8 Awesome Expats I Follow on Social Media
They came from different places and settled in Poland at different times but they all decided to share their unique experiences on the Internet and are doing so with style! I think their vlogs , blogs and pages are fun, moving and sometimes surprisingly educational for fellow expats and for Polish natives alike. And they prove that – despite struggles – Polish is not an impossible language to learn. So, without further ado – here are my favourite (after my own students, of course 😉 ) foreigners in Poland:
A YouTube channel created by Russel, a teacher and a language school owner from Texas based in Częstochowa who raises two bilingual sons with his Polish wife. True to the channel’s name, he shares his observations on Polish and American differences in culture, cuisine, landscape and language with undying enthusiasm and genuine warmth. He has lived here since 1999 and possesses an insider knowledge not only of typical subjects like holiday customs but also of lesser known facts such as why you should “Never Mess with a Polish School Cleaning Lady!” (that’s the title of one of his latest videos).
Chris is an American teacher and she lives with her Polish husband and two bilingual daughters (see a pattern here?) but unlike others on this list, she blogs from the countryside. It results in captivating stories about, for instance, moonshine making neighbours and barn renovations, peppered with intriguing interjections in Polish (especially in Facebook posts). The headline of her blog says: “How I moved to Poland and survived” and Chris is definitely someone who nie da sobie w kaszę dmuchać (literally: won’t let anyone blow in her groats, but really it means won’t let anyone push her over).
Leah from Florida lives in Poland since 2010 and runs her own online school of English (ok, I’ve just realised fellow teachers make a significant part of my information bubble – but really, why wouldn’t they 😉 ). Her blog is full of practical information on formal procedures (eg. on how to get the PESEL number) as well as on everyday participation in Polish society (eg. the custom of chipping in on presents for certain occasions). And it has a special category for things related to teaching English.
David is a guy who came to Warsaw from Mexico in 2013 to study, and since then found a job, started a blog (which you can read in English, Spanish and Polish), passed the B1 Polish Certificate Exam and married a Polish girl (not necessarily in that order). One of his most interesting posts tells a story of how he organised a trip around Poland for 15 members of his Mexican family who visited the country for his wedding.
A quite underrated (only 1700 likes) Facebook page of another Mexican guy, where funny memes on Polish and Mexican cultures and on hardships of a learner of the Polish language are intertwined with cool travel photos featuring a cute, blue-spiked hedgehog made of felt.
Andy is a British writer who has been learning Polish and – in his own words – reached a level at which he’s “starting to appreciate the elegance, richness and sometimes quirkiness of the Polish language” and he generously shares his amazement with the readers of his blog. His observations are brilliant and his wordplays, misunderstandings and false etymologies – hilarious. As a linguistics enthusiast I couldn’t recommend this blog more. Sadly it’s been inactive since February, but I really hope Polisher will return with new lighthearted content.
Since 2007 Patrick went all the way from his first steps in Poland to the citizenship granted by the president and to the ownership of a company providing courses on parenting. He has a special interest in Polish heroes, particularly of the World War II era, so his YouTube channel will be a treat for history fans but he also talks in a less serious tone about contemporary life in Poland. He’s also active on Facebook, alternating between posts in English and in Polish.
A personal blog documenting the life of Chris and Joanna, a British-Polish married duo of tap dancers and their charming family. I especially recommend their bilingual Facebook lives, which are often centered around the use of particular words in both languages. If you want to get some first-hand ideas on how someone can be supportive of their loved ones in learning Polish – that’s the place.