INTRODUCTION
When I meet Poles for the first time, they're surprised to hear that as an American, I
have settled permanently in Poland, and they often want to know why. It's an interesting
country, I say, I like the lifestyle and the people. Some are genuinely pleased; others
think I'm some kind of weirdo. Some challenge me and point out troubles with the economy,
corrupt politicians and the tax system. Gee, it all sounds pretty normal to me-what
country in the world is exempt from those types of problems?
Poles are quick to criticize their own country, but don't be fooled:
Their national pride is fierce. Besides, it's easy to focus on the problems in Poland;
don't let them overshadow the achievements of the last 15 years or so. If you haven't been
in Poland for long, the strides in economic and social progress might escape you. But the
process of revising this book, updating (and often discarding) texts first written ten
years ago, has made me aware yet again of how fast things are changing.
Poles' entrepreneurial spirit is impressive, and though we've come to take it for
granted, EU membership is an amazing accomplishment. The effects won't be obvious for a
few years, but it's certainly a psychological boost for the country-especially among
younger generations.
Now here comes the obligatory disclaimer that I hope is obvious:
Not every Pole and American behave in the ways I've described. I see great differences
between how younger and older Poles behave, and have tried to point out which behaviors
seem to be in flux. And if you're a foreigner working in a multinational, you might be
experiencing a different Poland than I describe here.
Sometimes the best I could do was to write about the existing rules and norms of
cultural behaviors, not about the exceptions. That means I've resorted to making some
generalizations-but I see no way to write about culture other than by freezing reality for
a moment. And besides, I think that we sometimes have to speak in generalizations about
human behavior, because if we didn't, we wouldn't speak about it at all.
And although the essays on cross-cultural communications are mostly directed at
Americans, I hope they'll offer at least some help to other foreigners trying to find
their way through Poland.
I want to thank Steve Owad for his rockin' editing skills-nearly everything that I have
written over the years has passed under his big nose. While he was ice-fishing, Nate
Espino filled in and he's a damn good editor too. Of course, any mistakes are my fault. A
big thanks to Beata Taras for keeping things together, to Tom and Lotta Keller for their
occasional hounding to do this second edition, and to Janusz, Michal, Lukasz, and
especially Tomek at Kawiarnia Lokalna. I'm most grateful to my home treasures, Marek and
Olivia, for their patient support.
This 3rd edition includes update and new chapters on work, kids, dogs and more.
Los Polandos, radio TOK fm: about the
author and the book
193 pages, Paperback