Today is a Polish Holiday.
Here are pictures of cousin Krzysztof Kupinski, his sister Urszula, nephew Artur and Joan and I.
We are spending the day searching Ikea on the internet for the furniture we need and looking for a car.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
I was offline for a few days because last Thursday we moved into our new apartment and I had to wait
for the Internet connection to be set up.
So here we are now, on our own and at times it's a scary feeling. Doma shipping delivered 8 more boxes
to our address, well, not exactly to our address but to the building where we live now and we had to
carry them into the apartment.
The apartment is small, smaller than we have ever had. The living room is about as big as our old
bedroom in America. It's a one bedroom apartment with kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom.
It's a new apartment in a small complex. The floors are all parquet with a rug in the living room but
not wall to wall carpeting. Below the building is the garage but we have no place for a car that comes
with the apartment. Of course, we don't have a car yet so that is no problem. When we do get a car we
will have to park it on the street.
We unpacked some boxes and hung up clothes in the only "closet" we have in the hallway. Rooms in Poland
do not have closets, you need to buy free-standing wardrobe chests for each room to put your clothes
in. It's called a schafka. The bathroom has a shower, a toilet, a bidet, sink and a tiny storage area
under the sink. The mirror is just that, a mirror. There is no medicine chest. The windows in each
room open in two ways. If you turn the handle up, the windows leans into the room, opened at the top.
If you put the handle in a horizontal position, they open from the side and you can open it all the way. The windows are large but the great thing is
there are windows on both the east and west side so you get a good breeze flowing through. The
apartment is bright all day and direct sunlight from the west doesn't come in until about 4PM so it
doesn't heat up the place. Yesterday it was about 28 celius (82 degrees) but in the apt. it was cool
all day, a plus for us.
We felt brave after unpacking what we could and went to the stores only 4 doors away from our building.
One store sold only meat, another, fruits and vegetables, another was a bakery and the fourth had the
rest of what we wanted at the moment. Later in the evening, we walked 9 blocks to the "supermarket"
they carry everything and bought a frying pan, glass kettle, 2 cups, cooking oil, milk, coffee. spatula
and a few other food items. It cost about $45. The pan was the most expensive item, about $19. Much
higher than in the U.S. We have an old portable radio we brought with us that we listen to music and
news in Polish on. We don't know when we will get a TV and other furniture we need, probably not until
we somehow buy a car.
Today's (Friday) adventure is to figure out how to get to the local tax office where we must apply for
a Polish tax identification number so we can send it to Warsaw to get our remaining 23 boxes. At least
we know now that all of the boxes arrived and only two glass items were broken, that we know of. I will
also call the Internet office to try and speak with them about connecting the internet for this
apartment.
This is really something, to be a foreigner in a different country without being fluent in the
language. I can understand a little better how it must be for people imigrating to the U.S. It is
such a difficult time when you need to ask something or buy something but I am not completely ignorant
of speaking Polish, it just takes time to put the words together. Everyone I try to talk with is very
helpful and they smile a lot at my attempt's
JOAN-It is really nice to have small shops in the area. One is a beauty parlor, next is a coffee bar,
than a vegetable and fruit shop.and you can walk there. Parking is a problem for a lot of places and
most people park up on the sidewalk partially. Last nite we walked 9 blocks to a supermarket and the
cashiers sit while they check you out. Be very careful walking across the street because the car has
the "right of way" not the pedestrian and you can be a memory veryquickly. The cars drive very fast on
the side streets and I will have to get used to it.
This apartment will do for our first year, strange as it may seem we can not put pictures on the wall
because it is made of cinderblock with a finish over it and they would have to put holes in the wall
with a special tool and then repaired when we leave, {and we would pay for it}. So our pictures will be
standing against the wall on the floor. New way of decorating!
Saturday we will visit one of David's cousin a little ways from here so we will take a bus and
hopefully not end up in Russia. Although I do want to visit Russia and a lot of countries. I do like
the fact that you can visit another country as quickly as you can visit another state in the US.
Stay tuned for another episode of the new soap opera "Dave and Joan's adventure in Poland".
Friday-Aug 10th..We had our first visitor today, cousin Krzysztof Kupinski who was in Poznan on
business.He lives in Konin, about 1 hour east of here. As is the Polish custom, he brought flowers for Joan on
his first visit to a new home.It was wonderful to see him again. He, like I, have been very interested in our family history and we
have collaborated more than once on our mutual endeavors. He has also been helpful with the box
problem. Today I called to the American Consulate in Poznan and spoke with a woman there who was
helpful with the problem. She called to Warsaw and cleared up the problem with a Polish tax number and
it turns out we DON"T need one but we do have to go to Warsaw and present our passports and
documentation that we have previously been living in the U.S.Cousin Krzysztof said it would be his pleasure to take us there on Monday so it looks like we have a
road trip coming up. Tomorrow, we will find the bus station and take a bus to Golina, my ancestral
home, and spend the weekend with cousins there. On Monday, Krzysztof will pick us and we'll go to
Warsaw for the day. Things are shaping up for us now. After the box problem is solved, the next is to
file for our temporary residency papers.
Saturday-We got up at 8 AM and I called for a taxi in Polish and said the right things. The cab
arrived and took us to the bus station, cost about $6. We took the right bus and 2 hours later we were
met at the bus station in Golina by Andrzej and his niece Justyna. She has grown a lot since our last
visit three years ago. As soon as we got to Kazia's house food and drink were waiting so we ate, went
to the cemetary to pay respect to my great great grandmother Ludwika and great aunt Genowefa. We
continued our walk to the ancestral church, the park and then back to Kazia's house where we talked for
a few hours before we ate again. It's a different feeling and this time being in Golina and knowing I
won't be leaving back to the United States. I feel more at peace, like I have always belonged here. In
the evening we talked more, played Poker with Andrzej and Justyna and went to sleep about 11PM very
tired from the day. Sunday we got up at 8AM and I went with Kazia to church, had breakfast, talked and then called cousin
Anna to make a visit at 1PM. Joan and I walked the short four blocks to the apartment building where
Anna lives with her husband Eugeniusz. Of course, there we had more food and drink, talked about her
family and her daughter Grazyna arrived to welcome us to Poland. We came back at 2PM to have obiad
(lunch), played cards, went upstairs for ice cream and coffee at Kazia's daughter Hania's apartment and
went to bed early because we had to leave early the next morning for Warsaw.
Monday-Left Kazia's at 7AM for Warsaw with cousin Krzysztof and his nephew Artur. It took about 4
hours to get to Doma shipping where we needed to release our remaining 23 boxes. We had obiad at the
Devil's Corner restaurant and I must agree with the statement that food tastes much better in Poland.
Another 4 hour ride and we had another meal in Slesin where Artur's mother lives in the summer. We
were back in our apartment at 9PM, exhausted from sitting in the car all day. Tomorrow I will get my
Internet connection and put this on the Blog with all the new pictures.
Tuesday-Aug 14-Artur will come at 11AM and take me to the computer store to get a setup for my laptop
connection before it is connected.With the box problem out of the way, now we need to find health insurance coverage and then decide if I
should apply for Polish citizenship or just temporary residency. Citizenship would make some things
easier to accomplish, like buying a house but I should look at it closely first. Listening to the radio it is amazing that almost 1/3 of the stations play American music.The weather has been great for us, only one semi hot day so far.
Windows in Poland are very different from the U.S. They open into the house, either from the top only,
tilting inward, or from the side, opening inward. Very, very few people have screens on windows and yet
we have no mosquitoes or flys in the house. All of the windows are large in size.
Another difference you notice is that when you walk down a street or pass someone, nobody says hello
like in the U.S. Maybe it has something to do with living under communism for 50 years. In stores they
are exceptionally friendly when you talk to a sales person but at Doma shipping I felt like they were
doing me a favor to give our boxes to us and they have no idea what "the customer is always right"
means. Being in the Navy early in life I learned to hate waiting in lines but in Poland I will have to
be accustomed to it, it is not unusual.
People walk everywhere here and at night many take walks after dinner. It's interesting to see how many
grandmothers and grandfathers are out for walks with their grandchildren. You also see a lot of
teenage girls walking their baby sistsers or brothers in strollers. Family ties are still strong in
Poland.
OK, I have Internet and life returns to normal.yds
for the Internet connection to be set up.
So here we are now, on our own and at times it's a scary feeling. Doma shipping delivered 8 more boxes
to our address, well, not exactly to our address but to the building where we live now and we had to
carry them into the apartment.
The apartment is small, smaller than we have ever had. The living room is about as big as our old
bedroom in America. It's a one bedroom apartment with kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom.
It's a new apartment in a small complex. The floors are all parquet with a rug in the living room but
not wall to wall carpeting. Below the building is the garage but we have no place for a car that comes
with the apartment. Of course, we don't have a car yet so that is no problem. When we do get a car we
will have to park it on the street.
We unpacked some boxes and hung up clothes in the only "closet" we have in the hallway. Rooms in Poland
do not have closets, you need to buy free-standing wardrobe chests for each room to put your clothes
in. It's called a schafka. The bathroom has a shower, a toilet, a bidet, sink and a tiny storage area
under the sink. The mirror is just that, a mirror. There is no medicine chest. The windows in each
room open in two ways. If you turn the handle up, the windows leans into the room, opened at the top.
If you put the handle in a horizontal position, they open from the side and you can open it all the way. The windows are large but the great thing is
there are windows on both the east and west side so you get a good breeze flowing through. The
apartment is bright all day and direct sunlight from the west doesn't come in until about 4PM so it
doesn't heat up the place. Yesterday it was about 28 celius (82 degrees) but in the apt. it was cool
all day, a plus for us.
We felt brave after unpacking what we could and went to the stores only 4 doors away from our building.
One store sold only meat, another, fruits and vegetables, another was a bakery and the fourth had the
rest of what we wanted at the moment. Later in the evening, we walked 9 blocks to the "supermarket"
they carry everything and bought a frying pan, glass kettle, 2 cups, cooking oil, milk, coffee. spatula
and a few other food items. It cost about $45. The pan was the most expensive item, about $19. Much
higher than in the U.S. We have an old portable radio we brought with us that we listen to music and
news in Polish on. We don't know when we will get a TV and other furniture we need, probably not until
we somehow buy a car.
Today's (Friday) adventure is to figure out how to get to the local tax office where we must apply for
a Polish tax identification number so we can send it to Warsaw to get our remaining 23 boxes. At least
we know now that all of the boxes arrived and only two glass items were broken, that we know of. I will
also call the Internet office to try and speak with them about connecting the internet for this
apartment.
This is really something, to be a foreigner in a different country without being fluent in the
language. I can understand a little better how it must be for people imigrating to the U.S. It is
such a difficult time when you need to ask something or buy something but I am not completely ignorant
of speaking Polish, it just takes time to put the words together. Everyone I try to talk with is very
helpful and they smile a lot at my attempt's
JOAN-It is really nice to have small shops in the area. One is a beauty parlor, next is a coffee bar,
than a vegetable and fruit shop.and you can walk there. Parking is a problem for a lot of places and
most people park up on the sidewalk partially. Last nite we walked 9 blocks to a supermarket and the
cashiers sit while they check you out. Be very careful walking across the street because the car has
the "right of way" not the pedestrian and you can be a memory veryquickly. The cars drive very fast on
the side streets and I will have to get used to it.
This apartment will do for our first year, strange as it may seem we can not put pictures on the wall
because it is made of cinderblock with a finish over it and they would have to put holes in the wall
with a special tool and then repaired when we leave, {and we would pay for it}. So our pictures will be
standing against the wall on the floor. New way of decorating!
Saturday we will visit one of David's cousin a little ways from here so we will take a bus and
hopefully not end up in Russia. Although I do want to visit Russia and a lot of countries. I do like
the fact that you can visit another country as quickly as you can visit another state in the US.
Stay tuned for another episode of the new soap opera "Dave and Joan's adventure in Poland".
Friday-Aug 10th..We had our first visitor today, cousin Krzysztof Kupinski who was in Poznan on
business.He lives in Konin, about 1 hour east of here. As is the Polish custom, he brought flowers for Joan on
his first visit to a new home.It was wonderful to see him again. He, like I, have been very interested in our family history and we
have collaborated more than once on our mutual endeavors. He has also been helpful with the box
problem. Today I called to the American Consulate in Poznan and spoke with a woman there who was
helpful with the problem. She called to Warsaw and cleared up the problem with a Polish tax number and
it turns out we DON"T need one but we do have to go to Warsaw and present our passports and
documentation that we have previously been living in the U.S.Cousin Krzysztof said it would be his pleasure to take us there on Monday so it looks like we have a
road trip coming up. Tomorrow, we will find the bus station and take a bus to Golina, my ancestral
home, and spend the weekend with cousins there. On Monday, Krzysztof will pick us and we'll go to
Warsaw for the day. Things are shaping up for us now. After the box problem is solved, the next is to
file for our temporary residency papers.
Saturday-We got up at 8 AM and I called for a taxi in Polish and said the right things. The cab
arrived and took us to the bus station, cost about $6. We took the right bus and 2 hours later we were
met at the bus station in Golina by Andrzej and his niece Justyna. She has grown a lot since our last
visit three years ago. As soon as we got to Kazia's house food and drink were waiting so we ate, went
to the cemetary to pay respect to my great great grandmother Ludwika and great aunt Genowefa. We
continued our walk to the ancestral church, the park and then back to Kazia's house where we talked for
a few hours before we ate again. It's a different feeling and this time being in Golina and knowing I
won't be leaving back to the United States. I feel more at peace, like I have always belonged here. In
the evening we talked more, played Poker with Andrzej and Justyna and went to sleep about 11PM very
tired from the day. Sunday we got up at 8AM and I went with Kazia to church, had breakfast, talked and then called cousin
Anna to make a visit at 1PM. Joan and I walked the short four blocks to the apartment building where
Anna lives with her husband Eugeniusz. Of course, there we had more food and drink, talked about her
family and her daughter Grazyna arrived to welcome us to Poland. We came back at 2PM to have obiad
(lunch), played cards, went upstairs for ice cream and coffee at Kazia's daughter Hania's apartment and
went to bed early because we had to leave early the next morning for Warsaw.
Monday-Left Kazia's at 7AM for Warsaw with cousin Krzysztof and his nephew Artur. It took about 4
hours to get to Doma shipping where we needed to release our remaining 23 boxes. We had obiad at the
Devil's Corner restaurant and I must agree with the statement that food tastes much better in Poland.
Another 4 hour ride and we had another meal in Slesin where Artur's mother lives in the summer. We
were back in our apartment at 9PM, exhausted from sitting in the car all day. Tomorrow I will get my
Internet connection and put this on the Blog with all the new pictures.
Tuesday-Aug 14-Artur will come at 11AM and take me to the computer store to get a setup for my laptop
connection before it is connected.With the box problem out of the way, now we need to find health insurance coverage and then decide if I
should apply for Polish citizenship or just temporary residency. Citizenship would make some things
easier to accomplish, like buying a house but I should look at it closely first. Listening to the radio it is amazing that almost 1/3 of the stations play American music.The weather has been great for us, only one semi hot day so far.
Windows in Poland are very different from the U.S. They open into the house, either from the top only,
tilting inward, or from the side, opening inward. Very, very few people have screens on windows and yet
we have no mosquitoes or flys in the house. All of the windows are large in size.
Another difference you notice is that when you walk down a street or pass someone, nobody says hello
like in the U.S. Maybe it has something to do with living under communism for 50 years. In stores they
are exceptionally friendly when you talk to a sales person but at Doma shipping I felt like they were
doing me a favor to give our boxes to us and they have no idea what "the customer is always right"
means. Being in the Navy early in life I learned to hate waiting in lines but in Poland I will have to
be accustomed to it, it is not unusual.
People walk everywhere here and at night many take walks after dinner. It's interesting to see how many
grandmothers and grandfathers are out for walks with their grandchildren. You also see a lot of
teenage girls walking their baby sistsers or brothers in strollers. Family ties are still strong in
Poland.
OK, I have Internet and life returns to normal.yds
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Offline
I've been offline since we moved to our new apartment, waiting for a Internet connection this coming Tuesday. A lot has happened that I will post on the next message Wednesday.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Moved
We have now moved to our new apartment on Miedzychodszka street in Poznan and are on our own for the first time. God help us! Now we must find food, bedding and furniture without a car.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Neighborhood
A walk around the neighborhood of Luka's is always interesting for the different shades of color they use in Poland for house painting, kinda like pastel colors.
Day off!!
Sunday Joan and I took another long walk to discover new sights and places, made a few phone calls on our new cellphone and quickly ran out of money on our SIM card. Phone calls are EXPENSIVE here, whether on a land line or a cell. Calls to the US are outrageously high. We could call from the States to Poland for 5-10 cents a minute, from Poland to the States it's ten times higher. We won't be making many phone calls.
In the afternoon friends of Luka and Marek came over to visit. Ironically, they both work for Synovate, our old company. We all went for a walk to a local lake that is kind of like Navy Pier on a much smaller scale and more set up for children with it's many play areas. The weather was beautiful.
Monday we're going to Antoninek, an area just east of central Poznan to look at another apartment.
In the afternoon friends of Luka and Marek came over to visit. Ironically, they both work for Synovate, our old company. We all went for a walk to a local lake that is kind of like Navy Pier on a much smaller scale and more set up for children with it's many play areas. The weather was beautiful.
Monday we're going to Antoninek, an area just east of central Poznan to look at another apartment.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Mieskanie
Yesterday I fell asleep about 11:30 and slept like a rock. Today we got up early as usual and went for walk around Luka's neighborhood. I remember all of it from previous visits and notice that a lot of the houses have been painted different bright pastel colors to remove the drab gray look of the old communist times. A lot of them are also in the remodeling stages and in downtown Poznan there are tall construction cranes where new buildings are being built.
It was wonderful to see Rozia, Marek and Luka's little daughter again. She's 5 1/2 now and has changed and grown tremendously. She gave us our first polish lesson from a 5 year old.
Today we accomplished getting our cellphone working and looked at an apartment in Poznan on the west side. The section is called Grunwald. In Poland it is considered a high standard apartment meaning it's new, has internet, security, an eleva.tor and is in a good place. In the States, it would be just a normal apartment. It has a bedroom, living room, bathroom and kitchen. It's 1,500 zlotych a month ( about $600USD) but we liked it except it didn't have a washer machine and of course, no dryer. Almost no apartments have a laundry room or dryers. Every apartment has it's own wash machine............except the one we looked at :-(
So it was a good day for us with the accomplishments we made. They even delivered 3 more of our boxes today although the 23 are still stuck in Warsaw.
Got a few more well wishes from people who found our blog. That's always nice ;-)
It was wonderful to see Rozia, Marek and Luka's little daughter again. She's 5 1/2 now and has changed and grown tremendously. She gave us our first polish lesson from a 5 year old.
Today we accomplished getting our cellphone working and looked at an apartment in Poznan on the west side. The section is called Grunwald. In Poland it is considered a high standard apartment meaning it's new, has internet, security, an eleva.tor and is in a good place. In the States, it would be just a normal apartment. It has a bedroom, living room, bathroom and kitchen. It's 1,500 zlotych a month ( about $600USD) but we liked it except it didn't have a washer machine and of course, no dryer. Almost no apartments have a laundry room or dryers. Every apartment has it's own wash machine............except the one we looked at :-(
So it was a good day for us with the accomplishments we made. They even delivered 3 more of our boxes today although the 23 are still stuck in Warsaw.
Got a few more well wishes from people who found our blog. That's always nice ;-)
Friday, August 03, 2007
We left for the airport on thursday at 5:30PM only to find out that our flight was delayed for 2 1/2 hours and wouldn't leave until 11:30PM. Our friend dKrystyna was waiting for us and she stayed with us for about two hours. We waited after she left and departed Chicago at 11:30. The plane was full capacity and across the aisle was a lady with two young children. They were small enough that one of them slept on the floor under the seats in a sleeping bag she had brought. I wish it had been me since Joan and I only slept about two hours in the last 48.
In Poznan we were greeted by cousin Luka, her husband Marek and daughter Rozia, her brother Krzysztof and her mother and father. It was great to see them again after 3 years and we loaded our bags and went to her house where we will stay until we find a place to live. It was gray and cool in Poznan, a nice contrast from the hot days in Chicago. She made a cake for us and we had dinner following the cake.
So now here we are and the adventure really begins with searching for an apartment.
In Poznan we were greeted by cousin Luka, her husband Marek and daughter Rozia, her brother Krzysztof and her mother and father. It was great to see them again after 3 years and we loaded our bags and went to her house where we will stay until we find a place to live. It was gray and cool in Poznan, a nice contrast from the hot days in Chicago. She made a cake for us and we had dinner following the cake.
So now here we are and the adventure really begins with searching for an apartment.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
We GO!!!
It's arrived, our day to leave and we are ready. Our flight is tonight at 9:35PM.
Next message will be from Poland.
Next message will be from Poland.
Tomorrow's the Day!!
Well, it's here at last. Thursday, August 2nd, the day we depart for our new life in Poland. The only thing missing are my reading glasses which I have misplaced somewhere and after searching through 4 suitcases and numerous places in Karen's house I can't find them. But the last two days have been great spending so much time with the grandkids and we had the added surprise that Karen is pregnant and we will have another grandchild around April of next year. Wow!! So with this new surprise it's another thing we will miss being in Poland but life goes on.
Tomorrow we finish our day with the kids, drive to the airport about 6PM with Karen, meet our friend Krystyna and then wait until 9:30PM for our plane to depart.
Tomorrow we finish our day with the kids, drive to the airport about 6PM with Karen, meet our friend Krystyna and then wait until 9:30PM for our plane to depart.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Homeless, Carless!!
What a feeling..........no home and now...no car.:-)
We delivered our Saturn car to Sara Moore today. She bought it 6 weeks ago but was kind enough to let us keep it until now because of all the things we had to do. Today she took possession and it was strange to see it drive away. The last time I was without a car was in my early twenties and not for long, even then. But now we have no home and no car. What a predicament.
We got the information we needed to set up our Polish bank account and a contact name in Poland. He will be waiting for us to arrive in Poznan to help us set the account. Citibank has been very helpful and the personal banker we had, Artur Wronowski, did an outstanding job in helping us with everything, even maps to find the bank in Poznan since there is more than 1 citibank.
Two days to go and nothing to do but wait for Thursday.
We delivered our Saturn car to Sara Moore today. She bought it 6 weeks ago but was kind enough to let us keep it until now because of all the things we had to do. Today she took possession and it was strange to see it drive away. The last time I was without a car was in my early twenties and not for long, even then. But now we have no home and no car. What a predicament.
We got the information we needed to set up our Polish bank account and a contact name in Poland. He will be waiting for us to arrive in Poznan to help us set the account. Citibank has been very helpful and the personal banker we had, Artur Wronowski, did an outstanding job in helping us with everything, even maps to find the bank in Poznan since there is more than 1 citibank.
Two days to go and nothing to do but wait for Thursday.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Out!
We're out of apartment now. Spent the whole day moving the rest of the things left to Karen's house, cleaning the apartment. What an exhausting day!!!!!!!!
Tomorrow we'll see our banker at Citibank about the account in Poland.
Talked with the Doma general manager here in Chicago but he couldn't do anything about our box problem. It has to wait until we arrive there Friday. Getting an apartment will be the first step in the resolution and then we'll see what happens from there.
Tomorrow we'll see our banker at Citibank about the account in Poland.
Talked with the Doma general manager here in Chicago but he couldn't do anything about our box problem. It has to wait until we arrive there Friday. Getting an apartment will be the first step in the resolution and then we'll see what happens from there.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Goodbye 23" Screen
Sunday night and time to dismantle my computer. I'm gonna miss this 23" screen. We moved out more stuff from our house and went to visit our friend Krystyna's for our goodbye to her.
I'll still have access to the Internet via Joan's daughter Karen's computer at her house but now it's time to delete every personal item I have on this computer and restore it back to it's original state for someone to buy. Today we threw out our microwave, ironing board, shelving, packed our bags of all remaining clothing, toiletries and prepared for our move to Karen's house for the last 2 days.
Tomorrow, Monday, I will rent a van and move the remaining "stuff" to Karen's house. We still have some small things to do before we exit our apartment for the last time but I think we are ready.
3 more days and we'll be leaving. I can't believe it. We have gone through a lot in preparation for this move and only the box issue has presented a big problem for us. I think we have prepared well but only in Poland will we know if my preperations were correct.
I'll still have access to the Internet via Joan's daughter Karen's computer at her house but now it's time to delete every personal item I have on this computer and restore it back to it's original state for someone to buy. Today we threw out our microwave, ironing board, shelving, packed our bags of all remaining clothing, toiletries and prepared for our move to Karen's house for the last 2 days.
Tomorrow, Monday, I will rent a van and move the remaining "stuff" to Karen's house. We still have some small things to do before we exit our apartment for the last time but I think we are ready.
3 more days and we'll be leaving. I can't believe it. We have gone through a lot in preparation for this move and only the box issue has presented a big problem for us. I think we have prepared well but only in Poland will we know if my preperations were correct.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Stressed Out 2
I recieved an email from cousins Luka and Krzysztof. With their help it is clear what we must do to have our boxes released.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi, David! It is too late for IM, but i have to write news i have for you. Krzysztof was calling to me today afternoon and he said: - he called to Warsaw and they told him - they have 14 your boxes for Marek's Paluch name and 9 boxes for mine name (Małgorzata or Luka Paluch?). They have 23 boxes and those 17 next probably will come soon if you sent them for different names or in different days. -they said also - these boxes will be waiting for your arrival with none or minimal costs of stocking them, but you should have with you any documents which say that you were living in US last year, it may be your phone bills from all last year, or for example bills of renting the flat in US, or for gas , one kind of them. It will show you really have lived in US last year. - the second is: you should have register's paper in Poland, that you live somewhere, so you should rent any flat soon and than to receive NIP number, it is the number - indyvidual TAX identificator - you are able to receive it in the office where you will be have renting flat-.........and then you will receive your boxes without paying any costs, they will transport them to Poznañ. The costs will be of course for their office's work , not very high, but not custom fee.
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It still causes us a smaller problem because just before this mess started Joan and I went through all of our old receipts for phone, elect, gas, etc and thought there was no reason to take these paid bills to Poland and we threw them all away. Now I have to contact those company's and see if we can get the old bills. The other thing is we sent ALL of the boxes at the same time so I still am not surse where the 17 boxes are.
On a bright note, the surprise for Joan went beautifully. I took her to Chicago Friday on the pretext of seeing Chicago for the last time. I told her we would have lunch at the Westin hotel. We parked the car in front of the hotel, went in and we walked through lobby (where Sherry, her friend was waiting). You should have seen the look on Joan's face when she saw her. We brought Sherry home with us and I made a reservation at our favorite restaurant for them where they had dinner Friday night while I stayed home and packed. Saturday we took Sherry to stay at another friends house and they said goodbye. It was a wonderful, surprising event for Joan.
Today, in the afternoon, we go to Krystyna's house to say goodbye to her.
Tomorrow I dismantle the computer, pack everything left into a van I rented, and take it to Karen's house. The only thing left will be the bed. Tuesday morning I will dispose of that and then we go to Karen's where we will stay until the flight on Thursday. I'll still have Internet access through computers at Karen's house.
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Hi, David! It is too late for IM, but i have to write news i have for you. Krzysztof was calling to me today afternoon and he said: - he called to Warsaw and they told him - they have 14 your boxes for Marek's Paluch name and 9 boxes for mine name (Małgorzata or Luka Paluch?). They have 23 boxes and those 17 next probably will come soon if you sent them for different names or in different days. -they said also - these boxes will be waiting for your arrival with none or minimal costs of stocking them, but you should have with you any documents which say that you were living in US last year, it may be your phone bills from all last year, or for example bills of renting the flat in US, or for gas , one kind of them. It will show you really have lived in US last year. - the second is: you should have register's paper in Poland, that you live somewhere, so you should rent any flat soon and than to receive NIP number, it is the number - indyvidual TAX identificator - you are able to receive it in the office where you will be have renting flat-.........and then you will receive your boxes without paying any costs, they will transport them to Poznañ. The costs will be of course for their office's work , not very high, but not custom fee.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It still causes us a smaller problem because just before this mess started Joan and I went through all of our old receipts for phone, elect, gas, etc and thought there was no reason to take these paid bills to Poland and we threw them all away. Now I have to contact those company's and see if we can get the old bills. The other thing is we sent ALL of the boxes at the same time so I still am not surse where the 17 boxes are.
On a bright note, the surprise for Joan went beautifully. I took her to Chicago Friday on the pretext of seeing Chicago for the last time. I told her we would have lunch at the Westin hotel. We parked the car in front of the hotel, went in and we walked through lobby (where Sherry, her friend was waiting). You should have seen the look on Joan's face when she saw her. We brought Sherry home with us and I made a reservation at our favorite restaurant for them where they had dinner Friday night while I stayed home and packed. Saturday we took Sherry to stay at another friends house and they said goodbye. It was a wonderful, surprising event for Joan.
Today, in the afternoon, we go to Krystyna's house to say goodbye to her.
Tomorrow I dismantle the computer, pack everything left into a van I rented, and take it to Karen's house. The only thing left will be the bed. Tuesday morning I will dispose of that and then we go to Karen's where we will stay until the flight on Thursday. I'll still have Internet access through computers at Karen's house.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Stressed OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We received an email from cousin Luka that they received a letter from Doma Shipping in Warsaw that 14 of our boxes are being held because of Polish Custom agency problems with the paperwork. The letter said they wanted a complete list of EVERYTHING in the boxes, appoximate value and place of origin. Our shipping agent said we just needed a "general" listing of what was in the boxes and that was sent with each box. The other thing is that they only mentioned 14 boxes and we shipped 40 so I don't know where the other 26 are. I called Warsaw today but with my still limited Polish I wasn't able to find out much so I asked cousin Krzysztof to call tomorrow to see if he could find the answers for us. We may have to stay in Warsaw for a few days before we get to Poznan to straighten out this mess. I'm bummed.
6 days to go and I'm stressed out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6 days to go and I'm stressed out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Give Away
Gave away more things today, a desk, blenders, cleaning supplies, an ergonomic chair Joan has had for a long time and set up a secret meeting for a friend of Joan's. Joan wanted to see her before we leave but her friend lives in Cleveland and it wasn't possible to make the trip. I told her friend and she is driving in to see Joan this Friday. It's going to be a surprise. I can't wait to see Joan's face.
Went to Citibank to set up the account in Poland but couldn't complete the transaction because of the time difference so we will go back tomorrow to complete the account.
8 days to go. 8 days to go.
Rediscovered the deed to some property owned by Jan and Julia Piekarczyk from Babice, Poland, home of my grandfather Piekarczyk. The deed is from 1874.
Went to Citibank to set up the account in Poland but couldn't complete the transaction because of the time difference so we will go back tomorrow to complete the account.
8 days to go. 8 days to go.
Rediscovered the deed to some property owned by Jan and Julia Piekarczyk from Babice, Poland, home of my grandfather Piekarczyk. The deed is from 1874.
Monday, July 23, 2007
SS Check
We got our bank statement today. I was surprised to see my SS check was already in it. They said I wouldn't recieve my first check until the 4th week of July, the same time for Joan's, but I already have one for June. A nice surprise!!
Tomorrow we go back to Citibank because I learned we can have our Polish Citibank account set up here before we even get there. That will be helpful because then we can wire transfer our retirement savings to Poland for $40 and it will be there when we arrive next Friday, August 3rd.
For anyone who is thinking about moving to Poland I would suggest that you start planning at least a year ahead of time. There are a large amount of things you must have completed before you make this adventure. It will take time to acquire the documents you need. It's not just the paperwork but what to take with you and what to leave behind and how to dispose of the stuff left behind. For the last two months we have been selling and giving away the "leave behinds" and now we are down to a bed, 1 recliner, computer system. TV and antique French Desk.
Yesterday we gave away the remaining dishes, pots, pans, glasses, nightstands, table lamps and pictures to Joan's son, Joey. We're going to be building a new life in Poland of furniture, dishes, etc and that will be quite a new experieince. When we've moved in the past from one place to another we just transfered our belongings from one place to another, but this is totally different.
Here's Joan, with the family tree taken off the walls and mailed to Poland. It's a little different now sitting in the apartment, with no pictures on the walls, everything packed and shipped and knowing that in only 10 days we will be in Poland, land of my ancestors. Not as visitors this time, like before, but like my great grandfather Józef Kazmierczak when he came to America to start a completely new life. We exchange countries for different reasons. I think he came to America with his sons so they would not be forced to serve 25 years in the Russian Army, the country that occupied his part of Poland at the time and I go to Poland to know my family there, to live an easier life, if that is possible with the all the changes in Poland now. For me, I have the added comfort of a wife who is in total agreement with this idea and comes with me. For my great grandfather, his wife remained in Poland because he died before she could come to America and it is because of this that I have such a large family in Poland now. Of course, I never knew these ancestors but standing at the grave of my great grandmother Ludwika in Golina, I felt the connection.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Closer!!
Two weeks from tomorrow and we're off to Poland. I've been reading from different lists I belong to about things in Poland, the gas is almost $6 a gallon now, the US dollar has been losing value for the last 10 days and prices in most areas are going up. All not good things for us. The good news is we recieved our payments from our retirement fund, received the final copy of my birth certificate and got our Citibank account together. I've been looking at apartments in Konin, about an hour west of Poznań and closer to Golina and they are somewhat cheaper to rent so we may check them out as well as Poznań. Unfortunately, money will play a role in where we live for now, there's no way around it. But either place will give us a completely new life style with the same challenges so it's not a big thing for us. Poznań, being bigger, has more to offer in cultural activities, opportunities, etc but Konin seemed as nice when we were there last in 2004. We'll see what happens once we arrive.
Friday, July 13, 2007
HP Stays!
After working with the new Vista operating system, and buying a "Windows Vista for Dummies" book, I figured out how to do the things I need on this new machine and will keep it. I probably could have gotten by with the 15" screen but the 17" is easier to read.
We're studying Polish many more hours each day now that we are retired. For the last year I've been using an Internet service, tvpolonia.com, that gives me access to Polish programs like news, music, soap opera's, talk shows and history. Some have English subtitles and I've been able to use them for listening to and learning the language. The cost is only $7 a month and it has been well worth the price. I just stopped the service for the end of July because I think we will be too busy in Poland to view it. Of course, all of those shows will be on our TV in Poland :-)
Our last 3 weekends are booked with farewells, two more "Retirement Parties" from our friends and cleaning out our apartment.
Yesterday we went to Indiana to get the long copy of my birth certificate, stopped at the cemetary where most of the relatives are, visited with an old friend, and got our last pizza from John's Pizzeria. They have a carry out service in Muenster, Indiana.
Time is passing quickly now, only 20 days to go.
We're studying Polish many more hours each day now that we are retired. For the last year I've been using an Internet service, tvpolonia.com, that gives me access to Polish programs like news, music, soap opera's, talk shows and history. Some have English subtitles and I've been able to use them for listening to and learning the language. The cost is only $7 a month and it has been well worth the price. I just stopped the service for the end of July because I think we will be too busy in Poland to view it. Of course, all of those shows will be on our TV in Poland :-)
Our last 3 weekends are booked with farewells, two more "Retirement Parties" from our friends and cleaning out our apartment.
Yesterday we went to Indiana to get the long copy of my birth certificate, stopped at the cemetary where most of the relatives are, visited with an old friend, and got our last pizza from John's Pizzeria. They have a carry out service in Muenster, Indiana.
Time is passing quickly now, only 20 days to go.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Hats OFF!!!!!!
Hats off to the FBI. When the normal time for an FBI background check takes 4-5 months, with the letter I sent begging them to conduct the check quicker because we were leaving soon, today we received our clearances from them. It took less than one month and now we have all the paper work we need to file for temporary residency in Poland.
On another note, I bought an HP Pavilion laptop yesterday, with the new Windows Vista operating system and I am not at all happy with it. It has changed considerably from Windows XP and I find the changes not compatabile with what I need. I am going to work with the new system for a few days to see if I can overcome the changes but if I can't I will return it and just buy a regular PC in Poland with Windows XP.
Today Joan's daughter came with the grandkids and we went to our bank to put here on our account so that she will be able to pay whatever remaining bills we have once we leave. Things like the last electric bill, phone bill, internet bill, etc. It was great to see them all and the visit didn't last long enough. Gonna miss her and the kids but we have already put the seed of coming to Poland in their heads.
On another note, I bought an HP Pavilion laptop yesterday, with the new Windows Vista operating system and I am not at all happy with it. It has changed considerably from Windows XP and I find the changes not compatabile with what I need. I am going to work with the new system for a few days to see if I can overcome the changes but if I can't I will return it and just buy a regular PC in Poland with Windows XP.
Today Joan's daughter came with the grandkids and we went to our bank to put here on our account so that she will be able to pay whatever remaining bills we have once we leave. Things like the last electric bill, phone bill, internet bill, etc. It was great to see them all and the visit didn't last long enough. Gonna miss her and the kids but we have already put the seed of coming to Poland in their heads.
Friday, July 06, 2007
IRS returned
We received our clearance letters from the IRS today along with a letter saying we don't have to pay dual taxes on our Social Security checks because of the agreement between the U.S. and Poland. It only took two weeks to get the letter when we were told it could take 45 days. Now we are waiting for the clearance letter from the FBI that is suppose to take 4-5 months. Maybe the letter I sent with the fingerprints asking them to expedite the "investigation" will have some bearing on when we get the letter. Maybe Not.
We sold one recliner to Joan's daughter, gave away the kitchen table and chairs to her son and disposed of some shelving yesterday.
Talked with cousin Luka's husband about whether to buy a laptop here or wait until we get to Poland. I don't know a lot about laptops, except they are 40% more expenisve in Poland and I'm not sure I want a laptop. I'm used to the 23" screen monitor I have now and the thought of a 15" screen doesn't really appeal to me. Regular desktop PC's in Poland are 20% more expensive.
We sold one recliner to Joan's daughter, gave away the kitchen table and chairs to her son and disposed of some shelving yesterday.
Talked with cousin Luka's husband about whether to buy a laptop here or wait until we get to Poland. I don't know a lot about laptops, except they are 40% more expenisve in Poland and I'm not sure I want a laptop. I'm used to the 23" screen monitor I have now and the thought of a 15" screen doesn't really appeal to me. Regular desktop PC's in Poland are 20% more expensive.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
July 4th, 2007
In the morning Joan's son, Joey, came and took our kitchen table, chairs and the remainng glassware from our place. Next week they will take the remaining two nights stands and lamps. We're down to 2 recliners, bed, desk, computer and TV.Afterwards we went to Joan's daughter Karen's house and spent the 4th with them at a parade and cookout.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Retired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, it's true. The wonderfull day arrived and we have retired.
I was taken out to lunch for a final farewell with the people I have worked most closely with over the last couple of years and some that I have worked with for 10 years. It was excellent. the food was deliciouis and I had the best calamari since I lived in Spain, some 40 years ago. Unfortuntely, Joan worked in a different department and could not attend the lunch with me.
We took our last train ride home from work and instead of studying our Polish like we normally did everyday, we just looked at the sites along the way.
Now the weekend of our lives begins, with NO Mondays to worry about getting ready for.
Happy, Happy, Happy!!!!!
I was taken out to lunch for a final farewell with the people I have worked most closely with over the last couple of years and some that I have worked with for 10 years. It was excellent. the food was deliciouis and I had the best calamari since I lived in Spain, some 40 years ago. Unfortuntely, Joan worked in a different department and could not attend the lunch with me.
We took our last train ride home from work and instead of studying our Polish like we normally did everyday, we just looked at the sites along the way.
Now the weekend of our lives begins, with NO Mondays to worry about getting ready for.
Happy, Happy, Happy!!!!!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Apartment
Today cousin Luka looked at the apartment. It looks nice but the price is almost $800 a month, almost the same in the United States and too expensive for us. Cousin Krzysztof Kupinski gave me a website to look at for apartments in Konin and they are cheaper. Konin is about 1 hour east of Poznan. The interesting thing about this site is that is also lists a house for sale in Golina, home of our ancestors. It is a two bedroom house for $50,000 USD. I have asked him and Andrzej to find out more about it. We did not want to buy a house when we first arrived but the cost of apartments and houses has risen so much since Poland joined the EU that, maybe, we should look at this place.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Apartment2
Luka emailed me today that she has an appointment with the agent for renting the apartment she told us about. It is on Kolska street, just around the corner from her house. We are excited about it because if we can afford it, it would be so close to her. She will see the agent on Monday at 9:30 AM and ask all the questions I have asked her about this place. She will also take pictures so we can "see" the apartment.
One thing I wanted to say is that we have shipped everything to Poland including CD's of software I use. One of those CD's was the translation program from English to Polish and today I received a message that our translation program needs to be updated and for that we must insert the CD. We do not have that CD now so we will not be able to use it for translations I use for our blog. So...until we arrive in Poland, there will be no further messages in our Blog in Polish.
Luka emailed mnie dzisiaj, że ona ma umówiony termin z agentem dla wynajmowania apartamentu ona powiedziała nam dookoła. To jest na Kolska ulicy, właśnie dookoła kąta {rogu} z jej domu. Jesteśmy podnieceni o tym ponieważ jeżeli możemy dostarczyć to, to byłoby tak blisko niej. Ona zobaczy agenta w poniedziałek o 9:30 JESTEM i zadam wszystkie pytania, które pytałem jej o tym miejscu. Ona też zrobi obrazy tak możemy "zobaczyć" apartament.
Jedna rzecz, którą chciałem powiedzieć jest, że posłaliśmy wszystkiemu do Polski włączając CD oprogramowania, którego używam. Jedno z tych CD było program tłumaczenia z angielskich do języka polskiego i dzisiaj otrzymałem wiadomość, którą nasze potrzeby programu tłumaczenia by być uaktualniane i dla tamtego musimy wstawić CD. Nie mamy, że CD teraz tak nie będziemy mogli użyć tego dla tłumacze, których używam dla naszego blog. So...until przybywamy do Polski, nie będziemy żadnymi dalszymi wiadomościami w naszym Blog po polsku.
One thing I wanted to say is that we have shipped everything to Poland including CD's of software I use. One of those CD's was the translation program from English to Polish and today I received a message that our translation program needs to be updated and for that we must insert the CD. We do not have that CD now so we will not be able to use it for translations I use for our blog. So...until we arrive in Poland, there will be no further messages in our Blog in Polish.
Luka emailed mnie dzisiaj, że ona ma umówiony termin z agentem dla wynajmowania apartamentu ona powiedziała nam dookoła. To jest na Kolska ulicy, właśnie dookoła kąta {rogu} z jej domu. Jesteśmy podnieceni o tym ponieważ jeżeli możemy dostarczyć to, to byłoby tak blisko niej. Ona zobaczy agenta w poniedziałek o 9:30 JESTEM i zadam wszystkie pytania, które pytałem jej o tym miejscu. Ona też zrobi obrazy tak możemy "zobaczyć" apartament.
Jedna rzecz, którą chciałem powiedzieć jest, że posłaliśmy wszystkiemu do Polski włączając CD oprogramowania, którego używam. Jedno z tych CD było program tłumaczenia z angielskich do języka polskiego i dzisiaj otrzymałem wiadomość, którą nasze potrzeby programu tłumaczenia by być uaktualniane i dla tamtego musimy wstawić CD. Nie mamy, że CD teraz tak nie będziemy mogli użyć tego dla tłumacze, których używam dla naszego blog. So...until przybywamy do Polski, nie będziemy żadnymi dalszymi wiadomościami w naszym Blog po polsku.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Apartment
Our cousin, Małgosia (Luka), sent us an email today about a house that was bought by a Polish couple who have renovated it into apartments. It is only 2 minutes from her house and we have asked her to look at the apartments and tell us what she thinks about them. It would be nice to be close to family. We are not sure of the size of the apartment because in Poland they do not say it is a two or three bedroom apartment. They say it is a two or three room apartment but that usually means a bathroom, kitchen and two other rooms to be used as you want but we are still not sure so Luka will tell us. It is in an old house so the rooms may be bigger than in the newer apartment buildings. We'll wait for her answer.
Nasz kuzyn, Małgosia (Luka), wysłał nam email dzisiaj o domu, który był kupiony przez polską parę, która odnowiły to do apartamentów. To jest tylko 2 minuty z jej domu i poprosiliśmy, żeby ona popatrzała na apartamenty i powiedzieć nas co ona myśli o nich. To byłoby miłe by być blisko rodziny. Nie jesteśmy pewny wielkości apartamentu ponieważ w Polsce oni nie mówią, że to jest dwa albo trzy apartament sypialni. Oni mówią, że to jest dwa albo trzy apartament pokoju ale, który zwykle znaczy łazienkę, kuchnię i dwa inne pokoje by być używany jak chcesz ale jesteśmy jeszcze nie pewnie tak Luka będzie mówić nam. To jest w starym domu tak pokoje mogą być większe niż w bardziej nowych blokach mieszkalnych. Będziemy czekać na jej odpowiedź.
Nasz kuzyn, Małgosia (Luka), wysłał nam email dzisiaj o domu, który był kupiony przez polską parę, która odnowiły to do apartamentów. To jest tylko 2 minuty z jej domu i poprosiliśmy, żeby ona popatrzała na apartamenty i powiedzieć nas co ona myśli o nich. To byłoby miłe by być blisko rodziny. Nie jesteśmy pewny wielkości apartamentu ponieważ w Polsce oni nie mówią, że to jest dwa albo trzy apartament sypialni. Oni mówią, że to jest dwa albo trzy apartament pokoju ale, który zwykle znaczy łazienkę, kuchnię i dwa inne pokoje by być używany jak chcesz ale jesteśmy jeszcze nie pewnie tak Luka będzie mówić nam. To jest w starym domu tak pokoje mogą być większe niż w bardziej nowych blokach mieszkalnych. Będziemy czekać na jej odpowiedź.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
FBI & IRS
We took our last vacation day off from work and went to the local police department to have our fingerprints taken so we could submit them to the FBI, along with a letter stating why we wanted to have a background check done. The cost for the background check was $18.00 each and it will take 16-18 weeks for them to complete it. We will have the results sent to Joan’s daughter’s address and then she will FEDEX them to us in Poland.
In the afternoon we went to a local Internal Revenue office to find out what form we needed to fill out so we can have a letter from the IRS saying we don’t own any money to the U.S. Government. Poland now requires both letters, along with birth certificate, marriage license and valid passport before you can apply for a temporary residency permit. This will take 45 days and will also be sent to Joan’s daughter. So it seems our application for the permit will be delayed. We thought we could apply as soon as we had and apartment and bank account in Poznan. Because you can only stay in Poland for 90 days without a visa, we will have to leave after 90 days and then return. But I understand we just have to cross the border and then return for another 90 days, by that time we should have our clearances.
Wzięliśmy nasz ostatni dzie wolny wakacji od pracy i poszliśmy do miejscowej komendy policji by kazać nasze odciski palca wzięte tak moglibyśmy przedłożyć ich FBI, wraz z listem podającym dlaczego chcieliśmy kazać drugoplanową kontrolę zrobioną. Koszt dla drugoplanowej kontroli był $18.00 każdy i to zajmie tygodni 16-18 dla nich by uzupełnić to. Będziemy kazać wyniki wysłane do Joan córki adresu i wtedy ona będzie FEDEX ich do nas w Polsce.
Po południu poszliśmy do miejscowego Dochodu Skarbu Pastwa Z Podatków biura by wynajdować jaką formę potrzebny by wypełnić tak możemy mieć list z IRS mówiących, że nie robimy własnych jakichkolwiek pieniędzy do amerykaskiego Rządu. Polska teraz wymaga obu listów, wraz z metryką urodzenia, zezwoleniem na zawarcie małżestwa i ważnym paszportem zanim będziesz mógł zwrócić się o tymczasowe pozwolenie rezydencji. To zajmie 45 dni i też będzie wysłane córce Joan. Tak to wydaje się nasza aplikacja dla pozwolenia będzie opóźniona. Pomyśleliśmy, że moglibyśmy mieć zastosowanie skoro tylko mieliśmy i apartament i konto bankowe w Poznaniu. Ponieważ możesz tylko pozostać w Polsce na 90 dni bez wizy, będziemy musieli wyruszyć po 90 dniach i wtedy wrócić. Ale rozumiem właśnie musimy przekroczyć granicę i wtedy wrócić dla innego 90 dni, do tamtego czasu powinniśmy mieć nasze oczyszczenia.
In the afternoon we went to a local Internal Revenue office to find out what form we needed to fill out so we can have a letter from the IRS saying we don’t own any money to the U.S. Government. Poland now requires both letters, along with birth certificate, marriage license and valid passport before you can apply for a temporary residency permit. This will take 45 days and will also be sent to Joan’s daughter. So it seems our application for the permit will be delayed. We thought we could apply as soon as we had and apartment and bank account in Poznan. Because you can only stay in Poland for 90 days without a visa, we will have to leave after 90 days and then return. But I understand we just have to cross the border and then return for another 90 days, by that time we should have our clearances.
Wzięliśmy nasz ostatni dzie wolny wakacji od pracy i poszliśmy do miejscowej komendy policji by kazać nasze odciski palca wzięte tak moglibyśmy przedłożyć ich FBI, wraz z listem podającym dlaczego chcieliśmy kazać drugoplanową kontrolę zrobioną. Koszt dla drugoplanowej kontroli był $18.00 każdy i to zajmie tygodni 16-18 dla nich by uzupełnić to. Będziemy kazać wyniki wysłane do Joan córki adresu i wtedy ona będzie FEDEX ich do nas w Polsce.
Po południu poszliśmy do miejscowego Dochodu Skarbu Pastwa Z Podatków biura by wynajdować jaką formę potrzebny by wypełnić tak możemy mieć list z IRS mówiących, że nie robimy własnych jakichkolwiek pieniędzy do amerykaskiego Rządu. Polska teraz wymaga obu listów, wraz z metryką urodzenia, zezwoleniem na zawarcie małżestwa i ważnym paszportem zanim będziesz mógł zwrócić się o tymczasowe pozwolenie rezydencji. To zajmie 45 dni i też będzie wysłane córce Joan. Tak to wydaje się nasza aplikacja dla pozwolenia będzie opóźniona. Pomyśleliśmy, że moglibyśmy mieć zastosowanie skoro tylko mieliśmy i apartament i konto bankowe w Poznaniu. Ponieważ możesz tylko pozostać w Polsce na 90 dni bez wizy, będziemy musieli wyruszyć po 90 dniach i wtedy wrócić. Ale rozumiem właśnie musimy przekroczyć granicę i wtedy wrócić dla innego 90 dni, do tamtego czasu powinniśmy mieć nasze oczyszczenia.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Good News/Bad News
Well, the good news is that we did sell our car to a fellow worker who will wait untill the end of july to take posession.
The bad news is that I learned from someone who moved to Poland last year that we will need a clearance of crime from the FBI and a letter from the Internal Revenue Service that we do not owe the U.S. Government any money. It is not good news because it will take 4-5 months for the FBI letter to be given to us. I don't know why it would take so long but that is what I have been told. The problem for us is that you can only stay in Poland for 3 months unless you have a visa along with your passport. We have only a passport so this could be a big problem. We can't apply for our temporary residency permit in Poland until we have the FBI and IRS clearance letters. I spoke to an FBI agent today and he said we need to have our fingerprints taken by the local police, a cover letter that tells why we need this clearance and a $36 money order to cover the cost. Then we mail it into the FBI office in Virginia and wait. I couldn't get a hold of the IRS offices so we will have to go to our local one and find out what we need to do and how long that will take. I thought I had everything taken care of before we mailed everything we had to Poland but evidently I didn't. I'lm feelinlg a little stressed now.
Dobrze, dobra wiadomość jest, że sprzedaliśmy nasz samochód koledze z pracy, który będzie czekać nieaż do koca lipca by wziąć posiadanie.
Zła wiadomość jest, że nauczyłem się od kogoś, który ruszony do Polski w ubiegłym roku, że będziemy potrzebować oczyszczenia zbrodni z FBI i listu od Dochodu Skarbu Pastwa Z Podatków Usługi, że nie jesteśmy winnym amerykaskiemu Rządowi jakichkolwiek pieniędzy. To nie jest dobra wiadomość ponieważ to zajmie miesięcy 4-5 dla listu FBI by być dane do nas. Nie wiem dlaczego to wzięłoby tak długo ale, które jest co byłem powiedziany. Problem dla nas jest, że możesz tylko pozostać w Polsce na 3 miesiące jeżeli nie masz wizy wraz z twoim paszportem. Mamy tylko paszport tak to mogłoby być duży problem. Nie możemy zwrócić się o naszego tymczasowego rezydencji pozwolenia w Polsce aż będziemy mieć FBI i IR listy oczyszczenia. Mówiłem do agenta FBI dzisiaj i on powiedział, że potrzebujemy kazać nasze odciski palca wzięte przez miejscową policję, list towarzyszący, który opowiada dlaczego potrzebujemy tego oczyszczenia i $36 przekazu pieniężnego by pokryć koszt. Wtedy wysyłamy to do biura FBI w Wirginii i czekamy. Nie mógłbym dostać uchwytu biur IR tak będziemy musieli pójść do naszego miejscowego jednego i wynajdować co potrzebujemy czynić i jak długo, którzy wezmą. Pomyślałem, że kazałem wszystko zajęta się zanim wysłaliśmy wszystko, co mieliśmy do Polski ale najwyraźniej nie zrobiłem. Ja′lumen czujący trochę zaakcentowany teraz.
The bad news is that I learned from someone who moved to Poland last year that we will need a clearance of crime from the FBI and a letter from the Internal Revenue Service that we do not owe the U.S. Government any money. It is not good news because it will take 4-5 months for the FBI letter to be given to us. I don't know why it would take so long but that is what I have been told. The problem for us is that you can only stay in Poland for 3 months unless you have a visa along with your passport. We have only a passport so this could be a big problem. We can't apply for our temporary residency permit in Poland until we have the FBI and IRS clearance letters. I spoke to an FBI agent today and he said we need to have our fingerprints taken by the local police, a cover letter that tells why we need this clearance and a $36 money order to cover the cost. Then we mail it into the FBI office in Virginia and wait. I couldn't get a hold of the IRS offices so we will have to go to our local one and find out what we need to do and how long that will take. I thought I had everything taken care of before we mailed everything we had to Poland but evidently I didn't. I'lm feelinlg a little stressed now.
Dobrze, dobra wiadomość jest, że sprzedaliśmy nasz samochód koledze z pracy, który będzie czekać nieaż do koca lipca by wziąć posiadanie.
Zła wiadomość jest, że nauczyłem się od kogoś, który ruszony do Polski w ubiegłym roku, że będziemy potrzebować oczyszczenia zbrodni z FBI i listu od Dochodu Skarbu Pastwa Z Podatków Usługi, że nie jesteśmy winnym amerykaskiemu Rządowi jakichkolwiek pieniędzy. To nie jest dobra wiadomość ponieważ to zajmie miesięcy 4-5 dla listu FBI by być dane do nas. Nie wiem dlaczego to wzięłoby tak długo ale, które jest co byłem powiedziany. Problem dla nas jest, że możesz tylko pozostać w Polsce na 3 miesiące jeżeli nie masz wizy wraz z twoim paszportem. Mamy tylko paszport tak to mogłoby być duży problem. Nie możemy zwrócić się o naszego tymczasowego rezydencji pozwolenia w Polsce aż będziemy mieć FBI i IR listy oczyszczenia. Mówiłem do agenta FBI dzisiaj i on powiedział, że potrzebujemy kazać nasze odciski palca wzięte przez miejscową policję, list towarzyszący, który opowiada dlaczego potrzebujemy tego oczyszczenia i $36 przekazu pieniężnego by pokryć koszt. Wtedy wysyłamy to do biura FBI w Wirginii i czekamy. Nie mógłbym dostać uchwytu biur IR tak będziemy musieli pójść do naszego miejscowego jednego i wynajdować co potrzebujemy czynić i jak długo, którzy wezmą. Pomyślałem, że kazałem wszystko zajęta się zanim wysłaliśmy wszystko, co mieliśmy do Polski ale najwyraźniej nie zrobiłem. Ja′lumen czujący trochę zaakcentowany teraz.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
It's too late, baby!!
I woke up this morning at 6:30AM and went to the local van rental place, U-Haul, to pick up the cargo van we would use to move all 40 of our boxes to Doma shipping. At first when I had put the 4 biggest boxes in the van I thought I had made a mistake with too small a vehicle. Fortunately it turned out I was right and we were able to get ALL 40 boxes into the van. I packed the van and drove to Doma at 10AM. Doma is always busy with people shipping packages to Poland but when we arrived with our large quantity of boxes it slowed the process down for other customers and they had to wait while our packages were weighed, scan codes put on them and Doma shipping tape put on all boxes. This process took two and a half hours so we were done about 12:30PM. It averaged out to about $30 a box, $1,200 in total cost. A little cheaper than I thought it would cost. The clerk said it would take 6 to 8 weeks to get there. I'm hoping it is the 8 week estimate so that we are there when they arrive and already have an apartment. Maybe we can pay the delivery men a little extra to take them directly to our apartment instead of delivering them to Luka's house.
But it's done. We have nothing left to take with us except our clothes. Now there is no turning back.
Budziłem się dzisiaj rano o 6:30AM i poszedł do miejscowego miejsca czynszu wozu , U Ciągnienia, by podnieść wóz ładunku, którego użylibyśmy ruszyć wszystkie 40 z naszych pudełek do Doma morskiego. Najpierw kiedy włożyłem 4 największe pudełka w wozie pomyślałem, że popełniłem błąd ze zbyt małym pojazd. Na szczęście to okazało się, że miałem rację i mogliśmy dostać WSZYSTKIE 40 pudełek do wozu. Zapakowałem wóz i popędziłem do Doma do 10AM. Doma jest zawsze zajęty z ludźmi morskimi paczki do Polski ale kiedy przybywaliśmy z naszą dużą ilością pudełek to zwalniało proces dla innych klientów i oni musieli czekać podczas gdy nasze paczki były ważone, kody klawisza kładą na nich i Doma morskim taśmę kładą na wszystkich pudełkach. Ten proces zajął dwie i pół godziny tak byliśmy zrobieni około 12:30PM. To wyniosło przeciętnie do około $30 pudełko, $1,200 w koszcie łącznym. Trochę taszego niż pomyślałem, że to kosztowałoby. Urzędnik powiedział, że to weźmie 6 do 8 tygodni by dostać się tam. Mam nadzieję, że to jest 8 tygodnia oceny tak, że jesteśmy tam kiedy oni przybywają i już mają apartament. Być może możemy zapłacić ludziom dostawy trochę ekstra by wziąć ich bezpośrednio do naszego apartamentu zamiast dostarczania ich do domu Luka.
Ale to zrobiło. Mamy niczemu nie opuszczać by wziąć z nami z wyjątkiem naszego ubrania. Teraz nie mają żadnych zawracania z drogi.
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