I am just an average American who just happened to move to Bydgoszcz, Poland. I have been married to a guy named Jim for the last 20 years who has moved us to 5 different countries in 9 different houses. In November 2011 my husband retired from US Air Force and got a new job that brought us to here. I have been blessed with 4 kiddos between the ages of 5 and 20.
With…..
- living in a foreign country that speaks very little English and I speak no Polish,
- doing a home based education to a high school student,
- having a son going to university in a different country,
- loving to bake and cook but having no real access to my American groceries anymore,
- loving to travel,
- trying to keep up with 2 little kids
- trying to keep up with my husband who travels because of his job
It is NEVER A DULL DAY IN POLAND, for me!
Welcome to Bydgoszcz! Have a nice stay!
Rafel,
So far I am enjoying it here! One question, what is your favorite restaurant to eat at?
Hi,
I have a three places where I like to eat at (besides my mother’s house, of course
).
1) My favorite restaurant is Baalbek at Magdziński str. (ul. Magdzińskiego 1b) with its “Szysz-tauk z serem” (chicken, rice or fries, tomato, cheese, salad, and garlic sauce, all in Turkish style – I really love it and it is cheap, too – about USD 7,00). There are also Baalbek restaurants at other locations (Focus, Galeria Pomorska), but this one is the best.
2) I’m also a big fan of a steak with garlic sauce at Zbyszko (see in Google: ‘Karczma Zbyszko, Prądocin’). Of course, you need to reserve one-day-after to not meet in person with anyone (because of the strong smell of garlic
), but I think it’s a quite small price to pay for really amazing dish.
3) And my third favorite meal is a Vietnamese five flavor chicken at the restaurant at Chocimska street. The restaurant itself looks like a garage or a third-world barrack and (additionally) the neighborhood is not good but the food is pretty fantastic and very cheap. I’ve ate probably about 500 chickens there (sorry, chickens!), because I was working nearby a few years ago and it was a prime lunch location for me and my work colleagues.
You can also try some ‘trendy/fancy’ restaurants like Sowa (ul. Mostowa 4), Słoneczny Młyn (http://www.sloneczny.eu/en/restauracja.htm) or Bohema (http://www.hotelbohema.pl/english.html), but I have never eaten at these restaurants (I’m allergic to pretentious waiters and overpriced drinks, but probably you can easily communicate in English with the stuff).
And when it comes to beer, I propose to take the bus #80 (southbound) to the airport, and 2,5 hours later you can drink the best beer in the world, for example a London Pride in London or Guiness in Dublin. Highly recommended!
Sorry for my English, I did my best
Rafał
Rafel,
we have never eaten at some of the other Baalbek location but not the main so we have been told to eat there by others so I guess I will have to try it out. We haven’t heard of the other places but they are on our to-do list now!!
AND your english is GREAT!!!
Thanks,
Kelley
If and when you get to Devils Lake, I would suggest Herrmann’s fine dining. If not that, then I guess it would be Micky Dee,s. Just kidding. Am enjoying your blog. I’m sure it takes a little work.
I will take Herrmann’s fine dining anytime! We have Mickey Dee’s over here so it is nothing new. So when you coming to visit?
Visited Bydgoszcz once and found 2 great reataurants:)
If you like Indian food, you will be happy to visit Ru Ba Ru, owner is very friendly and speaks English. They use all original ingredients and their cooks are imported from Tibet. I highly recommend.
Another one is Katarynka – again great food and atmosphere.
Both are in the old town quarter
Hope you and your family will enjoy
Dosia,
I have not eaten at the Indian restaurant. I will have to check it out as we like one in Torun that we eat at this would be closer!!!
We have ate at Katarynka and it was good too!!
Thanks for the tips,
Kelley
I’m glad to find your blog. I think we have a lot in common. My husband is retired Air Force and we’re in Poznan. Let me know if you’re in POZ sometime; I’d love to get together.
I would LOVE that!!! and the same goes back to you. If you ever make it to Bydgoszcz let me know. I am sure our hubby’s could compared war stories!
I’m an American college student who recently lived in Podkowa Lesna (near Warszawa) for 10 months, teaching English and working at a preschool, and I had a great time. I miss it a lot. Enjoy Bydgoszcz, and remember, the winter won’t last forever! It will just make spring and summer that much more beautiful.
This winter has been very mild so far only just this week have gotten any real snow. So we are lucky on that part. I can’t wait to see what this place looks like in the spring!
Hi! We currently live in the NL and love to travel. I would love to hear more about exciting destinations in Poland. I think I will wait for warmer weather though
Well if you were here yesterday it was almost short weather but then when I woke up this morning it was snowing but now it is completely melted. So if you want till May or later it will be much better. We are going back to NL in April for a visit and can’t wait!!!!
Hi,
Thanks for this article on North Dakota! I love reading about new places to visit. It’s great to have ideas for my family and I to do.
I wanted to pass along this great dental blog. It was wonderful ideas on keeping teeth healthy. Feel free to add it to your blog roll or link to it. I hope you enjoy it! http://www.1dental.com/blog/
Have a great week,
Cindi
I am also a military wife….hubby just retired from US Army. Moved stateside in Sept from Germany. We have spent most of our 24 years in Europe and wish to go back. Searching daily for openings anywhere in Europe. You are living our dream! If you know of any leads or could give us any advise on the job front would greatly appreciate!
Keep enjoying that lovely place!
Kim
Glad to have stumbled upon your site. I found out that my family will by moving to Bydgoszcz this coming year. I have a super-similar situation as you, it seems, and I am going to have to International School/Homeschool my two sons, ages 5 & 7 for a few years. I’d love to get any advice you have about homeschooling resources, other school & extracurricular resources, along with any tips you might be so kind as to share. I’d deeply appreciate any advice.
Warm Regards!
I just sent you a private message. I look forward to meeting you soon!
Thank you so much! Have a wonderful weekend!
it is hard to believe but has been one year since we started taking to each other and now we going to neighbors and getting in trouble with each other! Who would have imagined?
Sorry about this, but I couldn’t find the comment section on your Ebates giveaway, so I’m posting my response here. I couldn’t do without my microwave.
I got it!! Thanks for entering.
Hi,
my name is Simona and I am with the web research team at InterNations.org. We are the world’s leading social network for expatriates, with currently 500.000+ members in more than 322 cities worldwide.
I really enjoyed reading your fantastic blog and believe that expats in Poland and around the world would not only – appreciate the entertaining content, but also benefit from the insights and perspectives you offer. Your blog really is a captivating read! This is why I would like to feature you and your writing in a designated section of InterNations.org , the Recommended Blog on Poland. We have designed a link badge for placement on your blog and would be glad to hear from you directly via our questionnaire!
I hope my proposal has piqued your interest. If so, please feel free to contact me via email: featuredblogs@internations.org
Best,
Simona
hello,
I see you are a home schooler. My job may take me and my family (wife and 3 boys 9,7, and 5) to Krakow. We have been home schooling in North Carolina for 4 years now. How is home schooling in Poland? Anything to be aware of?
Thank you,
David
David,
I am a wee bit more north of Krakow so I can’t speak about that area but were we are at it can be a struggle. My 5 and 7 year old go to an international school here but I do work with them here at home as the school is about a year behind compared to the US standards. My teenager we do online school that is based in CA, so it is a bit easier. We have a VERY small expat community here so it a bit of a challenge but Krakow has a good sized expat community so I am sure you will all do fine. Shipping here can be expensive so make sure you bring everything with you! The neat thing about schooling over here is that they will experience things that a typical US child would only imagine. My oldest took Humanities class at university last semester in ND and they were talking about castles & churches and such and for the most part he was the only one in his class that had seen in real life what they were learning from a text book!
If you have any other questions about moving to Poland don’t hesitate to shot me an email.
Kelley
Well this is surprising! I am kind of the other way round – I am Polish, from Bydgoszcz, who married an American and moved to Albuquerque, NM. Hope you’re enjoying your stay in Poland!
What a small world!!! So far we are loving it, if only I could learn the language better. When was the last time you were back to Poland?
Oh I only left about mid January this year. I was here before for a year-long student exchange program though, and that’s when I met my husband
Hi Kelley,
Caught your House Hunter Int. the other day. It caught my interest in the guide because I love to research my family genealogy and a lot of my ancestors are from in and around that area you are now living.
I see you even went to Malbork Castle which used to be Marienburg, Germany. My great grandparents came from that area.
I am so excited to see that you have a website. Can’t wait to take a look around and read all your blogs.
My daughter was in the army for 5+ years. She was stationed stateside except for her tour in Iraq.
Gail
I hope I didn’t look to much like a dork on the TV show!!
I hope you enjoy my blog.
Kelley
Hi Kelly,
I would like to introduce myself . I am from Chennai ,India.
I came across you while i was surfing he polish forum. I am very much pleased seeing your website. I felt that i have got a friend before coming to poland.
My husband is deputed to wroclaw for work about five years, and myself and my child who is seven years old will be joining along with him.
We will be moving there in the mid of October. We have got a admission for her in wroclaw international school for class 2.
I am having lots of questions in mind and i hope i will get a clear idea from u.
thankyou
GREAT to meet you.
Ask away!!!
Kelley
Hi,
One of the readers on my blog shared with my that there was another American blogging from Bydgoszcz and I had to see! I am from Cincinnati, OH and went to School in Austin, TX at the University of Texas and I am playing volleyball (KS palace) her in Poland for the next 8 months. It’s nice to see that there is another American in close proximity going through a few of the same things
Even though I am 22 I would love to keep in contact with you and hopefully you can make it out to a game this season.
http://myscenicroute.tumblr.com/
Rachael recently posted..Finally got a copy of when my blog was in the newspaper. Still…
Rachael,
What a small world!!! There are a few more Americans here as well besides us here in Bydgoszcz. I would love to try to connect up with you one day for lunch or dinner. I truly can’t imagine moving here without family!! Please shot me an email(kkagele@gmail.com) with your local phone number and I will give you a buzz.
I did not know there was a professional volleyball team here in town, we would love to go to a game so let me know!!
Kelley
Look what I stumbled upon working on my blog layout!
Thanks for leaving a comment on Weir 12! Now I get more information about Poland:) I’m Elder Weir’s sister and I love seeing what life is like in Poland.
Sarah,
Nice to meet you!! Your brother talks about you all(especially his sisters). We love having him in our little branch. Since I have your ear, what is favorite food for dinner? We have them over for dinner about once a week and there is a good chance he could be leaving us in a week and half for transfers.
Hi- I stumbled upon your blog off of One of Josh’s pics on FB. I too am a fellow ND native but have now “settled” in Denmark. I have family in Minot but I am from Wahpeton, ND. I know how u feel about the challenges of living in a foreign country. We have 3 kids but our oldest is back home going to school at UND so that is a tough one :0/ Just thought I would send a little hi ;0)
Kimberly
Hi Kim!!
We are actually looking at heading your wake next summer for holiday! What else is funny is that my oldest is also back in ND going to MSU in Minot.
Small world!!
Kelly ,Please send me your full address..HOHOHO is coming
Hi,
My name is Patrik, currently living in Hungary (since I was born here). I’d just like to ask you a question about Poland because I’m planning to move there to study business management at a university. So the question is if you know whether it is possible to find a job in Poland without speaking polish or not. I’m an English major here in my country and I want to learn something that could be more useful for finding a job, but foreign education would be impossible without money. Sorry for bothering you with this.
Hello Patrik,
To be honest I am not sure how job hunting is here in Poland. But where we are at you must speak Polish just to live day to day here. But if you are going to a big city like Warsaw, Krakow or Gdansk they speak much English then they do here but not speaking Polish it is going to be hard to find a job. I am not an EU citizen so for me it is even more thing that is against me finding a job but for you that is a different story. Where are you looking at studying at?
I’m looking at either the University of Groclaw (I don’t know how to spell it) or Warsaw. Sadly in Warsaw most of the universities have tuition fees while the UofG doesn’t so that is an advantage. It would be easier to find a part-time job in Warsaw I guess, but the U would cost some 5000 PLN a year which is a serious disadvantage.
Patrik,
The town is spelled Wroclaw but pronounced Groclaw. My son was looking at doing next a term at Wroclaw next year so talk about a small world! He would have to pay tuition there so I would double check the tuition part unless you are a part of a special program but if that is case I would jump on the offer of a FREE education!
I think he has to pay tuition because he is a non-EU citizen. But if he tries Finland/Norway/Sweden/Denmark he could find tuition free education there because, as far as I know, it is free for enyone in these countries.
Between the Euro 2012 match in Gdansk, I visited Malbork castle. It was really beautiful and wonderful place to walk around and see. Beside of the beauty of this magnificent citadel, Polish people were very kind and helpful. Today I happened to find this website with beautiful pictures and I can enjoy a lot. Thank you for your great website, I like this very much!
I am glad you are enjoying the blog! Malbork is an amazing castle to visit!!
Auschwitz survivor looking for long lost twin- Tattoo number only sure ID #A7734. For those unfamiliar to this search. Two twins were separated at Auschwitz in 1945. They were 4 years old. Elias {Elijah? spelling?} Gottesman is looking for his long lost twin that may or may not remember his family of orgin. However the twin brother, Jeno {Jolli} Gottesman would not ever be able to get away from the tattoo on his arm- A7734. If you have any information on a Jewsih holocaust survivor born in 1940 ish…from Hungary, please contact me, or the researcher in charge of this search. They have been apart for 67 years. Any leads, however small will be greatly appreciated. https://www.facebook.com/pages/A7734/499971010060858
Kim
bagelllady37@aol.com