Culture Differences

It's not really culture shock for me, at least not yet. But I've definitely noticed some culture differences here in Praha.

None of the doors have automatic closing apparatus. Like, no springs and friction bars to close the door behind you. You have to manually close each and every door, or it stays open! That's especially frustrating when you enter a small store or restaurant. They always speak sternly in Czech, telling you to close the door that you left swinging open behind you. Aaugh!


The Czech Republic doesn't believe in Peanut Butter. Well, that's not entirely true. They just don't believe that it should come in large, cheap quantities. A very, very small jar costs about $1.50, maybe $2.00. It's just not feasible to purchase much. In fact, it's cheaper to buy honey that it is to buy PB. Which, that works out okay as far as honey is concerned. I like it a lot. But simply because I can't have peanut butter, as much as I want, whenever I want, I am missing.


Windows. I'm not sure if I've written about this before, but it's another difference. Every house and business I've seen, in every window, has a double set of glass windows. There is the inner set, and the outer set. My guess is that this is to trap heat, and keep the rooms warmer. And it would also tend to discourage thieves. But it's different.


I know I've talked about this before, but there is an absurd number of locks on the door of our flat. We have a grand total of five separately keyed locks to our door, plus a chain. Two of these locks cannot even be accessed from the inside, but only locked from the outside. And two, not one but two peepholes. And all this is in addition to the outside door, the single door that all the flats use to get outside. It also has a lock. When I go home I feel sorta like I'm living in Fort Knox.


I'm starting to get used to the fact that I simply cannot understand most of the people around me. I get on the metro or a tram, and simply realize again that the vast majority of the quiet conversations going on around me are unintelligible. I walk into a grocery store and the fitness center and experience the same thing. Going through the czechout counter is always an experience. Hopefully I will just be able to see how much my purchases cost and give them the money. But a lot of the time they have a question about something, and I have to regretfully respond, "Nevim Cheski," - "I don't know Czech."


Oh, and speaking of money. I'm getting better at calculating how much a thing is worth. Each crown is currently worth between four and five cents. 100 crowns equals about four dollars. It's not too bad. But, it's definitely a difference.


Czechs don't boil carrots. They prefer to eat them raw. Which, by itself, is fine. In fact, raw carrots retain more nutrition. But when you have prepared a batch of boiled carrots for your dinner guests. . .

They also don't break their spaghetti before boiling it. Apparently they are more in favor of having long strands of spaghetti that take forever to wind, chew, and swallow. Again, dinner guests. . .


I don't want to sound like I'm complaining. I love Prague, and I am so glad this is where I was placed for the second semester. But I thought you might enjoy hearing about how different it is here. I certainly have.

In His Time,