SAVOIR- VIVRE IN POLAND

1. SAVOIR- VIVRE IN POLAND Thewordcomesfromfrench and is a combination of twowords savoir whichmeans‘know’ and vivremeaning‘live’. Simply we can sum uptheexpression as ‘knowhow to live’. Whenyou want to knowhow to live, youmustknowsomepoliteexpressions, goodmanners and followcommonrules. Savoir- vivrediffersfrom country to country so it’syourtask to familiarizewithit.

2. SAVOIR- VIVRE IN POLAND • Travelling to differentcountriesyouwill find most people are kinder to you if you behave politely, respecting local people and customs. You may sometimes upset people by things that you say or do, even if these things seem perfectly normal in your own culture. • Herearesomerules to be followedwhenyouvisit Poland:

3. MEETINGS/ INTRODUCTIONS/MAKING FRIENDS WHEN YOU MEET youracquaintance, YOU CAN SHAKE HANDS BUT YOU CAN ALSO SAY ‘HELLO’ OR ‘GOOD MORNING’. BUT WHEN YOU MEET SOMEBODY FOR THE FIRST TIME OR AFTER A LONG TIME SINCE your LAST MEETING, YOU GIVE HIM orher ONE KISS/YOUNG PEOPLE/OR THREE KISSES/MOST PEOPLE/. A mancanalso KISS A WOMAN IN HER HAND. a manshouldalsoopenthedoorfor a woman and letherthrough as well as giveher a handwhenshegets out of a car or a bus. BUT NOWADAYS THERE ARE FEWER AND FEWER GENTLEMEN likethese

4. AT THE TABLE WHEN YOU INVITE SOMEBODY FOR A MEAL, YOU MUST MAKE HIM OR HER FEEL AT HOME. GUESTS SHOULD TRY THE DISHES FIRST. THEY HELP THEMSELVES AND THEN THE OTHERS. THERE ARE SOME FAMILIES WHO PRAY BEFORE AND AFTER a meal, BUT MOST FAMILIES SIT TOGETHER AND JUST EAT. YOU USUALLY SAY ‘ENJOY YOUR MEAL’ AT THE BEGINNING’ AND ‘ THANK YOU ’ WHEN YOU arefull. WE HAVE BREAKFAST IN THE MORNING, LUNCH/ A SANDWICH OR A SNACK/ AT SCHOOL OR WORK , DINNER BETWEEN 2 P.M AND 6 P.M AND SUPPER BETWEEN 6 P.M AND 9 P.M

5. IN A PUBLIC PLACES YOU MUST OBEY THE RULES WHICH ARE SET IN CERTAIN PLACES. FOR EXAMPLE: YOU CANNOT SMOKE IN PUBLIC PLACES LIKE SCHOOLS, BUS STOPS, RAILWAY STATIONS , HOSPITALS ,ETC. YOU MUSTN’T BE LOUD IN LIBRARIES, IN YOUR FLAT/ /BEFORE 6 A.M AND AFTER 10 P.M/, ON A LOCAL TRANSPORT VEHICLES/E.G TALKING ON THE PHONE/, IN MUSEUMS, THEATRES, CINEMAS, CHURCHES AND OF COURSE DURING LESSONS YOU SHOULD BE KIND TO OLDER PEOPLE, DISABLED ONES AND PREGNANT WOMEN. YOU SHOULD, FOR EXAMPLE, LEAVE THEM A SIT ON A BUS, LET THEM THROUGH IN A QUEUE, HELP THEM WITH SOME SHOPPING OR SIMPLY JUST WITH GETTING INTO A BUS, TRAM, ETC. WE GENERALLY RESPECT OLDER PEOPLE AND THERE IS EVEN A RULE THAT YOU SHOULDN’T INTERRUPT WHEN AN ELDERLY PERSON SPEAKS.

6. AT A PARTY YOU SHOULD BE RATHER PUNCTUAL OR COME, UP TO 15 MINUTES LATE. YOU SHOULD BRING A BOTTLE OF VODKA OR wINE AND SWEETS IF THERE ARE SOME CHILDREN. WHEN YOU VISIT SOMEBODY FOR THE FIRST TIME YOU SHOULD BUY A GIFT, SOMETHING USEFUL OR DECORATIVE FOR a FLAT/ A FLOWER, A VASE, GLASSES, A PORCELAIN FIGURE/ YOU SHOULD TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES IF YOU ARE INVITED TO SB’S FLAT. YOU SHOULD MAKE SURE WHAT KIND OF PARTY IT IS AND DRESS UP appropriately. IF IT IS JUST A FAMILY OR FRIENDS’MEETING , YOU CAN WEAR CASUAL CLOTHES BUT WHEN YOU ARE INVITED TO A MORE OFFICIAL ONE, IT’S GOOD TO WEAR SOME SMART CLOTHES. Thisway YOU SHOW RESPECT TO THE HOSTS. YOU SHOULDN’T STAY UP TOO LATE, YOU SHOULD WATCH THE HOSTS AND LEAVE BEFORE OTHERS DO IT. IT’S NICE IF YOU PAY COMPLIMENTS CONCERNING THE FOOD OR FLAT DECORATIONS.

7. SUMMARY IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO LEARN! WHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE OR OFFEND SOMEBODY UNDELIBERATELY, EXPLAIN THE SITUATION AND APOLOGISE. NEXT TIME YOU WON’T DO THE SAME THING. EVERYBODY LEARNS BY MISTAKES AND SO DO YOU Prepared by Thecoordinator