What's something foreigners never truly understand until they live in Poland? 🤔

cytat z Mickiewicza "Nasz naród jak lawa,
Z wierzchu zimna i twarda, sucha i plugawa,
Lecz wewnętrznego ognia sto lat nie wyziębi". Na pozór zdystansowani i zimni, lecz jak wejdziesz do kręgu ...

U nas smalltalk do nieznajomego to jest:
- Dzieńdobry
- Dzieńdobry
I każdy Polak w każdym wieku odpowie.

Z tymi klasami to jest bardzo proste. GB to najbardziej klasowe społeczeństwo. Swego czasu będąc w GB bardzo dokładnie mi to wyjaśniono, a i sobie trochę poobserwowałem jak to wygląda i nawet jak masz kupę kasy to i tak nie przebijesz się do wyższej kasty. Nie ma mowy.
W Polsce jest inaczej i nie chodzi tylko o komunizm. Jakby GB przeżyła w swojej historii tyle co Polska to też byłaby egalitarna bo nam wybito tyle arystokracji, tyle szlachty i inteligencji, że nie było co zbierać i teraz zostały tylko szczątki. 90% Polaków idzie z chłopa albo szlachty zagrodowej. Wytracono elitę wraz z jej rodowymi majątkami, więc nie ma problemu kastowości i klas społecznych idących w rodowodach.

Poles being cold on the outside but warm on the inside (when it matters most by the way...) So true!!! 💯

Sprzedawca / kelner pracuje ale nie jest moim znajomym. I lubię jeśli jest serdeczny i miły, ale zachowuje dystans. Nie lubię narzucania się i wymuszonego uśmiechu. To chyba kod kulturowy: nie lubimy manupulatorów, którzy się usmiechają aby zarobić więcej. Dlatego uważam, że w Polsce dystans jest wyrazem szacunku: "Owszem, pracuję, jestem kulturalny ale nie chcę sprawiać wrażenia że chcę wyciągnąć więcej pieniędzy. Co więcej - szanuję czas klienta i załatwiam sprawy tak krótko jak jest to możliwe".

In Poland, people don’t smile as much at strangers because smiling without a reason can feel unnatural or even suspicious. There’s a common saying: “Why are you smiling like an idiot at cheese?” (“co się cieszysz jak głupi do sera”).
It basically means: don’t smile for no reason or you’ll look silly. So for many Poles, a smile is something genuine  you smile when something is actually funny or when you feel happy, not just out of politeness.

I live in England and yes I agree as a Polish woman I struggle a lot with that lack of sincerity on the British side. You never know what they really think or feel. That is why  I don't have any close friends because I can't be fake and just be polite. Polish people need to feel that they can say what they truly think and feel. Otherwise what is the point.

In famous Polish movie series "Sami Swoi" there was explanation that in Poland we don't differentiate people by classes. We divide people in general into two categories, smart ones and dumb ones. That's it.

I am Polish and Indian, but born in Poland. I lived in the US for over 30 years and I am much, much happier in Poland. Since Polish is my native language and Polish culture is the one where I was as a little child, I feel at home here all of the time. I know how to talk to people anywhere and with 99% of them I connect with very fast. The ones who are not friendly are probably either insane or criminals. I strike up conversations with people while waiting on line at a store, I joke with people while shopping, I have had very deep conversations with people on the train to Warsaw, sometimes even discussing the history of Poland, while listening to their family stories under Stalinism. I have spoken to parents of disabled children, to the elderly about their grown children, and to students about their university classes and their exams. I have even helped one young woman to study for her final exam on the train to Warsaw. I tell them about the fact that I am half Polish and half Indian, and I get lots of smiles from them as I joke about my large Indian nose. I am very polite in Govt offices and I am treated very well in  return. I cannot tell you how much I love Poland and its wonderful people!

Mieszkam i pracuje w Wielkiej Brytanii .Pracuje tam w jednym ze sklepow Wiele razy Brytyjczycy pokazuja dwie twarze podchodza usmiechaja sie na sile potem odchodza z wsciekla mina .Uwazam ze Polacy sa bardziej prawdziwi i nie udaja usmiechow ,tacy jestesmy .Powodzenia W Polsce!

When I go to a restaurant, I don’t expect pushy service constantly asking if everything suits me, if the food was good, or if I like the color of the tableware. I go there to enjoy a good meal and spend quality time with friends—or even by myself—not with the restaurant staff. Service in Poland is the way Poles expect it to be 😉

Jeśli np. w sklepie chodzi za mną  w krok w krok sprzedawczyni, uśmiecha się  i co chwilę pyta czego szukam, może  bym chciała to albo to albo poszuka mi rozmiaru, doradza i to bez mojego pytania - wychodzę  z takiego sklepu. Nie mogę się  skupić  na zakupach. Sprzedawczyni powinna być  w zasięgu wzroku by jak będę  chciała o coś zapytać to bym mogła dostać  szybko odpowiedź. Wtedy w tym sklepie czuje się  komfortowo.

To co lubię w Polsce to właśnie ta "bezklasowość"  
Zazwyczaj interesujemy się kto kim jest, jaki zawód wykonuje ale nie sortujemy ludzi wg. klas społecznych. Wielka Brytania jest monarchią konstytucyjną dlatego klasowość jest bardziej odczuwalna. Przemieszczanie się pomiędzy klasami jest też bardzo  utrudnione lub wręcz niemożliwe. Ojciec policjant , syn policjant. W Polsce można np. skończyć studia medyczne bez problemu i nie trafić na szklany sufit.
Jeszcze na koniec, zadziwiają mnie w Wielkiej Brytanii  np. podania urzędowe gdzie na końcu jest strona z pytaniem o przynależność etniczną, lub w podaniu o pracę jedno z pytań w formularzu  to          
" zaznacz do jakiej klasy społecznej należysz, robotniczej czy średniej" .
W Europie nie do pomyślenia.

A man of high class is generally considered in Poland to be a courageous and upright person with a high level of knowledge, morality, modesty and positive activity for the state and the nation.

Being sincere means you can tell whether a waitress is annoyed or just having a bad day. So if you appreciate Poles being sincere, you have to accept that as part of the package. It’s not about being rude — it’s about being real. And it’s really not about you — every Pole has dealt with this kind of thing plenty of times.

Small talk in Poland exists, but you have to do it right, feel the flow of a person you try to chat with, old women are especially willing to talk with strangers, but once again - you have to use the right language (something one could call "old people language") to earn their trust and sympathy. There are special topics and phrases that will more likely start a nice small talk, and typical English phrases translated to Polish in a "proper" way are not exactly what it should sound like.

I don't know if you know this, but Poles generally address each other as "Pan" or "Pani." A "Pan" used to be a person who had power and authority over others. When everyone started addressing each other this way, they wanted to show that all people are equal, and this began long before communism. Rude service is rare now and is actually a relic of communism. I'm from Częstochowa and I was at a restaurant last Sunday. The service was impeccable and truly very polite. Even when I was leaving, they all said "Have a nice day!" and invited me back. As for everyday warmth, we're taught not to impose on others or bother them. That's why we sometimes seem distant—and that's polite. When someone shows they want to talk and be present, a long and interesting conversation often begins. You just have to find someone who wants to talk too. Sometimes people have their own problems and don't want to, and sometimes quite the opposite. 😊❤

In general we are a straightforward nation so there is no need to have this kind of service because if there is a problem we will tell you about it and if everything is okay it’s ok so why do we need to talk about it and we want don’t want to be bother during our meal. The waiters understand it so the don’t do it. For us a good service is a polite and quick one, nearly unnoticeable so the english or american wah it’s pretty annoying for us

Coming from a US perspective, which I think is not that far that from the British one, but knowing Poland very well let me try to comment on the approach process that you cover under chit chat (small talk), customer service and hospitality. I can really relate to what you say about the small talk and customer service, how standoffish people may appear and how direct with no small talk or pleasantries the customer service is. It all comes down to certain formality. If I don’t know you, I need to keep some space from you in order not to invade your personal space. This is where the Pan and Pani comes from. Mutual respect. Formality. Chit chat or getting closer is reserved only for those that you were properly introduced to and accepted. With customer service, it is a little different. Here it comes from the focus on getting to the bottom of the issue as soon as possible. Introducing chit chat in the beginning is considered a waste of time, both your and theirs. You came with an issue, so what’s the issue at hand. Down to the point. It is also a sign of respect, if I service you I will not waste your time, we will focus on your needs. Now you as a customer must play your role well, meaning being as prepared as possible. If you’re not you may get a look sometimes. Where does the hospitality come here. You get to hospitality after you go through the formal introduction. In US or I guess also in Great Britain because you never faced the hard evaluation and formality of the introduction, you get that later on when after all the small talk you’re still not properly vetted to be admitted to hospitality. Now there is a way to make the strangers engage in a small talk. Here is how that goes. First you start formal, during the engagement you treat them nicely though formally and then during the conversation you start slowly some small talk. They will often loosen up during the engagement, though sometimes you will get them formal throughout the entire encounter.   And that’s okay, no need to feel like you did not give them something that you were expected (the small talk) because they were just not into it. Cheers.