From five continents about Poland

Young, ambitious and honest – foreign students living in Poland. Good observers who share their sincere opinion without any reservation. I have found that out, when working as a lecturer at Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland. My science related adventure lasted for three years, It was truly fascinating period. Working with mixed groups of Poles and foreign students gave me the highest satisfaction. These multinational teams generated lots of dynamics and excellent atmosphere.

In the eve of Polish Independence Day I have asked the students to share their opinions about Poland and Poles. I invited them to tell how did they feel in our country, what were their observations and impressions. The rule was to put such opinion within three sentences’ paragraph. I have also asked about honesty in statements, not a promotion or courtesy. My intent was to enable my fellow citizens: Poles, to learn about themselves… If you think you also need to learn about Poland I encourage you to go through the text below. If you are short on time take a look on summary at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

„Poland is a great place for young people who want to start their career. The country is becoming more and more international and open. Most people are nice and if you try to learn a little bit of Polish, they will be very impressed and befriend you right away.” Bianka, Romania

„Polish people are highly educated, the ratio of them who speak two or more languages or who have done higher education is high. Do not be surprised when the waiter seems to be hating you and it takes forever to get your food when you are in a place like a restaurant. Krakow is by far the best city to live in Poland for me with its magical atmosphere, beauty, history and multicultural environment.” Ali, Turkey

„Poland is a beautiful Nation full of proud and very respectfull people with an incredible work ethic. No other Nation is so proud and loves their history so much as Poland. Not only have I found love in Poland but I have fallen deeply for its culture and its people, Kocham Polska!” Diego, Colombia

„During my time here I have experienced both amazing moments and the negative aspects of living here as a Ukrainian. Hearing people shouting nationalist slogans and being treated as second class just because of my nationality made me feel not welcome at times. Nonetheless, I’ve made some great Polish friends and became a part of a vast international community, which is truly great in Kraków.” Ulyana, Ukraine

„Because of my two years of experience, most of the Poles I know do not trust their country. Many young people still think like an old generation, more than half of their souls would like to live abroad, in America, Canada or in other best countries, but Poland is a very rich and great country. Finally, i would say one thing for sure, Polish are very helpful, many people helped me.” Zelalem, Ethiopia

„I am amazed at how religion is deeply rooted in the Polish culture. Many Poles are family oriented and even though they do not smile a lot on the street (probably due to the weather), they are friendly when you approach them. Customer service (to foreigners) is shockingly inconsistent especially in public departments – in all life is beautiful and peaceful, I enjoyed every bit of my stay” Edna, Ghana

„Polish people can be reserved, become familiar with them and they will show great interest. Poland is shaped by a variety of cultures throughout the centuries, there is always more to discover and learn. To best place to speak to Polish people is a karoake bar on saturday night” Joris, Netherlands

„For me Poland has been the second homeland where I got quality education, amazing friends and valuable experiences. In addition to its beautiful nature, tasty cuisine and hospitable people, Poland is full of historical and exotic cities which are home to many locals and foreigners. For all above-mentioned reasons, Poland reminds me my homeland – Azerbaijan, as both of these countries are growing economic powers in their own geopolitical regions.” Gunel, Azerbaijan

„Poland is a beautiful country, with a rich history and storied traditions that make it a unique and wonderful people to learn from. As an American with a deep love of independence, I came wondering what kind of a land makes such a fiercely independent people. I have found kindred and new lifelong friends here, who are full of joy, service and rich community.” Peter, USA

„The traffic! Despite Polish people said it’s crazy, I don’t agree with that – after Uzbekistan traffic, I feel like I’m in a paradise in Poland. I like the style of architecture in Poland, it creates a sense of living in fairy tales, sometimes it’s so inspiring. If compare with my country: it’s freedom, life without judgment, so painful for me that shoping mall is closed on Sunday and holidays” Tatyana, Uzbekistan

„There is a limited information about how interesting can be Poland, usually is related to tragic moments from the past, but I believe that Poland is much more than that. I was surprised by the architecture of Krakow and its international atmosphere, how can contrast be mixed from the beauty of its medieval enchant and the modern vibe. Gdansk can inspire any person to stay longer, I would say: live it and integrate in the contrast and culture that Poland has to offer.” Elena, Mexico

„Poland is one of the richest countries when it comes to history, and definitely a promising when it comes to future. It is like a point where the past meets the present, and where traditions and innovation come together. This mixture of the old and the new makes Poland a unique and interesting place to visit.” Saif, Saudi Arabia

„Poland is a beautiful country, with many different places to visit, from cities and small villages to the mountains or the beach, the options are endless! Apart from the cities, mountains are another must to visit in Poland! Tatra mountains are just beautiful and they seem to have been taken from a fairy-tale. Polish hospitality is a fact, Poles are always ready to help you with whatever you need and even if it is a bit tough to approach them at the beginning, once you get to know each other you will have a lifetime friend.” Leyre, Spain

„When you’re a foreigner in Poland, you almost feel like a celebrity because the international diversity rate isn’t that high. Which also means it felt as if I was probably the only Asian-American hanging out with the locals and got far more attention than anywhere else. As foreigner who decided to transplant in Krakow, making new friends has never been a problem, it’s a great city to easily get adjusted and always felt quite welcome – not feeling like a rat in a subway” Sam, USA

„Polish students in comparison to international are shyer and quieter, in my opinion, they are even more disciplined during classes. I can’t asses the “Polish personality” so far but when it comes to Polish people, for sure all of them are able to complain about everything, sometimes they seem to be hesitative and annoyed, but they also like partying a lot. What I had also noticed, a lot of Polish people are extremely patriotic and they will like you more if you know their language well.” Evgenia, Ukraine

„One of the things that stuck to me the most about Poland was the people selling their goods at rynek. In the freezing cold winter, these old man and women made a decent but sober living selling their goods in this small marketplace. Everytime I went to the market I would try to speak Polish with them and they would smile and tell me I speak very good Polish – which it didn’t, I really felt accepted.” Guido, Netherlands

„Holding onto the past and its traditions and at the same time looking at the future, Poland is a country to discover. Make sure to walk on the less frequented roads and stray away from the most touristic attractions: I had my best times away from the crowds and discovering less frequented museums.” Paola, Italy

„Church (or religion) holds a significant influence in numerous aspects of people’s lives, including politics. It’s just an impression that I got as a person who’s from a country in which religion does not have such a prominent impact. People have ambivalent feelings on immigration/emigration, I was impressed by the fact that many of my Polish friends are open to the possibilities of relocating to other countries and that they think it can be pretty easily done, not many Koreans think of those possibilities.”  Jaeil, South Korea

„As a musician, Poland has every time of musical offering that I could dream of and has invited me to expand my understandings of music with both old and contemporary musical minds. Poland is a natural beginning and ending; in her I can find every so many beautiful types of amazing nature that I never get bored of exploring!” Karolina, USA

„As a Foreigner in Poland, You should be prepared for a non-conventional European experience, It is modern but classic, developing but cultural. Lastly be ready to answer lots of questions from inquisitive people” Mayowa, Nigeria

„The first thing that comes to my mind about Poland is how safe I feel here, given that I DO have the right and the freedom to go anywhere at any time wearing any kind of clothes, on foot, by app cars or the amazing public transportation one can have here and chances are close to zero that someone will point a gun at my face and ask for my belongs – this is way more than at other richer countries. I can not avoid to mention how women are well respected in Poland.” Leticia, Brazil

„Poland is truly a gem of Europe, many people lump it into an an undeveloped Eastern Europe (because of the Iron Curtain), but nothing can be father from the truth. Poland has so much to offer culturally: in beautiful places like Krakow and Wroclaw, in literature from Andrzej Mickiewicz to Olga Tokarczuk, and in food like pierogi and rosol. Living in Poland was one of the most enriching experiences of my life because I got to emerge myself into a new and different realm of literature, art, and history, something I did not grow up having when I lived in the United States.” Olivia, USA

Well – what do they think? Young people generally feel good in Poland. We are friendly to foreigners although a bit tough on first contact. It’s safe here and we – the Poles, should be proud of it. We do not pay attention to this fact in our everydays’ life. Looks like we got used to it, just like to the traffic which we hate, but some foreigners find great. We make good friends and we respect women… It is difficult though to go through Polish bureaucracy. Our administration is not really user friendly and we also hate this… We are closely connected to our traditions and history – sometimes though it reaches extreme forms, close to nationalism. It becomes to be concern, especially for our closest neighbors. Why young and ambitious student from Ukraine feels like a second class citizen in our country?… We – the Poles, should think about it. Church and religion play a role in our public space. Our guests do not criticize it but they are surprised by the intensity of this influence. We offer here a colorful kaleidoscope of landscapes, architecture, music and cuisine. We do not advertise it enough. Poland is more associated with it’s history and the past rather than with attractive presence. We do not notice it because we, the Poles, complain about everything 🙂

So – come and see by yourself, make good friends here, see interesting places, help us to put check on our nationalism, enjoy peaceful atmosphere and hear us complaining just about everything 🙂 If you would like to add anything else to these opinions do not hesitate to comment the article!

Be our guest! 🙂