Why I Left California for Krakow, Poland

Four years ago I left California and have traveled the world. I spent time in Colombia, Southeast Asia, and finally settled down in Poland. Today I talk about the reasons why I left California for Krakow, Poland and why it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
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[@WheresWes]

Please like the video and comment if you enjoyed! Helps the channel a lot! Connect with me: instagram.com/wesleezy/ [e-mail] Set up a 1 on 1 consultation with me: whereswes.setmore.com Please consider donating to support the channel! Venmo: @Wesleezy Paypal: paypal.me/wesleezy Patreon: patreon.com/wesleezy If you want access to my unfiltered deleted videos, consider subscribing to my Patreon! You'll get access to a lot of my older deleted videos plus be able to contact me and ask me questions.

[@novy1198]

Poland is one of the safest place to live actually, even when western media says we are "racist", we tend to be way more tolerate than others

[@WheresWes]

Different minority groups get treated differently but I would generally agree with you

[@novy1198]

@@WheresWes I mean, you're right but it really depends (it always do). Poles are generally really really tolerant, history for the past centuries shows that very well, the thing is there always will be prejudice to some degree, or prejudice cause of political issues like wars, but in generall ye i would say we are pretty good when it comes to not being racist, from what i experienced and from what foreigners told me, Poland is at least in TOP 2 most of the time

[@pierree.27]

I live in France and there are lot of idiots here who start calling people racist when people are worried about mass immigration. I went to Krakow last summer, I was amazed to see women able to jog without a worry, children playing in the streets and how peaceful it was. This is a thing of the past in my country ever since mass immigration changed the country. Now it starts to look like a third world country, there are r*pe and agression with knife everyday, even in the small cities. Don't listen to the blind self righteous idiots from western europe. They live far from the neighborhoods where mass immigration cause troubles but they still think they can give lessons to people who suffer from this. The medias and politicians are probably the worst hypocrites of them all. You have a beautiful and safe country, you're right to be proud of it, I sincerely wish I could live there.

[@bip5395]

@@WheresWesthere was a report published by one of EU related organisations based on experience of black people living in the EU from past year and 5 years (I think title was “being black in EU”). Poland ranked 1st and 2nd for least of acts of racism experienced by black citizens.

[@MarcinTrybus]

​@@WheresWesPicking up some Polish (a few basic phrases) will take you a long way in Poland. Gun ownership in Poland is very legal, it's just a lot of paperwork and not many people have guns. Because it's not common guns and shooting are pretty expensive, mainly used for hunting or range shooting, both viewed as expensive hobbies.

[@stanhernandez6075]

Wes, very true. I lived in Poznan from Aug 2020 until Feb 2024 and Europe for 35+ years. I moved back to SoCal for a while. California is a mess, turning into a third world country. Folks are leaving in droves.

[@malanalan1]

LOL. Nonsense.

[@ar-arnitro]

Good content man. I am Asian live in California. I know what you mean. I am going there next month

[@Fifty92Mine]

are you here already? :P

[@ar-arnitro]

@@Fifty92Mine I am in Wroclaw now In G dansk. He is right about that Polish they don’t smile at you but if you start talking to them there friendly. You will say Gen Dobre it’s a basic expression to them. I love it here so far than California

[@Fifty92Mine]

@@ar-arnitro Im Polish, thats why I asked. Yeah this is very true what you said. If you are around Wroclaw I recommend going for a one day trips to Zielona Gora and Jelenia Gora. Very nice small polish cities. I've never been in the US and I would love someday to go there but only to appreciate views not to socialize at all. P.S. you can also take train to Prague which is definietely one of the best cities to visit in Europe due to rich history and has one of the greates zoo in whole europe. Cheers to you and Czech friends

[@jarosawklejnocki6633]

In fact, you can obtain a firearms permit in Poland as a private person, but this requires undergoing psychiatric and other tests, and you also have to prove why you want to have such a weapon. The regulations regarding the storage of weapons and the possible carrying of weapons are very restrictive. And that's very good, I like it in my country. Interestingly, until recently there was a subject in Polish schools (Defense Training), where young people learned to shoot under the supervision of experienced instructors - at shooting ranges, of course. A few years ago, the subject was abolished, but the possibility of learning shooting as part of physical education lessons remained (yes!) and it is a matter of choice of parents and students themselves. After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the government is considering restoring common shooting education in schools. And I like this too - you should know how to use small arms as a civilian - because various things, including wars, are possible - but you don't have to have them at home right away.

[@WheresWes]

I did not know this, thanks for sharing

[@jarosawklejnocki6633]

@@WheresWes My youngest daughter chose this option and learned how to shoot as part of physical education - the training included mainly pistols/revolvers and various types of shotguns. As part of this type of lesson, they do not teach how to shoot automatic weapons. Shooting ranges in Poland are generally available and even teenagers under the supervision of their parents can also learn privately - for a fee, of course. During school lessons, parents only pay for the cartridges.

[@worldcitizen181]

@@WheresWes Dużo rzeczy nie wiesz o Polsce.

[@Nostrama]

@@worldcitizen181 ale chce się dowiedzieć :)

[@worldcitizen181]

@@Nostrama Zacznij od nauki polskiego, potem pójdzie już z górki. 😁😁

[@KoreaSCR]

I live in Kraków and i Fully Agree, Poland is a very good place to live in

[@KoRbA2310]

Asians is the only "Group" that we had no bad interactions with across the centuries hence we treat them with respect. Western Europeans treat us like 2nd sort, Eastern Slavs treat us coz they think they are better, South is OK, Lat America is OK. When it comes to Africa we have neutral stance as we never met those people (we didn't colonize and they never lived in our country en mass) but it is changing in bad direction due to recent illegal immigration crisis. Asians on the other hand treat us with respect, we had a sizable Asian community that lived in Poland already and didn't cause any problems also we had good relations with Japan across the years and Korea recently therefore Asians are seen as friends and people we respect.

[@supipimunasinghe3175]

Thank you! Hello from Sri Lanka! ( I hope you guys don't mind South Asians either) 😊 🇵🇱🇱🇰

[@marcinkosakowski7191]

Nope. We've been invaded by Asians, namely by Golden Horde (Mongolian Empire). 😅 Although we beat their arses. 🙂

[@KoRbA2310]

@marcinkosakowski7191 If you want to dig that deep, we can say we are Asian as Slavs migrated to Europe from the Asian steppes, lol

[@marcinkosakowski7191]

@@KoRbA2310 Lol, strange reply.

[@pierree.27]

Interesting, I live in France, and from my experience, only the worst racist idiots dislike poles in our country, this is one of the community who integrated the best along with spanish, italians, vietnamese and portugese. I remember in elementary school, my best friend's parents came from Poland and were some of the nicest people I've met. I could see how some the western european behave like ungrateful bastards when they come to Poland and Slovakia. I can only speak for myself, but I would never understand being disrespectul when you come to a country to build a new life, or even to visit as a tourist. Unfortunately, a lot of people in western europe are lacking in humility, it seems this is especially true for french and brits. Please don't think that everyone is like this, I am admirative of polish culture, history and quite fond of your food as well !

[@Ryan-ul7dy]

One barrier to Poland is the language which is much more time consuming to learn than tier 1 languages like Spanish, French, Portuguese, etc.. I dabbled in it briefly years back and got to maybe A2 level after a year, so it takes time. Best of luck.

[@WheresWes]

Totally. But everyone speaks English thankfully

[@worldcitizen181]

@@WheresWes Nie wszyscy.

[@Robertino12]

​@@worldcitizen181mówię w 3 językach potrafię dogadać się z 9 narodami takimi jak Rosja Ukraina Czechy Białoruś Słowacja

[@worldcitizen181]

@@Robertino12 🤣🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍👍👍👍Ja też.

[@lexkwondo6836]

Solid vid

[@mikewojnar6254]

Spot on yet again, Wes!

[@AnonymousC]

Reminded me of the city of kings. The majestic krakow I need to visit again. Keep up the good videos

[@shirshahsahel917]

I been to Bydgoszcz and Gdanski a while ago. Best experience ever. Amazing night life. Very clean cities

[@pitersi]

As a father I would love to have one day a son in law that has your mindset.

[@WheresWes]

Much love, sir.

[@janekslezak_]

It's really nice to hear so many positive things about my country and city, especially that all you're saying seems to be fair assessment or comparison to other places. We tend to under appreciate what we have here. The growth I saw from the time when I was a kid is quite astonishing. Anyway, hope you'll continue to have a good time here!

[@tomaszniedbalski]

This is the 4th video i watched of yours, you are spot on and very well informed. keep on youtubing brother. Im polish and live in sydney and have lived in california SF and totally agree with everything you said in the vid! more ppl need to watch your chan!

[@Worldly876]

Dude, you do realize you could NEVER claim to be a conservative in the USA while being for banning guns, universal healthcare and good pubic transportation. All three of those are an anathema to the modern Republican party!

[@WheresWes]

Never said I'm Republican, just that I'm conservative with liberal social politics.

[@fathammy]

Wes you're just libertarian and you don't know it!

[@WheresWes]

Libertarian is probably the closest to where I would align.

[@joannr3799]

Great content, very informative. I like the point you brought up about here in the States we are actually paying the wait staff’s wages. 🤔 I never thought about it that way. Looks like Poland agrees with you Wes! 😊

[@Reg1773]

Thank you for this video, it is great! I am Polish, I've been to the US many times, and I agree with all you said. I like it here and I wouldn't move to live overseas. Only what you said about the relationships with women is not the whole story. You are exotic and so attractive here, while we have pretty much the same problems meeting women in our country like you do in yours. We need to go somewhere like Thailand to experience the same as you experience here.

[@JD-vn5vw]

Cali has a lot of problems (e.g., drug/homelessness issues), but the opportunities, nature, diversity, and food are incredible. The high cost of living is the only thing that could someday drive me away. Personally, I would like a mix of the US big-city hustle culture and the slow pace of Europe.

[@zbijacz07muly]

Guns in europe are not ban! Just ownership regulated.

[@RES-Marlon]

Excellent Video and reasonable points!

[@krzychch8937]

Guns are not illegal in Poland, its a lot easier to get one than it is in Germany (most in EU) for example, yet PL has 30x less guns per capita than DE, the least in EU, we simply dont see a reason to get one. Shocking right, less guns = less crime = no need to buy a gun...

[@JohnSkyLey]

Criminals will always have guns. I’m not waiting 30 minutes for the police to come save me. Safety is your own responsibility

[@ANT29pl]

​@@JohnSkyLey Real criminals, yes, but we don't have organized gangs here in Poland. The worst you can encounter are drunk football ultras or house thieves. Robberies are rare. Black market weapons are expensive, so homeless people and junkies don't have access to them anyway.

[@sunnev]

​​@@JohnSkyLey We don't have armed robberies in Poland. The fact that you've allowed it to become normal to need a gun to live is concerning. In Poland, I feel safe because no lunatic is going to shoot me.

[@ukaszs5057]

​@@JohnSkyLey there are no gangs in Poland, it's almost impossible to meet any criminal, its simoley safe. I think you completely don't understand what does meanto live in safe country. You don't have to have gun at all. Guns are legal in Poland but simple you don't even think to buy a gun , because there is no sucha need. Od course buying a gun is a bit more difficult in Poland, you need to have a permit, you need to have reason to have a gun and you need to pass mental health examination

[@rrolf71]

@@JohnSkyLey That's true in a VERY limited sense. In Poland, a chance of getting shot by a street punk is about 120 times lower than in the US (I checked the statistics). And why? 1. If the gun access is heavily regulated, there is not much of an underground market either. Criminals have a hard time to buy a gun, because the supply is much more limited and under control. 2. When a criminal gets caught, at least in Poland, the chargee goe something like 3 levels up if he was caught packing, and the judge is going to be much less lenient. So only really dumb criminals carry. In addition, a chance of getting shot by a cop in Poland is almost non-existent. They know the criminals are very unlike to be packing, and their first impulse is NOT to draw a gun and point at you. Source: I lived in Poland for more than 50 years. I have never feared of beinf shot in the street. The only slightly fishy time was in early 1990s, when the Eastern Bloc collapsed and you could buy an AK with a bucket of ammunition from a Soviet soldier if you knew where to ask. But these times are long gone.

[@robertolozano470]

Hello! I’ve been following you for a while and i love your videos. Do you have any tips for where to look for a monthly rental for appartments in krakow?

[@lidiaspringer]

olx

[@peterafalik3202]

Hey Wes! So glad you point out these things cuz no one ever wants to. Regarding the whole gun thing, consider a bit more in that it’s not always apples to apples - some countries have different circumstances- for example in Switzerland guns are not only legal but are essentially part of the national safety and cultural identity there. So there are things to consider when a country like the us is actually founded to be different. ie - freedom isn’t free etc etc. Please keep up the good work - - I love that you are pointing out all the obvious things that no one wants to say!

[@kufcio14]

Man thanks to your videos im going to be much more proud of my country 😅😅

[@Makemoneymowing]

Sedementary 🙏

[@professorprofessorson8795]

california doesnt just have a weather, its one of the high gdp states. Some of the smartest people in the world live there working for the top companies.

[@leekar3]

Yup, there are opportunities in CA, but not even gets to be part of spoils that state offers!

[@sagepirotess6312]

Actually you are wrong. Its literally top 7 gdp economies globally, forget states.

[@messmeg7582]

Elon Musk run to Texas cos high taxes and poverty, streets holmess. Many thises smart people run from California.

[@dzierzega]

How are you dling with polish language? I know most speak english in Krakow but it could come in handy

[@WheresWes]

I'll only start learning if I make long term plans to stay here

[@AnonymousC]

@@WheresWes how long you are staying like 90 days only? like before a residency status change? A video about the paperwork side of things would be cool

[@jejudo3000]

If you have your own one bedroome apartment, how much would it cost in Kraków?

[@mikelbrol5153]

From100e to 160e per month😊

[@WheresWes]

Nah more like 400-600 euros now

[@Ray-iz7tv]

Still cheap. ​@@WheresWes

[@adnanullahkhan832]

Just 7 hours ago I live here and it's getting worse every week.

[@user-vk5kj4dy9t]

went to in/out burger and its overrated but damn its very popular there. nothing great about it. was thinking of trying pink hot dog but didnt see it as appealing . i even saw hobos at beverly hills garden too lol

[@janekmazur5985]

In long term, Poland could be more climate resistance country than Cali. So Weather factor is +1 for Poland (or Sweden). So cool.

[@monchichipower6334]

Hardly see any Chinese in Los Angeles . I was there last month .

[@HealthTechHeroess]

How you did it is the video we want jaja

[@MyPrideFlag]

The regular thing that Californians are bein told when immigrating to let's say Texas is "Don't bring your Californian politics with you". In Poland it's the same but I see you don't have to hear that. Anyway enjoy your stay, it'd be great if you liked here and (in time) become one of us.

[@WheresWes]

we will see what happens in the future :)

[@Littleybrid]

Wess, I thought you were in Colombia?

[@elfulano5884]

He bailed after the divorce.

[@kneegaruto]

I'm panamanian and part of the reason Ive been here un Medellín is because i'm latino and panama was Colombia.... Similar and also polar opposites.... Panamanians Say juega vivo.... And now that i'm here i realize it's prolly cuz of the colombian mareo culture if tryna hit You over the head when they can

[@kneegaruto]

And also dude women appreciate ambition here... You don't have to actually Even ve rich. Just having goals and shit colombian women appreciate ir

[@kneegaruto]

Whereass panama is kinda more laud back party like the Costa where i'm doing too much

[@earnheartgold]

@WheresWes Why do you prefer to live in Krakow instead of Warsaw?

[@WheresWes]

I always prefer the 2nd biggest city of countries. Not a fan of capital cities generally.

[@MyPrideFlag]

@@WheresWes Kraków is better, I'm saying this as Poznaniak. It also has tons of opportunities but is cheaper, has the best nightlife in Poland but is also peacefull (ever since Cracovia and Wisła ultras stopped running around the city with machettes). It has the prettiest historical center with Royal traditions, many cultural events. It was the capitol of Poland during the middle ages. Warsaw is the biggest, busiest and richest but of course many people such as yourself are not fans of capital cities.

[@earnheartgold]

@@WheresWes That's interesting. Why not?

[@xdlol59]

​@@MyPrideFlag Witam, my fellow Poznaniak. ❤

[@WheresWes]

i prefer the vibes of smaller cities. People are friendlier, it's closer to the home culture, smaller population.

[@vmasters29]

Great video. Although I would say whats interesting is that a lot of the benefits you list in regards to healthcare, infrastructure, and food are more the result of liberal policies than conservative ones (or at least what conservatives would vote for in America). Glad you are more at peace there than in Colombia.

[@margdrag]

There is a lot of guns in Poland and every year more. We have sports permit and more and more people has gun but we are not from ghetto so there is not a lot of crime.

[@robertomanz6399]

you also forgot to mention that krakau has a very high cost of living for PL standards. if one were to go to smaller towns and such the rent is much cheaper than iin krakau, in my large german pre war apartment in a smaller town in Silesia , woj. OPole, i pay only 400 zl. a month for the rent inclluding electricity and extra for water. krakau is expensive by PL standards. R

[@1209jayt]

Podcast or what?🧏‍♂️

[@Mahmas]

He realy sounds like pasport bro at the end 💀

[@leekar3]

You have a point with the dating culture in CA, it's hard unless you're top tier. Another good point on Euro women, the fitness aspect is apparent.

[@tabaaza9884]

Woke is not good for feminism. Americans seem torn between extremes.

[@supreme3376]

If you"still" from sometimes around 700 PLN it will be crime

[@malanalan1]

What are you talking about? California remains the 5th largest economy in the world. California is the 5th largest economy in the world for the seventh consecutive year, with a nominal GDP of nearly $3.9 trillion in 2023 and a growth rate of 6.1% since the year prior, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. BTW The weather in California is not so good. It is simply way too hot here in the summer. Temperatures reach 35 degrees and more for all the summer months from Jun thru September. It is a hell here right now.

[@bobbymak6964]

Great video. Next video show us your girlfriend and friends.

[@monchichipower6334]

Why does California have a hobo problem but Florida doesn’t Or less hobos Vegas wasn’t that bad . I didn’t see many hobos in Vegas unless it was in old Vegas

[@Robotnik]

Lands where guns are illegal or heavily restricted, and highly homogenous, work. UK has mainly robbed folks of their gun rights, and is heavily unsafe due to the utter lack of agreement on worths and norms, and thus, high Tribalism from most migrants being shipped into the UK.

[@user-vk5kj4dy9t]

just came back from LA. lol there are homeless everywhere . the only place i dont see hobos is disneyland, universal and the muesums. the bums are all over the public transit too especially the b line/red line. they are loud too. i made the mistake with not renting a car and it took me one hour 20 from a hotel which is near lax one way

[@pacolilzz515]

your social security check at retirement age would be very small because you havent pay much tax in US. But you have alot of guts to try out long term relationship with latina and now slavic girls at such young age. I suggest you buy a rural house in eastern Europe as your home base or storage area. Hopping from apartment to apartment is not stable.

[@WheresWes]

Social security isn't going to be around when Im at retirement age anyways, it's not sustainable. It's up to me to have long term investments

[@robertomanz6399]

krakau is much smaller than la. you are comparing unequal things. i f you go to a smaller usa city equal to krakau you would have the same lifestyle in the usa. i know krakau well, also there is very little tipping in PL., you do not have to tip every meal or such, unexpected. yes, PL is nice but you are making uneven comparisons. but still interesting. so stay in PL. r

[@inqqz]

Immigrating to a country and liking their anti-immigration policies. This can only come from a true conservative, hog heart (: Greetings from Krakow

[@vernoimi]

Why wouldn’t you raise kids in Warsaw?

[@WheresWes]

Smaller cities r better for raising families. Safer, better values, my personal preference

[@michadybczak4862]

It's not true for every family in Poland, but very often in families, women have the last word, so the patriarchy is just superficial. When it comes to children and home, women usually rule... and men just let go out of convenience ;). So if you even go into a long relationship with a Polish woman, expect her to be very firm on many areas and that she won't back down - especially if she is a family caring type - what seems you are looking for. Or that is true on south of Poland? Hard to say, but that's the model I grew up and see everywhere around, and that is why I never understood the comments that we have patriarchal society... Since when? Where? The only "men rule" examples I saw were in pathologic families with alcohol, while everywhere else was the opposite.

[@Weryl]

You are wrong about G u n s in Poland. (YT bans everything with G related) Also Kraków is the least safe city in Poland due to beaing home for Wisła Kraków Football Club. Cities like Warsaw, Tricity, Wroclaw are much safer. No one is running around with Matches like i had seen in Kraków.

[@HardCoreSalsa]

Still is safer than safest city in usa.. Krakow is like 5 murders per year which is a joke for 800 k city

[@ECard821]

Sorry man, ain't no way California is third world in any way. Its literally the richest state in the USA. I've spent months in latin america and am always amazed with how developed California's infrastructure is. Yes, it can be better and it should be better given its GDP. But its way better than most third world countries. Going to a poorer country with american money is great, but people that live in these developing countries don't make US dollars and have the same luxuries we do.

[@matisko1582]

You didnt listen to him at all

[@ECard821]

@@matisko1582 I did, he said there's stuff he still likes about California. But overall it is on a decline and I’m also looking to dip.

[@bip5395]

Considering how much American women worry about their safety - I take living in Poland even on polish wages

[@BloodyKhaine]

I find it quite funny, that you perceive yourself as "conservative" in american sense, while in Poland your point of view is 100% centrist, even maybe a little bit on the left 😆 I would rather just say that Poles just like "normality". Normal families, normal streets, normal jobs, normal life. We really want things to be "normal", never to any kind of extreme, no right-wing phantom pains, no left-wing social experiments - just society slowly evolving naturally, step by step, no sudden movements and no forcing anything. Poles certainly hate being forced the most of all things, probably due to over hundred of years under foreign rule.

[@mikolaykuka9759]

Kraków is ugly!

[@mikolaykuka9759]

It's interesting to hear you praise Kraków once I have experienced several Polish cities and Krakow is low on most of the subjects that you cover in your video

[@Robotnik]

When folks from these traditional Lands go to first world english speaking Lands like the UK and USA, many do so as they hate beimg held to high standards, or shit on their own culture and folks , or basocakly want to go, learn hyper liberalism, then take it back home to make home like New York, LA or most liberal/socialist western European Lands. Such luxury Beliefs are the Downfall of any Civilization. Thus, Poland is refreshing for you, for now ! Newly "chosen" Government (EU installed) is hyper liberal and globalist.

[@Some-random-Scythian]

As an American of Polish descent I proudly renounced the inferior Polish culture of my parents for Superior Anglo-Saxon American culture.

[@metanoian965]

any Zyd would

[@Some-random-Scythian]

@@metanoian965 I'm not Jewish, the closest way to describe my religion would practically be a form of Khurmazta.

[@metanoian965]

@@Some-random-Scythian don't care. you're stuck on repeat; Repeat insult like a real Zyd. you fling turds you get them right back

[@Some-random-Scythian]

@@metanoian965 I'm just calling out the Polish people for practicing fake Christianity, your people should honestly just be Baptist or non-denominational like normal Christians, seriously what's with all the Catholic larping.

[@Some-random-Scythian]

@@metanoian965 Bro your people are literally a bunch of Catholic larpers. Why can't you guys just be Baptist or non-denominational and practice Christianity like normal people.

[@janekjanecki2184]

Polska jest zajebista