The little differences.

Maybe I've been living in Poland so long now, that I don't really notice the little differences between England and Poland so much. Those day to day things which you don't pay any attention to normally.

But when I first moved here, I kept discovering things that would make me smile.

Here are a few examples...

Separate hot and cold taps. The Polish think this is a crazy idea. That fact that if you want warm water you have to take a little from the hot tap and then a little from the cold tap...but not too much, else it's back to the hot tap again.

Guest slippers. I didn't know what to say when I first experienced this. Arriving in someone's home, being polite and taking your shoes off. But then being offered some slippers. I think I accepted, but there's something about wearing 'communal' shoes that just made me feel strange. Maybe I'm just an uptight English man;)

Wedding receptions. It was a question I was asked frequently in my first few years in Poland. Have you been to a Polish wedding yet? I went to two in my first 18 months. What can I say??? You'll never go hungry and you'll never be without a drink! They are just an endless cycle of food and alcohol. They finish at 3 or 4am or later and all the drinks are free. Plus sometimes the reception can start again the following day! Polish people can't believe that it's common at English weddings for guests to buy their own drinks and that the reception generally finishes around midnight. Don't get me wrong, English weddings are great fun, but Polish weddings are just crazy!

Christmas. Maybe not a little, more like very different. In England, the 24th is a day of socialising and going out to pubs at night. Whilst in Poland it's a family day, most places close during the afternoon and you have a very traditional family dinner (with fish rather than meat) and then you open your presents afterwards. In England, the 25th is the main day and presents are opened in the morning and turkey is the traditional meat.

So there you have it. Just a few of the differences worth highlighting for those who have yet to experience the delights of English and Polish cultures!