Through Expat's Eyes

I came to the Golden City, from Rochester, New York around two years ago. Since my first visit in 1993, the two of us have been through a lot. Now I’m in Vinohrady, living happily with my beautiful girlfriend and our cat, Potato. Prague has never stopped talking to me. I’m not sure whether or not her and I will end up together forever, my only hope is to look as good as she does after a thousand years.

Why did I choose Czech Republic? To be honest, I did not choose the Czech Republic, the Czech Republic chose me and I am very glad that it did!

Thorarinn Ingi Jonsson is a visual artist born and raised in Reykjavik, Iceland. He studied art at The Ontario College of Art and Design, The Icelandic Academy of Art and lastly at The Academy of Architecture, Art and Design in Prague.

Here I am, another foreigner in the Czech Republic, Prague, trying to survive, have fun and be productive at the same time. I’m a 24 years old Turkish design student and I’ve been here for 1.5 years by now. I’m living with my boyfriend and having a pretty good life in this city full of art and design.

I arrived in Czech Republic as a student in 2005. It was my first time to travel in Europe and this country was my first destination. After an 8-month intensive Czech language course in Podebrady, a small but beautiful spa town, I moved to Prague to study in the university and lived in the dormitory.

There are many aspects of western culture that are slowly creeping into, or even invading, the Czech calendar, to be met with a mixture of curiosity and animosity: Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Santa Claus have all made it, whether they are welcome or not. It seems inevitable that anything that ever features in an American film, TV series or pop song will eventually have to be absorbed into Czech consumer lifestyle.

I came to Czech Republic to study chemistry at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague, I applied for a scholarship and I got it, so I am living here around 6 years already, these years have being full of emotions.

My life in Prague started two months ago, when I graduated and decided to leave Italy to try to find a job in this fantastic city. It has not been easy to leave my Sardinia and its sea to settle in a country characterized by different climate and different culture. Therefore the question is: “Why?”

I really don't know where to start… maybe, I will just repeat what thousands of other people say, Prague is awesome!!!