Moving to a new country can certainly be a very strong life experience. No matter how much I was travelling before, and all the knowledge and experience I had accumulated on intercultural learning, culture shock and stuff like that, the fact of actually moving to Prague, Czech Republic in 2015 still hit me like a truckload of bricks.
Granted, Prague is a wonderful place to live in (and one of the main tourist destinations in Europe) and I don’t regret at all my decision. Still, at times it may be hard. That’s why I decided to write this post which will be a bit more silly than the rest of the stories I publish on this blog.
Hope is, this may help others not to make the same mistake and never leave home to adapt more easily when moving to a different country. Or maybe not, but it feels very liberating to be able to put these thoughts in plain text. And anyway, learning about a different culture is also the best way to learn about our own culture, and ourselves.
A bit of a disclaimer here: I certainly don’t want to offend anybody. The post intends to be humourous and has to be read with a bit of a satirical tone in mind. Plus, if you think that my observations are not complete and comprehensive, it’s because they aren’t. They are just that: observations.
If in the post there is something that offsets you – hey, peace. We can breathe the same air and have different opinions on stuff. Hard to believe, but it’s possible. Maybe you don’t like the music, but please don’t shoot the pianist.
Edit (after 3 days and about 5,000 visits):
A BIT MORE DISCLAIMING. As I feared, the first wasn’t enough. The post got an unexpected visibility (great!) and with visibility, come people who read quickly and are willing to get offended even more quickly (not so great!). To hopefully end the arguments, the meaning of the word “satire” can be found here.
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Anyway, ready for the list? Here we go!
1) For Czech Republic, Prague is “The Capitol” from The Hunger Games.
In Italy, Rome is the political capital, but there are many main cities with their own distinct identity, and sometimes something interesting happens there too (except in Viterbo, because nothing ever happens there). It’s like the country has more than one centre of gravity, and it’s fine.
But here in the Czech Republic, Prague is really THE city. Everything happens there, and all the power seems to be concentrated in one place. Politics, culture, media, jobs, opportunities. People just live different lives than in the rest of the country, can do strange things like being vegan or have an Asian brunch, they wear fancy clothes and have blue or purple hair.
Prague natives are also somewhat proud of their local accent (which to me sounds funnier, slower, with longer vowels, and seems to be really hated by everybody else in the country).
Salaries are way higher than anywhere else, but so is rent (like two, three times more), eating out and basically everything else.
But if you travel just outside of the city, you will enter a different country. Small-town Czech Republic will present different challenges of course (be prepared to attract puzzled looks as a foreigner, and almost nobody will understanding a word of English, for example), but it will also provide with unique rewards and many hidden gems.
Like having a full meal or a round of beers for an incredible price. Or meeting people who love to live a simpler, slower life and will be genuinely interested in hearing about you. I had experiences especially in the area around Brno and Ostrava. New companies, farms, NGOs and the local university are very active to create an alternative to the “Capitol City” lifestyle.
If you love art and history, the country has the highest concentration of perfectly preserved castles in Europe, apparently. And the nature is also really diverse, peaceful and beautiful.
Seriously, plan a trip to explore Czech Republic outside Prague, when you have a chance. You will be rewarded.
2) A lot of people seem to be in a bad mood. Always.
Aaah, there is something true in every stereotype, isn’t there?
The average Czech you meet in the street will most likely be in a great hurry to be somewhere else than in your presence (see point #7, below), and will look like they just had a very bad day. Even if it’s early in the morning – maybe even worse. This grumpiness extends to driving (= no patience at all for the slightest hesitation or mistake) and public transport (= if you stand in the wrong line or place, someone will correct that. Probably by pushing, elbowing or stomping on your feet). At least, in Prague. Having to rely on a random act of kindness by a stranger can be an experience that requires patience. For your own good, try never to be confused by the bureaucracy in a public office, and never, ever get stuck with your car on the side of the road.
In a way, it’s a very encouraging learning environment. In the sense that you are encouraged to learn fast. Or die.
3) Language is hard. I mean: real hard.
No, seriously. Sources disagree, but I read that it’s one of the hardest in Europe, and possibly in the world. It’s estimated that a person needs about 4 years of study to reach fluency (and I am not studying).
First of all, there are some factors that don’t encourage you to learn it at all. You can live in a social bubble that doesn’t speak Czech, for example. Or, you can just panic and stop going out altogether. I would know, I tried it.
But if you try to learn the beautiful language, at the beginning you feel like everything is against you. Accents and digraphs make for a stunning 42 characters in the alphabet (nice, uh?). Some sounds are also very specific to learn, with the terrible Ř that will give me troubles until the end of my life. It sounds like a drrj, by the way.
And then, grammar starts.
7 cases (for the first time in my life I am happy I studied all that Latin at school) and 4 genders (!): masculine, feminine, neutrum and masculine inanimated. The latter still doesn’t make any sense at all to me – as well to anybody else I asked, including native speakers. It’s for objects that are not objects enough to get the neutrum, maybe. I don’t know. The word for car (auto) is neutrum, while the train (vlak) is masculine. Go figure.
There are also (a few) good news. At least there are no articles, thanks to the cases. Which explains why many Czechs don’t know what to do with articles in languages like English or French. And the verbs and prepositions are not such a horrible mess as in Italian.
Not only Czech is a slavic language, but it’s considered the model for many other languages of the group. Which means, more “pure” and with less foreign interferences. Arranging an appointment or a date is a challenge, since you have to learn even the names of the week days and the months from scratch. Your only hope for help is if you speak Polish or Slovak, and that’s not exactly helping my case here.
The longest sentence without a vowel seems to be: Strč prst skrz krk (“stick your finger through your throat”). Try that next time, as a tonguetwister!
Edit: as Petr E commented, the longest sentence without a vowel seems to be different. “Blb vlk pln žbrnd zdrhl hrd z mlh Brd skrz vrch Smrk v čtvrť srn Krč.” (A dumb wolf full of bad drinks proudly excaped from the mist of Brdy forest through Smrk hill into the deers’ district Krč).
“Full of bad drinks” surely indicates that the wolf is not Czech. Polish, probably.
4) Eating & Drinking habits can be equally intense.
Czech Republic is famous for its beer, and rightly so. Czechs are well aware of it. They seem to be the biggest beer drinkers in the whole world (followed by the Seychelles. Which makes sense. What else are you supposed to do, if you live on a paradise island? Drink until you explode, obviously).
A Czech drinks an average of 142 litres of beer in a year, which makes for almost a pint a day, each day, for every man, woman or child living in the country. Not bad at all.
This helps to put a lot of things in context, for example the first time I met my father-in-law, and we all ended up totally drunk, before having dinner. But no worries, Czechs also love drinking wine, as well as everything else with alcohol. All in the name of health (na zdraví) of course. Of course.
When you are at it, try Kofola. It’s the national alternative to Coca Cola. I find it more refreshing!
Same for the food. Czech traditional cuisine is like other parts of the culture: rich, solid, intimidating. It’s a paradise for high protein, meat eaters. Bara, my wife, has approximately half my body mass. And yet she never ceases to surprise me when she digs into her Svíčková (roasted beef with onion, double boiled in cream and served with dumplings) like it’s a piece of cake. But then, she would never eat fruit after a meal, because “it’s bad for digestion”. Makes sense.
5) People like to be naked and to go around just like that.
Now, nothing could prepare me for this. Czechs have a very casual approach to nudity (which somehow extends to sexuality at least in part, but that’s another story). Be warned when you accept an invitation to go to sauna, for example. In most places it’s actually forbidden to enter with your swimming suit on!
A visit to a “Beer Spa” however (picture above) is one of the things you have to do, before you die. Yes, you are actually bathing in beer. No, the girls are not always there.
But not only. My friends here have absolutely no problem at all getting naked for a quick swim in the local river or lake, even with people having their picnics all around. It’s just a thing they do.
If I can imagine a scale going from total prudishness to absolute love for nudity, it would probably look like this:
And I was thinking to be more or less in a comfortable middle position.
But actually, I still feel terribly embarassed about that one time I had to take a swim in my underwear…
Being in the Czech Republic and engaging in social activities here, challenged me on how prude I really am.
6) Xenophobia is on the rise. Except, maybe not really.
Now that’s worrying, when talking about Central Europe. Don’t take me wrong, it could be much worse (think Hungary, or Poland). Things here are still much softer, and Czechs don’t like to take an extreme point of view on racism – just as on many other topics. It’s not a culture of strong, radical opinions.
The country, and Prague in particular, has a very strong international vocation and is right in the middle between Eastern and Western Europe, which is why it has always been a natural crossroads of cultures.
But here is the thing, the whole place is a paradox. The international presence in the country is strong (about 4.5%), and in Prague, almost 10% of residents are non-Czech. And yet, politicians and opinion leaders manage to pull out incredibly racist or aggressive stunts, like President Zeman who manages to insult someone with every other speech, or like that time when a group of “activists” held an event in the Old Town Square involving a jeep, a camel and firing shots in the air with a fake kalashnikov – creating general panic to “warn against the danger of a Muslim invasion”. Crazy.
Also, to add to the general confusion, two of the most visible political leaders in the somewhat-nationalist-area are Tomio Okamura (Czech, of Japanese origins) and Andrej Babiš (Slovak), media tycoon, Finance Minister and possible next Prime Minister. One would think that the country must be really welcoming towards foreigners, except… they try to convince everybody that it isn’t so.
To make a comparison: imagine a Canadian citizen who moves to USA, manages to join the Republican Party and becomes a member of the US Government; then, on top of that, he makes a coalition with the Democratic President, and together they work to warn people against the danger of a “Mexican invasion”.
It’s not a perfect example (and Zeman certainly is not Obama), but it more or less gives an idea of how intricate things look.
Look. I don’t want to sound too strict or ungenerous. The truth is that the vast majority of the people I have met here have a big heart, a strong sense of hospitality, and are generous beyond words. And every time I try to remind them that I, too, am an immigrant indeed, the comment I receive is “naa, you are fine“.
And after all, I guess that’s the bottom line about racism. People from a different background look and feel scary at first, but after you meet them in person, you realise that naa, they are just fine. And this is valid everywhere.
(The fact that one of them may end up marrying your daughter has probably also a role in how fast you accept that fact, I guess).
So my final opinion on this is: maybe because of the media pressure or the general international situation, Czechs would like to portray themselves as intolerant and unwelcoming. Just to feel like everybody else.
But they fail, because… they aren’t!
7) Time keeping and planning stuff is not a habit. It’s a national obsession.
Now this came from the words of Sabrina, a German (I said, German) volunteer who was in Prague for a period. “Czechs are totally obsessed with time!“, she cried. As I found out, it’s completely true.
Czechs are almost always in a hurry getting someplace or another, and they just love to keep their agendas as packed as possible, and then some. From the (early) morning till sunset, they just need to be busy. Work, leisure, culture and social time, everything is organised and planned and the more details, the better. When you are 5 minutes late, you are late (and people will be grumpy, see #2).
This is also reflected as they travel. When abroad, if things are not super organised, clearly described and planned to the tiniest detail, they will feel slightly lost and without direction. Which will result in more grumpiness and some (always polite) passive-aggressive complaining.
One of the first sentences I learned is “máte plán na vikend?”, which means “what’s your plan for the weekend?“
I came to fear the sound of these words, since when I am not somewhere working I love to keep my weekends as empty as possible, like desolate desert islands where only dead projects and ideas lay, shipwrecked. A space for reflection, inspiration and pure and simple lazyness.
But Czechs always have a plan for their weekends. Sports (the harder, the better: see point 8 below), trips, family meetings, events. When they really have nothing else to do, they move to their little country houses, where they spend saturday and sunday “relaxing”: that is, working their ass off to repair the roof, fix an old bicycle or weed out the garden. And then, have barbecue.
8) EVERYBODY is sporty and outdoorsy.
Aaaand – I am not.
Please take a second to appreciate how hard this must feel, sometimes. Really, every Czech is a natural born sportsperson and they all – I haven’t found an exception yet – love physical activity. Whether it be cycling, skating, running, swimming, parachute, indoor gym, martial arts – it doesn’t matter, as long as it involves moving, and sweating. And they do it with enthusiasm and total commitment.
This also applies to outdoors activities. Czechs love and respect their nature, and try to spend time in it as often as they can.
A hike that lasts less than 6 hours is not even considered being outside. They all seem to be mushroom and berries experts. In summer (and I suspect, in winter too) the rivers are packed with canoe and kayak enthusiasts. Entire families, babies included.
And a certain disregard for anything even remotely related to safety and prevention of risks contributes to making it a very exciting picture.
Czechs love their outdoor equipment and keep it in perfect efficiency. It’s a second skin for them, and in fact they consider it normal to walk in the city streets dressed as they would be in a forest: boots, backpack, packed lunch, 2 different sport bottles, and all the rest. Which for me is, like, the opposite of “sexy”, but certainly must have some advantages too.
Really, if a zombie apocalypse or if nuclear war breaks out, I would feel really relieved to be surrounded by Czechs. These people are natural survivors. And they can always spare a sandwich.
9) Public transport takes you everywhere, but people still take their cars.
This must be one of the few really good things that Socialism has left in the country. The public transport is excellent: rides are frequent, the system is organised and efficient. I take my car maybe once, twice in a month (how does it feel compared to Italy, I leave to your imagination).
In Prague metro and tram tickets are still a bit of a funny business, relying (incredibly) on the little obsolete, yellow machines which are out of order 50% of times, and only accept coins. Weird. But since I have my yearly pass, I feel I can get anywhere, simply and reliably. This includes extra-urban transport, and every little town seems to be connected to the network in somewhat of a satisfying way. Again, the comparison with Italy is brutal – there, if you live in a small town, you simply need a car to get anywhere; and if you live in a big city, better forget the public transport and take your car anyway.
So why do Czechs still own – and drive – cars? Finding a parking place in Prague is as hard a job as in Napoli, and that simply doesn’t make sense to me. Probably the answer has something to do with #7 of this list, the time obsession. I hear people saying: “Sure, I can go to work by tram, but if I take the car it will save me 12 minutes“.
I still can’t help but smile, every time. In Rome, if you can save 12 minutes by taking a car, it still means you will probably be 48 minutes late for your appointment.
Edit: in the comment section, Vladimir helped me to get a more complete view on this topic. He writes:
“Perhaps if there really is a special Czech affinity for cars, it’s not because of obsession with time, but rather status. This is a common thing for whole central and eastern Europe. We had to (and most still have to) live in relative poverty, therefore we want at least not to FEEL poor. Average Czech would drive to work even if it takes twice as much time as with public transport, because, you know, public transport is for losers. Very common derogatory nickname for public transport is “socka”, as in “social case”. Go figure”.
It’s also true however that, Czechs being the nature lovers that they are, the environmental awareness is growing really fast all over the country. I have seen in person a lot of brave and progressive projects to reduce CO2 emissions and switch to renewable energies, or to reduce the environmental footprint of life in general.
So, let’s not lose hope, becase Times, they are a-changing!
10) Czech Republic is a place where Etiquette still matters. A lot.
This was a big surprise for me, and it can be very important in a relationship, so listen up, don’t repeat my mistake and don’t underestimate this aspect.
The Czech culture is based on a certain level of conformism. Traditions are important and nobody is expected to cause any trouble. There is no such thing as “speaking in a loud voice” (a common discussion between two Italians on what to have for dinner would appear like an incredibly aggressive brawl, here) and I have never heard people shouting – except when drinking too much, of course.
In CZ, people really care for things to be – and look – proper. You go to theatre, you dress up. There is no limit “up”. But you just don’t walk in a theatre (or God forbid! Opera) in your jeans, unless you want to attract a lot of attention of the wrong type.
As well, men are supposed – no, expected! – to perform little actions such as opening a door, holding the chair, helping ladies with their luggage or taking on and off their coats. Apparently in the local understanding, there is no “gender inequality” value attached to it. So don’t try to judge it with your metrics: it’s just the way things work. If you want to blend in, you just adapt to it.
All boys and girls take ballroom dancing lessons as part of their education, and many companies and organisations hold balls in the festive season, which are attended with enthusiasm. Also, in a country that is surprisingly not attached to any religion, people still follow traditional festivities, go to church on Christmas eve, visit the cemetery to pay their respects.
All this, combined with what I said in #2, can be dangerous to the unsuspecting foreigner. In a tram, failing to leave your seat to an elder will attract so many bad looks, you will wish to disappear. Equally bad is when you mess up with the tipping in a café or a restaurant.
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And that was my decalogue this time. Thank you for reading! You can follow our facebook page here. It means a lot to us!
Edit: an article with my reflections and comments on the insane success of this post can be found here.
Again, my point was not to offend anybody with this post. This is not a scientific study and has not been validated by a panel of experts (although if you made it reading so far, you probably got that).
I will be happy to react and edit any information that might be incomplete or wrong. Writing was mainly my way to celebrate my almost 1 year and a half in Prague. I love the city and the life here, and I continue to discover more and more parts of its rich and fascinating culture.
And how is it for you? Did you have a similar experience when moving to a new country? I would love to have a little discussion in the comments section. All stories are the welcome!
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2018 Edit: this article is still getting a lot of clicks, it’s awesome! Thank you!
In the meantime, I started my activity as a stand-up comedian! If you want to check out my activity in Prague (and elsewhere), you can follow the page https://www.facebook.com/carminestandup/.
I would really appreciate it!
Maybe you want to check out also the follow-up story, about ways Czech people love to spend their free time:
5 very Czech ways to spend a weekend
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To say nothing of the cat 
Great fun! will be happy to buy you a beer for that :)
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Wonderful! You’ve just managed to put my endless thoughts, feeling and internal discussions into a fantastic, brilliantly written and very funny article! Great!
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I’m Czech and I think that most of it about us is true. I spent half of year close to Scotland and it was interesting how different the life can be there compare to CR. My boyfriend is foreigner and from what I know he feels a lot the same way as you. Nice article.
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Jdeme na jedno! Tell me where & when :)
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Great article! Though as a Prague native I’ve been wondering whether Prague is really still the Capitol city you mention. I’ve spent no less than 17 years of my life abroad, my wife is a foreigner so I could clearly see a new trend now. All of my foreign friends who have moved to Czechia in last 5 years, moved to….. Brno. Probably a coincidence, but literally ALL of them. And three of my Prague Czech friends too! Probably to avoid me :-) But really, they all work on very different subjects ranging from IT to human rights’ NGOs but is seems that Brno really becomes a “Silicon Valley” of Czechia. It provides for many opportunities and people are less grumpy than in Prague. Probably because it’s not overloaded with tourists. And of course they built higher skyscraper there than any in Prague ’cause the competition is fierce :-) On more serious side, Brno is also the judicial capital of the Czech Republic and there are a lot of cultural events going on there so I would actually say that Prague is still the Capitol city for Bohemia (i.e. two thirds of Czech territory) but Moravia (and Czech Silesia) with Brno, Ostrava and Olomouc depend much less on Prague and have their own rich life.Yeah, and by the way, as you might have noticed, I’m one of those who strongly prefers Czechia to the Czech Republic. One of many local silly battles….
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Guess why are capital cities called capital??
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You just basically summed up Czech in one aritcle! Unbelievable!
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It’s realy great article ! <3 soooo true.
But so long, you know, Czech, not time even to read :D
Just want to add one thing to the car point – the prague doesnt have big parkings for the once that are driving every day here. So they doesnt have a place where to leave the car, so they just continue to the centre.
And the sports ? Lots of my friends hates is :D but yes, still 60:40 love:hate. But the summer canoying isnt a sport! Never! It's just drinking as hell, relaxing and beeing with friends :) ;)
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@MartinaJ the “drinking and canoing” thing really scares me. Drinking and driving is very dangerous.
Canoing is driving on a river :D
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yes, let’s make Moravia great again!
Jokes apart, good points there. And yes, I hear (mostly by proud Brno residents :D) that the area is developing fast and using a different model. In a study visit a couple of years ago, I was especially impressed by the Masaryk University there. I found it very modern, open, efficient and inspiring.
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If you’re a Czech native pls stop using Czechia. :( Nebo se ti to fakt líbí? :D
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No More Czech Republic! That’s what’s really horrible. Czechia is not perfect, but just fine. I’ve always been using it, regardless of the official opinions. Czech Republic somehow reminds of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. But you may be too young to remember. Now wonder that countries that cannot use single name, use acronyms like US or UK. But we won’t need to! We can use one word. CZECHIA
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Great! Some more argumenting please :))) I’ll take the pop corn
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There seems to be a difference in our preferences and it’s completely fine. I’d personally prefer just Czech, even though it’s not correct according to the linguists. Fun fact: when I worked in London, my friends and co-workers always asked me “Do people in Czech xxx xxx xx something?” So it seems to be a natural choice for native speakers when they don’t know the official options.
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Great Article, I am suppose to move to Prague in coming months, this does help me understand what to expect and how to behave myself. I loved the 10th point, coming from militatry background, to see chivalry impresses me alot (equality got nothing to do with chivalry). I am bad at languages, I would be greatfull if I can manage some basic phrases.
Thanks again.
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Hello, I am currently living in Prague if you gonna need any help with “blending in” or our incredible city hall/office burecraucy, feel free to ask :-) really
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thanks a lot!
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I think it is a great article full of gentle insight on living in Czech and it shows you enjoy it here, thanks a lot for sharing
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Nice to read and me being a native Czech with a bit of foreign experience, I would sign it all.
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A lot of people seem to be in a bad mood. Always
Hmmm, you know this is just body language and this is foreign for you… but we understand it: you cannot look cheerfully, you would be considered to be crazy. But we can learn other body languages as well. I spend one year in US and after return I was smiling at each person I met – they were so surprised… I therefore switched to our familiar body language soon not to attract attention.
Thanks for nice post
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I´m from Prague (expat though) and this is the most succinct account of our nature I´ve seen, so hats off to you, sir \o/
Also, what others have said – the world might revolve around Prague (beyond doubt of any Pražák), but Brno is the more trendy runner-up with many attractions for hipsters, intellectuals and adventurers, so if you have a moment, be sure to check it out, preferably in summer when you can do a bike trip around the many vineyards in the vicinity and there´s little trace of the grumpiness to be found there too :)
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Greetings from Brno, it was really good article and fun to read. Did not know about the packed shedule, I would expect it in Germany or maybe USA :)
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I love the post! As a Brno native (spent all of my 17years here), i would really recommend living here, but that is just my inner Moravian proudness I’d say. People may seem to hate on people of Prague, but that’s mostly the older ones.
Also, folklore is still a big part of our culture, and should you ever try to comprehend the diversity of it, then best of luck. People around the country are usually very proud about their folklore, and literally every single village has a bit different local folk costume.
I also found interesting, that while I do think people overall like sports (especially us, of younger age), there is still quite big percent of overweight people, who dont move at all (or just people who dont do sports, they dont have to be obese).
Another thing, i found funny that myself, i would describe Czechs (even though its true that people are in a hurry most of the time) as a flegmatic/sanguinic nation, but i guess for you as an Italian (who are often stereotyped for laziness) it seems the opposite.
Public transport is reaaaally a great thing here, in all of the cities. My parents (even though we surely are lower class) do have one car, and they work in the same area, and there are super fast ways to go through Brno, which the PT doesnt take, so they are driving together, and they do spare like half an hour, so that did help them alot.
We are all glad you’re enjoying your stay, that you like our little picaresque, but oh, so diverse country, and wish you the best in your life with your czech wife c:
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And why do you think, that we, in Poland, are more xenophobic? ;-)
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I’m also interested :) i live in Prague but i’m from Poland, and didn’t notice any difference… xenophobia??? Really???
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I never wrote that “people” are. I get to meet a lot of people in my travels and work.
The attitude of the governments and the political debate, though, tell part of another story.
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awwww do I need to explain the “satire” part again.
Let’s say this. In a few years, I move to Poland maybe. Then I write a post about the observations I make there. That post will contain witty and stereotypical remarks about Czechs. Who, of course, will feel offended by the total lack of accuracy and biasedness of my observations.
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Pokud tě někde potkám tak můžeme zajít na jedno. ( If I meet you somewhere, then we can go for a beer. ).
PS: Sorry, my English is soo terrible. And you were right about many things in your article.
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Thank you for this refreshing article – very very true and funny, I really enjoyed every line!
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Great story and very accurate! I was born, raised and lived on the Moravian side for the first half of my life, since then (exactly half of my life this year) have lived in Canada and Dominican republic. I go to visit Czechia every summer now and I can see your observations are right on. I had the same experience with smiling on people as the previous comment, but guess what? Many smiled back! Some “grumpy” people at offices or stores became very friendly after my initial talk, maybe the fact that my first language is Czech helped too :) The problem is, “they don’t have time for a small talk”. But once you start talking to them, they realize it’s not that bad to talk to a stranger and they start smiling. Thanks for sharing!
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Hi man, this is greate article :) I had a funny time while i read it ;) all it is true, may be a section about sport it is not so right….no all czech peaple love sport … i have a lot friends who haze sport, But not me 😃😃 iam exactly like you describe 😃
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but I also love sport. On tv.
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I love it! It laughing hardbwhile travelling in “socka”😂.
Thanks a lot for your opinion! I have realised many stuff that I thought are regular😀
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Really great and funny Article. Thank you to remember me how funny nation we are :)
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hahaha :D :D :D as a native Czech from Prague I have to agree with all of that. Don´t know which one is the best. And by the way – the genders are easy. It depends on the last letter of the word. Auto (= car) is neutrum (= to, similar to german der, die,das) because it´s TO AUTO – it ends with O. on the other hand vlak(=train) in masculine. genders are super easy, problem is the paradigma. For masculine are the paradigmas: pán (mister) hrad (castle) muž (man) stroj (machine) there are many more for feminime and neutrum. And those above written hrad (castle) and stroj(machine) are masculine inanimated. I can imagine your face while reading there are different grammar for mister and man :D this is because of declination ( as you know, we have 7 cases) and if you think it´s all, don´t be silly. For nouns you can define: case, numeral, genus and paradigma. For verbs you can define: persona, tempus, numerus, modus, genus verbi, aspekt …. for me it´s actually funny and easy, but there are many people who can´t understand what is going on. anyway, it seems to me, I just found a great blog and you just get one new reader :)
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uh, thank you very much and welcome home :)
about the language: I admire its structure and love the sound of it. It is an elegant work of thought engineers. Overly complicated. But many Czech things are.
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Unfortunatelly, Luc didn’t mention two other masculine paradigmas: předseda (chairman) and soudce (judge). As you can see, předseda looks like a feminine word (with “a”), but it’s masculine.
There are also many feminine words occuring as typical masculine surnames (Svoboda – liberty, Vrba – willow, and even Krása – beauty) and they are of course declined according to masculine paradigmas. You can see the situation, when typical feminine word “svoboda” using as masuline surname Svoboda is feminized again to Svobodová when using as female surname.
On the other hand, feminine paragigmas žena (woman), růže (rose), píseň (song) and kost (bone) are not all feminine at the first sight (especially kost).
Some words have disputed gender. Ask people from Silesia what gender the word tramvaj (streetcar) has. The answer will be different when you ask the same question in Prague.
The genders are definitely not easy.
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being an Italian with Czech wife… well, I had big fun reading the article and yes, all it’s true in it!
thanks! Enrico Bonaiti
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A really cool & funny post, keep up the good work :)
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hey this is great point of view, I’m actually from Ostrava and I know how crazy it is in Prague and I don’t even have to live there (for example from my last visit – lot of black people who invite you for a swingers party – ugh no thanks).
what is with this part? “As well, men are supposed – no, expected! – to perform little actions” – you wanna tell me in there is no thing like this in other countries? what?
Anyway thanks for sharing, it was fun and very true :)
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Well, this would be a very long and tricky discussion, with the danger of sparking a lot of controversy. Let me just say that in Italy and other cultures that I know, differences between men and women acquired a very militant, political connotation (especially since the 70s), and many consider etiquette and chivalry also signs of gender imposed roles and inequalities.
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Hi. I have to clap my hands before you, good observations. It was a lot of fun and it doesnt matter, that I am Czech. Only one thing about “bad attitude” everyone is expressing. Every nation has its own personality. And Czech one is not really good. There is a lot of small people who enjoys complaining, crying and saying how bad is their life. Its like a national sport. Which is bad, because there also exist many optimist, who looks forward, but their voice is often thwarted by general pesimism. You have to reach each person alone to find, that they let themself be carried by complaining majority, but inside they are not like that.
Sorry for my bad english.
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thank you very much. I think the situation is changing faster than many people think. There are many reasons to be optimistic in Czech Republic today.
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Excellent! Super funny:D:D
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Great article :) And about forigners… those who did not come for money from social sopport or make crime, etc. but with pure intentions are “fine” for us…
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Man!!! It’s awesome article ;-) Your description of the Czech way of living and mindset is incredible good, after 1,5 years in Prague :) I will share it with my expat colleagues ;-) cheers 🍻 :D
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This is hilarious! And so true! Except, indeed how Kuba also mentioned, not all Czech people are so sportive. I’m though. But living in the Netherlands I kind of have to be as this country is “made” for sports. But the article is so true and funny. I come from small town from North and I know exactly what you mean by “Prague is a different world” LOL. I enjoy visiting our Capital city every time though. Love your article and wish you the best. Hope you will find the best in this city! Thank you for writing this amazing article. Take care! Maja
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About those cars in Prague….many of them are not actually from Prague. A lots of people outside Prague go to work there – leave it somewhere and then continue to centery by metro or tram. I personally do that a lot and it is more and more challenging to find a place to park!
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I know, it’s crazy. Large parking lots just near the metro end lines. Would make a big difference.
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Part of the things isn’t really general – some seem Prague-specific (being in hurry, partly being sportsy – if you live in a village, you don’t give a sh*t about sports, you have enough physical activity anyway). And some are definitely specific to your social circle – skinny dipping.
Walking in city dressed the same way as in a forest? Partly it’s heritage of communism (being stylish was probably kinda bourgeois, the working class was the right class, people may have wanted to look down to earth back then), partly it’s just because it’s comfy and because nobody cares anyway.
Ad xenophobia – we aren’t really racists (except against gypsies), but we are cultural supremacists (we don’t mind Arabs, we mind Islam *) and migration stance is greatly affected by the fact that we are national state (4.5% foreigners is actually less than any western country except Finland, and of these is half Slovaks or Ukrainians), we had never any colonies (so no white guilt or feeling we somehow owe them) and it’s also caused by us comparing ourselves to the Western Europe – we consider ourselves poor compared to them and why the hell should we help anyone when we think we are bad off ourselves (if you want to drive a Czech mad about immigrants, just tell him how much money they get as a social support in Germany or Sweden).
*that’s also connected to your point 10 – wearing veil is definitely not proper thing to do, being too religious neither
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thank you, Grumpy Czech :)
remember, I never said these observations were of universal value and scientific based. They are just my funny and puzzled observations.
To je tak.
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Awesome article :) I was born in Prague and been living here nearly 30 years and still learned a few new things.
As for the language, you are absolutely correct: Czech definitely isn’t an easy one (and pronouncing “Ř” is a major pain, not only for foreigners, but even for Czech kids and a handful of adults). As a matter of fact, 13 years of school education (starting from elementary school, up to high school graduation) are devoted to Czech grammar and literature at least 3 times a week. The final exams are compulsory and can be quite unforgiving – and we’re talking here young people who were hearing the language from the very day they were born!
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wow. Imagine if half of all that energy was dedicated to something else. Developing medicine, or designing videogames ;)
(Polish are better at that)
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Thumbs up!! Czech, from Prague, I sign it all. Congratulations to your observations. You should consider writing a book in some near future! You have called Prague, the capital (capitol) of Hunger Games, you should know, the country has been called Absurdistan (absurd place) in the past, and I believe, it is still so. Nevertheless, we still love it so. With all its flaws.
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When I heard that some village every year receives the “honour” of presenting Prague with the Christmas tree to expose in Old Town Square, I really had to laugh to myself.
It’s like the Hunger Games, for trees.
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What a wonderful look into a mirror :-)))
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Hi, I’m Czech and I really enjoyed the article, also learned something. Thanks for sharing!
A bit sad is what you mention, a wave of touchy responses that made you add “no offense” disclaimers so many times. We are touchy as we are not so confident yet in the world known to you. We need time, the kinda lost War and decades after it. It left scars.
I’d say Czechs in general are not into outdoor sports as much as you observe. :-)
What not mentioned on the other hand, yet leaking in the comments, is the obsession about our language. The grammar wars are enjoyed by many, often shadowing the matter of conversation. Probably people feel they must cherish the unique and overly complicated mother tongue.
Also, we love humor or black or self-hitting, often it is a specific one, tied to our complicated history. As I observe you are also into humor very much. It’s unlucky that, not speaking Czech, understanding much of the culture and humor will be tough for you…
Cheers.
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Thanks. I love dark (and sick) humour and my Czech friends have often told me that “I would be one of them” easily. Minus the language.
As to the disclaimers – I really just wanted to write a satirical and funny post, and you cannot make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. Usually my blog is read by people who know me personally in a way or another, and know the way I talk – and joke. They come and read my stories, if they want to.
But this post got really out of hand (almost 30 thousand people read it today) and of course, with “celebrity” come a lot of troubles.
I see that a couple of lines have especially hurt the sensitivity of Polish readers. I love comedy and satire, and I don’t care if people get offended. When people are over sentitive about a topic, the problem is never about the satire, is more about self confidence.
Tomorrow when I will go back to my 50 readers, it will all be forgotten :)
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Great article. I’ve travelled a lot and started to see these things too. It’s hilarious and you managed to express it really well. Thank you, like very very much. I had lot of fun reading this. And btw I agree :D
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Truly enjoyed every bit of your article!
As Brno citizen who lived in England for some time I might say that the cultural differences are noticeable everywhere.(Plus having some part of the family in Italy too.)
I still have to laugh because its so true time to time and no Czech would describe us like you did!
(And sometimes I hate the angry behaviour of the people)
Im glad you like staying over here but trust me its not impossible to learn our language. (Personally knowing couple foreigns who made it and they are so fluent and I’m so proud of them too!)
Good one. X
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I love your article!
Has it already been translated to Czech? I think some people could value it, at least some my friends for sure. If not, I can try to do it myself if you allow me to do it.
Thank you for the fun & introspection :-)
Jan
P.S. I’m Czech living in Prague
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uh, thanks for the offer! If you would like to translate, I would be honoured. Also, I would be never able to stop you :))
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This is all so accurate! Every word you wrote matches the Czech culture so perfectly haha. Thank you for that summary, I’ll definitely borrow things or two when presenting Czech culture and stereotypes to foreigners :) Also since I currently live abroad it just made me miss our beautiful country a little bit.
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Yes, I hate the masculine inanimated gender too, but the difference is quite simple (for a native), or at least for me: neutrums sound specific, there’s not so many of them: f.ex. auto, pole, kuře… while masc.in.: hrad, vlak… I guess you could say that they sound more tough, harsh…idk..
But the major difference is in the name of the gender. “inanimated” is a strange translation, not exact. In words, we call it rod “neživotný” in tr. something like “un-lifelike” “not-living” => it’s not a living form, something that is alive. So… hrad (castle) or vlak (train) aren’t living obviously, but they sound too harsh to be neutrums. Words like pes (dog) or malíř (painter) are normal masculine = breathing creatures obvo, but a word like sněhulák (snowman, such a cool precious thing) isn’t living so it’s masculine inanimated, because how could this be neutrum if it has the word ‘man’ in it? If I mafe this any clearer, I’m glad, but idk man, czech sucks even for Czechs :D
okay, after reading this again, it doesn’t feel simple anymore
PS: you write víkend with the long i (í) :D
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I cannot even imagine how grammar nazi battles must be, between Czechs :)
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Only political battles are worse than that:D
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I love how some of the comments here advice me, I am sure with the best of intentions, to stay out of the political debate :D
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Now thats interesting. It is all so fitting, and yet, i feel like i wouldnt ever think about us this way.
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because they are observations made by a cultural alien. They are right, but in a wrong way.
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Hi,
Nice article, especially thank you for the point 10 :-) Beer, difficulty with the language, people seem to be in bad mood… that is already some kind of cliche, but not point 10, not so many people noticed it.
As a native Czech during my stay abroad (I used to live in three different European countries) l was bothered by a luck of etiquette there (and I’m young emancipated girl, no old-school). In Switzerland, I saw several times that an old delicate lady or an obviously pregnant woman had no place to sit in a tram and nobody cares. I couldn’t believe how it is possible in such a polite country! I was also a little bit disgusted to see abroad in philharmonic people in audience wearing jeans. And of course, I appreciate (and even expect) that men accompaning me will ask me if I need help with the bags, open door and will enter the pub, restaurant or bar before me (in case of unexpecting danger inside – citation of the official rule). I was a little bit disappointed and surprised that in abroad nobody cares and in that moments I missed my homeland :-) And about the gender inequallity – these rules are here for women to show they are above men. Men have to serve and protect them not because girls won’t be able to do so by themselfs, but to show respect and appreciation to women.
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ahhhh, the discussion on gender inequalities has many different sides to it. Maybe my point is that nobody should be “above” and that’s all. But if a certain behaviour pleases my lady, it’s my pleasure to do it. A to je tak.
I study traditions and cultures and I would be crazy to dismiss any belief as “irrelevant”. Many may be nonsense, but if they have value for people, they are not irrelevant.
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Funny and mostly true :) BUT Czechs don’t enjoy to be naked in public, I gues you have just weird friends :D go to Germany, they love to be naked and Czechs are prude compared to them :D the part about xenophoby is very true. my mum is Ukrainian and I moved here when I was 4, so when someone is complaining about imigrants, I say that I am immigrant too and the answer is always the same – yeah, but you are fine :D :D :D
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so it turns out, my friends are nudists and I didn’t know it :)
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You ar
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I guess I will never know!
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You just made my day! So true funny and sometimes sad and illogical :D. I grew up in Ostrava and lived there for 21 years. Now I am almost 2 years living in the Isle of Man in the middle of Irish sea. Island is small but incredibly proud about being independent on UK. But that’s for different story. Cheers for your article!
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Author is obviously very immature and life inexperienced, mistaking very wise and pragmatic view on islamist immigrants that from 40yrs records show no attempt to ever get a job or integrate into society and trying to bring their middle-aged law sharia of beating women and cutting off hands, as it is right now happening in sweden and britain, to european origin people, who take interest in culture and people and dont just grab girls as we see it in some streets. Also present by mistaking common gratitude to women by acts of chivalry and daily respect with equality of sexes. Yet another neurotic brainwashed idea as is political correctness that got imported from ever-confused usa. Man, learn to eat meat, swim naked as most europeans do and grow up :)
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I am wondering if I am just being served a dish of rather raw, unprocessed Czech humour here.
Thanks for your comment, wasn’t aware that they are cutting hands off in Sweden these days, but I will keep eating what I want and swimming as I want, thank you very much :)
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I am Czech and I love your article:-). I laughed a lot since you have really accurate insights. I find very interesting your remarks about helping ladies and gender inequality view. When I do these thing I definitely do not think about “masculine superiority” but it is more about paying respect to another person. I would not say it is just about man woman line but also about young elder etc.
Take care and enjoy CZ, bro:-)
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Hi, about etiquete. I was in Barcelone once and when we cheered up with wines nobody looked at my eyes. They said its normal. Really? This was so rude for me. Its also typical for Czechs, when we cheers up we always look at our eyes!
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Hi, reading this was… intriguing :D I mean, a lot of it is nothing but the pure truth and accuracy, but also I am somehow in need to comment on a couple of your points…
In politics, moral principles and talks about president, especially president Miloš Zeman, nothing is black and white.
A bit of history first: he came out of election where the other candidate was Karl Schwarzenberg (no, it’s not the terminator, quite the opposite actually) so called ‘sleeping earl’ (we actlly say “kníže” but english apparently doesn’t have a word for that). Wondering why sleeping? Oh dear people, hold your little toes! He litteraly kept drifting off in the middle of his colleagues’ speeches, repeatedly… and he still does. So we chose the “alcoholic Zeman” over somebody who would probably doze off during his acceptance speech…
Altough Zeman is problematic, arrogant, loves to provoke and cause scandal and pisses people off all the time (I honestly think that he does that just for his own entertainment), he isn’t racist, nor xenophobic. The comment he dropped about refugees (very radical, I admit that) happened once, he never took it back, but not that many poeple take it seriously anyway because it’s practically irrelevant: There are about 12 refugees in CZ (our nation is in danger! :OO) and all of them want to continue somewhere else.
As a nation, a bit like Americans and their problem with Mexicans, we’ve got Gypsies here. The 1st thought that comes to every Czech head after hearing this is “Thief” “stealing”. It just so is. Not all of them are theafs, but they are very loud (louder than Italiens) and their lifestyle is very different: One couple usually has got a LOT of kids (6-8, perfectly normal) plus in a very young age (13,14,15 – just the right time to become a mother huh) and the truth be told: they VERY often DO steal for living, because not many poeple are willing to employ them (again, their reputation – it’s a vicious circle) or they do not even look for a job.
mentioning paradoxes… Czechs kind of think that when you say “polite Gypsie”… that doesn’t happen very often.
Otherwise from that, we are not racists, we just mind our own bussiness…(well mostly). But Gypsies never being able to integrate into Czech society and obey to our rules and ways… it’s very problematic and complicated.
and one last thing: NOBODY TAKES TOMIO OKAMURA SERIOUSLY, HE’S A JOKE, REALLY (I’m sorry, I was keeping this to myself for way too long) – he got booooed and yelled at to shut up during the most sofisticated poliltical debate of the year, where there 9 more representatives of other political parties and though they had some shit to say too…. none of them got booed or yelled at..
I’m looking forward to read more of such hilarious articles of yours, it’s very interesting to read about the republic and us from someone elses point of view.
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The thing about immigrants… You are an immigrant but you’re funny so naah you’re jsut fine, Ukraines are immigrants but they often end up cleaning our homes for living and their man buils us our houses a lot cheaper, Vietnamies are immigrants but they run bistros and give us yummy food – same goes for turkish/greece. Immigrants from the west are hardly ever perceived as immigrants, they’re just the cool foreigners with a lot of crazy stories…
it’s hypocritical, but that’s how it works.
And then there are muslims, who were not hated (the way they are now) until the IS started operating, and here are Gypsies, who differ because they’ve got their vivacity and culture in their genes, in their blood and they are loud, and don’t seem to be even able to integrate so they are hated… I’m not saying “a Gypsie, a thief” or “a Gypsie, a criminal there”… but the difference between foreigner and immigrant is: here are those who can obey to Czech rules and integrate and became useful for the society and immigrants are perceived as those who cannot integrate and won’t. so maybe afterall, if you skip the correct terms matter, it’s not that hypocritical..
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and thank you very much :)
All I know about the Czech political situation is very superficial, so I wrote just that, my impressions.Thanks to you and the other comments I am getting more insight, but I never claimed I was the expert.
Also, don’t forget I come from Italy, where the political situation is another mess beyond words. And we got Berlusconi for 20 years. So yes, I know something about paradoxes of democracy.
The situation about Gypsies is “problematic and complicated”, yes. Especially since, if they are in a territory for generations, nobody can say they are “immigrants”. They are citizens from another ethnic group, who refuse to omologate. I think it’s a central problem in democracy. What do we do with the minorities and with those who refuse to omologate?
(besides breaking the law. All citizens are subject to laws in a country, and that is beyond discussion in the current state of affairs)
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Hi, i have to say, your article is totally great! : D It made me constantly laught : D I am from villiage near Prague and now living for few yers in Prague. It is very refreshing to hear (read) that some of czech common habits might seems unusuall for foreigners. I definitely have to go abroad : D. Good luck in Czech! :)
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thank you! go abroad, it’s great there too.
And come back. Or not. Nothing will ever look the same :)
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Hello :) Ijust wanted to say that I mostly agree and had a smile on my face while reading it. But as a native I must say that I know soooo many people who are not sporty at all. Maybe there are just so many active people around you…because you know..the opposites attract each other. :) And I am also quite lazy and always late and don´t drink so much and am certainly shy and not a nudist at all. :D Everybody is different :) Anyway, a nice article, I really enjoyed it :)
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Having lived in Prague whole my life (not anymore though), I can do nothing but completely agree! And I don’t see there anything offensive or insulting, it’s simply true and maybe those who complain about the article rather lack the ability of introspection. Perfect article which made me laugh. I guess no Czech would write it better, love it!
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Honestly, not to bring any bad air here… but I disagree on most of your points. As somebody who moved in here 17 years ago, and traveled the world quite a lot I can only agree with you on the couple of points, while quite strongly disagree on majority. Perhaps it goes from difference of our origin, given Im Russian and compare Czech people to our standards while you do to yours.
1) Prague has no real difference in clothes, styles, language nor perception of it. Speaking as somebody who lived in a small village in Středočeský kraj for 12 years and now 4 in Prague. People are the same, just as language is. The bickering and “hatred” of Prague people is not greater than how people view capitols / major cities in any other country…All those “proud Moravians” when going abroad are boasting about Prague being one of the most beautiful cities in Europe show very little hatred towards The Capitol.
2) The nudity is definitely not that comfortable. Behavior in saunas is WAY more timid (you may not be allowed swimsuit, but vast majority of people do wear the white cloth u r provided covering their privates while moving) than in saunas in Austria or Germany (where people walk openly naked everywhere)
3) The time and planning obsession is again quite lame compared to the same Germans, same as being particularly sporty or outdoorsy. I mean grandmas doing taichi and dancing in parks of Beijing – thats sporty and outdoorsy. Elders here dont indulge in cultural life as much preferring TV. Perhaps the younger generation is a bit more active. Given the heavy food and drinking (which i agree with you upon) there is quite a case of obesity that if anything kinda demotivates people from action and many end up spending their evenings in bars drinking and watching sport, rather than performing one.
4) Public transport in Prague will certainly not get you everywhere. The subway has only 3 lines and quite a spacing in timetable.(at least for somebody like me, who is used to 30 sec intervals) There is a significant difference in going by car and public transport – often twice or 3 times, depending on traffic, which is btw rather timid compared to many big cities. For me personally it took 15-20 min by car and over an hour by public transport to get from my apartment in Prague to my uni.
5) And as a Russian I had the exact opposite cultural shock when it came to etiquette. Vast majority of men, even the older ones never do the basics like: hold the door, help into the coat, help with bags, hold out the arm for support etc. There is quite a gender gap – the pay gap is one of the highest in Europe – 22% (world economic forum data)! But for some reason, despite quite a visible case of male chauvinism, it is not accompanied by the expected “gentlemanry” and guys follow the western views of women paying their own part (while performing all the necessary old fashioned momma-roles in household at the same time, and working fulltime)
To end on agreeable note, I do agree with u on food being heavy, language being a nightmare and people being generally xenophobic and unwellcoming not just to foreigners in general, but even to tourists.
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I don’t write having as an objective that people must agree with me.
Reality is a prism, light may get out in all different colours. It depends on the point of view.
Thank you for your observations :)
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I think our observations differ primarly due to different cultural background, therefore we pay attention to different things and experience cultural shock from different situations. And of course we probably have different people surrounding us. I believe there are people in Prague, that are all superactive, planners and outdoor sportsmen, with extravagant hair colors always up for a nude bath in a mountain lake – its just that i know none;D
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Oh my God, I didnt laugh so hard such a long time :D. So true! I’m not even realizing some things which you described about us. Thank you! :)
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