the POLSKI blog

12 Feb, 2009

Fact or myth? Poles share papers and magazines on trains

Posted by: Michał In: fact or myth?

Polish train compartment‘So what?’, I hear you say. After all, all Londoners share free evening papers all the time.

Yes, but they are free. You wouldn’t share your Economist or Marie Claire with the same carelessness and ease, would you?

Polish InterCity and EuroCity trains still often have compartments – with six seats in the first class and eight in second. That means spending two, three or six hours cooped up in a relatively confined space with a few total strangers.

In such circumstances it is not uncommon for people to have a few magazines and newspapers with them (unless they’re on their laptops, of course). Then you also have those who don’t have any or have finished reading whatever they had with them.

They will ask to borrow yours. Don’t be surprised. Don’t be defensive. Its normal. Annoying at times, yes, but relatively common and accepted.

More from Fact or myth?

Image © CorinthianGulf via Flickr used under CC licence

3 Responses to "Fact or myth? Poles share papers and magazines on trains"

1 | MariaNo Gravatar

February 12th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

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Why do you think it is annoying at times? I don’t find it annoying, I actually think it’s great. Yet another proof of Polish generosity in everyday life.

2 | MichałNo Gravatar

February 12th, 2009 at 1:40 pm

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Yes, it’s great, but sometimes I’ll just browse through one magazine or paper to see what’s in it and then through another one to determine which one I want to read first. If someone borrows one before you’ve made up your mind, it can be annoying.

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The POLSKI blog is written by Michał, a Polish journalist, writer, one-time language teacher and linguist, living and working in London.

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