Interviewing Polish Families in North East England

Cześć friends!

My interviews with Polish families in the North East are well underway.

Here are some of the questions I’m asking:

Moje rozmowy z polskich rodzin

Do you speak Polish at home? Do you cook Polish food? Do you watch Polish TV or listen to Polish radio? Do you run a Polish car? Do you have Polish furniture? What about your children- do they have Polish toys? Watch Polish films? How do you feel about this?

Czy Pan/ Pani mowi języka polskiego w domu? Czy Pan/Pani gotuje polskie jedzenie? Czy Pan/ Pani ogląda polskiej TV lub słucha polskiego radia? Czy Pan/ Pani ma polskich mebli? Czy Pan / Pani jeździ polskim samochodem? Co z dziećmi, czy mają polski zabawki? Oglądają polskich filmów? Jak Pan/ Pani się czuje na ten temat?

What’s it like being a mother / father in Britain compared to back in Poland? If money were no object would you do things the same way? Where would you live and why? Would you run your household differently?

Jak to jest być matką / ojcem w Wielkiej Brytanii w porównaniu do Polski?

Do you socialise with other Polish families? With British families? With families from other nationalities? Do you attend local playgroups/ schools? Sure start centres? How do you find the facilities for parents in the North East?

Czy Pan/Pani zna innymi polskich rodzin w UK? Czy Pan/ Pani udział lokalnych grup, na przykład centrum Sure Start, przedszkoli, szkół?

Jakiego rodzaju usług dla polskich rodziców tutaj w północno-wschodniej Anglii?

Why did you decide to live in the North East of England? How do you feel about living here now?

Dlaczego zdecydowali się żyć w północno-wschodniej Anglii? Jak Pan/ Pani się czuje o życiu tutaj, teraz?

What identities do you feel you have? Polish? British? English?European? Geordie? For example – And what about your children, how do they see themselves? And how do you feel about this?

Czy Pan/ Pani widzi siebie jako ‘polski’, ‘brytyjski’, ‘angielski’, ‘europejski’, ‘Geordie’, na przykład? A co z dziećmi, jak widzą siebie?

I’ve met some lovely families here, and I’m so grateful to everyone who’s taking part/ taken part in this research so far. Jestem bardzo wdzięczna.
It’s a real pleasure to talk with you, and to have the opportunity to learn about your lives, what brought you and your family to the North East and your ambitions for the future.
I’m finding your accounts of life in Newcastle / The North East very inspirational, and the descriptions of your hometowns back in Poland are having an influence on my holiday plans…! Moje rozmowy z polskich rodzin wpływ na moje plany na wakacje ...! ;-)

If you'd like to take part in my research please read this page:

http://www.polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/p/take-part-in-this-study.html

Łódź ya know?

Drodzy przyjaciele

Dzięki Wam za czekacie cierpliwie na mój post.
Życie było zajęte kiedy moje dziecko było źle z ‘norovirus’.
Teraz wiem, jak to jest być niepokój rodziców. Martwiałam się o niego- po raz pierwszy został właściwie złego.
Teraz dziecko wraca do normy i więc wspina się na mojej nogawki lub na kanapie!


Dear readers,

Thank you for waiting patiently for me to update my blog.
Life has been very hectic recently as my baby has been unwell with a norovirus. Now I know how it feels to be an anxious parent. I was so worried about him as it’s the first time he’s been properly ill. He’s back to normal now though, finally, and trying to swing off my trouser leg or climb the sofa!

Then last week I worked hard helping to translate 2B into English, not just the English summary this month, but the whole edition of 2B will be in English. People in North East are very interested in what their Polish community has to say, so by translating 2B we hope to offer some insight. If you would like to read my English summaries of 2B, please go to: http://polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/p/english-summaries-for-2b.html

And watch this space for our next edition: http://www.2b.nepco.org.uk/

My research is going well. I’m really enjoying it. I’m starting my interviews this month, so if you would like to take part, please do contact me:
http://polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/p/take-part-in-this-study.html

I put an advertisement on PolNews yesterday about my photostream and Polish group, and today I have had lots of welcome emails and comments about my work, so thank you for these and please keep them coming!

I’ve been concentrating on the city centre of Newcastle recently. I’ve found some brilliant references to the Polish community, including Gospoda’s kitsch advertising in Princess Square, which really brightens up and enriches that side of Newcastle, and in Heaton it was great to find a Polish car novelty; it made my Easter seeing the Polska shirt hanging from a windscreen!

Speaking of Easter, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. I know that many of you return to Poland to see family over Easter. I am very jealous; two years ago I spent my Easter in Gdansk- I love this part of Poland. Currently I am in the process of booking my summer holiday to Poland. This year I think I will go to Łódź, as I hear it has exciting modernist architecture.

Yeah! Go Łódź for the 2016 European Capital of Culture! You can read more about the Łódź campaign here: http://www.lodz2016.com/. I really hope Łódź gets the title.

If you would like to read about my travels to Poland, please go to this page:

http://polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/p/angielka-w-polsce.html


As always, sorry about my mistakes in Polish.

I will update soon with more news.

Rachel


Link to Polnews announcement here:
http://www.polnews.co.uk/forum/zdjec-o-polskiej-spolecznosci-vt15605.htm
View my Gumtree advertisement here:
http://newcastle.gumtree.com/newcastle/90/56474190.html
Join the Polish Newcastle Flickr group here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/polishnewcastle