CHLEB I BUŁKA (bread and bread roll), OR POLISH IDIOMS AND BAKERY PRODUCTS

SHOPPING IN POLISH CLASSES 
Students of Polish very often ask not only how to do the shopping in Polish (check here for more on that), but also what to call some basic foodstuffs. One of the nouns that are taught at the very beginning within this vocabulary range is chleb (bread). Later, during the course you will find out in what idioms this noun is used. Let’s take a closer look at some of them.

LEARNING POLISH. CIĘŻKI KAWAŁEK CHLEBA?! 
When we’re talking about people who go abroad to look for better job opportunities, we say that they wyjeżdżają za chlebem (that is to improve the standard and conditions of their lives). Living far from home and friends, in new environment, must be ciężki kawałek chleba (literally: a tough piece of bread; a hard way to make a living). This idiom may refer not only to the issue of labour migration, but any activity or task that is difficult for you or involves mental or physical effort. One of the advantages of such travel is the possibility to get to know new cultures  and customs, and after some time the traveller can say that he or she z niejednego pieca chleb jadł (literally: has eaten bread from more than one oven; he/she has seen quite a few things), i.e. they have a lot of life experience.
Just as the expression ciężki kawałek chleba this idiom does not only refer to travel experience.  Anyone who has a wealth of experience in any area of life may say z niejednego pieca chleb jadłam/jadłem. And gaining new experience is chleb powszedni for people like that (i.e. nothing unusual, something common, natural).
We can encounter obstacles in every part of our lives (our relationship, work, hobby, project), and then we can comment, discouraged: z tej mąki chleba nie będzie (literally: one can’t make bread with this flour), i.e. it’s a fruitless effort, with no chance of success.

                                                    more vocabulary on our FB profile

POLISH COURSE. BUŁKA Z MASŁEM?
When we are not frightened by the obstacles and believe that we’ll overcome them easily, we say it’s bułka z masłem (literally: a roll with butter; a piece of cake), which means it’s easy, not too complicated. Reading a crime story in Polish may turn out to be bułka z masłem. If the crime story is popular we can imagine it rozszedł się jak świeże bułeczki (sold like hot cakes), i.e. it sold very well. And if the author of the book complains about the loss of privacy as a result of their success, we can state that they chciał(a)by on/ona zjeść ciasto i mieć ciastko (would like to have their cake and eat it, too), which means they want things that can’t possibly go together, they exlude each other.
As you can see, we use the names of foodstuffs to say something more than just describe what we had for breakfast.

POLISH ACCENT AT THE END OF THE WORLD

SCHOOLS ABROAD NAMED AFTER POLISH PEOPLE
More and more frequently we choose to spend our holiday at distant destinations. We are not only driven by the fashion for trips to exotic, isolated islands or unexplored lands, but also by the desire to get to know other cultures, languages and people. As the Polish saying goes podróże kształcą, i.e. travel broadens the mind (and you can enrol on a course of Polish during the holiday )
Distant, unknown countries may surprise us in many ways. It might turn out that while being a few thousand kilometres away we will come across some streets named after Polish people, or monuments erected to commemorate them by the inhabitans of those distant countries, or even species of animals and plants having the names of the Poles who discovered them.

POLISH BOTANIST IN THE CAUCASUS
If you go to Georgia and visit Lagodekhi National Park, right at the entrance you’ll see a plaque commemorating Ludwik Młokosiewicz. He was a Polish botanist known for exploring the fauna and flora of the Caucasus, who found himself in the region of today’s Kakheti. He was the first one to notice that many species inhabiting the area were unique, indigentous to that particular region. He spared no effort and as a result it was decided that those species would be protected and a national park was created. If you tell the museum employees that you come from Poland, they will definitely treat you with great respect and encourage you to visit the local Polish community. While there you should also try to spot the Caucasian grouse (Tetrao mlokosiewiczi) and Caucasian peony (Paeonia mlokosewitschii).

In Lagodekhi National Park there is also a stone commemorating Ludwik Młokosiewicz (check out FB profile for more interesting facts about well-known Polish people)


A CHILEAN CITIZEN SPEAKING POLISH
If one day you are in the streets of a Chilean city, walking and speaking Polish, don’t be surprised when smiling Chileans approach to speak to you. Why? We owe it to Ignacy Domeyko. In almost every city you can find a street, square or school named after him. He was a Polish engineer and geologist, born in the early 19th century. Not only did he discover rich deposits of copper in Chile and teach the people of Chile how to benefit from that, but also reformed the local education system. Moreover, Domeyko started the struggle against illiteracy and thanks to him the University of Santiago became one of the leading universities in the country. Ignacy was granted Chilean citizenship for his contribution. He lived there until he died, but he never forgot his mother tongue.


HEADING FOR THE MOUNTAINS
While staying in Peru you’ll find out that a Pole, Enrest Malinowski, is one of their national heroes. He was the one who brought sailors…to work in the mountains. Sounds ridiculous? Only at first. He was an engineer who designed Ferrocarril Central del Perú (one of the Trans-Andean Railways) and oversaw the construction process. The railway linked the two parts of Peru that had been separated before. The sailors could climb ropes easily, which was an invaluable skill under the circumstances, since the tracks were put high in the mountains. Malinowski personally helped the workmen, he worked with them all the time and endured the same hardships as they did, despite the fact that he had a fancy apartment in the capital city and could have stayed there.
Thanks to him, the highest railway in the world was built (the highest bridge is as high as 80m!), and it’s used to transport goods and raw materials.

As you can see, even very far from Poland, a Pole does not necessarily need to feel like a foreigner at all:)