Any reason is a good reason...

"When live abroad you are more likely to lose your existing friends than you make new ones". How many of you are nodding heads and saying uh- huh??

As a rule, I am not afraid of making friends with other people. As a rule, I don't judge them by their rank, class, occupation or physical appearance. Whoever they are, I am pretty much all the time willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Off to a good start! Perhaps this is it; my small contribution to the big, ongoing global discussion on tolerance and non-segregation. 

Being an immigrant as much as it gives you a chance to make friends with people from a number of countries and origins, it also makes you see your own nation from a completely different angle. They say that you do not acknowledge what is right in front of you, until you do not have it anymore. Common saying and completely true in this case. 

When I first emigrated, I felt really lucky to be able to engage in social groups with other cultures and thought there are real chances that some of these relationships may turn into a real friendship which, when so far away from home, I needed quite badly. When starting a new life overseas, people usually begin to seek some similarities in their new environment; something that either reminds them of their old life or gives them sense of belonging to the new one. For instance, those who were close to family and friends in their home country try to surround themselves with as many new faces as they possibly can so it feels like home. 

With special thanks to my super talented sister -in- law, Beata Wiktorowska, who kindly drew these beautiful pictures for me. Enjoy!                                

And that is exactly what we Poles do. Try to make friends. 

I must admit that over the past few years my views on friendship underwent a drastic change and now I choose friends wisely. I may have only a few but they are "carefully selected" and definitely tick all the boxes! Here is why I praise my Polish friends so much:

• they may not be the smiley faces and chattiest people in the world but this is not what I look for when making real friends, 
• extremely reliable and trustworthy. 
• catch up meetings are organised around dinner table so you can freely eat and drink as much as you like while you are talking (it always leaves me in a good mood!)
• no biting around the bush. You will instantly know whether you are truly friends with them
• they are hard on the outside but soft on the inside. Warm and charming people when you really get to know them, 
• sincere. Luckily we are not trapped by etiquette and social conventions so you always know exactly where we stand
• people of more discreet character. They may seem to be guarded and do not open up easily, though I don't know what is worse: not saying too much or telling other people your whole life story within the first 5 minutes after you met them??

Whatever reason you choose to start making great friends with Poles who live all around the world, whether you search for fun, laughter, support or inspiration, I encourage you to give it a go!

** ** Let's make love, food and Christmas magic! ** **

Are you all ready for Christmas yet? Before the moment of festive magic starts for good, I hope you take a short break from last minute Christmas rush, sit with your feet up and let me wish you a holly jolly Christmas this year! May your Christmas be white and filled with many happy memories. May you spend this festive season at home surrounded by family and those you love and care about. 

Let's create this Christmas magic through following traditions, making great food and sharing the love. At last, it is the time of a year when you let your h-e-a-r-t, and nothing else, do the thinking! 

From all my heart, to every reader of Everything Polish, I am wishing a truly merry Christmas. May all your Christmas wishes come true this year! xxx

Handmade is Hot!

It is this time of a year again. Christmas is coming and you know exactly what that means - Christmas shopping! With this festive season fast approaching, I thought I would make a list of unique gift ideas and inspire you to have a look at some awesome handicraft stuff. I am so excited to share with you the beautiful modern art with a traditional Polish touch which just stole my heart away! 

Buying presents can truly be a great fun as long as we change in our heads the perception of gifts as such. For some people gifts are only physical objects which are exchanged during Christmas when in fact giving a present has always got a meaning and always shows our true intentions. Obviously they are people whom we buy usual boring gifts, but I think that our loved ones deserve to be snowed under more personal, meaningful presents. Ironically, the best presents do not cost a fortune.

If you think your partner wouldn't bear getting another pair of men's novelty Christmas socks and you cannot think of anything worse than getting another hot bottle warmer or set of PJs, this post will surely be helpful. A unique look and value for money were the two main criteria which determined mine choice. Here's the list and details of where to look for more original Polish handmade Christmas gift ideas:

1. Beautifully hand painted porcelain tea cups by talented Polish lady, Hania Jakubiec. And yes, I am a massive fan of her folky designs already! Morning tea must taste like heaven when you drink it in such a sweet gorgeous candy easy on the eye cup. For me - a real masterpiece! 

in red - red roses tea cups

in blue - blue roses

the shadows of grey

a red roses tea set 

a red rose and gold flower combination tea set

and a beautifully wrapped wedding gift 

With many thanks to Hania Jakubiec (Malowanki Hanki blog), the author of the above photographs who kindly agreed for them to be published on this site. For more exciting photos of  hand painted cups, dinner sets, shot glasses, clothing and eco bags, all decorated with traditional Polish folk designs, mainly ethnic floral motifs visit Hania's official fanpage on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Malowanki-Hanki/286532751462828?fref=ts or follow her blog: folkifashion.blogspot.com. 

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2. Handmade vintage crochet and embroidered designs by Ania Szwarc. I have to say this. Ania gets my immediate admiration for cultivating basis for these Polish craft traditions that are slowly dying out in the contemporary world. I absolutely love the quality and great care for details. Just imagine snuggling down under fluffy handmade blanket on a cold wintry night with chilly winds howling outside your window. Just the idea of it has warmed me up! lol And if you are a fan of vintage, this is definitely your perfect choice.  

With many thanks to Ania Szwarc (Kot Bury blog), the author of the below photographs who kindly agreed for them to be published on this site. For more artistic photos of handmade crochet cushion covers, beautiful cuddly knitted soft toys, hand made house decorations, accessories, extraordinary crochet throws and blankets  visit Ania's official fanpage on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kot.bury or follow her blog: http://kotburykot.blogspot.co.uk/

 Halloween house decorations

crochet cat face keyrings

hand knitted purses

and finally a crochet bed throw

3. And last but not least, one of women best friends - jewels! lol I still cannot express enough of my admiration to astonishing personal creations by Izabela Stachnik. How clever can one be to do such great gifts out of nothing, basically? All she needs is a handful of beads, she says. A variety of unusual beading patterns, a range of colours and skillful hands when put together can do a real magic! A high quality and contemporary look made this jewellery an absolute timeless hit. Any woman who gets such a nice Christmas prezzie would surely love you to the moon and back!

For more artistic photos of amazing works including: handicraft artistic jewellery, stained glass, handmade table lamps, handcrafted folky keyrings, handmade animal felt hand warmers visit Venabell handicraft gallery: http://www.venabell.com or its official fanpage on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venabellshop?fref=ts. With many thanks to Izabela Stachnik (Venabell handicraft gallery), the author of the below photographs who kindly agreed for them to be published on this site. 

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried to measure how many positive vibes one can trigger by treating their loved ones with a carefully chosen meaningful gift??? For now, myself and Agatha (below) are wishing you lots ofun doing your Christmas shopping! xxx

Yet again, many thanks to Izabela Stachnik (Venabell handicraft gallery), the author of the above photograph who kindly agreed for it to be published on this site. 

God Save the Tea!

Brits love their tea! It's like a mild addiction! lol When I first came to the UK I knew straight away I would be offered a cup of tea every half an hour. When in Rome do as the Romans do, as they say, so I joined the gang of tea lovers and drank 6-8 cups of tea daily. Soon, a morning brew accompanied by a few biscuits became my guilty pleasure. 

As everyone around was sipping tea, it was hard not to adapt this social habit. Now I know that a well-made cup of hot tea can blow away the cobwebs.   

My friends asked whether Poles made their tea the same way Brits do. Here's your post about how Poles make their prefect cuppa. It will be followed by a sequel too! Yaayy!

First, check out a few fun facts. Research shows that Poland's annual tea consumption, next to Ireland, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Russia and Germany is one of the biggest in Europe. Tea as such was not a very popular beverage in Poland until the Russian annexations, when we "discovered" the tea can actually taste good. Ever since then Poles started making tea in a Russian style, i.e. having sweet black tea with a slice of lemon served in a tea glass in a metal holder. In Russia, tea was brewed in so called samovars or so to say self boilers in which tea extract was mixed with boiling water in order to make a perfect cuppa. This Russian tradition has completely vanished and you will no longer find a samovar in use, unless you meet a connoisseur. Like everywhere else everyday tea in Poland is made by putting a kettle on and placing a tea bag in your mug. Not a rocket science :)

Drinking tea the Polish way:

Hot Honey Lemon Tea is the most popular flu and cold remedy in Poland. Feeling ill? Add 2 tea spoons honey and half lemon juice onto your cup of tea or strengthen it with a shot of brandy. This tea will quickly cure what ails you.

In some areas of Poland Christmas Tea is served at dinner on Christmas Eve. Its distinctive aroma and flavour are dictated by the choice of dry fruits and spices. Next to ginger, cayenne pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and clove,  you will taste some dry orange skin, dry plums or apple. All is composing a special blend to serve to guests or treat family with a fresh brew at breakfast to celebrate this festive season. 

Check out the next post for more tea news!

Part II: Isn't it time to say goodbye to... our serious face? ಠ_ಠ

Like I said, until we admit there is a problem, nothing will ever change for better! I personally believe that a lot of our national shame, vulnerability and low self esteem have their roots in 1940's. Whoever would like to understand our complex nature, would have to make an effort in getting to know what happened in Poland between 1939-1981. “A Question of Honor” by Lynne Olson and "God's Playground" by Norman Davies would be good for the start!

World War II damaged Poland's identity - this is beyond any disputes. No other nation's history, at that time, was as distorted as Polish. We were invaded and destroyed during the long and bloody war, then oppressed yet again by a communist regime. In total, 42 years of oppression. Everyone would admit it is a long time. No wonder these events left their mark on Polish soul and I guess, deep down inside, we still have not got over it.

It is still hard to talk about these things as the pain has probably not gone yet. Seventy years after the end of the Second World War and it is time for either other nations or Poles to understand that we must be allowed the time to be Polish again and to feel our own identity run through the veins. In the meantime, we continue to fight the whole lot of remaining stereotypes and prejudices:

• On the West End Poles are often reproached for having no manners in queues. I won't catch anyone by surprise by saying the state of war and regime are very drastic and extraordinary situations. I guess, the behaviour conducting at that time can be justified given the extreme circumstances. Whoever stood in line for 25 hours to get a roll of toilet tissue or any other basics, would understand why (there is no excuse to younger generations though)
• jealous and judgemental - as we  have suffered hardship for so long, naturally pursue for better life with a touch of luxury. At the same time we lack the inner strength, the drive to achieve what we wish for. This is so destructive. Hold your world in your own hands! That is the only way forward!
• a lot of Poles have a rose-tinted view of the other European countries so when compared to their prosperous neighbours, see Poland as a failure. In fact, Poles have a lot to be proud of. With great educational system, fair infrastructure, deep traditions and strong ego, we are culturally, intellectually and spiritually streets ahead the others!
• low self-esteem and lack of motivation. I personally think we can observe a worsening trend of being cool with working hard just to serve the stronger/more powerful ones. Continue to work hard but think of your own benefits too! And don't be afraid of being successful! With our exceptional hard work and strong character we are worth our weight in diamonds!
• we would love to live the life to the fullest but with the current attitude it's not doable. Let's not worry about what others think about us and get bitter about comments made by those who are misinformed. Most of the images they have in their heads are at least 30 years out of date and whoever has recently been to Poland is pleasantly surprised how friendly and nice the place is.

Part I: Isn't it time to say goodbye to...our serious face? ಠ_ಠ

Nothing is ever black and white like there is never one side to the story.

I would lie if I say I am not aware of the wave of criticism Poles face every day. On the other hand,  I would not want to hide the fact that in many ways, they only have themselves to blame. I personally have a very strong sense of national identity and would always stand by Poles, no matter what. Nevertheless, there are things that are needed to be told in order to do justice to both sides. 

However proud nation Poles are, they are continuously tortured by a touch of inferiority in their lives. However, strong and adamant in their fight for freedom, still they feel like they have to prove their value over and over again. If you ever hear the Pole boasting about how glorious we are - this won't be arrogance that has no basis but a quiet plea for approval. 

People say, you can always identify a Pole on the streets of London or Chicago just by their facial expression (read: a mournful look). And I am not talking here about the look of the person who, having a lot on their mind, happened to tune out the surrounding. There is definitely something concerning about polish character that prevents them from living life to the fullest. It's commonly known, what's inside, reflects on the outside.

So, where does this "serious face" come from? ಠ_ಠ

1. Generally we spend far too much time thinking - "how do I look?", "would others criticize me for what I'm doing?", "what do others think about me? Oh, I really hope, it's nothing bad!". This genuine fear of rejection remains a formidable man-made obstacle to personal and collective growth. It's almost like we wouldn't dare to stand out from the crowd in case it triggers harsh criticism. 

2. At times, we tend to be hugely judgmental completely depriving ourselves (or others) of right to make a single mistake. It is closely linked to, like it or not, jealousy and aversion to those who actually found courage to make success. 

3. A focus on what we have rather than who we are takes away a lot of joy from our lives 

4. In many ways we really care what foreigners think of us. And any comment made about us, rude or not, we take too seriously. 

Hold on horses everyone! It's not the end of the story; I am only half way though!lol Believe it or not, it's really not as bad as it looks... We know our "cardinal sins". Let's accept, have interest in finding out what part of our history determined them & find a cure.

Wonder what is the source of the trouble? I will continue in part II... Coming soon!

Indulge with fine food and a glass of śliwowica...

Yes, there are places in this world where dreams of tasting real food are still alive. The region of Łącko in Lesser Poland is remarkably recommended as one of those magic corners where you can explore the very best that this nation, and beyond, has to offer.

This small village comes as a surprise, tucked under a lone hill, with the adjoining plum and apple orchards which seem to become an inseparable landscape feature. Not many would come expecting to be connected to the most uncommon food experiences and local producers you can find here in every corner. But, that's exactly how it is. 

Yet again, with many thanks to Kamil Bankowski, the author of the photographs, who kindly agreed for them to be published on this site. For more photographs by Kamil visit his official website: www.irart.pl. 

The local people take pride in canning, freezing, drying and preserving the harvest as well as distilling a local plum brandy, called śliwowica łącka (literally slivovitz from Łącko). We are talking here about 70% of pure alcohol so you would have to have nerves of steel to try it out! Quoting local tasters, "it is very refreshing"! lol

Śliwowica łącka has been distilled in Łącko since at least 17th century and due to its characteristic and distincive flavour it has already made a sensation inside and outside of Poland! I would not called it a cheap and ordinary spirit that you drink in large amount! As it is produced with such a great care and attention, it gets people all around the world to taste it with zestful pleasure! A small shot of it after dinner is all you need!

If you feel like trying it out for yourself, 200ml bottles of śliwowica łącka are now available to buy at Krzysztof Mauer's shop in Zabrzeż. Soon, there will join in another 12 types of high-proof spirits including an apple brandy, cherry brandy, black currant brandy, raspberry brandy, pear brandy and any other fruit brandy you can think of!

Those who know the subject may fancy reading the latest article in "Sądeczanin" online newspaper:

http://www.sadeczanin.info/wiadomosci,5/to-hit-sezonu-w-gminie-lacko-zalegalizowali-sliwowice,40021#.Ukh49dKmiOI

Seasonality & Freshness. A word about Polish cuisine

If you are about to try traditional Polish cuisine, you'd better forget about counting calories! Typical Polish meals as such are notorious for being very meaty and hearty with lots of potatoes, beetroots, gherkins, cabbage, bread, sausage and... a shot of vodka to help it all digest! lol However, the style of cooking is still evolving, it is truth that we mostly reach for soups, large meat portions and sweet desserts. 

I bet some of you wonder how Poles manage to keep their fine figures without paying too much attention to calories... Here's the secret.

It took me a while to think how to fully define Polish cuisine and I think the word that says it all is SEASONALITY. There are four proper seasons in Poland which appear in the following cycle: a soaking wet autumn, bitter cold winter, rainy spring and scorching hot summer and no wonder these changes, to such a great extend, determine what we eat. To give you an idea how it works I will give you a quick example. During hot summer Poles mainly stick to seasonal veg soups, summer fruits cocktails and hectolitres of fizzy drinks, while in winter we opt for larger portions of more calorific and stodgy food (potato rules!!! lol). To face the cold body requires more fat then naturally burns it in the heat. At least that's my theory :) 

Another distinctive feature of Polish food is its FRESHNESS. However big and stodgy portions are, they are always made of organic, locally grown and fresh ingredients! And even though many of our traditional dishes are often demanding in preparation, we allow ourselves taking time in cooking and enjoying the meal. So as you can see, every dish is home-made and 100% fresh! 

Again, many thanks to Kamil Bankowski, the author of the photograph, who kindly agreed for it to be published on this site. For more photographs by Kamil visit his official website: www.irart.pl. 

Out of spite, I am going to say: Polish cuisine does not have to be boring! There are tones of exciting recipes (unknown to the rest of the world) that are quick to make, easy on the wallet and super tasty! I will keep you posted! x

There is not such a thing as Polish sense of humour

People say there isn't such a thing as Polish sense of humour, I say it is, but it's miles away from the British one. Even now, after six years of living in the UK I can't say a single joke in English has me in stitches. Laughing out loud even though I don't get the joke always lets me save face! It doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humour, I just don't see these jokes particularly funny. Maybe the barrier arises with the language. From what I gathered, Brits like to play on words so humour often gets lost in translation. Seriously, try to translate the craziest English joke into Polish and it would just sound weird! You know what I mean if you feel the same when the Pole tries to crack a Polish joke on you.

By the way, it is surprising how sense of humour is linked to nationality. It's true that other nations and cultures find different things funny. French are masters of dark humour, Brits with Monty Payton on board, very dry and ironic, German... seem not to have a sense of humour at all (?).

It may seem controversial talking about sense of humour as per usual it all depends on the person. However, I tried to make a list of what makes Poles laugh.

1. This really makes us laugh hysterically - politicians. Everyone who watched the live broadcast from the Parliament knows it is a pretty good comedy. Ubiquitous nonsense, verbal battles and bad grammar became a breeding-ground for all cabaret sketches.
Polish political jokes as such have their roots in 1950's when under communist regime Poles developed their jokes to manifest their criticism towards the communist government. Thanks to those jokes, they were able to cope with tension and overwhelming frustration. Until now, jokes have remained our tool to deal with, so to speak, bad politicians.

(We have promised you everything. What else do you want?)

With many thanks to Janek Koza, the author of the image, who kindly agreed for it to be published on this site. For more images by Janek Koza visit his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janek-Koza/182464885133893 

2. We also share a lot of banter about policemen and their ignorance. A stereotypical Polish policeman is dull and almost retarded!

A couple of  fine jokes I have been recently told:

A conversation going between two Polish policemen:

- "Have you got the time?"

The policeman looks at his brand new Casio watch. And stares, and stares..

- "Have you got the time?" - asks again the other.

- "Hold on a minute. It's not easy to divide 18 by 32!"    (18:32)

or

Two Polish policemen drive home. At some point the car hits a tree.
- "Never before we have turned up so quickly on the incident location!" - says one to another.

For more Polish jokes visit www.ale-dowcip.pl or the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ale-dowcippl/568966399829710?fref=ts

3. Daily life situations make us often laugh, especially when they are full of nonsense.

(We are running a collection for a fine for illegal collections)

Again, with many thanks to Janek Koza, the author of the above image, who kindly agreed for it to be published on this site. For more images by Janek Koza visit his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janek-Koza/182464885133893 

4. Polish football team - as we always lose the game...

(It's just bad luck...)

With many thanks to Szczepan Sadurski, the author of the image, who kindly agreed for it to be published on this site. For more images by Szczepan Sadurski visit his website: www.sadurski.com. 

PS. We love having a laugh at others but can actually we laugh at ourselves?? All comments welcome

No one likes to be judged by appearances

I was wondering how Poles are perceived by other nations so I did a quick research on the Internet. On the following website http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1027097 I have found a number of comments about Polish as such (some of you made great observation). See what people said:

"Sodding hard workers doing a very good days work for a third of the price of a locally sourced worker.I used to supervise some in a nearby store, I have also worked with some in garages etc."

"My dad's family is Polish, my mum's Ukrainian. Normally people assume we love vodka, massive portions of stodgy food, are of few words and many actions, a very blunt sense of humour and have the look of a sleazy gangster. 

Yeah...."

"Hard workers and big on family. Hypocritical with their religion. Rude in queues"

"Very religious, somewhat racist, heavy drinking, principled, hard working people who don't put up with any nonsense at all, especially the women. Also the women are hawwwt. 

They also have a pretty big chip on their shoulders when it comes to German and Russian people, but thats only to be expected really".

"I'm a quarter Polish so my family have been here since the war and are pretty much British. Fair play to the Poles that have come over since joining the EU though - a lot of Brits slag them off and claim they're here to take benefits. That couldn't be further from the truth, the Poles work incredibly hard and if every single one of them stayed it wouldn't be a bad thing - they're a lot better than certain other immigrants who DO just want to come here and live on benefits/work illegally" 

and my number one! "Rybka po grecku" still makes me giggle when I read it! :)

"I lived with Polish people in west London for 2 years, almost married one! Learned the lingo, did the wigilia at christmas eve, listened to their music (except the **** like Skaldowie!), ate the food and I note the following in general from my experiences:

1 - They are grafters, I mean 14 hours a day, 7 days a week type grafters and I never heard a pole complain about how hard the work was.

2 - They are very social, especially around Wodka (which they invented)

3 - They are generally quite religious and most Polish houses will have either a book or a photo of Pope John Paul II in it somewhere.

4 - They are quite segregatory. I would often come off the wrong end of racial discrimination due to the mistrust of the English from the Poles (did you know they consider Churchill not to be a hero but a gangster?)

5 - You can tell a Polish couple from a long way off cos the girl is hot, wearing flat comfortable shoes and carrying a primark bag and the guy is in a tracky and is "homely" looking! Try it out if you live in london!

6 - They shorten their names to completely different names to confuse you! Like Barbara is shortened to Basia (pronounced Basher) etc

7 - They produced the most beautiful woman in the world, Kasia Cerekwicka  hehe

8 - Polish women like to turn life into a massive soap opera style drama as often as possible. just when you think all is well, your polish girlfriend will turn a slightly burned Rybko po gretsku into the beginning of armageddon."

(more comments on http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1027097).

I am Polish I can say that yes, we are really hard working, very friendly over vodka, rude in queues and Polish women do like a little bit of drama lol. What I personally appreciate about Poles is the fact that they hardly ever complain and would compromise a lot to give best for their families. I guess, we are distinctively resourceful too. A typical Pole, I would say, is a McGyver kind of a guy possessing a wide range of skills including an ability to fix 99.9% of household equipment by means of a nail and hammer! I think it is very rare. I doubt if any German or French would be able to compete! lol

I don't agree about statement that we are racists or ignorant, though. We are renowned for our hospitality and friendly attitude towards those who are visiting our country. Majority of the population eagerly communicates in English which makes visitors feel comfortable and very welcome. I don't know why is that, but we like teaching visitors naughty words in Polish too! 

Religion, political views and fashion are so individual things that I would not want to comment on them.

Obviously, I am aware that among Poles, the same as in other nations, happen to be the ones who match certain stereotypes, although I would like to think that it's only a drop in the ocean.

Answering the question: Why Poland?

I was wondering why people know so little about Poland or have such a wrong image in their heads. It couldn't be caused, I thought, by distance as Poland is only 2,5 hours by air away from here. I don't believe it is caused by ignorance either. It makes me think the responsibility is probably on mass media's shoulders which creates this image of the country in serious financial need, full of snow and polar bears (?). Yes, it is a rather small country and may not be as rich and prosperous as others but it is growing fast and definitely has got potential! We should not forget that during World War II, a vast part of the country was destroyed; Warsaw, the capital city, was razed to the ground. Having have to start everything from the scratch resulted in slow economic recovery and as a consequence, bottom place on the list of developing countries. Anyway, what I wanted to say is that in order to understand Poland you have to experience it! Its beauty, variety, hospitality and rich history.

Here are a few pictures. Enjoy!

With many thanks to Kamil Bańkowski, the author of the photographs, who kindly agreed for them to be published on this site. For more photographs by Kamil visit his official website: www.irart.pl. 

Rożnowskie Lake

Łapszanka. Excellent views of the Tatras mountain peaks.

Beskid Sadecki & Poprad Valley

Nowy Sacz

Roman style church in Tropie

Żeleźnikowa

Dunajec River Gorge. Pieniny Mountains

To be continued...

Good night, sleep tight! x