Expat life can be tricky. You have to deal with a lot of tough stuff that you normally wouldn’t. Language barriers, obtaining residence permits, trouble meeting friends, lack of familial support, cultural misunderstandings. Phew! That’s a lot for us expats to handle. So, how can you survive all that? Read on to find out.
Finding a job in Poland as a foreigner might seem like a challenge, but there are more and more opportunities for us expats as Poland becomes more and more open. If you’re a native English speaker, working as an English teacher is an obvious choice, but there are plenty of other opportunities out there in various positions for foreigners, you just have to know where to look for them. In this post, I’ll give you my tips for finding a job in Poland as a foreigner.
Maternity leave in Poland is a beautiful thing that they do very well and America is really lacking. I had a baby last year, so I enjoyed the one year of receiving maternity benefits (mine just ended… *tear*). It’s a beautiful thing for women to have the comfort of staying home with their babies to care for and nurture them for the first 6 months – 1 year of life, especially if they’re breastfeeding. I can’t tell you how fortunate I felt to spend 4 months at home with my son and then return to work part-time as the maternity leave pay gave me the freedom to do so. I know that living in the States, it would have been more of a struggle and I’d have had to return to work earlier. Having a baby in Poland? Read on to find out what Poland has to offer your in your first year of maternity.
In general, there is a huge demand for native English speakers in Poland. If you’re thinking of teaching English in Poland and you’re a native English speaker, you shouldn’t have much trouble finding work. But you may be wondering what your students will be like, where you can work, whether you need a teaching certificate, and how much you can earn. You’ll find the answers to all those questions here, and also why Poland is a great place to teach English.
The topic of jealously in Poland is a sensitive one, but it’s an important aspect of culture that I think requires its own post. I’ve had this post written for a long time but I keep going back and forth with it because it makes me nervous. I’m afraid of the stirring the pot too much and the backlash it may result in, but anyway I think it’s time. So, why are Poles so jealous and how do they express that jealousy?
I get asked this question all the time. Why don’t we just move back to America? Well there’s more than a few reasons I choose to live in Poland rather than in America. It’s a hard decision, obviously. Sometimes we wonder whether we couldn’t have a better life in America, as many people do. But our quality of life is so high here that I’m not sure it’s worth the risk to try. Read on to find out why I choose to live in Poland… for now.
This November we flew to the States for the first time with Maks when he was 5.5 months old. There’s a lot to be worry about when you fly with a baby. What if he cries the whole time and everyone despises us? What if I don’t bring enough diapers and he poops all over himself and me? What if he picks up some creepy bacteria?
It’s fun for me to take trips back to the States because I notice things now that I never used to when I lived there. Nowadays I’m more accustomed to Polish culture, so some things are really surprising about life and culture in America for me, as I imagine they would be for (I wanted to write “other” here like I’m also a Pole, haha) Poles as well. Water fountains? Cute. Not impossible to buy liquor on Sundays? Weird! Free refills on drinks? Awesome! Read more to find out what else I found surprising on my last trip back to America.
I’ve lived here for just about 7 years and I have to say that I dread winter in Poland every year with every part of my being. It’s not the cold that bothers me so much. It’s more the dreary lack of sun that makes me want to jump off a bridge. And then, when there’s a tiny ray of sunlight, I stand in the window soaking it up while I can because by the time you’ve put on your jacket, boots, hat, gloves and scarf, that ray of light has disappeared and you’re left alone again in the dark, overcast sadness that is Polish winter. So what can you do to make it a little bit better? (note: above picture is not representative of Polish winter – it was taken at the end of April!)
My last post was about things that are “so Polish” and someone suggested I write a post about things that are “so American”. Since I was just in the States for 2 weeks (it was glorious – In Florida it’s like 25 degrees now!), it was a lot easier for me to recognize those things and make some comparisons. So here are 10 things that are “so American”.