Driving Me Crazy

What a week! This week I’m doing an intensive driving course, and I’m hopeless.
Co tydzień! Uczę się jeździć i to tak trudne!

The subject of driving comes up many times in interviews with Polish parents. Many participants mention how easy it is to drive in Britain compared to Poland, due to the better quality of roads in and around the North East. Some participants however, say that although they have a Polish driving licence they’ve a fear of driving in the UK as we drive on the left, some mention the busy roads here, and whether British or Polish drivers are more courteous is also a frequent point of discussion.

I thought it might be helpful to post some driving test information on my blog, given that what’s I’ve been looking for today.

In Britain the Driving Standards Agency is the government body responsible for setting standards and conducting theory and practical driving tests. As this is a public service you can find out more about driving in Britain at the multi-purpose website: http://www.direct.gov.uk/

Oto kilka filmów, które pomogą Pan/ Pani uczyć się o prawa jazdy w Wielkiej Brytanii:
The DSA have produced a clear video detailing what to expect from a UK practical driving test here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hweCy5vJ1yk&feature=channel

Also, as from the beginning of this month a new element to the UK practical driving test was introduced, called ‘independent driving’. Details about this can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQRl3zkkOgg&feature=related

The British School of Motoring (BSM) have put a really helpful series of ‘driving lessons’ on You Tube. Their experienced instructor conducts a series of manoeuvres and car safety checks appropriate to the practical driving test, and a clear voiceover explains the process. Here’s a selection of the best lessons:
Filmy o prawo jazdy w języku angielskim

Car basics and safety checks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nNMu_ceG2M
Learning to drive roundabouts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8n9Fw4gInM
Reversing round a corner:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKd0GXZ39U8
A turn in the road:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMfe7hM2YkE
Learning to drive- a hill start:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpeVOl0H7Eo
What to do at a junction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjdYoRAHPHw

Finally, after a dreadful day of driving, I found this Polish video online showing a driver just as hopeless as me. Poor Asia in the video; her instructor makes some patronising remarks about her being blonde, well Asia, I salute you, as at least you remained calm, unlike me!

Zabwny polski film w którym Asia uczy się jeździć:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTzLL3xt5r0&feature=related

'Kup Dom' Information Session

Ever thought about stepping onto the property ladder?

Below is a message I'm passing on from my friends at 2B Magazine. It's about an information session being held in Newcastle to give Polish migrants advice on how to go about investing in property. The session concentrates on those wanting to buy flats or houses through local council initiatives.

„Kup dom”

Myślisz o kupnie domu? Masz możliwość wykupu domu lub mieszkania z councilu?

Zapraszamy do udziału w spotkaniu poświęconym zakupowi nieruchomości, które odbędzie się w sobotę 30 października w Bibliotece Głównej w Newcastle (Newcastle City Library) o godzinie 15:00 w Bewick Hall (Room 1). Spotkanie jest organizowane w ramach projektu „Kup dom”. W trakcie spotkania przedstawione zostaną naświeższe informacje dotyczące sytuacji na rynku nieruchomości w Wielkiej Brytanii oraz w Polsce. Zaprezentowana zostanie także kompleksowa opcja dla osób przebywających w Polsce, zainteresowanych zakupem nieruchomości w Wielkiej Brytanii w celach inwestycyjnych. Na spotkaniu poruszone zostaną również kwestie wykupu mieszkań / domów komunalnych.
Kryzys, spowolnienie gospodarki światowej oraz załamanie się rynków finansowych może wydawać się niezbyt szczęśliwym momentem na zakup własnego M. Wbrew pozorom jest to jednak najlepszy moment na kupno domu czy mieszkania, ponieważ ceny nieruchomości spadają, a popyt maleje – jest więc w czym wybierać.
Zakup własnego mieszkania wydaje się skomplikowanym wyzwaniem, ale przy pomocy profesjonalistów staje się to o wiele prostsze. Agencje nieruchomości lub doradcy świadczący usługi prawne i finansowe, jak na przykład firma The Caesar & Howie realizująca projekt „Kup Dom”, posiadają bogatą wiedzę na temat rynku nieruchomości i mogą pomóc w zakupie domu, tak, aby inwestycja zakończyła się sukcesem.
Eksperci są w stanie szybko stwierdzić, czy nieruchomość nie znajduje się w niepożądanym sąsiedztwie, znanym na przykład z problemów narkotykowych lub młodocianej przestępczości. Osoby zajmujące się profesjonalną pomocą w sprzedaży i zakupie nieruchomości potrafią też skutecznie ocenić, czy dana transakcja jest dobrą inwestycją. Zgodnie ze złotą zasadą sukcesu, na rynku nieruchomości najważniejsze jest wybranie położenia a nie budynku. W praktyce może to oznaczać, że dostaniemy mniej cegieł i cementu za swoje pieniądze, ale za to lepiej je zainwestujemy.
Adres: City Library, Charles Avison Building, 33 New Bridge Street West, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 8AX
Organizacja: Magazyn 2B North East i Marcin Przylepa

Please see http://nepco.org.uk/ for more details.


*Read our latest edition of 2B Magazine North East (including an article written by me!) following the link: http://www.2b.nepco.org.uk/ *

Using Twitter in Research

As ‘PolishNewcastle’ I’ve just posted my 100th ‘tweet’ on Twitter. To celebrate I’m posting 10 examples of my information tweets here:

*Article about Geordie bus driver who moved to Zywiec in Poland: 'Taking Poles to Newcastle http://t.co/Khgb6fC @ The Evening Chronicle.

*PRI news article about how Polish parenting patterns are changing: http://www.theworld.org/2010/10/05/rethinking-parenting-in-poland

*Financial advice for enterprising Poles based in the UK: www.thisismoney.co.uk/savings-and-banking/polski/article.html (articles in Polish).

*Article about Geordie bus driver who moved to Zywiec in Poland: 'Taking Poles to Newcastle'- http://t.co/Khgb6fC @ The Evening Chronicle.

*Found this excellent site where you can source English-Polish children's books: http://www.little-linguist.co.uk/polish-for-children.html

*Good online article considering the outcomes of EU enlargement on Poland: http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=800

*North East pupil talks about her trip to Poland in the world's biggest storytelling project: http://www.cultureshock.org.uk/stories/poland

*Download a free reading and writing wall chart specially designed to help Polish children: http://www.thrass-downloads.com/ccdemo/Polish.swf

*This may be of use to all UK Polish parents considering sending a child to University: http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/brochure/prospar/polishparents

*Tesco have a dedicated website to promote the 250 Polish products they sell. Go to http://www.tesco.com/polski

*Online article from Emilia Lewandowska,Warsaw University, about Polish British identity: http://ebooks.iaccp.org/xian/PDFs/4_5Lewandowska.pdf

I use Twitter as a public space in which to share my research findings, interests and readings. It is also a way to promote my project, my work, and hopefully increase participation in my study. My research interviews are highlighting a lack of access points to specific information for Polish parents; information about child care vouchers or Polish-English language provision for example, so recently I have been using Twitter as means of passing on links to information I come across.
University-led research has long been criticised for failing to challenge issues of knowledge transfer. Poor knowledge management fails to address how information can cross from the private to the public domain. I hope to show that embracing social networking and microblogging such as Twitter allows researchers to be actively engaged players in the knowledge transfer process.

Jeśli chodzi o Twitterze: na Twitterze mam na imię ‘Polish Newcastle’. Używam Twitter jako miejsce do wymiany informacji i promować moją pracę.

A Polish Cookbook (in English)

My son recently had an ‘international day’ at his nursery and I was asked if I knew any good Polish recipes for toddlers. I turned to my trusty Polish cook book, ‘The Polish Kitchen’ by Mary Pinińska. I suggested Naleśniki (Polish Pancakes). I passed my book on to the nursery cook and she found the recipe for Marynowany i Pieczony Dzik (Marinated and Roast Wild Boar) very amusing, it’s just a shame wild boar is not generally sold in supermarkets around Newcastle.

The Polish Kitchen is a great little book. It includes anecdotes about Polish customs and folk traditions, and draws on the author’s own family recipes (RRP £12.99, published by Grub Street, 2000).

To książka jest w języku angielskim, ale o polskiej kuchni. Publikacja zawiera informacje o zwyczajach i tradycjach polskich.

Cancer Awareness Campaign

Last weekend I sat down with a dear friend and she told me all about her campaign to promote awareness in the migrant community about checking for the signs of cancer (especially in those intimate areas). Sadly, my friend’s campaign started through her own personal experiences. Her message was so positive and so clear; basically it's time to go public on cancer of those private places!

So, inspired by this beautiful young woman I urge you all to please take the time to get your underwear off and check check check! (and I know how that sounds!)

If you’re due a smear test, don’t put it off. For Cervical Cancer awareness:
http://www.jostrust.org.uk

Get savvy about Gynaecological Cancers:
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/type/women/index

And get your bra off to be Breast Cancer aware:
http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk

And men, let's go public on the personal:
http://cancer.about.com/od/cancersaffectingmen/Mens_Cancers.htm

Polish-English Baby Care Words

After an interview I conducted with a lovely Polish mum a few weeks ago we were having a chat and she was trying to help me with a few words in Polish, when it occurred to her that Polish words for baby related items were becoming harder for her to recall. I found this really interesting, in that chapters of our lives spent aboard, in this case, becoming a mother in Britain, reflect in the language we know and use. English baby care vocabulary had become part of her everyday.

Language is a recurrent theme in my interviews, it seems to give people a gauge as to who they believe they are, how ‘integrated’ into British society they feel, and how marked the difference between themselves and their children might be or become. Language seems to be one of the biggest areas of frustration and anxiety for Polish parents in the North East, who often link their ability in English to job prospects and future prospects for their family.

Thanks to this interview I've been inspired to look up some Polish-English baby care vocabulary myself:

krem na odparzenia - nappy rash cream
nawilżana chusteczka pielęgnacyjna - wet wipes
mata do przewijania - changing mat
nocnik - potty
kąpiel - baby bath
torba z przyborami do przewijania - changing bag
pielucha - nappy

łóżeczko dziecinne - cot
karuzela - cot mobile
materac - mattress
ochraniacz - cot bumper
prześcieradło - cot sheet
koc - blanket
kosz do noszenia dziecka - moses basket

zabawka - toy
lalka - doll
pluszowa zabawka - cuddly toy
domek do zabawy - playhouse
miś - teddy bear
grzechotka - rattle
kosz na zabawki - toy basket
piłka - ball


zamknięcie zabezpieczające - child locks
elektroniczna niania - baby monitor
bramka na schodach - stair gate
wysokie krzesełko - high chair
wózek spacerowy - pushchair
wózek dziecięcy - pram
nosidełko-gondola - carrycot
nosidełko - baby sling

kubeczek - sippy cup
butelka - bottle
karmić piersią - to breastfeed

podkoszulek - vest
pajacyk - babygro
zatrzask - sleep suit poppers
rękawiczki - mittens
buciki - booties
śpioszki - sleepsuit
rampers - romper suit
kombinezon zimowy - snowsuit
śliniaczek - bib
majtki ceratowe - training pants
kapelusz od słońca - sunhat
ogrodniczki - dungarees ('little gardeners'?...these are so cute!)


And here's some useful language learning resources:

For Polish-English exercise sheets, and learning resources try:
http://www.collinslanguage.com/extras/resources/easy-learning/polish.aspx

A fantastic blog for Polish language learners (like me), with podcasts and songs:
http://bloggypolish.co.uk/index.html

Do zobaczenia wkrótce!

Polish-English children's book (III)

This is possibly the best present I’ve ever had! A British friend recently tracked down a copy of my favourite children’s book, The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and worked her way through a Polish website to buy me the Polish edition of the book. I was so touched. What a great present!

W sierpniu dostałam najlepszy present, było Bardzo Głodna Gąsienica w języku polskim!

I especially love the fact that in the English (Canadian English) version of the book the caterpillar eats ‘a slice of Swiss cheese’, ‘a slice of salami’ and ‘a piece of cherry pie’, but in the Polish version the caterpillar (who’s female by the way) seems less fussy and eats non-specific cheese, sausage and cake. Rather than a cupcake she takes muffins (babeczkę) and she shows a specific interest in frankfurters - and then that evening her belly hurts (‘Ależ ją bolał wieczorem brzuch!’)

The Polish edition of this classic children’s book is published by Wydawnictwo Tatarak.
It makes me smile every time I read it. Każdym razem, gdy czytam tę książke, uśmiecham się do siebie.

Free activities for toddlers in and around Newcastle

From my own experience as a mum with a toddler, I would recommend the following:

The Toy Library
Sure Start North Moor Children's Centre in Kenton, has a free, relaxed and informal play session for under 5’s each Friday. All the toys can then be borrowed and taken home. The session is open 9:30am - 11am on Halewood Avenue, Kenton, (NE3 3RX).

Museums and Galleries

The Laing Art Gallery has an excellent under 5’s area where little ones can use the dress up box, play with blocks, work out simply puzzles, read books, press buttons. We’ve been using it regularly since my little one was 9 months old. It’s a lovely space, next to the café in the Laing, and free to everyone at anytime. http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/laing

I would also recommend the play space in the National Glass Centre in Sunderland. After watching the glass blowing display in wonderment, we then took our toddler around the free permanent exhibition in the National Glass Centre. He especially enjoyed the magic mirrors and again, a good under 5’s area with blocks, toy cars and chalkboards. http://www.nationalglasscentre.com/home.html

Monkwearmouth Museum has the best under 5’s area in my opinion. There’s a huge dress up box with transport related uniforms, a brightly coloured children’s train, trains sets and viewing deck where little ones can watch the metro passing by: http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/monkwearmouth.

All of these activities are free!

Information for Parents in the North East

Something I’m learning from my research interviews with Polish parents is that it’s not always easy to find information about what’s on in this region. Nie zawsze łatwo znaleźć informacje na temat rodziny działań. Tutaj kilka pomysłow:


Where can I get information about what’s on for families in the North East?
Gdzie znaleźć informacja na temat rodziny działań w północno-wschodniej?

Netmums -
This is a great website for finding out about local classes / activities / children’s toys and clothes sales and for obtaining advice and making friends with local parents online. http://www.netmums.com/local//newcastle
Netmums- strona o lokalnych zajęcia dla rodziców / działalność rodzina / dzieci zabawki I ubrania sprzedaży i porady dla rodziców.

Get Your Tots Out -
This is a free guide for parents in the North East listing classes such as baby yoga and massage and good days out, such as Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth and Bill Quay Farm. It’s written by local parents and has some good advice for everyone about parenting in this region. The authors also tell you how accessible the venues are for prams and buggies.
http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/2407/Get_Your_Tots_Out.html
Get Your Tots Out- Bezpłatne broszury dla rodziców w północno-wschodniej, informacje na temat zajęć, takich jak joga i masażu dla niemowląt, i miejsc do odwiedzenia.

The Little Pages -
A free guide to parents which you can pick up in hardcopy at most local libraries. It lists support groups, arts and craft classes, childcare and toddler groups, music and dance groups and softplay venues in this area. This directory also includes a calendar of local one off family events in the North East such as fetes and festivals, exhibitions and picnics.
http://www.the-little-pages.co.uk/
The Little Pages - Bezpłatne broszury na temat grup wsparcia, sztuka i klasy rzemiosła, opieki nad dziećmi i grup dla małych dzieci, muzyki i tańca i miejsc ‘softplay’ w północno-wschodniej.

Sure Start Centres –
These centres are a government funded provision currently available to all parents in the UK which aims to provide health advice, parenting and family support, play sessions and information on local childcare options, and links to services and training support for parents and carers.

In this area Sure Start Centres can be found in the following areas: Ouseburn, South Heaton, Walkergate, Newcastle East, Gosforth and Parklands, North Moor, North Village, Newbiggin Hall, Westerhope, Denton, Newburn, Lemington, Cowgate and Blakelaw, Fenham, North Fenham, Woodlands, west Riverside, Armstrong and Westgate.

http://www.surestartnewcastlecc.org.uk/site
Sure Start Centres - Sure Start Centre oferuje informacje do wszystkich rodziców za darmo. Oferują informacji o lokalne grupy dzieci, porady zdowotne I wsparcie dla rodziców.

You'll also find information about local baby and toddler groups and support groups in your local free newspaper, on p.14 of The Chronicle Extra for example.

Można znaleźć informacje na temat lokalnych grup dla dzieci, i grupy wsparcia w lokalnej wolnej gazecie, na przykład The Chronicle Extra.

I love Polish Culture

As a fan of Polish culture and the arts, I've started putting together a listings page detailing UK based Polish cultural events and exhibitions which I find useful or interesting.

So far the page lists and provides links to:

•Polish Film Posters
•Polish-Anglo Radio Station
•Polish Artist - Artur Zmijewski
•Polish magazines and newspapers in the UK
•Polish Film screened in the UK
•The POSK Gallery
•Biały Orzeł - Polish Dance
•Polish Culture and Tradition Website
•'Smacznego' Photography Blog by Georgios Makkas
•Polish Artist - Miroslaw Balka
•Made in Poland Festival
•The Polish Cultural Institute

You can access the page here:
http://polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/p/listings-polish-culture-in-uk.html

Let me know if you hear of any Polish events going on in the North East, as I love taking part. I especially love it when I can experience a slice of Poland on my own doorstep.