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For Foreigners

A guide on how to survive Polish institutions

Polish institutions, so any Urząd (perfect word in Polish that doesn’t really translate in English well… some kind of official institution/office) where you need to do something official like Urząd Miejski (city hall), ZUS (social security office), NFZ (national health care service), Urząd Skarbowy (tax office), and Urząd Wojewódzki (voivodeship office, aka the worst place on Earth) are notorious for being slow, confusing, depressing, old-fashioned (they still keep records in little notebooks for Christ’s sake!), the list goes on. But you may still run into some problems and that’s why I’ve compiled this little guide for you.

18 February 2019

For Foreigners

12 things to know before moving to Poland

Moving to another country is obviously a huge challenge in terms of just figuring out how to live in a place normally – renting a flat, Internet plans, taxes, residence, bank accounts, what have you. I’ve had this on my mind recently as I just had a new teacher arrive in Gliwice – no Polish contacts apart from me – and he’s going through all these first difficult things that you just have to do when you move abroad. It’s impossible to know how all these official things work! Hence, in an effort to help out those of you in the same position, here are 12 things to know before moving to Poland.

11 February 2019

For Foreigners

How to survive as an Expat in Poland

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.

28 August 2018

For Foreigners, Teaching English in Poland

How to find a job in Poland as a foreigner

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.

27 August 2018

For Foreigners

How to get dual citizenship for your Polish/American baby

My baby is two months old and he has already had the pleasure of visiting Urząd Wojewódzki in Katowice (twice), ZUS, Urząd Miasta in Gliwice and Tarnowskie Góry, and now the American Consulate in Kraków to get his American citizenship. Luckily for him, he has dual citizenship, so he won’t have to go through the hell I’ve had to go through being an immigrant.

If your baby is lucky enough to be born with parents from two different countries, they can generally have citizenship in both, depending on the laws in those places. In America, you’re considered a citizen if either you were born in America or your parents are citizens. In Poland, your parents have to be citizens in order to have citizenship. So that means if two Americans have a baby in Poland, their baby will only have American citizenship. So how can you obtain American citizenship for your baby if you’re American and he or she was born in Poland? Well, just a few rather simple procedures.

25 August 2017

Cultural Musings, For Foreigners

My experience giving birth in Poland

I’m happy to announce that as of June 4, 2017, I’m a mom! I gave birth to my baby boy at my local hospital in Gliwice, Poland. I chose the hospital based on location as it was the closest to my house, but I’d also heard good things. Frankly, I wasn’t disappointed with the stay. On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised. My stay lasted 5 days due to the fact that I had to be induced. Interestingly, the standards varied depending on the floor you were on – the postpartum floor being the nicest. Here’s a list of the advantages and disadvantages of giving birth in a Polish hospital.

20 June 2017

Cultural Musings, For Foreigners

The ins and outs of binational relationships

Being with someone from another country is often an adventure and sometimes a challenge. Which is it more of? Well, that’s hard to say. Have you ever been in a relationship with someone from a different culture than you? Then you get it. If not, it’s hard to imagine. Here are what I think are the upsides and downsides and how to manage them. Continue Reading

16 May 2017

For Foreigners

7 ways to prepare yourself for moving to Poland

Making plans to move to Poland? Are you in the “oh fuck, now what?” stage? Or perhaps you’ve already hopped down the rabbit hole and you’re struggling a bit with how to get around or where to find certain things. Knowing a few basic bits of info like what I’ve listed here can make transitioning to Poland much more comfortable. You’ll feel like an honorary Pole in no time.

4 April 2017

Cultural Musings, For Foreigners

20 signs that you’ve been Polonized

After 6 years in Poland, I’m realizing more and more that I couldn’t really stop the Polonization process even if I wanted to. The effects are already deeply ingrained and having a tiny half-Pole growing inside me probably only exacerbates it. Want to know whether you too have been Polonized? Here are some of the tell-tale symptoms to look out for:

5 March 2017

Cultural Musings, For Foreigners

6 lessons I’ve learned in my 6 years in Poland + a surprise!

I just hit my 6th year anniversary at the dead end of December and it making me feel strange and a little old. This number of years is starting to sound like a lot. Not just a couple, not just something short-term, but it’s starting to feel truly permanent. People ask me if I’m ever going to move back to the States and I’m starting to think I won’t, at least not in the foreseeable future. But one weird thing is that I can’t imagine myself as an old person in Poland. As a young person it seems like an adventure and as an old person it seems like a sham. Is that weird? Anyway, here are 6 things that these 6 short, fast, where-the-hell-did-the-time-go years have taught me.

17 January 2017

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