First impressions
If I had to say what the first thing that struck me about Prague was, I would have a hard time trying to describe it. It wasn't the "sights", because to be honest it was three months before I went to look at the Castle, and I've still never been to the Old Jewish Cemetary. But, you know, for some people there are sights and for some people there are other things, and I've always been more inclined to the "other things", and it was definitely an other thing that grabbed me and held me here. Maybe we could call it a "magical feeling", or a feeling of familiarity. Maybe the pretty buildings helped at a certain point too, we can grant them that.
Prague is a place of many stories and legends and even if one has never heard of the Golem or Kafka, it is rare that a visitor can't sense how this is possible. It is a city full of amazing encounters and serendipitous feats of chance. It is packed with discoveries and special nooks and a living pulse underneath it all. It did not take long to feel like it was a city that gave some meaning and storyline to what had seemed like a meaningless world. I began to see that even if I left, I would have no choice but to return.
Getting to know one another
I am from Canada, a country where many people from all around the world come to live and carry on their lives, and part of that is learning English, or French as the case may be. So when I decided that Prague was a place I wanted to live, it was a matter of course that I would have to learn Czech. Czech has a reputation for being a difficult language, but I think that any language can be learned with a small dose of determination if you are surrounded by it every day. Maybe it takes a little longer to get off the ground than with a language like English, but soon the pieces will fall into place and you will find whole new worlds opening up around you.
Living in the centre of Europe also means close access to many other cultures and languages. As I began to be bound closer to Prague and the Czech environment, so could I start getting to know my new neighbours as well.
A respected friend
I never considered myself an expat. The term for me implies an impermanence that lacks a certain dignity – a sort of one-way relationship. Prague is a city that has given me much, and it is a place that I owe much to. All relationships are mutual, in science as in nature, and this is one that still holds many surprises for me. Prague continues to hide many secrets, and helps me learn many about myself as well. As it changes, so do I change. Of course one never knows what will come in life, but Prague is my home, the home of my friends and of my children, and I know our stories will continue to be intertwined for many years to come.