Their list is longer; we just pulled out the ones we have witnessed.
So here are some unwritten rules of Prague, and a great look at the culture we live in!
*Reservations are essential. Not just for meals, but an afternoon
coffee as well. If it's a place worth going to, it's booked by those in the
know. If there is tons of space, it's likely overpriced and awaiting
tourists.
*BYOTP.
Women, it's a good idea to carry a packet of tissues to the toilet,
particularly if you're at an outdoor festival or a bar after 9:00 pm.
Replenishing TP seems to be just below smiling on the customer service priority
list, and paper towels are most definitely a luxury item.
*Pets will show up in the unlikeliest of places. Czechs have more dogs per capita than any European country,
but you can relax about attacks because they're usually very well trained.
However, if you're allergic you may want to avoid public transport, restaurants and possibly your office.
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| Very common sighting: dog on the tram |
*If you want to speak English, you'd better be spending
money. Want to work
at Starbucks, McDonald's or in any of Prague's shopping centers? Fluency in at
least three languages, including English, is a must. Want to work for the
foreign police? Just Czech is fine, with conversational German or Russian a
plus, but not required.
*The day before a holiday is a holiday. Don't count on a response to emails or
phone calls after 12:00pm on Friday (especially on a long weekend). If the
public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, 60% of your office will probably
take a 4-5 day trip out of the city with their family.
*Weekends are for getting out of Prague. Any day with decent weather for skiing,
cycling, hiking or rafting should be spent outside the city limits. And if the
weather isn't ideal for outdoor activities, you can expect to hear complaints
about it throughout the office on Monday morning.
*Nude is the norm.
One additional warm-weather warning – in public parks, bathing suits are optional
for anyone under 10 or over 50. If you've fallen asleep while sunbathing, you
may want to open your eyes slowly… (The entire city doubles as a men's toilet
as well.)
*Drinking
at lunch is acceptable (but not required). Though
you are still expected to perform your duties upon returning to the office! But
don't feel compelled to have a pint just to keep someone from drinking alone.
Enjoying a beer is more about taste than taboo, so you won't lose any cool
points for ordering a coffee, tea or water.
*Exact change is a religion. Whatever note you're paying with had better be within 20% of the price. Exact change is preferred, additional coins to make the change a round number are expected, and glares are guaranteed for anyone using a 2,000 CZK note, ever.
*The post will be maddeningly unpredictable. Any package sent from outside the EU will arrive on time, but require three extra weeks to track down which post office it was sent to, plus five pages of forms. If you send both a package and a postcard to the same non-EU city on the same day, they will arrive ten days apart with no consistency on which one takes longer.
*Exact change is a religion. Whatever note you're paying with had better be within 20% of the price. Exact change is preferred, additional coins to make the change a round number are expected, and glares are guaranteed for anyone using a 2,000 CZK note, ever.
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| Czech Currency |
*The post will be maddeningly unpredictable. Any package sent from outside the EU will arrive on time, but require three extra weeks to track down which post office it was sent to, plus five pages of forms. If you send both a package and a postcard to the same non-EU city on the same day, they will arrive ten days apart with no consistency on which one takes longer.
*80s music is a guilt-free pleasure. If either "Greased Lighting"
or "(I've Had) the Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing comes
on at Lucerna Music Bar at least half the room, regardless of age, is required
to sing along and demonstrate the choreography.
*Develop your own Prague laundry system. All clothing, particularly coats and
jackets, should be divided into two categories: acceptable-to-wear-for-a-night-on-the-town
or reserved-for-non-smoking-establishments-only.
Praises:
- Jadon figured out how to fix our Internet, and now it is working perfectly!
- We got to attend a talk by American astronaut Charles Duke on Wednesday, and it was a wonderful experience!
- We have had multiple sunny days in a row - it seems that spring is on its way!
- We completely lost power in our apartment on Thursday evening, but our landlord had it all sorted by Friday morning!
Prayer Requests:
- Drama Club (only 3.5 weeks until the performances!)
- Sleep - we have been sleeping poorly the last couple of weeks
- The group from CRU will be in our classrooms this coming week, so prayers that they can use their time well and make some connections with students
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