Interview with three friends in Lodz

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And it is time to put aside a few articles for the saga of "it's time to know something about Poland", because there comes a time when so much history, economy, politics, etc. tires; and of course you have to give the public everything, so I have not been able to think of anything else other than interviewing three of my companions of adventure here in the city of Łódź in this Erasmus 2012/13. We will do so with questions that we all asked before coming to the city or others that have woken our curiosity (hehe, it intrigues me to say this... as right now I do not even know if there are any questions, but anyway), so those who rethink whether to come or not can learn and then make their respective doubts clear. The three partners are Edu, Marti and Alba, and I will ask them the same questions, which each of them will have to answer in turn.

1st - Summarise the city of Łódź in one word:

• Edu: grey
• Marti: sad
• Alba: ruins

Conclusion of the first question: the response has been pretty bad with respect to the city, but don't worry, when you come you will like it a lot more, that is certain. It is good to have some low expectations when arriving to a good place, so that they present it as such, it is not good for you to catch it (wing, rhetoric philosophy, to see who convinces you).

2nd - Which two things have surprised you about the city?

Edu: "the lack of humanity that the Polish have has surprised me. On the other hand, the alcoholism and the number of shops throughout the city. Edu explains to us that this is in the sense that if there are numerous stores selling alcohol, it will be because of the high consumption of it by the people that maintain the consumption at a high level".

It is good to mention that Poland is number 23 out of countries whose inhabitants consume the most alcohol per person, far from the first which are Moldova and Russia.

Marti: "the thing that has caught my attention is that there are hardly any children on the streets. What is the problem? Maybe they lack parks, maybe there are reproductive problems or maybe there are not dogs". (by the way if you get sucked in as much as I do when you read about dogs, its normal).

Alba: "it surprised me that people don't smile in the streets, they are all so... I don't know... they all wear black; the times when I see someone in a red jumper I say "I am certain that they are Erasmus". It is like a city after a zombie apocalypse, like in a movie".

Edu also added that there are numerous people with problems of mobility in their legs, the majority of them are young, which surprised her, logically.

Conclusion: they miss all that transmits life; smiles, colour, mobility etc.

3rd - So... anything positive?

Edu: well... we have to be honest? Well...it is well connected with other cities and also with other parts of the city. Transport is cheap.

Marti: well, the alcohol and food is cheap.

Alba: mmmm something positive is that there are places that are very good... I don't know... damn... the city has "laser tag" for example. It has Manufaktura and it has quite a lot of things to do... the food is also good (she is behaving whilst talking about the city, although the beautiful things about it do not come naturally to her). Also, all of the stores are close to each other and the night bus is a good invention, although it only runs once an hour.

4th - What is the student atmosphere like?

Edu: great, because I think that is the word that best defines it. It is defined by the Erasmus group in a load of different groups that divide itself into ghettos, but in the end they all come together in a small place. The Spanish ghetto is the biggest and even within it, also we see that there are other groups formed by Spanish of course. In short, it is positive.

Marti: there are lots of good parties that are mainly organised by ESN. Like the bus party we went to or the very much awaited "international speed dating", which could have been one of the best days of Erasmus.

Alba: I think that there are too many Spaniards. I would like there to have been less and more variety of other nationalities. We are all Spanish or Turkish or Italian or French. I would have liked to practice English more with the formation of groups of nationalities that aren't just Spanish, as this means that you don't end up talking much English. Apart from the Erasmus atmosphere, there is also the very good figure of the mentors (it is good to mention that none of the three interviewees have had much luck, they have totally passed us). Well, they give you fairly good facilities if you are Erasmus, together with the discount card, etc.

5th - Is it true that it is really cold there?

Edu: yes it is a little cold, but it is more than bearable, it is nothing that any Spanish who isn't from Andalusia can't handle (he is from Gallicia). Antonio is an exception, with clear problems with his nervous and circulatory system.

Marti: less than what I had hoped. It is cold but if you wrap up you can go out in the street just fine.

Alba: I bought three thermal shirts and I have not worn them yet. I am already going to Spain, so the answer is a convincing no. Maybe it will be colder then and it will ruin everything but for now, no, and we are already in December.

6th - what about partying in Łódź?

Edu: mmmmm (spends some time thinking), there is a lot of it but it is quite centred on a certain type of both music and fun. There is not a great variety in the night venues (specifically the clubs). However, within the bars and pubs there is quite a lot of different places.

Marti: it is one of the best things that the city has without a doubt. There are quite a few clubs and bars where you can go. It is good, but the only thing is that they are far from the Lumumby (residential areas) and this is what throws you back and of course if you go out and there is only one night bus in the city that takes you to Lumumby then you can only go to the three "K's"; "Casino", "Cocomo" and "kebab" (although he makes it clear at all times that he jokes about the three "k's", he does not have problems with the game, nor with the erotic shows; By the way, the interviewee tells us that there are offers every Friday in Cocomo; nor with the kebabs).

Alba: mmm I think that the bars are very good but when ever it's time to go the bar and to go to a nightclub or something, I can't find my "drive"; it is all very commercial music and there are not any other places of other styles, which are the ones I would go to. However, it is good if you drinks vodka shots, they are not so bad. Alba also added that if you are a woman and you are in Poland, the Polish invite you to drink everything, even a bottle of champagne sometimes.

Conclusion: if you buy a bottle of vodka for 5 zloty's and you end up blind, you have good things on either side.

7th - many people ask this... what is flirting like there?

Edu: the Poles have misinterpreted the Christian influence, they like to start things that they don't finish (known as polakinha). They have a strange and eradicating form of communicating with the opposite sex, which provokes strange and sexually ambiguous situations (surely, many girls who read Edu's response will think he seem's like a very interesting and sexy guy, so if there is anyone interested in him, don't hesitate to leave a comment under the article).

Marti: what I want to say has already been mentioned by my friends (although Alba is in the third position, she was the first to speak). It completely coincides with what my friends had said.

Alba: well the "cheerleader effect" happens (made in Barney Stinson) to women. When you see them all together, then you say, they are not bad, but then as the variable time and distance pass to shorter positions, the variable score decreases considerably. If the Poles hear you speaking in Spanish they go up to you without any hesitation. They come to speak to you and to flirt but then the probability of a "polakinha" is very high (pure mathematics = game over).

Also, the "cheerleader effect" happens to men too and it goes without saying that they are a little crazy, a lot of back and very little brain (we should mention that she has a boyfriend and so I suppose is not interested anyway).

and here we open the "free question"section for everyone one of the interviewees.

8th - by Marti: Is it easy to pass?

Edu: Quickly responds to Martin, that "you have not done any exams yet kid. " In spite of the fact that he says yes, even though he did not do any exams either. I have five subjects this semester and only one exam.

Marti: Yes, but I have to go to classes because it is compulsory and do a lot of work. It is clear that each subject and career is different.

Alba: Pass exams sure, but pass list and you have to go to class. Of course you have to do a lot of work and expositions in a language that is not yours, so you have to at least look at it.

9th- By Alba: Is it advisable to live in a residence or an apartment?

Edu: you can not choose either the family nor the companions of your residence (I really want my family, I love it), so if you are lucky, whatever your well chosen decision will be (and the uncle remains so proud after saying all that).

Marti: the truth is that I stayed in the residence. A lot of atmosphere, lots of partying, lots of Polish and above all it is the cheapest option. There is nothing to think about; residence.

Alba: I would choose residence again, because that is where all the people are, the parties start here, they are close to the university and the Lumumby field is very good, because there is a bit of everything (compared with what there is in Łódź); three bars, a restaurant, a pizzeria, a supermarket and two ATMs (with a good exchange from euro to zloty). In the residence there is more of a social life than in a flat, but also, well, there are things that are not very comfortable in the residence. For example, the beds are not very good and catching a turn in the washing machine is like catching Spiderman in a clearing (David arrives by the door) and of course if you get good resi companions then great but sharing a room is sometimes a bit intense.

10th- Would you choose Łódź again?

Edu: No, but I would stay with four people.

Marti: Yes, because I would like to do Erasmus abroad wherever it is that I go.

Alba: yes, although I did not choose it, and it was more of a, let's say, secondary option and if I had to choose between that or not go, I would go back.

Well, the first interview is finished here, and I hope it is not the last and only to thank those involved and I hope it will help people decide whether to come to the city from Erasmus or not.

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