Everyday Life in Poland
Below are estimated costs of items and services you are likely to need as a student.
Accommodation – ca. 120 – 150 Euro/month (in a dormitory, private rooms are more expensive)
Meals – 100-150 Euro/month
Books and materials – 50 Euro/month
Municipal transport – 10 Euro/month
Taxi – 0.70 Euro/km + 1,5 Euro initial fee
Health insurance (for students without the European Health Insurance card) – 10,5 Euro/month
Average cost of medical practice at university ambulatories:
General practice – 10 Euro
Dentistry – 25 Euro
Shopping
Foreign students should remember that if they want to travel, make phone calls abroad, and lead an active social life they will spend more than a few hundred złoty per month (excluding the costs of accommodation). You should bring approximately a minimum of 1,600 zł with you when you arrive. This will cover your expenses for at least the first couple of weeks.
Department stores and supermarkets sell daily necessities such as food, clothing and other sundries. The prices at supermarkets tend to be lower.
The 2007 average prices of: |
2l. milk
1l. juice
bread
soft drink (in a bar)
0.5l. beer (in a bar)
burger
kebab
T-shirt
jacket |
3zł
2,50 zł
2zł
3zł
6zł
4zł
8zł
30zł
100zł |
Polish currency:
ZŁOTY (PLN)
Coins: 1grosz, 2gr, 5gr, 10gr, 20gr, 50gr, 1zł, 2zł, 5zł
Banknotes: 10zł, 20zł, 50zł, 100zł, 200zł
You can exchange your currency in Banks or little kiosks called KANTOR.
The latter might work out cheaper if you change your money in a KANTOR that is distant from all the tourist sites.
1 EUR = 3,5 zł 1 A$1 = 0.56 EUR (March 2008)
Banking
Credit cards such as VISA, American Express, and Eurocard are accepted in hotels, banks, and larger shops in Polish cities. Moreover, there are also numerous ATMs (BANKOMAT) available in the streets, which may be used with most of the major credit/debit cards.
Banking hours are 8 or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. If you would like to open a bank account in Poland, you need to present the following documents:
- passport
- residence permit
- statement of the length of your stay in Poland
- statement of your address in Poland
- student ID card
Please remember that you should inform your bank that you would like to close your bank account at least 30 days before your departure.
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Transport
Public transport is well developed in Poland. Buses (urban and suburban – PKS) operate throughout the country, trams run in larger urban centers and the Warsaw underground operates from early morning until approx. 11pm. Night buses operate in large urban centers.
An interchangeable ticket is used on buses (urban), trams and the underground. It can be bought in kiosks (e.g. ’Ruch’, ‘Kolporter’), in some shops and in underground stations. As well as single tickets, 24-hour, weekly and monthly tickets are also available. Depending on the urban centre, two types of tickets are in use: singles and time-based. A single ticket is valid for a single journey, regardless of its duration. In this case, you need to punch a new ticket when changing buses, unless it is a 24-hour, 3-day, weekly or monthly ticket (tickets of this type are used, for example, in Warsaw). A time-based ticket is valid throughout the whole time period (e.g. 10 or 30 minutes), during which it is possible to change means of public transport (tickets of this type are used, for example, in Łódź). Different tickets are in use in different urban centers. They may differ in price. On suburban buses (PKS), tickets are obtained from the driver or in ticket offices at bus stations.
In Poland, it is also possible to travel by train. The network of Polish State Railways (PKP) is dense. There are four different types of trains. The fastest and the most comfortable are Express and Intercity – these only stop in larger urban centers and usually have only two or three stops before their final destination. Fast trains are cheaper and they stop at a larger number of stations, but also only in larger urban centers. Slow trains stop at all stations and are the cheapest. Rail tickets may be purchased from ticket offices in railway stations or from travel agencies.
With regard to air transport in Poland, there are international airports in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Cracow, Poznań, Wrocław, Katowice, Szczecin and Łódź. Domestic flights offered by LOT Polish Airlines cover all the aforementioned cities as well as Bydgoszcz, Zielona Góra and Rzeszów.
Survival Guide for Visitors - Cultural shock/Poland from the foreign point of view
The information below comes from Nicolaus Copernicus University’s Website. http://www.umk.pl/en/cooperation/guide/
 CULTURE SHOCK
Many people travelling go through an initial period of euphoria and excitement, overwhelmed by the thrill of being in a totally new and unusual environment. When this initial feeling of 'adventure' disappears, they suddenly no longer feel comfortable. Minor problems seem major crises, and they find themselves growing depressed. If this happens to you, as it is likely to, you will feel like the outsider. You may feel an anxiety, a kind of psychological disorientation. What does it mean? You are experiencing what people refer to as 'culture shock'. It is important to understand that this reaction is entirely normal and it will pass! As long as you know it in advance, you can prepare yourself psychologically to accept the temporary discomfort and turn it into an advantage by learning from it. Remember that you are not the only one experiencing occasional frustration, irritability, and depression, etc.
POLAND from the FOREIGN POINT of VIEW
Here are some little differences which may puzzle or surprise foreigners in Poland.
Some of these are still common:
- Paying for the toilet in some restaurants or bars.
- Trying to send a parcel in the post office may require a special kind of string.
- Having to be quiet in your flat after 10 p.m. but being allowed to start loud work again at 6 a.m. .
- Flowers for every occasion (but always an odd number!).
- Polish celebration of a name day.
- Christmas dinner is eaten on Christmas Eve with carp often eaten in jelly (delicious!).
- The direct translation of "I'm sorry, I'm afraid we haven't got any of that at the moment, try again tomorrow or would you like me to order some for you" in a shop is 'Nie ma' said in a tone of voice that makes you feel guilty for having even asked.
- Despite the fact that a handshake is the typical greeting in Poland, some men might kiss hands of women. Women (and sometimes men) who are close friends will kiss each other on both cheeks.
- Time of eating meals differs considerably from that in other European countries. Thus, breakfast is eaten early in the morning, then at about 4 p.m. there is usually two-course dinner (soup and the main course), finally supper is consumed at about 7-8 p.m. (it often consists of sandwiches or yoghurts).There is no lunch break at work.
As it takes time to understand the different behaviour in a new culture and know how to react, here are a few comments for newcomers:
- Poland is a very religious country and on a Sunday you will see huge numbers going to church, young as well as old.
- The month before Christmas is a holy time (advent) not a time for parties. Similarly, the time of Lent before Easter.
- You should cross a street at zebra crossings but watch out as cars sometimes will force right of way!
- Lectures at the university may start sometimes 15 minutes later (so-called 'academic quarter' acceptable among university students and teachers)
- Students usually wear formal clothes (often a white blouse/shirt and dark skirt/trousers) during university exams.
English is still not so common in Poland (not in the countryside at least), German is more popular among middle-aged and older people.
spect.
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