5 Habits from the U.S.A. That Poland Doesn't Understand | Cultural Differences

Thanks for watching!

[Trev_in_Poland]

A cool resource you can use to see Poland over a state in the U.S. is this website called "thetruesizeof." Just type in Poland and then drag it across the U.S. It shows how countries are projected and what the real size of the country would be closer to the equator etc...

[ania]

I don't understand wearing shoes at home. This is disgusting.

[Amulinka]

In Poland old grandmas quite often talk to random strangers. ;)

[Pidalin]

European: Let's go buy some food, but it's so long distance, I have to walk 500m.
American: My nearest shopping mall is only 1 hour ride from my home, it's pretty close.

[polishpsych]

1. Smiling at strangers in Poland means 3 things: You are either attracted to them or interested in them because of how they look (different) or you want something from them. This is why we don’t smile too much at adults. You can smile at children. That is not creepy. 2. I like to talk to people randomly in Poland too so it’s a thing here as well. My friends like small talk too. 3. Polish people don’t drive everywhere because it will take more time to drive than to walk. The prices of gas are higher and it’s just not eco-friendly. 4. We don’t block the left lane. It’s just for speeding past other cars. You can get fined for blocking it in Europe. 5. Obesity is a disease and you can see obese people everywhere but because in Poland people are forced to move more, being overweight is our version of being obese. Many obese people in Poland have other medical problems, which made them bigger, not food. 6. Guns are not popular in Poland. Gun control is very strict and not many people can get a gun easily. There is a compulsory background check, psychological tests, practice on how to use it safely as well as strict laws to store guns in a safe way. Also, the licence needs to be renewed in many cases. The gun is not given to you for forever

[random]

I think even in the US there's a lot of people who don't feel comfortable talking to random strangers

[Philiprblx]

That (talking to random strangers) is changing in Poland. I've done it many times and at least in the cities it is common for me to get friendly and unsurprised response

[catmoss]

hahah my biggest concern is: why do you wear shoes inside of your house and still have clean floors?!hoooow?!;D

[adamwnt]

yeah i worked in Florida for some time years ago and never ever seen such human mountains in my life

[jasiof]

1. Chit chat while waiting in a queue is not that strange, though not that common as in USA.
2. Left line is only for overtaking in EU (except UK of course ;-P)
3. I heard that the problem with obesity is due to too much suger and fat in everything in USA. And maybe also because of not enough move on everyday life (cars!)
4. Changing/removing shoes after entering a house is common in many EU countries (like Germany or Sweden).

[dicnar]

Do u use any plugins for your videos? I mean for all those video transitions.

[lostinspace]

Polacy nie rozumieją chęci kupowania broni ? Oj ... no to się zmienia. Polacy przede wszystkim nie WIEDZĄ, że mogą mieć broń. Polska kiedy był socjalizm/komunizm była narodem kompletnie rozbrojonym, nikt nie mógł mieć broni oprócz myśliwych (którzy często byli mocno uprzywilejowani) i ludzie myślą, że tak jest nadal. A w tej chwili w Polsce naprawdę łatwo zrobić pozwolenie na broń, tylko trochę to trwa i trochę kosztuje. Ale zainteresowanie bronią rośnie i to szybko. Strzelectwo to super sprawa i wzrost osobistego bezpieczeństwa. W Polsce można posiadać taką samą broń jak macie w USA.

[klanathhanneth]

Before smartfone era Polish people also talked to strangers in queues, buses, stops, trains etc.

[Bartek-zzrk]

Trev, another great video :)
But...
Tradition of hunting is older in Europe than in USA. You can sign up to a hunting community with pneumatic gun in Europe, which is legal just for adults or youths 16+ supervision. If you want to have a firegun for hunting or protection you can get a licence just like a driving licence - some tests and a fee.
And I've got a question about another difference.
Is it like in Hollywood movies that driving after "one beer" or "one glass of vodka" is ok to drive? Cause in Poland drunk driver is a killer and you are drinking or driving.
One more time - great video.
I'm a huge fan :)

I skoro uczysz się polskiego to napiszę to samo w moim rodzimym języku ;)

Trev, kolejny świetny filmik :
Tradycja polowań jest w Europie starsza niż w USA. Możesz zapisać się do koła myśliwskiego mając broń pneumatyczną, która jest legalna dla pełnoletnich albo ludzi 16+ pod nadzorem. Jeśli chcesz mieć broń palną do polowań albo obrony wystarczy, że wyrobisz sobie licencję - jak prawo jazdy. Test i opłata wstarczy.
I mam jeszcze pytanie odnośnie kolejnej różnicy.
Czy to jest tak jak w Hollywood'zkich filmach, że "po jednym piwie" albo "jednej szklance wódki" jest ok prowadzić samochód? Bo w Polsce pijany kierowca to morderca i pijesz albo prowadzisz.
Jeszcze raz - świetny film.
Jestem wielkim fanem :)

[edytatehrani]

The problem with overeating and obesity in America and now more increasingly in Poland as well is that people don't pay attention to the quality of their food. Processed foods are low in nutrients, but more convenient, so people live on that instead of making their own meals. Also sugar, trans fats, and genetically engineered dwarf wheat is addictive while very high on calories. You just never feel satiated on them, so that is why you can eat a whole pizza, but if you eat a nice piece of meat or chicken with big salad, you feel a lot more satisfied. Obese people should be sent into a rehab where they can learn how to shop for, prepare, and eat healthy. I noticed that during last decade as dwarf wheat and convenience foods became more popular in Poland, more and more people are becoming overweight as well, so we got to fix that, so you don't get to the morbid obesity problem. Dear Polish friends, your love of sugar and wheat is making you fat too.

[HaruruTan]

Body positivity is very crutial for getting healthier actually! If you are fat and feel guilty about it you might go on a diet, but you won't change yourself long term. After few weeks you'll miss all the food you can't eat on a diet and simply give up all together. Also you can start to starve yourself and get an ED. Body positivity is not about glamorizing any kind of body, it's about loving yourself. When you accept the body you have right now it's so much easier to get healthier, because then you actually do that to be healthier and better, not to be thinner to meet beauty canons. Body Positivity is not only about your weight, it's also about accepting that you have acne, that you have body hair, that your teeth are not hollywood white, it's basically about everything that makes us human. And from my point I can tell, that when I hated my body I was unhealthy, I was periodically dieting and working out to fit in smaller size clothes, but after short time I was sick of it so I gave up entirely. When I started reading more about body positivity and started following related instagram accounts, I actually stopped focusing so much about how I look, and started to think how I feel. And now thanks to BP I actually lost weight for good because I changed my lifestyle. Not to be "prettier" whatever that means, but actually because I started to listen to my body, excercise in small amounts but every other day, stopped overeating (I have a tendency to eat junk food when I'm stressed) and changed my life for better. So body positivity is not at all promoting being fat, because let's get real, who sees a fat person and thinks "Damn, now I want to be fat too!" ;) It's promoting diversity and that everyone is allowed to feel good about themselves. And that's actually a very good place to start changing your life.

[allerune]

It wasn't always like this with talking to strangers. In the socialist times where you were standing in line for hours, it was natural to talk to people there, to complain about the world together. Also on long train journeys, slightly older people often would be more willing to talk to each other telling them stories of their lives, especially discuss health problems :D It changed recently when everyone sits face in their phone. About highways, it's purely being used to cruise control. It seems no one in the US drives without it, in Poland few people do :D
Store Employee Packing Groceries - not existent in Poland
Tipping - very different, it is customary to tip 10% but it's not obligatory

[leannestrong]

"Here on the east coast, we have a reputation for being rude and mean, and that's definitely true, I feel like kind of in the New York, you know, to Massachusetts range." I'm actually from Upstate New York (born and raised), and I have not found Upstate New Yorkers to be rude, for the most part. When I'm out walking, I will wave at drivers or passing pedestrians, and most of the time, they will wave back at me.

[RockinGirlx]

Oh snap, I’ve been smiling to strangers from time to time, they must think I’m a creep hehe I believe the gas in US is cheaper than in Poland comparing to salaries. Following the fact that Americans use cars even for small distances, I have a question: how much americans are aware of environment and polution?
Someone mentioned about walking in house in shoes. This is also something I don’t understand. In Poland we can sit on our carpets, because we keep it clean. I’ve noticed americans use „carpet flooring” (idk if that’s the name). How do you keep it clean?

[fufurabumbacka]

One does not talk to strangers in Poland, nor smile on them, unless one is completelly mad or drunk.