In this paper I am going t concentrate on clear similarities and apparent contrasts between the USA and Poland- one of the countries from central Europe. These countries have different climates, area, history, culture and politics. However, one may find their natural environment similar- in both countries there are mountains, lakes, seas and forests.
When you think about the two countries- Poland and the USA- you may find them completely different at the first glance. However, there are numerous differences as well as similarities between them.
Poland is quite a small country. Its size is similar to Texas- one of the States in the USA. Poland is situated in central Europe and it borders on the Baltic Sea and the Russian Kaliningrad Region in the north, Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus in the East, Slovakia and the Czech Republic in the south, Germany on the west. The United States of America is located in the other hemisphere. It has only two neighboring countries- Canada in the north and Mexico in the south. In the west there is the Pacific Ocean and in the East- Atlantic Ocean. The distance between Poland and the USA is made not only by the Atlantic Ocean. The countries are separated by many other features.
Let us take a look at the similarities at the beginning. The United States of America as well as Poland is a democratic country. The governments of these countries are supposed to respect the rights of the individual. Both countries have their constitutions, the book of laws of highest importance. The constitutions make the government the most important group of people protecting the liberty and providing limitations to what people do. The constitution of the USA was first written and established in 1879. The government there is democratic, which means that people elect it for themselves. Every person, who is over 18 years old, has a right to vote. There are state governments and the federal government. There is a legislative, a judicial and an executive branch. The most important person in the country is president. He is at the same time the leader of one of the political parties. In the USA there are two great political parties- the Republican and the Democratic party.
In Poland there is also a constitutional act. Nowadays, the country is governed under the act established in 1997, but the First Polish Constitution was established already in 1793. Polish people also get a right to vote when they are 18 years old. People to the government are also elected in democratic elections. In Poland, however, there are no state governments and the power is owned by the federal government. There are two chamber of the parliament. The lower house is Sejm- consisting on 460 people and the upper one is Senate- consisting on 100 people. Every four years the members of both houses are elected by people. As well as in the USA, in Poland the president of the country is elected in democratic election. However, in Poland people elect president once every fife years, and in the USA- every four years. Polish president has the right to nominate one of the members of the parliament as the prime minister. Moreover, the president is supposed to accept the cabinet of prime minister. Nowadays in Poland the most powerful parties are 'Law and Justice', 'Civil Platform', 'Self-Defense Party' and the 'League of Polish Families'.
In the USA there lives a growing number of people. The population of this country is highly diverse. There are ethnic groups from the whole world there. The most numerous ethnic groups living in the USA are- African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics, Asian and some other. Most Americans have mixes ancestries. In the USA the official language is English, but in some states there are two official languages- English and Spanish. The major religions on the country are Roman Catholic and Protestant. Moreover, there are many Buddhists, Hindus and Jews.
Poland is much different from the USA in this aspect. There is no real ethnical diversity. Polish people are in 99% Caucasians. There are also not so many strong religious groups. More then ninety per cent of Poles declare being Roman Catholics. Among the rest, there are Greek Catholics and Protestants.
In both countries children are obligated to attend schools up to certain age. In the USA there are public primary schools and secondary schools. If someone wants to attend colleges or universities, he or she has to pay for it. In Poland the government pays for all schools- there are public primary, secondary and high schools, as well as colleges and universities. Of course there are private schools in Poland, but every citizen has an opportunity to educate for free from pre-kindergarten up to the university.
There are many similarities and differences considering the lifestyle of people in the United States of America and in Poland. In Poland there are certainly less people- the streets in the cities are not so crowded as in the USA. In the USA everything is bigger. People have bigger houses, they drive bigger cars, there are wider and longer roads, greater cities. In Poland the streets are narrower, there are fewer factories, smaller buildings, older cities. One can even notice that people in America seem to be bigger (or simply fatter) than people in Poland.
In American cities people want to live in the very centers. They prefer small apartments on the main streets than bigger flats or houses far from the center. When you want to eat a fruit, you have to drive to the nearest market. in Poland there are still many people, who have fruits and vegetables in their gardens. People in Poland eat fresh food- they have fresh eggs, meat, bread. The Americans buy their food in supermarkets, they buy mostly frozen dishes and hardly ever eat really fresh food.
People in Poland are not as busy as people in America. They do not work as much as the Americans. They have no motivation to work any harder, as they would not be paid more anyway. Polish people have less money, but they also have more time to relax.
In America there exists an imperative to work harder and harder and to keep on looking for a better paid job. There are many people, who spend up to 18 hours a day at work. They have no time for social or private life. They have fewer friends and pay no attention to their neighbors. In Poland people usually know their neighbors, they also make friends and meet them regularly.
Polish government is the owner of most natural resources and most areas all around the country. People are free to drive to almost any forest an make a picnic next to some lake. In the USA, private people own most territories and that is why hardly ever you can freely make a picnic somewhere by the lake or in the forest.
People in America seem to be not so limited and self-restricting as Polish people. The Americans are self-confident, creative and free. Polish people are strictly influenced by the canons of Catholic religion, which makes them shy, quiet and have law self-esteem.
In America there are less unemployed and really poor people. Of course, there are some, but in reality, people, who want to work hard and are quite intelligent have a chance to achieve success. The living conditions in the USA are much better than in Poland. If you get a job in America and you work hard, you can afford a car, nice holidays and you do not have to worry about your future. In Poland the salaries hardly ever let you live on such level and you can never be sure, what your future will be like. Polish people are paid less money for a job, for which the Americans are paid much more. At the same time, the costs of living in Poland and in America are not much different.
I am Polish and I love the country, in which I was born very much, but when I consider all pros and cons of Poland and America, I think I would prefer to live in the USA. I am going to visit America in a few months- I am visiting my family there and I am looking for summer job. If the situation in Poland does not change, I will be trying to stay in the USA for a longer period of time. In my opinion, in America young people are given more opportunities and chances for development, good work, professional success. I know that to achieve that I would have to work very hard, but I feel ready for that.
Summing up, I think that we may find many similarities between the USA and Poland. However, these two countries are in reality very much different from each other. Which one you will find a better place, depends on you.
