1. Lack of smile. We don't smile and we are surprised when someone smiles at us on the street. We think, that: a. he or she laughs with us, for example, we made ourselves dirty b. he or she confused us with a friend, c. he or she wants us to pick up. Poles rarely smile to strangers on the street for no reason. We are well known with complaining, and you can't simultaneously complain and  smile, right? ;)

2. Impatience when standing in the queue for anything. One of my students, an Englishman, drew the attention to the fact that the Poles rarely stand quietly in the queue. Most often they kick their heels, complaining that they have to wait too long, eagerly looking at the clock and standing too close to a person standing just before them. Maybe there is something in this?

3. Giving place to elderly people on buses and trams. We very often do it because we were raised in this way and we are just cultural. More likely, however, we will give the place to the person who does not expect it, than someone who is above us and is staring at us. We do not like when a stranger believes that something  appertain to him from us.

4. Being a superstitious – we do not put the bag on the floor, because the money will flee and we take a wedding usually in the month of the letter "r". At the sight of a chimney sweep we catch a button (to be lucky). These are just some of the superstitions, because there are a lot more. However, I think that we are becoming less superstitious, and the younger generation do not know most of the superstitions that their parents and grandparents knew.

5. Saying "thank you" when coming into the elevator. I leave it without a comment, because I do not understand itself ;)

And what made you surprised when you arrived in Poland?

 



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