Having a tilt at Polishness

I'm genetically Polish, but born and educated in the UK, where I worked for 16 years. I've been in Poland since July 1997, and am keen to discover what aspects of Polishness are in the blood, and what aspects are the result of 45 years of communist uravnilovka. Observing my UK-born Polish friends who like me upped roots after Poland became free and comparing us to our age-group born in the PRL, I can differences and similarities.

Differences
We do not tolerate the rudeness, indifference and obstuctionism of public employees. Brought up in the ethos of an apolitical civil service who'd write letters to you signed 'Your Obedient Servant', we find dealing with Polish bureaucracy and its PRL-era mindset frustrating and painful.

Similarities
We take umbrage with similar ease; we are highly patriotic, we tend to keep close to the family.

I hope that with every year that passes between the end of communism and the present day, young Poles raised in a free market democracy will continue to push Poland towards normality in the negative respects, while Poland will continue to retain all its strong characteristics.