1.Where are you from originally, where are you now and what brought you there?

I was born in Germany, but lived also in Spain and the UK and we moved to Prague (Czech Republic) because of the work of my husband.

2.What do you like/dislike about your new home in Prague?

What I like most here is that a lot of things like culture, habits, manners, food remind me of the Germany of my childhood. So it is a bit like a “nostalgic coming home” even if I don’t yet speak the language. A lot of things seem utterly familiar.

What I like least is the amount of bureaucrazy [not a typo, a pun] every time you need something from the authorities, the Czech even beat the Germans in requiring paperwork and documents done and stamped.

3.Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get a job in a foreign country?

If you want to work in a foreign country you need a profession that “translates” well or be a telecommuter. Knowing languages also helps ;-) Regarding visa, as members of the European Union we didn’t need one, but there is a still a lot of paperwork to go through until you are a “resident” of the Czech Republic. Finding work in the Czech Republic is easiest as a ESL/TEFL teacher or by working for an international company that has a branch here, at least that is what friends have told me. I myself am a telecommuter so where my laptop and wifi there my work ;-) There are also other jobs available for people that speak little to no Czech, but your chances are obviously much higher if you do speak the language. A good source of information for (future) expats in the Czech Republic is http://www.expats.cz// just be careful in the forums there, they can be a bit rough.

4.What was the most challenging part of living in a foreign country when you first started out as an expat? Do you have any advice for those facing similar challenges?

The language, Czech is considered one of the most difficult languages to learn. In all cases, if you know you are moving to a country whose language you don’t speak, try to start to learn it as soon as possible. It makes things so much easier.

5.If you were to do it all again (moving to and living in another country), what would you do different?

Not a lot actually, so far it worked out quite well.

Check out S.Y.’s blog all about living as an expat in Prague here

6.Do you want to move back to where you came from? If not, what is it about the expat life that makes it all worth it to you?

Hubby and I are pretty sure we will stay after his retirement in mainland Europe. We love to travel and would like to explore more of Europe, especially the east, when we have more time.

7. Did you experience culture shock when you moved? What was that like? How did you overcome it?

Nops, not really, just some time of observing and discovering things and start to find my way around. So, yes, a time of adjustment, but not of shock.

8.Any practical tips for the new expats out there?

Don’t compare. I see a lot of expat friends comparing things all the time, like “this and that is cheaper/ more expensive at home.” Or, even worse, “we do this better then…” Learn to accept things as they are. Oh, and home is were you live ;-)

9.Where do you think you’ll go next?

Actually we don’t know yet, hubby will retire in 8 years and then we’ll know.

10. Anything else you want to add or share about expat life or culture shock?

One important tip: If you think that your home country is the greatest place in the world and everyone should live by your rules, then perhaps you should stay at home. Being an successful, happy expat requires to accept that different countries have different habits and that they are as valid as the ones from your own country.