Culture (?) Shock

A few weeks ago Linka, the Cracow-based reporter of globspot.hu started the following topic in the 'Cracovian Hungarians' group on Facebook: 'I would like to write my next article about culture shock, to which I would like to collect your ideas. What came as the biggest surprise when you moved to Cracow?' Scores of people commented on the post, new observations were arriving for days about the strange or unpleasant customs of the Poles – as if the accumulated impressions had suddenly started flowing from everyone.

A couple of days ago Linka's article was published on the internet: http://globspot.hu/muvelodj/kultursokk-a-lengyelek-furcsasagairol/ with the scientific background of cultural sock, the explanation of some typically Polish phenomena and, of course, a few samples from the data collection on Facebook. ('S.' means me.) On this occasion I decided to gather my own shocking experiences too. (This one will be a post of quite negative mood, but I promise that the next one will be about flowers and little lambs.)

According to the system mentioned in the article, I'm somewhere between the second and the third phase of integration: the 'pink fog' has already dissolved, I sometimes feel homesick, I search for the company of other Hungarians (and, of course, keep in contact with the ones at home), but I've accepted most customs and even if I'm not fond of them, at least I understand them.

But let's enumerate (following the logic of the comments in the article) what you'll have to put up with if you decide to live in Poland:

The coffee:

I'm not saying it's impossible to buy a good coffee in Cracow, but you have to know where to look for it. Luckily I'm rather a tea-drinker and that I can make myself. But the ground coffee mixed with hot water like Nescafé is an existing phenomenon, for example my roommate sometimes makes such a drink for herself.

The Polish cuisine has other peculiarities too, and they're not all negative, I'll write about that some other time.

Films:

Luckily I'm not forced to watch Polish television, but I've seen it and I've made sure it's true: here, the standard is not dubbing but voice over. This means that the original sound is playing very quietly and a 'lektor' is reading the translated text monotonously over it. To the Hungarians, who mainly grew up listening to the much criticized but usually first-rate Hungarian dubbing, this phenomenon is simply inexplicable.

The traffic morals:

So far, every relative or friend visiting Cracow has made a remark about the driving style and traffic organisation of the Poles. This is not a coincidence. Polish drivers are quick, daring and they don't really take the other members of the traffic into consideration. They don't often use their indicators and their speed doesn't imply their intentions either. For example they don't slow down when they approach a pedestrian crossing so that the person on the edge of the road could see they want to let them cross the street. First I thought this means that they actually don't want to – but usually when they got close enough they would suddenly slow down and look reproachfully at me over the steering wheel because I held them up. However, from their speed alone I couldn't conclude they would let me go. By now I have been trained: unless a car is too close, I step off the pavement and pray quietly until I reach the other side.

The organisation of the traffic doesn't very much assist the commuters either. For example it seems absurd to me that cars turning right have can do so even when their traffic light is red – while the pedestrians crossing the street have green.

This means that if a car in the middle lane has stopped a bit more forward and it's blocks the view of an arriving pedestrian and the driver turning right concentrates rather on the edge of the pavement… I have been scared stiff a few times like this.

My other favourite Cracovian feature is the dark traffic lights.

There are several busy traffic intersections in Cracow, where there's a perfectly constructed system of traffic lights for cars, pedestrians, trams… only it doesn't work. The electricity bill of the traffic departement was probably too high. Therefore everyone is getting around as they can. (But I must admit it feels magnificent when the number 24 tram gives you way at the pedestrian crossing.)

Speaking of trams: the majority of tram stops in Cracow hasn't got a traffic island. The train stopping in the middle of the street simply lets off the passengers onto the right lane (and at this point all the low-floor vehicles are of no use any more).

Theoretically, cars cannot stand on the area of a tram stop being used but it often occurs that the tram arrives after the traffic lights had changed for red and a queue of cars had accumulated. If the passengers are unlucky, a large van will be standing in front of the doors reserved for prams. Or a bus, as several tram stops function as bus stops too.

Of course I'm aware that the stops haven't been constructed this way out of pure malevolence. The streets of Cracow (especially in the inner city) are so narrow that they cannot provide place for traffic islands. Even without them the cars often need to drive partly or entirely on the tram rails – on such occasions a separate sign warns of the danger of accidents.

„wypadki”: „accidents”

Proxemics:

The Poles apparently have got a much narrower intimate zone than the Hungarians. I don't only conclude that from the size of my room at the hall of residence (to which my family's reaction was 'well… it seemed bigger on Hangout...' then my father added that after this I wouldn't have any problems moving into the International Space Station). In my opinion the most telltale sign is that the oncoming pedestrians on the pavement don't seem to be bothered if we touch walking past each other. But I am bothered. However, if I want to avoid it, I'm forced to move far aside or even step onto the grass. Leaflet distributors tend to bump into me as well if I don't pay attention.

At first I didn't even notice this habit but lately it has been annoying me more and more.

And now let's have a look at some things not mentioned in the article:

Pigeons:

I cannot understand how we forgot about this. There are too many pigeons in Cracow. When I arrived I considered myself a friend of animals, but after less than a week I had to realise that either I am not or pigeons are not animals. There are simply too many of them.

And on top of that – probably because of the great competition – they're extremely bold. The pigeons of Budapest usually wait politely until I finish eating and only start fighting over the crumbles after I have left. The Cracovian pigeons are already toddling under my chair before I could start eating my sandwich.

The inhabitants of the city try to defend themselves as they can. Most windowsills are equipped with long metal spines, balconies are usually shielded with a net.

The benches and paths in the parks are washed regularly but of course the next day they are as dirty as if nothing had happened to them – the source of the problem should be dealt with, not the symptoms. I don't really understand, why the pigeon population hasn't been thinned (or if it has been a, why the attempt remained unsuccesful), I only have a theory: the birds are probably spared because of the jackdaws.

Namely, the jackdaws of Cracow (or, to be precise, of the Wawel castle) are like the ravens of the Tower: according to popular belief if they disappeared, the country would soon be gone too.

The phone:

This is a rather personal problem, I don't think it affects a lot of people. When I moved here we bought a cheap, prepaid SIM card so that I would have a Polish number I can give at a bank, for example. But the service provider seems to be running out of numbers because I have obviously got somone else's – I guess after he had neglected it for a certain time. But before abandoning it he must have given it out in several places because a certain Mr Piotr is called on my number a few times every month. I always admit that I am not the above named person, what's more, I don't even know him, so no, I cannot take the parcel for him, I cannot pass a message to him and I cannot give his new number.

Beside this there are messages as well. I don't know if it's the service provider who gives out the numbers of its customers or Mr Piotr wasn't careful enough (the latter is more probable, though) but the fact is that I regularly get a variety of offers via text. These can be divided roughly into two main categories: some of them recommend quick, low-interest cash loans without questioning, while others promise that if I send a premium rate SMS to a certain number, I can satisfy my curiosity about the night activities of female students ('PICTURES!'). Bearing these in mind, I don't really know what to think of Mr Piotr.

Graffiti:

It is interesting that this topic didn't appear in the group either, although I think it is a significant issue. But it's possible than only I am shocked by it because when I first visited Cracow we hardly left the beautifully renovated and regularly cleaned inner city. However, when I moved here, I had to realise that Cracow doesn't only consist of romantic cobblestone-covered streets and historic buildings with wrought iron window grilles.

And there is a lot of graffiti in the areas less often visited by tourists.

Of course I must add that the high-standard street art is also blooming (but I'll write about that some other time,) unless it's spoiled by someone else.

I must also mention a special division of Cracovian graffiti but I have to start it from a bit further. The city has got two important football teams (alongside a few less important): the Wisła ('Vistula') and the Cracovia (which is sometimes called 'Pasy' which means 'Stripes').

 

Compared to the rivalry of these two, the teams of Fradi and Újpest in Budapest are novices. At least I concluded this from the fact that you can tell that one of the teams is playing that evening when you meet police vans with special windscreen grids several times during the day, as they are doing nothing special just… circling.

What makes the situation even worse is that the stadiums of the teams are situated very close to each other, only separated by a a stripe of the Błonia Krakowskie ('Cracovian Fields').

source: Google Maps

In addition to that, they're not far from my residence either: the Wisła stadium has often gleamed through my lonely nights…

I have an impression that I live in Wisła territory. At least there are some small hints.

August Emil Fieldorf was a national hero of the resistance in the 20th century but I couldn't figure out what his connection to Wisła he had.

Therefore when I was in the Kazimierz district, I almost felt as if I had been in enemy territory:

But there's a point when my sense of humour runs out: as the historical Jewish district belongs to the territory of Cracovia, antisemitism is not rare among the Wisła fans.

I guess this is one of the reasons of the police vigilance during football matches. Luckily, not only the police try to prevent this: a project called 'Zmaluj to!' ('Paint it!') has been started recently, which encourages the inhabitants of the city to paint over this kind of graffiti.

I think, with this (relatively) positive remark I will end my complaints. I hope I haven't discouraged anyone from visiting Cracow… This city has got a lot of pleasant surprises alongside the few unpleasant ones. But I'll write about that some other time.