I hate Prague...I love Prague

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I just finished my fourth week of teaching, and my 3rd month of living in Prague.
I still haven't gotten a paycheck, but all of my employers swear there is money on the way...
I wish I could say "I'm not in it for the money..." but people who say that usually have a little money saved up...
Everyone gets paid in Prague monthly, but you dont get paid that the end of the month, no no no, you get paid on the 20th of the NEXT month...THE 20TH! I tried asking for an advance, but that isn't going to happen.
I'm down to $200 in my bank account which is not enough for next month's rent...how exciting right?

However, I have created some amazing dishes for dinner though that cost less than 15kc, which is less than $1...
One favorite recipe is;
-2 Packages Instant Soup
-1 Envelope creamy mushroom soup powder.
-Boil water, add 2 ingredients, and BAM!, a feast is made.

I'm glad I bought my flights to Spain and London when I had money, so now I have something to look foward to that is already paid for...


I think it was this week that I "made it" in Prague;
Wednesday I woke up at 6:30AM in my communist high-rise. I missed the bus by about 10 seconds, so I ran to another stop and caught the bus there. The bus was so full of people that the doors could barely close, but I just mumbled "prominte" and "pardon" ("i'm sorry" and "excuse me") and squeezed onto the bus. It's only 3 stops to the Metro station, but in the morning traffic it took forever, and the bus kept starting and stopping, which caused everyone on the bus to bump into eachother. i have given up on having personal space. which is hard to do at 7AM.
upon arriving at the metro station everyone filed out of the bus as quickly as they could and we all started herding into the station. I made it about 10 meters into the station when I heard a metro train approaching on the platform downstairs. Next thing you know, I am in a full out sprint with 100's of miserable Czech commuters all trying to get onto the metro train before it leaves. The only problem was, you couldn't tell which direction the train was going...but we ran anyhow. Sometimes you run and run, just to realize that the metro you are running towards is the wrong one, so you end up standing on the platform for 5 minutes anyhow. But this time I was lucky and it was the right train for me and I got on just as the doors were closing.
Then, like a real Czech person, I fell asleep on the metro. What a glorious feeling. Being squeezed in between two strangers, but still falling asleep. I woke up just in time to switch to the yellow line, which is an event in itself which involves two escalators and two flights of stairs, all at a very brisk pace.
I finally got to the Radlicka metro stop where I teach at CSOB bank, used my entry card to get through the security checkpoint and found my way up to the classroom. And I was 1 minute early...

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Photos

Bus Zastavska
This is the bus stop where I get off to work at the airport.
As you can see, it is in the middle of nowhere, I hate waiting for the bus back to Prague here, because it is always dark out and quite desolate.

teaching
Here I am, hard at work...

TESCO
my favorite place in Prague...the Tesco at Narodni Trida...all ready for Christmas.

Panelak
Here's the view from my window...our building looks like the yellow one, only ours is white...

Comments

[:)]

Is your life realy that bad in Prague??

[Barry Oliphant]

I am to follow....
Hey Hunter. Cool blog you have there. I am quitting a perfect job working with the FBI as a systems administrator for their classified forensic networks to take on a new life by taking the TEFL course in Prague and teaching their. This February is my drop dead date. I know a few native Czech friends down there to help me out a bit. Am I crazy?? I need a new challenge in my life and I think I am about to find one. Any helpful advice would be cool. Take care down there!

[HunterG]

hey man, i just got your comment. haha, prague is nice, it is just a lot different living here than if you were just visiting for 3 days...like everyone else. where are you taking your TEFL?

[Denis]

Irish lad
Im going to prague in a weeks time on a student exchange thing for 4 months or 5 months depends on exams me mates are trying to scare the shit out of me i tink haha but i heard there was an irish lad killed in prague and that czechs hate foreigners because of communism nd stuff and that sexy prostitutes come up to you and then beat the crap out of ye with there pimps etc i know the Irish lad being killed is true but is the rest

[McKane_CZ]

I love Prague
Hi, i am from czech republic. Prague is very nice city, but theres lots of homelesses and gipsys.... historic Prague is very nice :o)

[Dasha]

from a Czech
Hi guys, Prague is a perfectly normal and modern city. We do not hate nor love foreigners. We become their friends if they are nice and not like them if they act like assholes and think we are a bunch of communistic monkeys who need American way of life and civilisation. So here is a few useful pieces of information: The Czech Republic hasn't been a communistic country for 19 years. It is not as cheap as you think.The economy is strong and there is about 16CZK to 1 dollar as opose to 35CZK some years ago. Therefore everything is a lot more expensive than you may think. Yes, it is true that you get paid on the 20th of next months so get extra cash ready and be prepared for as many as three months without pay. Starting January 1st 2008 we are part of the Schengen zone which has stricter rules for immigrants than Czech Republic used to have. You are not allowed to work without a permit, you need to pay insurance and taxes and get yourself registered. Otherwise you are risking deportation not only from this country BUT ALL OF EU.And finally to our Irish friends. An Irish tourist has been injured when a Christmas tree fell on him and is unfortunately paralysed. We are deeply sorry for that. Please do not underestimate your arriving here. It isn't as easy as it used to be but I hope you will have a great time anyway. Maybe we can have a pivo:)