4 ms·

The bit about getting a work permit is a little weird. At that time average monthly salary was ~$5. His Dutch parents could literally just send him lunch money,

by rasz_pl 11y ago

The bit about getting a work permit is a little weird. At that time average monthly salary was ~$5. His Dutch parents could literally just send him lunch money, and it would be enough to for an upper class lifestyle at the time. Flower/grape/whatever picking for a month in the west was enough to finance rest of the year. It was as bad as in Greece right now, everything worth something got sold to multinationals for pennies on the dollar. All the famous polish brands absorbed into mcdonalds/cocacolas/pepsis of the world.

V-2 11y ago
Of course you're right, but then again I believe it was obligatory by law to be employed somewhere. Those who weren't used to be considered "social parasites" (official terminology, see eg. http://www.zielona-gora.po.gov.pl/index.php?id=36&ida=3790 http://www.zielona-gora.po.gov.pl/index.php?id=36&ida=3790) Now, whether or how this law was actually enforced is another matter, but at the very least not having a "normal" source of income was frowned upon, so I imagine already standing out as a foreigner you might prefer to keep a straight record.
jacquesm 11y ago
> The bit about getting a work permit is a little weird. At that time average monthly salary was ~$5. His Dutch parents could literally just send him lunch money, and it would be enough to for an upper class lifestyle at the time. I've never depended on anybody for my living expenses after I turned 17 and to ask my parents for money simply never even occurred to me. Also, once you were legally employed you could drop the exchange requirement (which in terms of western money was substantial, you are looking at the $5 as the black market exchange rate, unfortunately for westerners living in Poland the exchange rate was substantially worse which meant that doing this legally would cost many 100's of $ per month). > Flower/grape/whatever picking for a month in the west was enough to finance rest of the year. Yes, because the money brought in from the west was exchange piecemeal on the black market. > It was as bad as in Greece right now, everything worth something got sold to multinationals for pennies on the dollar. The rape of Poland by the Western countries was - and is - an absolutely horrific crime. Not that anybody will ever by punished for it but it is incredibly bitter that the first contact between Eastern and Western economies led to yet another round of those people being taken advantage of. The damage from this lasts to this day. If that story interests you research 'polinvest' and several other nasty schemes that were pulled off just after the change. > All the famous polish brands absorbed into mcdonalds/cocacolas/pepsis of the world. And the Philipses, Volkswagens and Siemenses...
- S4M 11y ago
  What made me curious in this story is the fact that you and your wife decided to move to Poland. I thought life in Netherlands would be much better. You must have had a strong reason to want to live in Poland.
  - jacquesm 11y ago
    G. did not like living in NL all that much so we decided to move to Poland. I sold my company, packed all our stuff into/onto an old trailer that we bought, hooked it up to the car and drove to Poznan.
    - nextos 11y ago
      My girlfriend is Polish and, to my own surprise, I don't think I dislike Poland that much right now. Why are you in Romania?
      - jacquesm 11y ago
        I was in Romania, now back in NL. I was there for a job.
ajuc 11y ago
He would have to change on the black market, though, a little risky if you don't know Polish. The official rate was much worse. But yeah, the rate was absurd, especially when the inflation kicked in in late 80s. My father worked for a few months as a farmer in Austria, and paid back 30-years mortgage for that money.

by rasz_pl 11y ago

V-2 11y ago

Of course you're right, but then again I believe it was obligatory by law to be employed somewhere. Those who weren't used to be considered "social parasites" (official terminology, see eg. http://www.zielona-gora.po.gov.pl/index.php?id=36&ida=3790 http://www.zielona-gora.po.gov.pl/index.php?id=36&ida=3790) Now, whether or how this law was actually enforced is another matter, but at the very least not having a "normal" source of income was frowned upon, so I imagine already standing out as a foreigner you might prefer to keep a straight record.

jacquesm 11y ago

> The bit about getting a work permit is a little weird. At that time average monthly salary was ~$5. His Dutch parents could literally just send him lunch money, and it would be enough to for an upper class lifestyle at the time. I've never depended on anybody for my living expenses after I turned 17 and to ask my parents for money simply never even occurred to me. Also, once you were legally employed you could drop the exchange requirement (which in terms of western money was substantial, you are looking at the $5 as the black market exchange rate, unfortunately for westerners living in Poland the exchange rate was substantially worse which meant that doing this legally would cost many 100's of $ per month). > Flower/grape/whatever picking for a month in the west was enough to finance rest of the year. Yes, because the money brought in from the west was exchange piecemeal on the black market. > It was as bad as in Greece right now, everything worth something got sold to multinationals for pennies on the dollar. The rape of Poland by the Western countries was - and is - an absolutely horrific crime. Not that anybody will ever by punished for it but it is incredibly bitter that the first contact between Eastern and Western economies led to yet another round of those people being taken advantage of. The damage from this lasts to this day. If that story interests you research 'polinvest' and several other nasty schemes that were pulled off just after the change. > All the famous polish brands absorbed into mcdonalds/cocacolas/pepsis of the world. And the Philipses, Volkswagens and Siemenses...

S4M 11y ago
What made me curious in this story is the fact that you and your wife decided to move to Poland. I thought life in Netherlands would be much better. You must have had a strong reason to want to live in Poland.
- jacquesm 11y ago
  G. did not like living in NL all that much so we decided to move to Poland. I sold my company, packed all our stuff into/onto an old trailer that we bought, hooked it up to the car and drove to Poznan.
  - nextos 11y ago
    My girlfriend is Polish and, to my own surprise, I don't think I dislike Poland that much right now. Why are you in Romania?
    - jacquesm 11y ago
      I was in Romania, now back in NL. I was there for a job.

ajuc 11y ago

He would have to change on the black market, though, a little risky if you don't know Polish. The official rate was much worse. But yeah, the rate was absurd, especially when the inflation kicked in in late 80s. My father worked for a few months as a farmer in Austria, and paid back 30-years mortgage for that money.