POLAND: COMING TOGETHER IN THE POLISH SPIRIT

One of the key advantages of the Internet is that people from all corners of the globe are able to come together in a united forum. For the people from The Republic of Poland and for foreigners living in Poland or abroad, PolishForums.com provides the perfect place to meet for Polish and non-Polish alike. The website offers a range of information from travelers to Poland who want to relive their memories, to local knowledge from Poles still living in Poland and who love to share details of their homeland. Some of the information is quite specific like the information found in the "Polish Food" message section, while some is more exploratory such as the message thread concerning places of historical interest to see in Poland. People who learn the Polish language may also find the website useful as its members provide free Polish to English and English to polish translation help. For those who seek an apartment, a house, land, or any other property to buy or rent in Poland, there is a special section called "Housing & Accomodation" where one can find accommodation in Poland, both short and long-term.

Polish Forums has thousands of registered members and is growing daily. Some of the members are from England, others from the United States and a few from even further corners of the globe. The mix of cultures, Anglo-Poles, American Poles and people who are married to Polish spouses all come together in the spirit of communication. While there are very few language problems with English-Polish translations the site’s predominant use of English helps make visitors to the site feel at ease, while Polish members are more than welcoming to potential travelers who have visited the site with a view to learning more about visiting and living in Poland.

One of the key advantages to a website like Polish Forums is that any prospective business and non-business travelers to Poland can gain a wealth of local knowledge about townships to visit, local sites of interest, even cheaper places than those traditionally promoted by travel agencies. Through the use of local knowledge shared on the site visitors can feel like they are going to a place that offers more than stereotypical holiday packages. Suggestions of local Polish coffee shops, local accommodation and food all help the traveler to Poland to appreciate the daily life and customs of the country they are holidaying in.

For example, one of the threads was asking about a skiing holiday in Poland, over the Christmas period. The posting member had thought that traveling over Christmas in Poland might be more expensive, and as the travel was being organized quite late in the year he was worried that he might not get bookings at the more popular destinations. However two local Polish members of the site reassured the posting member that not only was travel in Poland for skiing a good idea over Christmas, but they also recommended destinations that were more cost effective and apparently more fun than some of the other destinations that the posting member had mentioned.

There is no doubt that the Polish community has suffered in many ways since the displacement that affected so many families in the Second World War. A few of the comments on the website do reflect that suffering and a sense of isolation some members feel from their homeland. It is obvious as the visitor reads through some of the topics that many members make a point of rallying around one particular member who may be having problems or even a level of resentment about their cultural heritage; messages that are designed to not only help the individual member with the problem, but that also allow the visitor reading the posts to appreciate the sense of community that exists among Poles regardless of where they live. There is even one special message thread, “The cheer me up” thread that posts corny jokes about culture, blondes and other popular topics.

PolishForums.com is a vibrant, alive and fun Polish community to be a part of. Whether you are of Polish descent, or simply have an interest in Poland and the Polish culture, reading the message threads of this website will help you understand just how colorful and resilient the Polish people can be.

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