News Archive

As a foreigner I’m willing to accept almost anything Prague has to offer, however, if I could offer one tip for the future, banning smoking indoors it would be. The long-term health costs of smoking and second hand-smoke inhalation have long been proven by scientists, whereas the rest of what I’ve written is only my personal opinion.

As an American expat and teacher embarking upon my second year in Prague, I’ve been reflecting on some of the experiences and lessons I’ve learned in my time in this fascinating, exciting city.

My life in Prague started when through my university I participated in Erasmus Program. At first I was afraid because my level of English at that moment wasn't good like almost all Spanish people. But fortunately I have improved.

I was waiting with big excitement to move to the historical city of Prague. But hearing so much about it and visiting a couple of times isn’t the same thing as actually living here. But it feels like home after only one month, thanks to the people and the amazing adventures.

I would like to take you back, back to  August  1989 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, I arrived in that month to carry out an electrical refurbishment  contract in the British Embassy in Prague.

‘Do I really count as an expat?’ I ask myself sometimes. We – and by we I mean our nations – used to share emperors, presidents, our people used to fight besides or against each other. Not that I had any reasonable memory about those times, of course not, but you know, historians ‘say so’...

Most visitors to Prague will do the usual tourist “thing”. This includes a visit to Prague Castle, Old Town, Winsislaus Square and so on. A little more time or another day could allow a leisurely walk along the Vltava, lunch at the café near Charles Bridge where one can watch fishermen and local folks enjoy virtually every kind of water sport from kayaking, sailing etc.

When I first came to Prague to study I did not know exactly what to expect as I have never lived in other cities apart from my hometown Tbilisi, in Georgia.

Being a foreigner living in a different country can be both exciting and very scary, as living in a foreign country for an extended period of time is completely different than throwing on your back pack, stopping at the hot tourist spots, packing up and leaving a few days later.