Warsaw - Post Report Question and Answers
If you move here, you can leave behind your:
Weight loss plans. The pierogi, paczki, and Georgian food is just too good. - Oct 2021
Timidness. Most develop an edge or attitude when dealing with Poles and navigating certain aspects and annoyances of the culture. Everyone seems to breakdown their barriers of timidness and toughen up a bit :) Also, forget about your personal bubble. There is no personal space in lines, etc! - Jan 2021
Home country's alcohol, and get to know the world of Polish vodkas. - Sep 2019
Hot weather clothes. - May 2018
Heavy wool sweaters. - Apr 2018
Corelle plates for Polish pottery. - Dec 2016
Flip-flops and sunscreen. - Mar 2016
Impression that Poland is a flat, communist country where people stand in line all day for basic goods. Life is not lived in a black and white picture here, as many friends and families seemed to think (jokingly) when I told them where I was going. "You're going to Poland? Be careful there." Or, "Warsaw? I hear Krakow is nice." It's a beautiful country with great people, and you live a very good life here and do many interesting things. There are still some vestiges of the communist past here, and not just in the concrete jungles of the housing estates. The bureaucracy can be mind-numbing at times, and sometimes the level of customer service in certain places leaves a lot to be desired. For some reason, cashiers seem to think they're doing you a HUGE favor by taking your money and they get downright nasty sometimes if you don't have the exact amount of zlotys and groszy the want/need. Somehow making change is a problem for them. I used to see this in Moscow but I never thought it would extend to Warsaw. The police, although generally very professional and proud of their work, can be less than helpful at times and I've heard countless stories of times when people were victimized twice - one by the criminal and the next by the police who came to interview and investigate. Older people, who lived most of their lives under communism and the social safety net it offered, are quick to offer a lot of unsolicited advice and are also quick to provide a stern lecture on something you're doing that they don't like. Some things take a few generations to change... - Nov 2014
Expectation that things will work the same way in the US or the same speed. Most things take longer here so plan accordingly. - Feb 2012
High expectations. - Aug 2011
Appliances unless you have a transformer. - Mar 2011
120-volt items, unless you bring a transformer. - Jan 2011
Preconceptions. More than any place I've ever been, Warsaw is what you make it. - Dec 2010
consumables since you won't need them here. Also any negative waves, since there is a good vibe here in Warsaw and absolutely nothing to complain about. - Aug 2009
Suntan lotion, expectation that Warsaw is like Paris or Berlin--it is not. - Jun 2008
Groceries...you'll find them here. Car parts and tires. - Apr 2008
Smiles at strangers and love for red meat. - Feb 2008
