Posts tagged w/ Culture

When a Free Sample Isn’t Free

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Jun
22
2009

There are many things that I love about Poland, but there are also many others that irritate me to no end (post office - Poczta Polska is just one of them).

Another one of those things that get me really cranky are free samples that aren’t free.
But let’s start from the beginning.
I was looking for a small bottle of contact lens cleaner, small enough to take with me on the airplane. And I discovered that “travel size” in Poland means 120 ml, which of course is much too large. As I walked from one store to another seeing only 120 ml bottles everywhere, I was beginning to get discouraged. Until one helpful sales lady suggested that instead of a “travel size”, I’d have better luck asking for a “starter size” bottle.

I quickly returned to the store where just last week I had bought my contact lenses (with no “starter pack” at that) to see if they could help me. Sure they could. “Starter” bottles? Sure they had. “What brand?” I was asked. They had a choice of four. (I didn’t even know that many companies made contact lens solution!)

And just as I had been warned before, the “free” sample was anything but free in Poland. I was charged 14PLN for my “not for sale” bottle.

OK, I would expect this in Burkina Faso. Even in Brazil (with apologies to my Brazilian readers), or in Vladivostok (because well, we all know that things are done a little bit differently in Russia), but in Poland? I thought we were a civilized EU country now.

Out of curiosity (and because I had nothing better to do that day) I actually called to the company that made this particular brand and asked what the free sample deal was. And wouldn’t you know it? I was told this:
“If it says ‘free sample’ on the box that means the store got this product as a free sample to be given away as a free sample. Even in Poland.”

So, if a store is selling this “free” sample, it’s just 100% profit for the merchant. Then why do they even bother to list VAT (sales tax) on the receipt?

I guess this is one of those Polish mysteries that will never be solved.

Useful words:

  • soczewki kontaktowe – contact lenses
  • soczewka (fem., pl. soczewki) – lens
  • miękkie (adj., plural non-personal) – soft
  • twarde (adj., plural non-personal) – hard
  • płyn do soczewek – contact lens solution
  • okulary (noun, plural) – eyeglasses

PS. Regarding “travel size” bottles which in other countries are sold even with a plastic “airport regulation” baggie already inside the box, I was told by another manufacturer that “there is no market for this particular product in Poland.” Very odd indeed… What? Polish people don’t fly?

 
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Namedays

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Jun
18
2009

Imieniny. I’m sure that anyone who has spent more than five minutes (ok, five days) in Poland is familiar, even if only vaguely, with this glorious occasion. The custom of celebrating namedays (imieniny) is not unique to Poland (some other countries do it, too), but I think only in Poland imieniny are taken so seriously.

But first things first. Yes, imieniny “are”. It’s a plural noun. Only.

  • imieniny (noun, plural, non-personal) – nameday

So in Polish, whether you are talking about one particular nameday, or several, it’s always the same – imieniny. Same with “urodziny” (birthday) – another one of those plural only nouns.

But why am I talking about namedays all of a sudden? I was caught totally off guard by one this week. You see, my family doesn’t celebrate namedays. Never have. I don’t even know when my nameday is. And as far as I can remember, no one ever, not even my very traditional grandmas obchodziły imieniny (celebrated namedays). We only did birthdays (urodziny) and that was it. And once you reach a certain age, you don’t even want to do that, especially if you’re a woman.

But what was I talking about? Ah yes, caught off guard by imieniny.

My friend called me up bright and early on Monday and the conversation went more or less like this:

    F: What time can we expect you?
    A: Huh?
    F: I said, “What time are you coming over?” And you eat dairy products, right?
    A: Huh?
    F: OK, in that case, come at 6PM, and you’ll get some dinner too.
    A: Errrr… you know what? I am somewhere between Toruń and Łódź now stuck in traffic and I don’t…
    F: You FORGOT!!!
    A: Oh no… I didn’t…
    F: You forgot about my imieniny AGAIN!

Of course, she was right. I did forget. Most of my friends gave up a long time ago and don’t even bother to notify me about their nameday parties. This particular friend hopes that eventually I will learn, or buy a better wall calendar (the most popular names are listed under the appropriate days).

But this nameday tradition is not nearly as uniform as some would like to think. I read somewhere that younger people can’t be bothered with namedays and of course I wanted to see if this was indeed true. So today, while walking across the Technical University campus (Politechnika) I thought it would be fun to find out what college age kids think of namedays.

The result was an astounding “huh?” Out of the 18 people asked, 15 said “Imieniny? That’s for old folks.” Seven had no idea when their namedays were. And two turned out to be exchange students from Azerbaijan who thought I was after them because they overstayed their visas – they somehow managed to misunderstand me that badly.

So, what’s the deal with imieniny? Is it really only for old folks who are too afraid to admit how old they are (and hence gave up on celebrating birthdays a long time ago)?

The whole idea of imieniny started a long time ago in the Middle Ages. Of course back then, it was not called that. Rather, it was a celebratory feast for a particular saint on a particular day. The church promoted those feasts and actually preferred them over birthdays, because birthday celebrations were seen as pagan. But then, somewhere along the way, the feasts disappeared and what we have now are imieniny parties instead of religious occasions.

In Poland imieniny are big business (the young ones at Politechnika and their answers notwithstanding) and are celebrated just like birthdays – sans the candles, of course. There are big dinners, cakes, flowers and gifts (and don’t forget about greeting cards!).

So maybe by not celebrating my own nameday I am missing out? But then again, as a solenizant (the one whose nameday is celebrated) it would be me preparing that dinner and baking those cakes… Hmmm… Maybe I’ll pass.

Here’s something to remember:

  • imieniny – nameday –> solenizant – person whose nameday is celebrated
  • urodziny – birthday –> jubilat – person whose anniversary (including a birthday) is celebrated

And a general nameday greeting:

  • Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji imienin! – Best wishes on your nameday!
 
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Na poczcie - At the Post Office

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Apr
26
2009

I had to go to the Post Office yesterday and managed to make a total fool out of myself in the process. And all this shame and public humiliation could have been avoided, if only I had paid closer attention when reading blogi (blogs) by foreign expats in Poland.

So, this is what happened. I had with me the packet I wanted to send, I had with me the appropriate address form, already filled out too – I wanted to send my packet as EMS, which in Poland is known as Pocztex, and bravely made my way to the window.

I don’t normally frequent post offices, because there are better things in life than waiting in looooong, sloooooow moving lines. But post offices in Poland are kind of fun, in a weirdly interesting kind of way. They not only handle the usual post-officy business, but also provide banking, insurance and who-knows-what-else services. And apart from stamps, you can also purchase a wide range of items there: facial tissue packets, bus tickets, pantyhose, books, and even cemetery candles. My local post office also sells condoms (and this is not a joke), probably because you just never know when you might need one, right?

One thing that Poczta Polska (Polish Post Office) cannot do, however, is to accept bank cards and credit cards. In other words, you either pay in cash or not at all.

So what do you do if you end up like me, standing at the stamp window without enough złotys in your wallet? Just ignore the sour look of the stamp selling lady and the annoyed sights of the people waiting in line behind you and ask “W którym okienku jest bankomat?” (In which window is there an ATM?)

I was sent over to window number 3 where a “bankomat” lady informed me that yes, I could withdraw cash there. I handed her my bank card, she swiped it, I punched in my PIN code and expected her to give me the money.

Not so fast! She wanted my dowód osobisty (ID card) first. I didn’t have it with me. I had my paszport (passport) though. Nope. Not good enough. It had to be dowód osobisty or nothing. When I asked her why she needed it, since I obviously knew my PIN and the name on my passport matched the name on my card, she couldn’t really answer me. “Przepisy,” (rules) she said.

I told her to cancel the transaction, told the lady at the stamp window to hold on to my packet and ran outside. There were eight banks in the immediate vicinity of the post office. I went to the nearest “real”ATM, withdrew some cash (no dowód osobisty necessary) and returned to the post office. I proceeded straight to the postage stamp lady and attempted to finally send my packet on its merry EMS way.

THEN, and only then she informed me that she was all out of those special Pocztex plastic envelopes, that she couldn’t accept my packet packaged as it was (a normal bubble-wrap padded envelope), and that I had to go and find me a different post office.

Ahhhhh, it’s great to be back in Poland.

 
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Gender and Occupations, continued…

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Mar
28
2009

Remember when I mentioned that the EU head honchos in Brussels want us to stop using gender specific names for professions? I also said that it was something I agreed with.

Wow! I never thought that that particular post would provoke so many emails. Both for and against.

But you see, we already have many nouns for occupations and professions that are gender–neutral. Or at least they are now, because the same form is used by both men and women.

I have a friend, a female friend, who works on a cargo vessel. She refers to herself as “marynarz” (sailor). Another young woman I know lists her job as “pilot”. And I don’t mean here a tour guide (known in Polish as “pilot wycieczek”), she is a real pilot flying planes for a shipping company.

To that, we can add tons of other women, who can say they are:

  • inżynier – engineer
  • oficer - officer
  • kierowca - driver
  • lekarz - doctor - even though, there is a female form – “lekarka” most women doctors I spoke to agreed they preferred the masculine version - “lekarz”
  • weterynarz - veterinarian
  • architekt - architect
  • strażak – fire fighter
  • redaktor - editor - same as with doctors, ladies who do this job, refer to themselves using the male term – “redaktor” and when necessary add “naczelna” making “redaktor naczelna” if they are editors-in-chief. (I actually called several magazines to ask their editors about it.)

Why do they prefer the male noun? For exactly the same reason that Russ mentioned in his comment to the previous post on this subject.
Take the word “autor” for example. It means “writer” or “author” or “male writer” or “male author.”
“Autorka”, on the other hand, makes it very clear we are talking about a female.

So if I say that “Moja ulubiona polska autorka to Joanna Chmielewska” does it mean that Joanna Chmielewska is my favorite Polish female writer? Or my favorite Polish writer in general? Or should I rather say that “Mój ulubiony polski autor to Joanna Chmielewska”?

Why do I have to distinguish if my favorite writer is male or female? If I were talking about Bharati Mukherjee for example, we wouldn’t have this problem, simply because most people wouldn’t know anyway. Then why do we do it in Polish? Personally, I would say that “Mój ulubiony polski autor to Joanna Chmielewska”, because I prefer her humorous crime stories to other books by Polish authors, be it male or female. (What can I say? I’m not really into heavy-duty literature. Pity Ms. Chmielewska’s books have not been translated into English yet.)

And then, what do we do with those occupations that have been performed by females for so long that we don’t even think about how they would sound in their male versions? Or if they even have masculine forms at all.

In English it’s simple. A nurse is a nurse, regardless of his/her gender. In Polish, a nurse is definitely female, almost by default – pielęgniarka.
The male form – pielęgniarz just sounds awkward and stiff. I had a hard time finding a male nurse in Poland, but when I finally did, and we chatted on skype last week, I asked him what he preferred to be called.

He said, “you know what Anna, either word is fine, heck, any word is fine, as long as the old ladies in my care would finally accept me as a fully qualified, competent nurse. But still… it must be even worse to be a male kindergarten teacher…”

And yeah, he had a point. Female kindergarten teachers are “przedszkolanki” (singular: przedszkolanka). What on earth do you call a guy? Definitely not “przedszkolak” (kindergartener). :)

PS. The male nurse said that most of the time, everybody, his patients and female co-workers call him “rodzynek” (raisin), meaning he’s the only one of his kind.

 
Posted under Culture, Grammar, Polish Language, Vocabulary
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Brussels Says - Get Rid of “Pani” and “Panna”

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Mar
18
2009

What is this I’m hearing about the paper pushers in Brussels telling us to not use words such as “Pani” and “Panna”? Or “Madame” and “Mademoiselle”, “Frau” and “Fraulein” and so on… Seriously, does anyone still even bother with those panna/mademoiselle/fraulein forms?

The great majority of people I know never even use the word “Panna” when addressing a young woman. In my family, the only person who was allowed to call us that was my grandpa, when he was still alive. I only identified myself as “Panna” when asked for marital status on official documents. But that was when I was still a single woman. In normal conversations, people have been calling me “Pani” since time immemorial. Even when I was very much a panna at the age of 17.

So, I have absolutely no idea what the EU’s problem is with “Pani.”

Is it their lack of understanding of our beautiful, but convoluted language?

Back in the olden days “Pani” referred to a married matron, that much is true. But these days it’s just a simple, polite expression to address any and all women and has nothing to do with whether these women are married or not. For crying out loud, there are private high schools in this country, where the staff are required to address their students as “Pan so-and-so” and “Pani so-and-so.”

So, the first part of this language directive from Bruksela is utter nonsense, but I must admit I kind of agree with the second part.

They don’t want us to use the feminine forms of certain nouns describing occupations. Oddly enough, this is something I’ve already been doing for years. And I just know this will not endear me to my Polish-speaking readers, who are rather orthodox about preserving the purity of the Polish language. (As if Polish could be pure. Yeah right!)

Instead of saying, for example, “listonoszka” (female mail carrier) I’ve always been saying simply “listonosz” (mail carrier), or if I wanted to be really specific, then: “pani listonosz”.

Same with “policjantka” (policewoman). I just say “funkcjonariusz policji” or “oficer policji”.

What really irks me is the double standard of how we refer to TV weather people. You know, those types who tell you it will be snowing in morning and smile, as if it was the best news ever. The women doing the smiling and telling are commonly known as “pogodynki” (singular: pogodynka). Comes from “pogoda” (weather).

But the guys are “prezenterzy pogody” (singular: prezenter pogody). Why the difference? What? Guys don’t want to be called “pogodynki”? Well, technically, “pogodynka” is a feminine noun, but what’s the big deal? Just call him “pogodynek” instead. But of course, it would be considered goofy and unprofessional. So it looks like it’s OK to call a woman by a cutesy, unprofessional nickname, but not a guy. Not fair.

My system of using the masculine version for both men and women is also very economical, especially when you’re just learning Polish. Because then you don’t have to think too much about: “what the heck do I call this woman with the dental drill”?

Hint: in my world, she would be “dentysta” (dentist, masculine form), just like a man. Or “a torturer”, depending on the situation. (And did you know that modern dental drills can rotate at up to 800000 RPM?)

Here’s the news blurb about this EU decision (in Polish).

And next week, I’ll give you a whole bunch of those masculine-feminine occupations. You’ll have to wait until next week, because on Friday we’ll be drowning Marzanna. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to drown something. Anything to bring on warmer weather!

 
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