Cancer Awareness Event for Women

Cancer Awareness Event for Women – 2nd June 2010
(as part of The Made in Poland Festival)

With special guest, Polish jazz singer, Anna Maria Jopek.
The event includes information stalls, presentations and a question and answer session with the Healthy Communities Collaborative, Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK.

A child friendly event, so please feel free to bring children along!

Tego spotkania nie możesz przegapić! Świadoma kobieta to jedyna okazja, aby zobaczyć z bliska słynną piosenkarkę Annę Marię Jopek oraz porozmawiać o swoim zdrowia i kobiecych nowotworach z lokalnymi organizacjami. Na spotkamiu będą obecne polskie lekarki pracujące a Anglii oraz tłumaczki, które w razie potrzeby pomogą w rozmowie z angielskimi pracownikami spotkamie jest przeznaczone tylko dla kobiet, abyś w bezpiecznej i komfortowej atmosferze mogła zapytać o swoje zdrowie!
W trakcie spotkanie zostaną wylosowane darmowe bilety na concert Anny Marii Jopek w The Sage Gateshead.
Spotkanie przyjazne dzieciom.

The Lit and Phil,
23, Westgate Road,
Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 1SE
12pm-3pm, Entrance- Free

Made in Poland Festival May-June 2010

Ladies and Gentleman, the annual North East Made in Poland Festival is now upon us!

Made in Poland Festival

29th May 2010 – 27th June 2010
music / film / art exhibitions / theatre
With the aim of promoting Polish or Polish-inspired art, film and music, as well as educational and sport events, this annual festival, now in its third year, has a very diverse and exciting programme of events. You don't need to be Polish to enjoy a taste of Poland here in the North East! Everyone welcome! Please go to: http://www.madeinpolandfestival.co.uk to find out more.

The festival kicks off with the

International Children's Day Celebration

on Saturday 29th May, 12.30pm, at the Polish Club (2 Maple Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7SF -next to Newcastle College). Admission is free. Once again, all welcome!

http://www.madeinpolandfestival.co.uk/mip10-29may.html

The Made in Poland Festival features in this month's Netmums 'What's On?' listings:

http://www.netmums.com/listings/WHATSON//105/May//

Back to the blog!

Witaj!

After two weeks away from the project following a nightmare house move, and a long weekend away, I'm back and feeling full of inspiration since attending the 'Children, Families and the Migration Experience: Opportunities and Challenges' conference at Middlesex University on 21st May 2010.

For more information about the conference and the ESRC project leading into the conference please go to:
http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Minisites/polishpupils

It seems to me that the research field on Polish migrant families in the UK is vast growing, and I'm sure all my colleagues and friends in this field will support me in saying that I hope policy provisions /revisions coming out of this research will soon begin to have a positive impact on the lives and wellbeing of Poles in the UK.

I was particularly taken by the work being conducted by Paulina Pustulka from Jagiellonian University, Cracow, who looks at Polish mothers in Belfast. I also enjoyed and very much respected the presentation by Alexandra Kaczmarek-Day from the University of Cardiff, who is looking at the aspirations and fears of Polish parents in Wales.

Time, I think, to really press on with finding out about Polish families here in the North East so that there's a good representation in the research from this region too. So if you haven't already signed up to take part in my study, please do so now! visit: http://polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/p/take-part-in-this-study.html.

On that note I leave you with a very region specific image taken of the Tyne River from the air (or more precisely on a recent Northumbria helicopter ride (you can buy rides at: http://www.northumbria-helicopters.co.uk, and they're amazing!).

Thanks Readers, Rachel

10th April 2010

I am so sorry to hear about the sad news that has befallen Poland, and my thoughts are with all those in the Polish community at home and aboard.

Przykro mi usłyszeć o smutnie wiadomoście że, się stało w Polskie. Moje myśli są z społecznością polską w kraju i za granicą.

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

Dzień Matki!

This year I am excited, as it's my first year being a mother on Mothering Sunday.

W tym roku jestem podekscytowana, bo to mój pierwszy rok jestem matką na Mothering Sunday!


I hear from Polish friends that in Poland you don't give cards on Mother's day, and you celebrate Dzień Matki on 26th May, not the fourth Sunday of Lent, as in the UK and Ireland.

Słyszę od polskich przyjaciół, że w Polska nie daje karty na Dzień Matki i Dzień Matki obchodzi się 26 maja, a nie w czwartą niedzielę Wielkiego jak w Wielkiej Brytanii i Irlandii.


Nevertheless I would like to wish all fellow mothers a very happy Mother's Day!

Jednak chciałabym życzyć wszystkim kolegom matki zadowolny Mother’s Day!


Thank you also to all those people reading my blog and emailing me to take part in my study. I am getting a good response, thanks to all your help!

Dziękuję bardzo do wszystkich osób, czytania mojego bloga i email. Dostaję dobre odpowiedzi, dziękuję wszystkim za pomoc!

(This is a photo of baby clothes hanging to dry in my yard. How my world has changed!)

(To jest zdjęcie odzieży dla dzieci na moim podwórku. Jak zmienił się mój świat!)

If you would like to take part in my research please go to this page:

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

Jeżeli Pan / Pani chce wziąć udział w moich badań, przejdź na stronę:

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

Or at the moment I have a posting on PolNews:

http://www.polnews.co.uk/forum/chcialabym-przeprowadzic-wywiad-z-polskimi-rodzicami-vt15092

Lub, w momencie przejdź na post:

http://www.polnews.co.uk/forum/chcialabym-przeprowadzic-wywiad-z-polskimi-rodzicami-vt15092

Research Findings - Polish Newcastle

Research Findings -

Polish Newcastle

Saturday 6th February 2010 (2.30pm-5pm)
Benwell

International phone cards on sale/ money exchange Western Union signs/ Immigration Legal Representation and English Language teaching advertised; nothing specifically 'Polish'.

Friday 12th February 2010 (2.30pm-4.30pm)
Walker, St Anthony's, St Peter's Basin and Walkergate
No specific references to Polish culture or presence.

Friday 19th February 2010 (2.30-4.30pm)
Wallsend
Passed woman on phone speaking in Polish.
Wallsend library has a sign 'mamy ksiazki po polsku' (We have books in Polish).

Saturday 27th February 2010 (2.30-5pm)
Byker
Polish betting slips advertised in the Betfred window.
A large shelf of Polish food in Morrisons supermarket.
A stack of 2B (Polish) magazine available in Byker library.
A shelf of Polish books in Byker library.

Friday 5th March 2010 (10am-1pm)
Newcastle City Centre
Polish books on the shelves of Newcastle City library

(including a good selection of children's books).
Gospoda Polish restaurant advertisement adjacent to library exit.
Princess Square Polish restaurant advertising and Gospoda Restaurant.
Groszek Polish shop on Clayton Street.
Newgate Centre Polish advertising and closed down Polish café and bakery.
Malgosia Polish shop in the Newgate Centre.
Polish food shelves in Tesco, Eldon Square (as shown in photo).

To see more photos about identity here in Newcastle, please visit my photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/identityinnewcastle

Or join the Polish Newcastle group at:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/polishnewcastle

Looking for Poles in Newcastle

Znalezienia Polacy w Newcastle

Jestem Geografiaką- dla mnie, jest całym o miejscu.

For me, being a geographer is all about the place. I hope to thread together the interviews I conduct with Polish migrant parents to a broader visual account of life in Newcastle. I’m using a research technique called ethnographic photography to try to build up an account of Polishness in Newcastle. It means I walk up and down the streets of this city taking photos to capture some expression of identity in the city, be it a graffiti tag, a Newcastle United window sticker, or a national flag- anything that reflects the theme of identity in Newcastle. In particular for this research, expressions of Polishness, or, as I’ve taken to thinking recently, anything that demonstrates that Polish migrants are still here!

Ponieważ ostatnio jak miałam obmyślać, gdzie ma całe Polacy odchodzili?

When I began this research in 2006, finding evidence of Polish migrant residency was relatively easy. At that time I lived in Glasgow (Scotland) and I would regularly walk through the city centre and I hear Polish being spoken, see Polish signs in shop windows or tied to lampposts (the photo above was taken on Byers Road Glasgow in January 2008), and watch the regular delivery of carp put on the‘Polish food’ shelves in Morrisons. Now I’m left searching for evidence that Poles are still here.

Szukają dla oznak co Polacy mieszka tutaj.

Now in a different city, three years on, and I can’t help thinking that something changed…

W zeszłym roku tam były reklamy w języku polskim w sklepach, ale teraz, nie ma. Coś zmieniony…

Mówią mnie, are you leaving Newcastle?
Czy Polacy pozostawiający Newcastle?
Nie wiem…ale… some thoughts for today...

• The Polish supermarket and delicatessen on Newgate Street have both closed down (please let me know if they’ve moved).
  Teraz, nie ma sklepu polskiego w Newgate Street: http://www.journallive.co.uk/lifestyle-news/food-and-drink-news/2007/11/09/eastern-european-promise-61634-20082940
  
• The Polish blog at The Chronicle hasn't been updated since April 2009.
  Nie ma blogu przez polskiej dziennikarki: http://blogs.chroniclelive.co.uk/chroniclepeople/alexandra_jarocka
  
• And I think that The Globe, the Polish pub on Railway Street, has closed down too.
  Teraz, nie ma Pubu polskiego w railway ulice…jest ten poprawny? http://www.polskipubtheglobe.co.uk/

So instead, I’ve taken to the streets of Newcastle to try to find you, my dear friends, the Poles of Newcastle.

Więc zamiast spaceruję okolo w ulice Newcastle, żeby szukać Was, Polacy w Newcastle!

Please watch this space to read about my findings in Benwell, Walker and Wallsend...and more.

O mojej rodzinie

Mam małe niemowlę, nazywa się Ernest. Lubi gryźć z jego nowymi zębami. Głównie Ernie jest dobrym małym dzieckiem, ale niedawno nauczył się pełznąć! Teraz on jest niefrasobliwym diabełekiem! Spotkałam mojego męża przy uniwersyteckich Sheffielda sześciu latach temu. Razem podróżowaliśmy wokół Polski.

Mam wielu rodzeństwa. Myślę, że to nietypowe dla Anglików. Mam dwóch braci i jedną siostrę. Mój starszy brat mieszka w Nowej Zelandii z swoją żoną i dziećmi, więc emigracja jest z moją rodziną też.

Dla mnie, moja ulubiona krewna to moja babcia. Ona lubi rozkazywać swoim sąśiadom. Ona jest emerytką. Obie moje babcie są bardzo wysokie i grube. Ale babcia Nan, moja ulubiona, jest hałaśliwsza, zabawniejsza i bardziej agresywna od babci Clementsy! Wszyscy kochają moją babcię, ponieważ ona czyta z liści herbaty, jak wróżka, i mówi im o ich przyszłości! Bardzo tęsknię za moją babcią, bo mieszka daleko w południu Anglii. Smutno moja babcia nie spotkała Ernest jeszcze.

Niestety, większość mojej rodziny mieszka w Londynie. Oprócz mojego męża, tam jest nikt pomoc z dzieckiem. Mnie czuję dumny o tym, że mogą (mój partner i ja) kierować naszymi gospodarstwem domowym na naszymi własnymi. Chociaż początkowo 'ja nie jestem stąd' (znaczy Newcastle), czuję co jestem ‘geordie’ dlatego że mam ‘geordie’ dziecko.

A Państwa? Jak Pan/ Pani czuje się o tego?

See a translation of this post in the page 'About My Family': http://polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/p/about-my-family.html

My Research Aims

Since I wrote last I've been building up this blog and trying to publicise my work across the net.

I would be very grateful if anyone reading this could pass on my details to friends and relatives who might be interested.

Some information about my research:

My research addresses migrant parenthood in the city, asking questions about community, household organisation and networks.

I am looking at how Polish migrants define and practice parenting responsibilities, with reference to employment, household management and childcare provision.

I am considering questions about identity, how Polish parents in Newcastle identify with the city, the region, with Britain and with Poland.

I’m also asking questions about facilities or access to facilities that Polish migrants might feel they need and want in order to make life in Newcastle easier.

I hope that my research will be used for practical purposes, to shape local policy and provision for Polish parents in this area.