Land of Contradictions

One American’s Experience of Living in Poland as an Ex-pat
by James Massey

Lately, Zenon from PolishOrigins asked me to consider the pros and cons of living in Poland, as well as my general impressions of the complex, enigmatic Polish people. I smiled and said I’d give it a try. Although not a Pole myself (I don’t even have Polish roots, though there is a bit of Lithuanian somewhere in the mix), I’ve lived here for the better part of 20 years and therefore feel reasonably well qualified to say a few things about this equally fascinating and frustrating place and its proud people.

So, where to begin? Well, how about the ever-changing Polish weather? Back in Southern California (where yours truly grew up), the weather was rarely, if ever, discussed. What for? Here in Eastern Europe (or is it  Central? It depends on who you ask. As the old Polish saying goes, “Where there are 2 Poles, there are 3 opinions”), many conversations begin with a general comment about the current meteorological conditions. And by “current”, I mean in the last 20 minutes or so. Chances are, any farther back in time than that and the state of the heavens was entirely different. It really takes some getting used to, trust me.

Poles will of course grumble about this fluctuating state of affairs (good natured complaining is a Polish pastime, even an artform), but one suspects that, deep down, the natives are quite proud of their rather challenging weather. Poles take everything in stride, ready for just about anything, it seems. They are a “rough and ready” people, warm-hearted but tough; poetic dreamers to a fault, yet endlessly practical; constantly complaining, but possessing an earthy, yet just as often bizarrely abstract and sometimes shockingly dark sense of humor. In the end, perhaps it’s not all that surprising that the mercurial Polish temperament is reflected in their homeland’s utterly unpredictable weather.

The second thing a newcomer to the area is likely to notice is, of course, the language. Here again, the contradictory nature of all things Polish is on full display. “Język polski” is, as any self-respecting native speaker will happily boast, one of the world’s most confoundingly difficult languages: full of seemingly impossible tongue twisters and built upon an almost sadistically difficult grammar.

It takes quite a while to learn (at least it did for me – honestly, I’m still learning, and probably always will be). But the flip-side – there’s always a flip side – is that any visitor who makes an honest attempt to use Polish, no matter how pathetic, will be applauded by anyone in hearing distance, their Sisyphean efforts greatly appreciated. And then, with their characteristic humor, the listeners will (only after the unfortunate foreign visitor has made a complete fool of him or herself, naturally) smile innocently while informing the hapless victim that they speak English. It’s all just part of the fun, you see?

But enough whining about problems (it comes naturally after living for so long here in the “heart of Europe”, I’m afraid). Let’s move on to something more positive, shall we? The topic of Polish cuisine hasn’t been tackled yet, and as it’s such an integral part of the culture, it simply can’t be skipped.

When discussing Polish food, one dish comes before all others: glorious pierogi. And to be more precise, confusingly named pierogi ruskie (literally “Russian dumplings”). This tasty treat will be known to many Americans (whether of Polish ancestry or not) as the “potato and cheese” variety. Why Russian? Who knows?! The name is even stranger when you stop to consider that these delectable dumplings are, for all intents and purposes, the national dish. Then again, “Pan Tadeusz”, the national poem and pillar of Polish literature, which is dutifully studied by every school aged child, is set in…wait for it…Lithuania! See what I mean? Poland is quite a confusing place.

Moving on, another well-known Polish delicacy is kiełbasa (sausage), of which there are surely hundreds of varieties. And what distinguishes Polish sausage from other popular types, like Italian? Mainly the seasonings used. If it absolutely reeks of garlic, it’s the genuine article. No vampires in these parts, I can assure you.

But here we run into yet another contradiction. Although Poles love strong flavors such as garlic, they generally run from spicy food. A pinch of black pepper is often enough to send one of the “tough” natives running off in a desperate search for a cool glass of water. Oh, and did I mention salt? The local cuisine is positively swimming in the stuff.

One thing I’ve learned after being away from the States for so long is that, while a lot of American food – even the all too common soft, over-processed “bread” on sale in every U.S. supermarket – is rather sweet, Polish food is generally salty. For those of us with a sweet tooth, it can come as something of a shock. But not to worry, friends. There’s loads of chocolate and sweets of all kinds here and, at risk of sounding unpatriotic, Polish candy and chocolate is often better than the sugary treats back home: the chocolate actually has chocolate in it (gasp!), and candy often contains fewer chemicals here.

A final topic we should spend some time on, which, as it turns out, is also related to food, is famous Polish hospitality. Anyone who has ever had the privilege of being invited to a Polish family gathering will know what I’m talking about. And once again we must point out the perplexing nature of these people – the sharp distinction between the public and private behavior of most Poles.

Many Americans, upon first setting foot in the Old Country, will quickly notice that, out on the street and in more official situations, the natives can come across as very formal, even cold. I personally experienced this, as did my parents, when they first crossed the pond to visit me (okay, they really came all this way to see their precious grandbabies, not me, but never mind). Likewise, when I first brought my young family to the States, I remember telling my wife something along the lines of, “Okay, sweetie, now remember: Smile. Smile often. Smile at everybody. And say hi. And wave. And be prepared for people you’ve never seen before in your life to smile, say hi, call you by your first name and ask how you are. Yeah, I know it’s kinda weird, but you’ll get used to it.” And Lord knows she tried! But after a while she looked at me, visibly exhausted, and (careful she was out of earshot of any Americans who might take offense) quietly said, “Honey, my face hurts. I can’t keep smiling like this.” I could relate. That was reason number 273 that I left sunny Southern California to come here. But that’s another article…

Predictably, my very American mother, who is one of the friendliest people you could ever hope to meet, ran into the opposite problem when she visited Poland. After a few days of her walking around town smiling, waving and even greeting total strangers (receiving a nervous smirk in return at best – but more often a look of total confusion – if not barely concealed alarm) I finally felt I had no choice but to intervene, take my dear, well-meaning mother aside and explain to her that that was simply not the way strangers interact in Poland.

The very important thing to take away from all this is that Poles aren’t unfriendly. Far from it! It’s just a much more formal, structured society than in most regions of the U.S. Two Polish neighbors can have known each other for years, invited each other over for dinner – heck, they can have even babysat each other’s kids – and they still might not be on a first name basis. I know. Crazy, right? After almost 20 years living here, I still have trouble navigating the Byzantine complexities of Polish social interaction.

But all of this has been a round about way of pointing out what a big deal it is to be befriended by one of these seemingly cold, formal people. If you’re lucky enough to have that happen, then consider yourself truly blessed. Once you walk through the front door of a Polish family’s home, everything changes in a flash. It’s like night and day. The masks come off and the hard looks quickly melt away, revealing warm smiles. All the stiff formality flies right out the window. You are now officially a friend. And around here, that really means something. Suddenly, your formerly standoffish acquaintance is cracking jokes (and just as likely cracking open a bottle or two of the “good stuff” in recognition of the occasion).

And I’d be remiss if I failed to once again mention the food. Oh, the glorious food! Any social visit here absolutely requires eating, and lots of it. I’m sure it’s a law. And how fortunate we are that that’s the case. As the honored guest of a Polish family, you will likely eat until you can’t take another bite. Not that you won’t want to – every dish is likely delicious. Yes, ladies, you will most probably put on a few pounds during your visit here – but it’s so worth it.

Before I call it a day, I’d like to mention something a bit more practical. Recently, there has been an uptick in interest among Americans in their golden years concerning the possibility of living in Poland, either to vacation here or to stay and perhaps even pursue long term Polish residency.

As someone who’s been through the (relatively painless) process, I might be able to shed a bit of light on the ins and outs of coming here to stay. However, I should remind readers that, as someone fortunate enough to have married a Polish woman, my experience has obviously been a bit different than that of, say, a retiree.

The first thing a potential resident of Poland should know is that, fortunately, Polish-American relations have been, and remain, very good. Being someone who has lived and worked all over the world (and run into nasty anti-American sentiment more than once), I can’t over-emphasize what a huge plus this is. Poles, generally speaking, genuinely like Americans. Importantly, this includes most Polish officials. Speaking of which, there can be quite a bit of paperwork to wade through at times when trying to get a long term visa.. Polish officials, like bureaucrats everywhere, love documents. But most of the time, once they discover that you’re a friendly American, it’s pretty much smooth sailing. At least that’s been my experience.

Another big advantage for potential residents coming from the U.S. is that prices here are (still) comparatively low. I say “still” because, since joining the European Union in 2004, prices here have been steadily increasing. Now, don’t get me wrong. Poland has benefitted greatly as a result of EU membership, and the overall standard of living has noticeably increased. But this increase in standards has come at a price, of course. Having said that, the average retiree from the States will find living here pleasantly inexpensive and will be able to live well on a fixed income.

On an important side note, most doctor visits, medications and hospital stays are “free” (socialized) in Poland, or nearly so. There is, of course, always the option of doing things privately. Happily, most Americans will find that even paying for their medical needs in cash is surprisingly cheap. And the level of medical care in Poland (depending on where one receives treatment, obviously) is generally high. Clinics and hospitals are clean and medical staff is typically very well trained.

If one is interested in finding a place to live, houses and flats (apartments) are plentiful. As in the States, property values vary greatly depending on location. A nice place in the center of a city can be surprisingly expensive. On the other hand, a cute place in the very pretty and peaceful Polish countryside can usually be had for peanuts. So there’s a wide choice of surroundings. And if nothing on the market catches your fancy, you can always take the plunge and build your own house. Predictably, that can get a bit complicated and take a considerable amount of time. Still, it is an option that many home-hungry Poles prefer, as you can often get exactly what you want for a reasonable price.

To sum up, coming to Poland to stay, while it does require jumping through a few hoops, is really not all that hard to do, particularly for well-regarded Americans. If you’re considering living here for a longer period of time, I strongly urge you to look into it further. As someone who’s done it (hey, I’ve even discussed the idea of moving here with my sweet mother from time to time, and I wouldn’t lie to her), I highly recommend Poland as a place to settle down happily, safely and cheaply.

Alright, folks. I think it’s time I wrapped this up (to be honest, I’ve made myself hungry with all that talk of food). Enjoy your time in this wonderfully confusing country. You’ll probably face a few challenges while you’re here, but the kind-hearted citizens of this ancient land will help you out (or at least try) and I’m certain you’ll fall in love with Poland and it’s amazing people. But all bets are off on the weather…

15 comments

  1. I’ve always been fascinated by the thought of visiting Poland. I grew up (and still live in) Massachusetts and have very deep Polish roots that I was fortunately able to trace back to specific areas using Ancestry and would love to visit one day. While growing up, my babci used to make the best Polish meals: golumpkies, kapusta, pierogies, and of course there was always some kielbasa on the table.

    One thing that interests me about Poland and more generally about much of Eastern Europe is how living under Communism has affected the social landscape of Eastern Europe. I know that this all came crumbling down some 32 years ago so it may be more prevalent in the older generations vs. the younger generations that grew up with Poland as being part of the EU. Are there any major differences between Russian Poland, Austrian Poland, and German Poland?

    Your discussion of the poem actually makes sense to me, considering the borders of modern day Poland are relatively new and that historically, Lithuania and Poland were part of the same nation for a long time. Even the little village that I discovered through genealogical research where I likely still have some third or fourth cousins is located in Belarus halfway between Minsk and Vilnius.

    I love the pierogies, too! We’re fortunate enough to have some very good Polish delis and bakeries around where I currently live and I’m able to enjoy many different varieties of these delicacies.

    Love the stories! Keep ’em coming!

    1. Hi Michael,
      Glad you liked the article. I’m hoping to write something new fairly soon, so be on the lookout for that. Cheers!

  2. Great account on visiting the ‘Home Land’. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting there 3 x’s, 2006 – 2009 + 2013, and each time was better than the last.
    The Airfare was the most expensive service, compared to food , lodging and travel within Poland.
    You hit the nail on the head about the formality of the people in public. On my 1st visit, I had asked Zenon about this, and he was as surprised about American informality, as I was about Polish formality, and yes, everything changed when I had the honor of meeting Zenon’s, family, and enjoying a meal with them. (Great job Magda !)
    Again, your account of trying to speak Polish is very accurate. My brother & I had learned several words + phrases before visiting, in 2006. Here are a few that we found to be very important ones; “Piwo” (beer) “Toileta” (Restroom) + “Kava” (coffee) . “Mowe malo Populsku” ( I do not understand Polish), and Che pan rozumem po Angelsku (Do you understand English) (please forgive any spelling errors, it is as hard to spell as to speak) We used the 2 phrases a LOT. Once we ordered a meal in a restaurant in Warsaw, and tried using our Polish, the waiter answered in English, with a chuckle. We found that most of the younger generation and service people wanted to use the English they had learned in school (sorry Dawid) but appreciated our attempt just the same.
    What great memories your article has provided. dzien koujie bardzo
    The currency exchange rate was always favorable to the U.S. dollar. More than 3 to 1, and their cost of living was much lower than in the states. In 2009, Zenon was my companion during my genealogy research. We stayed in an Agrotourism (like a B+B) near Wloclawek, my ancestors home town. We spent 4 nights, had 4 breakfasts each, 5 dinners each, and the cost in US dollars was aprox. $280.00.
    Just saying. 😉
    The food…… Ah, the food. I did not know that there were so many different ways to cook pork, and so many different Kielbasa.

    1. Hey James,
      Nice reply. I enjoyed reading it. We obviously share a love of Polish food (as well as our names). Take care and check back soon, as I hope to write something new here in the near future.

  3. Although I have 100% Polish ancestry and have been to Europe a number of times, I am still resistant to going to Poland because of this: the food. I don’t eat pork or beef and haven’t since 1979. It is easy to get around other places in the world, except for maybe China, without having to worry about getting fish or seafood, or even chicken, but when I think about the Polish restaurants, etc., I lose interest altogether.

    1. I find your common so strange, as there is so much vegetarian Polish food–pierogi ruskie was mentioned in the article though my favorite is sauerkraut and mushroom. I remember many fruit and vegetable soups with no meat of any sort. And, there’s a lot of fish recipes, also common in restaurants. I’ve read that vegetable consumption is greater in Poland than elsewhere in Europe. I think it would be an easy place to be vegetarian or pescaterian.

  4. My maternal grandparents were from Poland, although they were born there and left there when there was no Poland. My grandmother was born in the Austrian Southeastern part in a village just North of Jaslo. My grandfather was from a village South of Bialystok in the Northeast. I have visited Poland 5 times. The first time was in June 1981 when I had a chance to attend a large Solidarnosc gathering in Bialystok. I returned in October to live for seven months in the Southeast. I had the experience of living under Communism. My most recent visit was in 2016. At all times I have enjoyed being there and have found the Polish natives in general to be so very friendly, warm and loving. I would not find it difficult to make my home there forever!
    Malgorzata, age 82

    1. Hi Margaret,
      Very interesting. Please come back and visit us (maybe even to stay). As you know, you’d be more than welcome. All the best!

  5. I enjoyed reading this but can I just say that ‘Pierogi Ruskie’ ( my favourite 🙂 ) are not Russian Pierogi but Ruthenian Pierogi as the word ‘ruskie’ means Ruthenian, which is the name of the historical region in Ukraine, which once belonged to Poland.

    1. Hello Dorota,
      I stand corrected 🙂 You’re absolutely right, of course. For the sake of keeping the article light and easy to read, I fudged that particular historical fact.

      Actually, you might be surprised how many native Poles don’t know the history of the name of (nearly) everyone’s favorite dish. Take care, and thanks for keeping me on my toes 😉

  6. I can see that the food in Poland is one of the dominating themes in comments 🙂 . I thought that you might be interested in two other articles.

    First is about what kind of food people ate in this part of Europe in middle ages. The article ‘What My Ancestors Ate and Drank in Middle Ages?’ https://polishorigins.com/blog/what-my-ancestors-ate-and-drank-in-middle-ages/

    The second one ‘Traditional Polish Christmas Recipes’ https://polishorigins.com/blog/traditional-polish-christmas-recipes/ we shared with you last year.

    This article comes with a bonus: a 17 page long book ‘Polish Recipies. The genuine recipes of our grandmothers’. You can download it from here: https://polishorigins.com/pdfs/polish-christmas-recipes.pdf

    Christmas is coming so you may surpise your Polish family with a original dish 🙂

    P.S. Traditionally we don’t eat any meat on Christmas so all the many recipes in the article and book are vegetarian.

  7. Both Maternal and Paternal Grandparents came from Poland, tho one set from Galicja and the other from Russian Poland (Lomza area). Wife and I have visited Poland 4x since 2004, it would have been 5x except for Covid. We truly enjoy stayed in Zazajd’s (Poland’s version of Motel 6), very clean, comfortable, and restaurants offering great food & pivo. We’ve also stayed in big city hotels (older, art noveau one’s tho) and ate in some great restaurants in Warsaw, Krakow, Tarnow, Rzeszow. If I could convince wife to move there, I’d be gone in a “blink” (grandkids). And the scenery, especially in Carpathians – Outstanding!!! Krakow the most outstanding, no wanton WWII destruction ala naziism.
    I abbreviate my Polski to “rezume English”?, “niema rezume Polski”, dzekuje, Dzien dobry and everyone gets along great. Recommend the McDonalds for great cappucinos and tasty burgers & fries while driving the Indy 500 on the “autobahns”. Love Poland.

  8. PS. Also stayed once in an old Dominican “school” previously used for training of Priests. Rooms were “austere”, but clean and comfortable, and “en suite”. One could arrange for breakfast (enough food to carry you all day”. Found others should the need arise when in Poland again, inexpensive, and generally in the middle of a town. Plus for some very good local food while traveling, look for truck-stops, especially on the DK roads. Found one just outside of Klodzko and they had pierogi on the meno along with the fabulous mushroom soup of Poland. Pierogis & pivo, what a lunch!!! And by all means go into a Biedronka and buy some groceries and snacks for traveling.

  9. I enjoyed your article, and it remined me of a story from my one and only visit to Poland, near and south of Krakow. I did have a chance to visit with my second cousin and her family, which was fun and lovely. But my story has to do with food. I’m half Polish and half Slovak. My mother (the Slovak side) was raised by a Polish stepmother, and I loved my mother’s Gołąbki (stuff cabbage). So my plan was to try authentic Polish Gołąbki during our visit. Well, the restaurants where we dined never had it on the menu, but that didn’t necessarily surprise me. We also tried some local and smaller out of Krakow and still didn’t find it on the menu. I saw it sold in the grocery/specialty stores. Then, one day when we are staying near the Slovak border (Niedzica), I saw a TV advertisement for a local restaurant/event place. And they are serving Gołąbki! I said that’s where we are eating tonight. When we got there they were closed for a private event. But a helpful fellow who we talked with said that he would take us to a restaurant where they served Gołąbki. After following him around town to the restaurant, it wasn’t on their menu either. We thanked him for his help (he was a bit crushed). And so, we left Poland not tasting the local Gołąbki. I got to plan another trip.

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