Week: hm.. 33 or 34?

It's been well, 6 months or so since I posted it seems, almost 7.

My intentions for my blog were originally to document new and astounding things, changes or transitions, updates in my emigration, etc. However, I kind of lost interest in that rather quickly, it became a chore and frankly there were very few things noteworthy enough to sustain a blog. So, I think, that after almost 9 months of living here - and 6 months since my last post, I can offer a bit of a greater insight into things..

I want to rant and make extensive use of expletives and reduce my wit into very simple, clear and 'speech-like' structures. However, I'll refrain from doing that or I'll be no better than those I'll post about shortly.

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I'm not sure if it's just me, or it's just this city? But people seem to be extremely rude and confrontation here is quite inevitable if you use any sort of transport other than your own car. In the last two months, i've had two violent encounters:

Firstly on a tram number 1, getting off at Rolna, there were a few chavies on the tram apparently taking delight in me for some reason, laughing, being intimidating etc. A succinct "fuck off" made them more entertained and more aggressive. Getting off the tram, I heard them shout something to me - being only kiddies, around 16-17 I beckoned them off the tram. Apparently they expected me to be afraid, so it wasn't the least bit anticipated when the bravest of them came charging at me aggressively only to get a swift punch to the face, falling back on his arse into the tram and crying like a little bitch - I don't speak Polish very well, but I can only assume his nonsensical gibberish would translate to something similar to: "Mummmmmy, I tried to be a tough guy and got my face smashed, now I have a booboo, please kiss it better".

My second violent encounter occurred today on a bus - #71. Somewhere close to Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny, a ginger chavy ran to get onto the bus pulling away - the driver stopped and let him on, he nodded and shouted 'dziękuję' enthusiastically and he seemed like an OK kind of guy... Now, normally when facing someone, it's inevitable that a little eye contact and some passing glances would be made. But the guy seemed to be a little more direct and was aggressively staring down at me (he was standing, me sitting). I dislike people who try to intimidate through staring, so I stared back. We had a staring match with neither of us breaking eye contact for around 20 seconds. Finally I thought to myself "Let it go... just a ginger chap with an attitude", but he continued to stare constantly, I'd stare back... To take my mind from it, and to help avoid a confrontation I called up my girlfriend to have a talk - but he continued to stare and began to say shit to me while I'm on the phone in an aggressive manner.. I was getting more and more frustrated, and started voicing my opinions on the guy to my girlfriend over the phone... The last straw, was when he reached around the glass to put his hand on the chair next to me, his foot on the step, and lean right into my face to iibberjabber his Polish sentiments to which I could only assume meant something similar to "Got a problem?" etcetc.. I couldn't move because he was blocking me aggressively, so I hung up the phone, stepped up and stared down at him and told him - in English of course - to fuck off.  He said something, which I could vaguely understand, and then I realised - it was English. I said "What?" and he said "You angry at me?" and I said to him, just get out my face, piss off and stop staring at me.. He just continuously tried to provoke me, and I could see that he was one of those people who will intimidate but not back anything up. So I said one more time "Get out of my fucking face." louder and louder I was exchanging expletives to get him to piss off.. He replied "Why would I do that?" - I said "Why? Because if you don't I'm going to break your fucking neck".. he said "OK, do." - so I said "Get off the bus with me here then" and pointed to the doors which were about to open as we stopped.. he said 'ok' and invited me off the bus, to which I got off and beckoned him to come with me.. he smiled, stopped smiling and shook his head so i got back on the bus and said "Thought so..." he said "I don't want to fight.." so I said "Fine, so piss off and leave me the fuck alone" and he said "Ok, sit down".... Few minutes later, and after continuing to exchange intimidating and aggressive smiles and stares, he was getting off the bus - same stop as me, and as he was doing so he said "Take it easy" and walked off in the opposite direction.


I understand that in both situations I could have dealt with it more appropriately that wouldn't have escalated into these situations. But I'm tired of people thinking that they can intimidate, or be aggressive to people, and not suffer any consequences. In both situations, I hope I showed them that they can't do this shit without running the risk of having their faces caved in by someone bigger and stronger than them (and by no means was I bigger stronger than them, but one day they will do this to the wrong person...).

It's not just to foreigners either. My girlfriend often encounters similar situations. A month or so ago, she was coming out of McDonalds with a coffee for me and her while I was waiting at the tram station. She was a little longer than usual, and when she got to me looked a bit shaken so I asked whats up, and she said that some idiot muscley men wouldn't let her get out of the door, so they pushed past her.. and shouted some shit at her, something like "I'll punch you". When I found out I was going to go back and teach them some manners, but you know the ladies... restraint, restraint.

I find that queues in Poland are absurd. There's no sense of respect, or order, or appreciation of the fact that people in front of you were there first and were waiting longer, or that everybody is in a hurry and doesn't want to be waiting. Too many times lately we've been cut-in, and had to speak up our mind only to hear some bullshit excuse. It pisses me off, and I truly hate the rudeness of people in Poland - which is rather surprising because when I first came here, I applauded at how polite and open people seemed compared to those in Brighton... but after almost a year of living here, I can safely say that each day, I see or experience people doing something that in England would get them a fat lip.. and it's only making me angrier and angrier.

Maybe some other people have some experiences they would like to share in the comments?