Hello everyone, this is Stanislav from the Onlineteam project, and our section on life and business in Poland. Today I decided to record a video about what annoys me in Poland. The first thing that irritates me is the ticket vending machines for public transportation. They have a lot of drawbacks. First of all, you can only buy tickets with coins.
If you try to put paper money into such a machine, you risk not getting your change. Just yesterday, I bought a ticket for 3 zlotys by inserting a 10-zloty bill. The result was predictable – I didn’t get any change. In the end, I had to pay the same amount as people in New York.
This problem is systematic, and I’ve encountered it multiple times. When you get on a tram without coins, you feel like a homeless person, forced to bother people and ask them to change a larger note for you. For example, yesterday I approached the driver, knocked on the door. He stopped, got out of the cabin, and asked me angrily, “What do you want?”
When he heard I just wanted to change 10 zlotys, he looked at me disapprovingly, said he didn’t have any change, and went back to his seat. In the end, I had to bother the passengers again. It might seem like a minor thing, but such situations are really annoying.
Bias against Ukrainians
Poles are somewhat biased against Ukrainians (and other CIS nationals). I’m not saying that we’re being oppressed, beaten, etc. Of course, that’s not happening. Things are calm and safe here. But there are things that still slip through, and I have two pretty valid arguments regarding this.
I’ve heard many times from my friends and acquaintances that when looking for an apartment to rent, you might see a note saying “No Ukrainians.” The landlords often say they want to rent the apartment to English, Germans, or, at worst, Poles, but not Ukrainians or Russians. Of course, I’m sure Ukrainians have contributed to this issue as well.
I’m sure we do a lot of things that annoy the Poles. This attitude didn’t emerge out of nowhere. But overall, the bias towards Ukrainians is noticeable. I don’t know how it would be if a Pole moved to Ukraine, but there’s no point in discussing that because the situation there is different.
Negativity online
Another argument in favor of the bias against Ukrainians is the comments. I’ve received some of them in my videos about Poland. You can see them yourself by watching the following videos: “Top 5 Things That Surprised Me in Poland” or “Ukraine or Poland: Pros and Cons for Living.” You wouldn’t believe it, but most of the comments on these videos are written by Poles.
I set all the settings for Russian-speaking people, and 70% of the comments from Poles were either negative or neutral. It feels like these comments are written by elderly men who lived during World War I, commenting to other elderly men from that time. It’s hard to understand why I’m being called a Banderite, a member of a junta, etc. I’m 24 years old, born after the collapse of the USSR.
But all this negativity is limited to the internet. In real life, 90% of Poles are amazing people, with calm personalities and a good sense of humor. We laugh, chat about all sorts of things, and everyone’s happy. But what I see online is just dark and hateful.
Residence Card
Many people spend a lot of time, energy, and effort to get a residence card. It’s annoying because it can take 6, 9, sometimes even 12 months. Many people fulfill all the requirements, get stressed, try hard, and still don’t get the card for a long time. Overall, the bureaucracy and legal processes are frustrating. I’d like things to be simpler.
But I understand that if Poles loosen these rules, we might start abusing the system, slowly bringing in our brothers and sisters and making it chaotic. It’s frustrating, but I think it’s a fair measure. Again, we’re not talking about politics, religion, or sex, just discussing opinions, and the issue of the residence card is annoying.
I wish the process were smoother and more organized. In Warsaw and Kraków, there are huge queues to get the necessary documents, which is disappointing.
High Taxes in Poland
I’ll start by saying that I have a separate video dedicated to taxes in Poland. If you’ve seen it, you know that taxes in Poland are relatively high. Of course, there are countries with even higher taxes (like Germany), but for me, coming from Ukraine, this is a new thing. In Ukraine, I pay 5% of everything that comes into my account, but here I pay at least 19% on profits, and another 19% on any withdrawal.
Even after paying these taxes, I have to do official “dances with tambourines” to optimize them. In Poland, it’s called tax optimization, not tax evasion. Everyone does it. Everyone wants to pay less, but to pay less legally, without cheating the state or contractors. This whole situation is really annoying because taxes are high, and about 40% of my income (taking into account the accountant and other expenses) goes to the government.
Smog and Environmental Issues
About 4.5 months a year in Kraków, as well as in many other cities in Poland, there’s an issue with air quality. There’s smog everywhere, caused by industry, waste burning, and cars. This fog is really annoying, especially for those with children. Many families try not to go outside, using air ionizers at home.
Last winter, I felt the pain of the smog myself. When it settles over the city, you can’t go for a run or stay outside for long. A person who breathes in that air is likely to end up in the hospital. I’m sure this issue annoys not just me. If you live in Kraków and it bothers you as well, give a like.
Weather in Kraków
Many people say the weather in Kraków is similar to London’s climate. It rains often here, and the weather changes a lot. One day it can be +17°C at night, and in 12 hours, the temperature can rise by 10-15°C. Another day, it could reach +33°C, and in the evening, the temperature drops significantly.
When I lived in the Zaporizhzhia region, the weather was stable. If it was hot, it was hot both day and night. But here it’s different; the weather changes all the time. During the day, it can rain multiple times, with temperature changes. It’s kind of like London. Maybe this is a sign for me and for you that we need to move to Kraków, get used to the weather, and then be ready to move to London :).
By the way, an interesting fact: the largest Polish diaspora is in England. They say that if you walk into any major pub in London and say “hello” in Polish, at least one person will respond to you in Polish.
Conclusion
We have six points. If something annoys you in your city, or if you already live here in Kraków or Poland, share your thoughts. Let me know what bothers you, what things you’ve noticed. I’ve already received many comments on this, and I’ve included a few in this list. Share your opinion.
Of course, if you’re an angry Polish grandpa or a troll who writes strange comments and wants all Ukrainians to leave Poland, feel free to share your thoughts as well :). But overall, guys, it doesn’t matter who you are, subscribe to my channel, let’s discuss topics, move to Poland, build online teams, and manage businesses effectively.
