the whole commonwealth were rich, some not. Hundreds of thousands people migrated that time from Netherlands or nowadays Germany to Poland. They migrated because of economical opportunities in XVIII.
Yes, II Republic was a "banana republic" or rather "potato Republic".
@@justmynickname I didn't say it was poor, I said it lagged behind, and it did, as instead of modernising in any sensible fashion, it specialised in grain, forsaking development of the cities. The only mention of that large migration that you mentioned, was persecuted religious minorities from the west getting drawn in by land grants fron the Russians.
Who does belive that Warsaw is the second Paris? C'mon, I live there and I've never heard that!
@@katarzynakowalska5768 WAS. Before it was ruined during the wall, literally about 3/4 of the city was obliterated. It's completely different city from prewar times. Kudos for showing 'broad' perspective tho.
Every foreigner should see it before visiting Poland. Good job.
I loved your observations about Poland, they are really accurate:)) hope you'll get to experience mostly positive things while being here! and maybe you'll stick around for a longer time:)
As a person from Poland - that's a pretty good summary. Not sure about humble/frugal part; I'd say it's like in most countries - some people are humble and dislike overt displays of wealth, some... not really. Not sure about openness, either...
As for jaywalking: plenty of people ignore the red light when it's a small street and the coast is clear. Also, be very, very careful when it comes to counting on drivers to let you pass, especially in larger cities.
Side note: I don't really care about country rankings etc, but I'm pretty sure most people don't like hearing that their country is inferior. 😅
Depends on the city. I found that drivers in Wrocław were more likely to stop, sometimes even though the light was red for me... and I had to cross on a red light.
lol your Polish smile is perfect... its a lol face like you trying smile when second ago U bite a lemon lol
Spot on :) have fun in POLSKA!!!
As a Polish person, damn this is very good video!
Thanks!
This is first not bullshit video of this kind i've ever seen, thank you. Good job🎉
Exactly
Spot on mate. This couldn't be more accurate.
The smiling thing - that's because we do not smile just to being polite, when we smile it is honest and that means we actually like you and we are happy to see you :)
Also, we consider smiling without reason as dumb thing. There are negative cinitations like 'he is smiling like dumbass to cheese', or 'why are you smiling so stupidly ', . No smile if there is no reason for 🤷
10000% this!
2:33
To nie rusofobia. To pięćset lat doświadczenia.
To rusofobia. Większość wojen z Moskwą toczyła się na wschodzie; znacznie bliżej Moskwy niż Warszawy. Wiesz dlaczego? Bo to nie Rosja, tylko Rzeczpospolita prowadziła przez wieki imperialną politykę rozszerzania się na wschód. Dobrym przykładem jest zajęcie Moskwy w 1612, którym tak lubimy się chwalić - a to my wtedy rozpoczęliśmy wojnę najeźdźczą. Ruscy w końcu się zebrali do kupy i nam odpłacili pięknym za nadobne; a potem było płaku płaku bo źli rosjanie nas biją.
pięćset lat doświadczenia Durnoty !
Very good observations. You are a very observant person.
As a Polish person I think this is very accurate. I could list a few more but I will let you explore and experience things yourself during your stay in Poland. Enjoy!
Spot on Brother, i am glad you are enjoying your stay here. Much love.
wow, that's pretty accurate, well done!
Funny how even as a Pole myself, i've never really paid attention to our culture and stuff like that, but everything you said is pretty much spot on.
I guess you just don't pay attention to stuff like that if you've done it for your entire life.
Nice video! Recently spent 2 weeks in Krakow and Warsaw, was impressed overall and want to return next year.
Visit Gdańsk, it's really pretty city
Feel invited! You should visit Wrocław next time too
Visit Toruń next time
@@klapek_lkalso Łódź is nice to!
Oh wow! You are awesome and sooo respectful! Thank you for amazing video ❤️
We have an old proverb here: it's nice to hear someone who's wise.
However, each of the things you mentioned in your film as something you should not do in Poland has its deep and historical roots.
It's good that you're here with us.
Powodzenia
jeśli chodzi o kwestie ściągania butów to myślę, że to nie jest nawet część kultury co też naszego stylu życia. W Polsce duża część mieszkań jest mała co przekłada się na to, że dysponujemy 2 czy 3 pokojami, które są wielofunkcyjne więc higiena ma duże znaczenie. myślę, że jeśli ktoś mieszka w dużym domu gdzie ma do dyspozycji strefę dzienną to nie powinno to mieć jakiegoś dużego znaczenia. w Polsce ludzie stosunkowo dużo chodzą, więc nasze buty częściej się brudzą niż kiedy jeździsz samochodem. i po trzecie mamy tu zmienną pogodę. w lato ok buty są suche ale zimą nie wyobrażam sobie chodzić w domu w ubłoconych butach.
Nigdy nie pomyślałam o tym, że Amerykanie mogą być przyzwyczajeni do "strefy dziennej" i tej na piętrze, gdzie są sypialnie. To nareszcie ma JAKIŚ sens!
0:35 I’m from Poland and you nailed this smile haha
I'm Polish and I generally agree with everything you said here.
And a thumbs up for that :-)
Lots of things you said are actually very accurate. So instead of poking holes and correcting you, I'm just gonna say; well done at getting used to Poland! You seem like a very respectful guy. Good on you, man.
It’s very nice and funny to hear all those advices 🤩 Thanks for your input about Poland 😍
0:50 if a girl smiles back at a guy whos staring at smiling at her on the street, she most likely is doing that not to trigger that guy and cuz she feels uncomfortable. That's not how to pick a girl here in Poland. Such situations end up bad on tourists and especially african/asian refugees. I had to help one girl a few months ago. I saw it's pretty common for foregin people, especially Balkans, arabs, africans to try to pick a girl out from the streets. It doesnt work and ends up getting beaten up or posted on social media as a creep like "girls watch out in this area cuz x and y". Do not do that ever. Most Polish girls won't aggresively reject you because people sometimes don't want to sound rude to potential psycho you are becoming in eyes of person you're approaching. Sorry for grammar, just a quick guide from a Pole who kind of dislikes eastern and african tourists/refugees for behavior that is offensive towards women here but maybe not in culture of offenders.
I've seen a few videos by foreigners about Poland, but never anyone was so on point. You are a very good observer.
And true - resting bitch face is real but it doesn't mean we walk constantly mad or angry, I for example may be super relaxed and in a good mood but my face will be like this 😖/😐 and here in Poland it's completely normal that everyone minds their own business. We even keep saying ,,don't stick your nose into someone's life/business" and staring at people is read as rude actually. We don't event know in first place what to answer when some stranger start the small talk. Because here if someone ask a friend ,,how are you?" we really expecting people will answer and tell us something more than ,,fine". So small talk with stranger is a big surprise, we are not ready for it 😂
If you want to get to know someone, it's better to start attending a course or an interest group . Some place for regular meetings of initially strangers. This way, everyone start to get to know each other non-invasively and gradually on neutral ground while doing something together. This gives a good starting point. Dancing lessons specially are full of women and there is not enough men there (and if they are, they are notorious players so smart women avoids them 😑). Actually guys who chase girls on the streets look like this kind of players so... only really desperate woman or the one who meet guys for fun (I'm not judging) would contiune that kind of ,,friendship". My good advice is: meet someone on neutral ground, and only if you get to know someone better and there is a good flow, try to make friendship. Catching strangers on the street is really creepy here and even if someone would talk with you for few minuts to avid being rude, it just won't last. I mean chances are low :)
that loooong message is on point 😂
That "don't stick your nose into someone's life" attitude can be detrimetal sometimes. Like when you hear your neighbour beating up his family, but nobody would call the police. Germans are shocked by this.
@@danikim235ok, when you hear someone is doing something that serious you should call the police. That rule don't include that case. Only very patologic type of people don't react in situations like this.
@@Atri-XIII You would be surprised that sadly it's the norm not to react to stuff like that in Poland. I think it's because of the mistrust towards the police, and the inconvenience in dealing with them, maybe also because of the fear of retribution by the perpetrator? But if your dog barks too much or you have a loud party in the apartment, people have no problem complaining either to you personally, your landlord or to the building administration.
@danikim235 I'm Polish and I live in Poland my whole life, so I think I know what can be called a norm here and once again: only pathologic people think it is ok to not react in situation that you described.
Zajebisty film
we do jaywalk :D not all the time - usually when there's no one around, 'cause we don't want to pay the fine... and when there are no traffic lights the cars are obliged to slow down or stop before the crosswalk if there see pedestrians nearby (they can also be fined for not stopping) - you can say we obey cause we really hate giving our money to government for free
I’m really impressed by your perception skills, this is all very accurate and as a polish person very amusing to watch🤣 greetings from Warsaw! Cześć!
As an observer, you are really good at this. Thank you for the picture of my mother country.
Very good analysis!
Cheers
Truth be told, Poland was a real sh*hole 30-40 years ago, and it was quite difficult to be proud of anything here. And I say that as a Pole, who's been living here for over 40 yrs. It's safe to say that Western Europe or USA were much better places to live. But it has changed A LOT for the last 10-15 years. While many countries are still wealther, the gap is closing fast. Looking at how Poland is looking now and how everything has improved, I'm really proud of my country. I don't buy the narrative that one should be proud of their country no matter the circumstances. And even if a contry is objectively very successful, it's still healthy to be a bit unsatisfied and strive for improvement.
Language..
It’s amazing to see Poland overcome such hardship. Love from USA ❤
Man you hit the nail in a coffin! Spot on could not wrapped it better. I played it to my fiancé who is English now he believes I’m not crazy but these are national Polish features!❤️
as a polish introvert, i wouldn't stand small talk every time i need something or the other way around
I am impressed, everything is true and even flattering
Cheers bro
BRO! You recorded that NEAR MY FREAKING HOUSE!
As pole I am very much impressed by your observations,due to they are much more considerable in their terms rather than being touched generally on the surface and I very much appreciate,that you're willing to obey and behave rather than to be wild and impose at all terms your behaviour from another culture in foreign nation,but it doesn't mean,that another culture is bad or not well-met with here,I rather mean that sort of wild or verage cultural aspects,that are not accepted here and are only disturbing .❤
Walking around the house in shoes in Western culture has always been disgusting to me. How can you spread dirt brought in from the street all over your house/sofa/bed? Disgusting!!!
Maybe they just use cars more and walk less
Thank you for your point about my country! There is kind pleasure for me :D
6:03 The Polish smile on the right
He's not smiling tho
@@-Wayla-you dont get a joke this is polish smile a lack of it XD
@@-Wayla- Yes he was i saw
@@DzonyGilartar 😅
You’re very observant, all very good points 👌🏻
Right ! You know us. Thank you for this video. Greetings from Poland.