Posts under Culture

Registration of Foreign Birth Certificate in Poland

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Nov
18
2009

Today we have a guest post by our favorite guest blogger, Barbara, about how to register your foreign birth certificate in Poland. All explained very clearly step by step in an easy to follow manner. This process is very important if you are planning to confirm your Polish citizenship.

So, read on and take notes (or simply print this entry).

And Barb - thank you so much for this!!!

Anna recently inquired about the status of my confirmation of Polish citizenship application (potwierdzenie posiadania obywatelstwa polskiego). I told her that it was probably going to take another 6 to 8 months before my case would be concluded. I chose to engage a lawyer in Warsaw to act on my behalf and to submit the required paperwork and applications directly.

While in Poland this summer, I decided to move ahead with an intermediate step in the passport application process: the (successful) registration of my foreign birth certificate (umiejscowienie zagranicznego aktu urodzenia) in the Office of Vital Statistics (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego) in Warsaw.

People that were born abroad and currently live abroad have their applications handled by the USC office in Warsaw:
Urząd Stanu Cywilnego - Warszawa Śródmieście
Adres: ul. Andersa 5,
00-281 Warszawa
tel.: 022 227 40 00,
fax: 022 227 40 06

The registration of foreign birth certificates can obviously be handled by any Polish consulate. The consular requirements vary slightly by nation (check details with your relevant consulate), but generally involve:

  • i) submitting an original certified birth certificate (“extended or long form”);
  • ii) ensuring that the original document:
  1. a) bears an Apostille stamp, where applicable (Anna’s comment - I can’t stress enough how important this Apostille bit is!!! without it your documents may turn out to be totally useless), or
  2. b) undergoes “legalization” by the Consul verifying the authenticity of the underlying documents;
  • iii) translating the document into Polish by a sworn translator;
  • iv) having the Polish consulate officially certify (urzędowo poświadczone) the accuracy of each page of the translation;
  • v) filling out the appropriate form (wniosek) and
  • vi) paying the associated fees (opłaty)—about three times the amount charged in PL. Note: payment by credit card is not accepted. Also, your original U.S./Canadian/UK document is NOT returned.

Et voila, three original copies of your Polish birth certificate (polski akt urodzenia) will be available for pick up at the consulate in about 3 months time.

Now, before folks begin to protest that they didn’t have to follow the above process, I counter with the incredibly useful phrase “co kraj, to obyczaj”. You will find the above process described on most Polish consulate websites… just for fun let’s call them “requirements”. The execution of said requirements can vary… A LOT. This is Poland after all. There may even be requirements that are rigidly adhered to that are not even listed anywhere. Repeat after me: “this is Poland after all” (catchy mantra, isn’t it?).

Alternatively, you can do this in person or have a permanent Polish resident act as your proxy; with proper “certified” authorization (za pośrednictwem osoby upoważnionej). Close family members do not require a power of attorney (pełnomocnictwo). (Anna’s comment - sometimes, however, they may - it all depends on what pani urzędniczka decides on any given day, my dad needed pełnomocnictwo to pick up my marriage certificate.)

In Poland, the process is as follows:
Translation:

Your original birth certificate MUST be translated by a “sworn translator” (tłumacz przysięgły). Your original is attached to the translation and you must sign the translator’s official log book. Translation fees come out to about 100 zł. Easy step. (Anna’s comment - translate your documents AFTER they’ve been confirmed with the Apostille thingie, otherwise the translation may not be accepted!)

Direct Submission:

The Warsaw USC office is new, spacious and well organized. Upon entry, get a number from one of the interactive kiosks (touch the description beside number 10 on the display to get a ticket). Plant yourself in a chair in front of office 10 and wait/watch for your number to be called. When called into the office, present your documents and fill out the required form. The pleasant clerk (urzędniczka) will help you with the form. She will ask you who will pick up your certificate in 30 days time (the documents cannot be mailed). If you can’t pick it up in person, you can designate a person to do it for you (name, address, phone number required) for a small fee. She will instruct you to step next door (office 11) and pay the necessary fee in cash. The fee is 50 zł + an additional 8 zł if you have designated another person for pick up.
Et voila, in 30 days time your three original short-form certificates will be ready for pick up. This step went very smoothly for me.

Anna’s comment - the above process applies to adults, in her next post Barb will explain how it works for those under the age of 18.

 
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Polish Patriotic Songs

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Nov
11
2009

November 11. Święto Niepodległości. Independence Day. I wrote about it last year, if I remember correctly.

So, this year, let’s celebrate it a little bit differently - with a song (and dance, but that’s optional).

I have to say that I’m very undereducated when it comes to pieśni patriotyczne (patriotic songs). I remember something my grandma used to sing about ułani and their horses. And something about rozmaryn (rosemary). And of course, I was taught to sing “Rota“, which during the Partition was something of an unofficial Polish national song.

So, I thought it would be nice to share some of these songs with you. If you want, I can even dig out the lyrics and translate them. Or you can simply listen to the songs and enjoy them as they are.

Let’s start with the ułani song, which I think was one of my favorites when I was little. Even though I had no clue what an uhlan was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpBhBxazKmg

And here’s “Rota” (The Oath). The lyrics were written by a famous Polish author - Maria Konopnicka and the song was once proposed as the official Polish national anthem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lRLzNsn_0g

And this is, in my opinion at least, probably the best Polish patriotic song ever. “O mój rozmarynie” (I’ve seen this one translated into English as “Death Will Kiss Me, But Not You”, even though the Polish title is something like “Oh, My Rosemary” - talking about an herb here, of course). Anyway, in this song a guy is singing that he will go to his girlfriend and ask if she loves him. If she says no, he will become an uhlan and go to war, where he will die, and hence the English words - “death will kiss me, but not you.” This is an original recording from the 30s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah9×7t22U-Y

 
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Kombinowanie continued

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Nov
2
2009

So, let’s go back to the issue of kombinowanie for a few more minutes. Turns out that the person who claims that Poles are a cheating, scheming and otherwise dishonest bunch also reads this blog. Oh, hi! Small world, isn’t it? Thank you for providing us with such an interesting discussion topic!

And to another reader - thank you for pointing out the fact that I didn’t explain the really first thing first about this word. So, in order to rectify that oversight from the other day, here it is:

  • kombinowanie (noun, neuter, plural: kombinowania, though I don’t think many people would use the plural form) – and that’s the noun version of kombinować.
  • kombinować (verb, imperfective; the perfective form would be wykombinować) – wangle, maneuver, get things sorted out, cheat, scheme, arrange something, etc…

And here are some examples of kombinowanie that should be easy to grasp (even for my very honest American readers, wink wink).

Personally, I have seen tons and tons of kombinowanie in the US. Heck, you want to see kombinowanie as an artform the American way, then go to any jury selection process and see how people kombinują to get out of performing their civic duty.

Another example of kombinowanie is trying to get a reasonably priced sublet apartment in Manhattan. That’s when kombinowanie turns ruthless, even by Polish standards. Anything goes (short of murder, but then again, who knows?) – lying, cheating, scheming and bribe giving (and a few other things that I shouldn’t mention on a PG-13 blog).

But I think that basically kombinowanie starts in school, and that’s a proven fact the world over. Proven how? Show me a bunch of 13 or 14 or 15 year olds who are NOT trying to get out of some undesirable school activities by any means necessary and you’ll see a bunch of witless pushovers.

So, actually, I don’t think that the totalitarian regime of the communist days had much to do with the Polish kombinowanie way of life. If you read how those really ancient guys like Mieszko and Chrobry got to be princes and kings and otherwise mighty and powerful guys, then it’s obvious that kombinowanie (and this time definitely including murder) has been with us, Poles, for a lot longer than the last 50 or 60 years. In fact, you can even say it’s kept us alive through the centuries, it’s helped us survive wars and other calamities.

And what happened if we ended up stuck (no doubt of a result of kombinowanie of other powers) with a witless wonder of a ruler who couldn’t kombinować even if the very survival of his country depended on it and concentrated on building pretty palaces instead? Like Stanisław August Poniatowski, for example? Everybody knows.

So yes, kombinowanie may be our way of life, and I don’t think it’s more prevalent in Poland than in other countries (it seems to me that in Asia and South America it’s physically impossible to get anything done without some very skillful kombinowanie). We are just a lot more honest about admitting to actually doing it.

PS. Do you still see any goofy computer language in my posts on this blog? I am using a new computer and a new internet provider (microwave wireless something something) and I hope there will be no more glitches.

 
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Poles and kombinowanie

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Oct
27
2009

Today we will tackle something that is a bit controversial. Or maybe not, I guess it all depends on your point of view. But we’ll see.

I really don’t like sweeping generalizations, though that doesn’t stop me in making them myself from time to time, to be perfectly honest. So most of the time when I hear such a general comment, I just take it with a grain of salt. But when those sweeping generalizations begin to include me, well, that’s a whole another story. It’s personal then, and for me that’s when the gloves come off.

But yeah, what kind of generalizations are we talking about here? You know, those broad comments that encompass perhaps an entire nation or an ethic group, like that the French are generally rude (not true) and the Americans fat (again, not true). So why am I getting all worked up about it today? Somebody has told me recently, and to my face no less, that Poles are a conniving, dishonest bunch that can’t be trusted. As a proof of those national characteristics, the person used the famous Polish art (or is it a skill?) of kombinowanie.

Now, I know those comments have been around for centuries, and I know that Poles made kombinowanie into a whole new art form in its own right (that much is true), but when someone says it to my face, that makes it personal.

And personally, some of the most dishonest and untrustworthy people I’ve met in my life were single males between the ages of 22 and 32, university educated, no less. Does that mean that I’m going to pass sweeping generalizations that all single males between the ages of 22 and 32 are dishonest pricks? Of course not. So it really bothers me when narrow-minded people apply such generalizations to whole nationalities and ethnic groups.

I explained as much to the person I was talking with, and his response was “but you guys (meaning Poles) have a bad reputation everywhere you go.”

Oh really? Is that true? Am I that out of touch with how the Polish people are perceived by foreigners?

And is “kombinowanie” really all that bad? I’m as good at it as the next Pole, and yet I’ve never used it for nefarious purposes. Quite the opposite in fact.

But what is that “kombinowanie” anyway?
Some of my fellow countrymen will tell you that it’s one Polish word that can’t be translated into English. I disagree. It can be translated, but how you do it depends on the context.

The verb “kombinować” can mean many things. It can be used as in “to scheme”, “to fix”, “to sort out”, “to arrange” and so on. You get the idea. Nothing wrong with a little “kombinowanie” itself, it’s why you want to kombinować that might be perceived as less than honest by some people.

So yeah, we are the masters of kombinowanie, but does that immediately mean we are dishonest and untrustworthy as a nation?
Your opinions please. Honest opinions, of course.

PS. I apologize for the recent lack of comments from me, but we’re moving again and have internet issues.

 
Posted under Culture, Vocabulary
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Kapuśniak - Cabbage Soup

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Oct
24
2009

There are many definitions and examples of comfort food – I’m pretty sure that every culture has its very own typical dishes that fall into this category. And one thing is certain, when you’re sick you crave that yummy, comforting goodness. And I am and I do. But what do I crave? Kapuśniak (cabbage soup).

Now, maybe not exactly your typical Polish comfort food (but what would be? Schabowy and potatoes plus surówka?) but kapuśniak is what I want to eat whenever I am sick.

The only problem is that I can’t make a really good cabbage soup if my life depended on it. Why? First there’s this issue of whether to use fresh cabbage (świeża) or sauerkraut (kiszona). I like my kapuśniak sour, but not too sour. So what are the correct fresh/sour proportions? And second, what about the soup base? Mine never tastes like it should. It always has that “nouvelle” air to it instead of an honest, hearty and satisfying down to earth kapuśniak flavor.

My dad makes the best kapuśniak on the planet and I love it, even though he likes his with fresh cabbage. However, I have never mastered this kapuśniak making skill and hence I am stuck with improvising whenever I feel like eating a bowl of cabbagey goodness.

And to be completely honest, I’ve had no idea that cabbage soup is (was?) one of those newfangled weight loss fads. Really? We, Poles have been eating it for at least a thousand years, so it’s nice to see the rest of the world catching up.

OK, but back to the original question. How to make my kapuśniak taste right the Polish way? Because right now, I make it somewhat like this:

  • shred a bunch of cabbage
  • open a jar of sauerkraut
  • cut up some veggies
  • get a couple of those bullion cube thingies or a can of ready-made consommé (I’m not the patient type to boil some bones for soup stock)
  • some bacon and a couple of bratwursts
  • random seasonings and spices (read: whatever’s available)

It’s still good and quite tasty, but nothing like my dad used to make.
So, how do you make your kapuśniak?

PS. And by the way, how does this old saying go? Po kapuście d..pa chluszcze. (something like: after eating cabbage soup, stuff spouts from your behind, except that it vaguely rhymes in Polish), so be careful. And the d-word is considered vulgar, so there.

 
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