ki4jgt:OK, guys. . . please don't fight over me. I actually can get a job, but the company hiring me is unreliable (handyman job with about 100 other people in the same company) They're trying to employ all these people and it's not easy. But anyway, what about this staying with other Esperanto speakers? How does it work?

Try to read something about
pasporta servo

ki4jgt:OK, guys. . . please don't fight over me. I actually can get a job, but the company hiring me is unreliable (handyman job with about 100 other people in the same company) They're trying to employ all these people and it's not easy. But anyway, what about this staying with other Esperanto speakers? How does it work?

Sorry, guy. You see how hard is to communicate in this English. You say "hello" and you have enemies. The job market in Poland is tragic. Most of my family had to emigrate (to England, Germany, Canada, US), because they could not find jobs to earn their living. I know what it means to be without a job or money - it is our everyday. So I didn't mean what erinja suggested - I have no idea how she even came to such a conclusion, but it is her problem. If you can, find means to enjoy this trip. I wish you good luck.

Just out of curiosity, How much is a gallon (4.5 litres) of petrol in the US - how much in Poland? Also what about beer, a house, a meal in a basic restaurant?

Pity about the tickets being non-transferable. I wonder if there is a way round that. If the prize company had to pay for the tickets and they are cancellable against a refund, perhaps a deal could be struck.

sudanglo:Just out of curiosity, How much is a gallon (4.5 litres) of petrol in the US - how much in Poland? Also what about beer, a house, a meal in a basic restaurant?

Pity about the tickets being non-transferable. I wonder if there is a way round that. If the prize company had to pay for the tickets and they are cancellable against a refund, perhaps a deal could be struck.

You're right. We must not compare the salaries, but how much we can buy with an average salary in Poland and in US. With my salary (high school teacher) I can buy in Poland:

420 liter of petrol = 93 galons
700 loafs of bread
600 beers (0,5l not top quality)
0,8 laptop
6 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Edition
1 TV set - HD
1,9 washing machine
2 fridges
1/15 car (normal model, not very expensive)
1/100 house (normal house, not very expensive)
----

But my salary is rather high ($1.000). Normaly people have here ($500 - $600). And the costs of living take all - there is nothing left for savings.

Prices across the US vary widely. I'm sure that some poor states will be cheaper than Poland, and some rich states much more expensive. Purchasing power relative to salary is a complicated topic and a single nationwide number doesn't give a good idea of the cost Americans also have to pay many health costs themselves, save money for retirement, etc; our government does not provide these things for us as generously as European governments, so the money we earn, even if it looks like more than you're earning, needs to be saved so we can protect ourselves in the future.

Back to the actual topic:
You can go through something like Pasporta Servo but I normally go a Google search of the place I plan on visiting and e-mail local esperanto speakers. I ask them if they (or someone they know) would be willing to host me for a few days, or else if they can recommend a cheap hotel. Even if you don't plan on taking the cheap hotel option, it sounds less grabby if you ask about a hotel option. If I can find an e-mail address for a club, I'll contact the club address, and sometimes you can get in contact with several people that way.

I've also done searches of lernu users to see if people live somewhere. I have never asked to stay with a lernu user but I have asked them if they'd like to get together for tourism in their city.

erinja:Prices across the US vary widely. I'm sure that some poor states will be cheaper than Poland, and some rich states much more expensive. Purchasing power relative to salary is a complicated topic and a single nationwide number doesn't give a good idea of the cost Americans also have to pay many health costs themselves, save money for retirement, etc; our government does not provide these things for us as generously as European governments, so the money we earn, even if it looks like more than you're earning, needs to be saved so we can protect ourselves in the future.

RE the US/Poland issue, 10+% of Americans (it's a hard one to get a figure on, probably due to a combination of bias from doomsday-sayers and people in denial over poverty) are below what's considered poverty, while something like 25% of Poles are below it.

Also, the "poor" (but not actually poor) of the US might have trouble surviving but still have more benefits like air conditioning and DVD players than their Polish counterparts might have, probably because they are in better contact with much wealthier people.

Polish infrastructure is comparatively down-the-gutter, but apparently Poland is better than both the UK and US at looking after their children.

So Poland technically has a worse-off deal, although neither country is experiencing major problems (like civil war, mass poverty, disease, anarchy, dictatorship), rather Poland's problems seem to be a continuation of WW2 and after, where as the US is just laissez-faire as per usual. Neither are anything near some developing countries (Poland may have corruption, but nothing like Indonesia), and you've all got access to the internet which is pretty damn good. Both have a future, and have potential, and I would consider y'all to be "Western Countries" whether you like it or not.

To finish this off, if you want to continue this discussion, there's some threads and blogs discussing it like
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europ...
and
http://www.polishforums.com/archives/2005_2007/wor....

Now let's stop racing to see who can prove their country sucks more than everyone elses, since the dude's going to California not Poland or the rest of the US! .

One advantage of living in a relatively prosperous country is that the true cost of goods for many purhasers is not necessarily their normal retail price.

The discards of the better off can be bought very cheaply. The better off they are, the more luxurious the goods they are ready to part with.

To boot, the secondhand and manufacturers' line ends market is very vigorous here.

In my small town there are perhaps 9 'charity' shops and there are 2 discount stores (who opportunistically bulk purchase overproduction) where nothing costs more than £1.

It's a strange situation, in which you can buy a pair of reading glasses for £1 in Poundland, but pay £20 quid in Boots the chemist just a few shops away in the same street.

sudanglo:..you can buy a pair of reading glasses for £1 in Poundland, but pay £20 quid in Boots the chemist just a few shops away in the same street.

Amazing! This short-sighted writer thanks you for what could be very useful information.