Of course it wasn't ready, so I tried the week after Christmas, only to fail again. So I tried the next week. When the guy told me 'neni hotovo,' I almost lost it, my 'Proc ne?!' sounding more like an angry demand than a question. Between my broken Czech and his broken English (he was probably the best English speaker in the office, and my Czech was better than his English) I found out that the jurisdiction for Prague 2 had been moved, again. For the third time in less than a year. I got a phone number to call and check if it's ready (watch out, the CR is getting technological) and a temporary visa until then.
The Synopsis
This has been my experience in Prague in the last 2.5 years. The time has been a lesson in patience and tolerance, to say the least. When you move to another country, you are looking for the new experiences, new friends, but for some reason or another, there are always things that drive you completely crazy. Like paying for bank accounts, or expensive, low quality clothing. Landlords who give you the utilities bill almost 2 years after the fact, and waitresses who are angry at you for making them work (sorry for being the reason you have a job). But then there are the things that you love, like the quirky traditions (Easter pomlaska), drinking beer in the park (yes, it's legal to drink outside!), the fact that people don't sue others because they failed to look up and see if the snow was going to fall on their heads (what, personal responsibility?!). You just complain (the favorite pastime of most), then suck it up and move on, taking the good and bad together.
The Why
I moved to Prague for 5 weeks, the amount of time needed to complete a TEFL course. I stayed because there was something about the city that told me I wasn't done yet (sometimes I can be a bit of a hippie). That was almost 2.5 years ago and I still enjoy the city, the beer, my friends and generally, even my job.
I often wonder why I moved from a landlocked state with lots of sun to an even more landlocked country with lots of clouds, but sometimes, we don't choose the place, it chooses us and grabs on, not letting us go. The other night, when some Czech friends were discussing the best way to get from point A to point B, they turned to me for advice. I responded with landmarks (not street names) and tram stops. At this point I realized that somewhere along the way I had grabbed onto Prague too.