Ahoj čtenáři,
Czech Republic. Little country in Central Europe. Country where 465 thousand foreigners stay from which 260 stay on permanent residence (according to the data of The Czech Statistical Office in 2015). Country being sought by many and from many various reasons – teaching jobs, cheap beer or its central position. Country tremendously rich in history, known for slightly grumpy people, best beer and the prettiest women. Czech Republic has it all.
Living in its capital, working in a multicultural environment, having lived abroad for some time and having the tendency to be honest, believe me that I can tell you loads. This blog will serve as a platform of various insights into the life in the Czech Republic. Please do not take me always seriously, I can be both ironic and honest in my depictions. What I will always try is to provide you with is a realistic picture of what life in the Czech Republic gives you, and I will do so without any assessment.
PEOPLE
Yes, it’s true. Czechs can be incredibly grumpy, cold and reserved. On the other hand, we are honest, upfront and hard-working. Yes again – we tend to drink lot of beer and the phenomenon of slivovice being a regular part of a common weekend has been obvious. Don’t forget though, that despite of its size, the life is rapidly different in the capital and everywhere else.
Also, logically, the age plays a major role too. Generally speaking, the younger generation speaks good English, is quite multicultural and travels a lot. The middle generation (today’s fifty year old ones) work hard, speaks more Russian or German than English and still remembers waiting in the line for oranges during the communist era. The older generations, today’s pensioners (people now usually retire at about 65) usually complain of very low “old man pension”, high price of medicine and impropriate and disrespectful behaviour of the young generation. I mean – same as pretty much everywhere else.
Besides age, it is the location that plays a major role too. It makes a difference whether you live in Prague or in the countryside. I keep saying that if you have only been to Prague, you have not really got to know the Czech Republic. Prague really is a cosmopolitan city with cosmopolitan people and lots of foreigners. It attracts many tourists each year, so the level of services usually meets the expectations there. Due to the statistics, people there are more educated, more well-off and generally with more liberal thinking (which is well-visible from practically every elections’ results). So really do not take Prague people as the only sample which you judge all Czechs according to.
On the other hand, people in the smaller towns are often said to be warmer and kinder. I really don’t like any generalizations and highly suggest you take a leap and travel around the country a little bit. Everyone is different, and everyone seeks something else. As someone can miss the fashionable restaurants, shops open 24/7, good public transport and wonderful cultural opportunities in Prague, others could not bear the speed, the “stress” and crowds of people of the Czech capital. Most foreigners logically reside in Prague as the work opportunities are to be found here – international companies, language schools etc.
How about you? If you consider moving to Prague, do you have a particular place in mind? What were the Czech people you have encountered like?
Prague Czech Life 