Miscellaneous Questions about all things Polish

*Note: I am in no way making fun of the Polish, but their culture/mentality is definately different than mine*

I've been in Poland for a little over 9 months...and some things just defy my American "logic" & I can't wrap my brain around them...some of the questions I have yet to have answered are:

Why can't I get a cold soda in winter? The Polish believe you will get a sore throat by drinking cold drinks in winter (warm weather it's ok apparently). Even if you see a bottled soda in one of those "refridgerated" cases, don't be fooled! They are unplugged in winter & for appearances only.

Why can't they walk on the right side of the sidewalk? Here, there is no order. Left, right, middle, it doesn't matter. It's like playing a living game of "Frogger." One time a fellow American got fed up & decided to walk straight to see if the Polish would move. They don't. He got run into by a man. Just remember - bob & weave, bob & weave.

What in tarnation is "wolf butt?" They are very serious about this & you will get yelled at for sitting on cement (like steps) in winter. Just don't do it - the old ladies will ream you out. 'nuff said.

When reconstructing a street, why do they dig up the whole street (& sidewalk!!) at the same time? There is always a large stretch of torn-up street & sidewalk which are very very very very large piles of dirt dunes. And if it rains, you know what that means! Plus, they just do construction w/their backhoes & other types of construction-y equipment and expect pedestrians to get out of the way. No yellow caution tapes here! Whatever happened to "dig up a little, pave a little, dig up a little, pave a little." Although, it is positively amazing how they lay those cobblestone roads by hand....

Who invented Wet Monday & WHY???? Ok so Wet Monday is the day after Easter. Basically, any male can pour water on any female. Doesn't matter if you know them or not. I mean, serious? (Yes, I stayed in my flat all day & hid).

How is their ice cream so much better than ours? It's like cold sparkly happiness twisted up in a cone. I have no idea what they put in it but it is SO MUCH BETTER!

Why is time "suggested" here? If your meeting is at 9am, they mean 9amish...like get there at 9:15, get some snacks ready, pour yourself some tea, have a chat for 40 min & then get started. I think it took me a good 6 months before I stopped tapping my pen on the table in annoyance. Too many corporate business meetings I guess :/

Which is it: one, two, or three cheek kisses? It's like Russian Roulette with lips (only slightly less deadly). I'm ok with the cheek kiss thing - just pick a number & stick with it like the French. Normally, I just stand still in paranoia & hope for the best (aka least awkward).

Just because it's Tuesday, why does the grammatical case have to change for adjectives? Maybe I'm exaggerating but only slightly! How can one possible learn so many cases, with so many tenses, and use them all in coversational Polish?

Super cool things about Poland:
*The Open Markets...veggies, meat, clothes....all in different stalls outside. Just plain cool.
*Selection of sausages...I don't know what part of what animal they are all from, but they are tasty
*Buildings, buildings, buildings. So much character!! So much history & beauty :)
*The language. Ok, it sounds pretty. Scrap that learning it thing - I don't have 20 years :P
*Cafes!! Well, not so much in Radom. But in the larger cities they have those amazing outdoor cafes!
*People. They are quirky & have so many layers...the younger generation is leaps & bounds apart from the older generation who remember communist days better. Getting an older person to crack a smile is so worth it! They are very closed off & "gray"-like. I can't explain it - they just are.
*Listening to our church sing (in Polish). Just beautiful. One church, many locations ;)
*Mountain cheese! Need I say more? Just yummy.