I realised something today (not only that, but I just realized that I don't know if I write in American or British English!). Let's call it a re-realisation, because it is something that I have been thinking about for the past 2 years or so.
When you go back to the beginning, I always wanted to run a business. In fact, when I entered the Faculty of Accounting, it was under the advice of an older student that this is where you would learn the most about how to run a business. Initially, this desire was purely entrepreneurial in nature. Over the past ten years (or possibly less??) my attitude has changed from being a person inspired with the entrepreneurial spirit, to a person that is disgusted by the employment regime that we all live under.
This attitude has grown slowly for a few years now, and my interest in "anti-corporation" for the good of mankind (and my own sanity) has grown with it. This has been fostered by watching such films (they weren't always documentaries) about how the corporations poison our society, and most recently (and probably most profoundly) by reading a book called Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn.
Now I am not one of those "giver vs. taker" soldiers that read it like a bible and use its glossary of terms as a dictionary for life. However, the principles in the book really lay out where we went wrong.
But...this post isn't about that book. It is about the 40 days of overtime per year that some people have to work, as shown in this article. Another article claims that residents of the UK average 7 hours and 42 minutes of overtime per week. That is essentially like working 6 days a week. What happened to the five day work week?
Even when it comes to a regular work week, or work day, things have changed. Anyone remember the song, and movie called 9 to 5? What happened to this 9 to 5 idea? And how did it get so easily replaced by 8 to 5 or 8:30 to 5:30 with nobody asking any questions? How did we let this happen?
Today I heard my boss say "I can't right now, but I will have time to look at it tonight." That was it. I was thinking "when does he not work?" I remember one day finding out he got a phone call at 3 am from the USA regarding an issue at work. Is that normal? I mean, if you are in the CIA, maybe then OK, but just a normal manager? Where has his life gone?
I have decided that is the road I am going to avoid. Why should I give up my life for someone else to succeed? Why should I miss out on life to further the life of the investors in the company I work for? The only way that it makes sense to do that is if the investor in the company you work for is you.
Forget safe pension plans, monthly salaries and overtime just to keep my job. I am willing to do overtime, but it has to have a purpose. When it is my place, my bank account and, essentially, my ass on the street if I fail, then the purpose is clear.
And so...
Anti-employment has become my purpose in life; the climax of all I hope to achieve. It is simply really. I don't want to be a slave (so to speak). I don't want to be involved in the politics of the office, or the destruction of the earth for the sake of money.
And I don't want to work overtime for nothing.
This is my goal. I just hope I reach it before I retire!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Police are the Enemy: Reality or Perception?
Today I am not writing about where I live, but about where I used to live. The article entitled
Officers found not guilty of assault on homeless man on the cbc.ca website outlines the decision made in court yesterday by a judge on the fate of 2 Calgary policemen, Dino Izzo and Roland Stewart. They were charged with assaulting a homeless man back in December 2007 in a police administration building stairwell.
Now you can check out the related articles on the page to give you a better idea of what happened, but I would like to just characterize the situation.
The Setting:
Calgary, Alberta, Canada...one of the fastest growing cities in the world in the last 15 years. This is a city that has been overrun with money, business, and opportunity. What does that create? Chaos. Along with the opportunity in career terms, comes the opportunity on the streets for very profitable illegal activities. The city's crime rate has risen yearly, along with its average income, and news of violent crimes almost became a weekly occurence by the time I left in 2008.
The city was, and still is, exhausted for resources, both in infrastructure and service. This includes police service. The battle against crime in the city became so overwhelming that at one point, the city's mayor had decided to organize mercenary help for the police to help clean up the streets. Respect for the police, on the part of criminals, is quite low, when the consider the fact that there is never enough of them to make a difference.
The Players:
The accusation comes from a man with a long history with the police, a homeless man that has serious addictions to narcotics and possibly other chemicals. Possibly at one point, he had a job, a home, and a family, but his personal history was not revealed aside from the fact that he was a homeless drug addict at the time of the alledged crime, but now has housing (although his addictions are still there).
The defendants are 1. Dino Izzo, a 9 year veteran of the force. No real details about either officer were offered up in the reports aside from their professional creds. 2. Roland Stewart, now a 3 or 4 year vet on the squad.
When looking at this case, I had a much different perspective than any other police case in the past. I know Roland Stewart. I don't know him, in that we are buddies, and used to go for beers. However, I grew up with him. We used to play street hockey. He was on my minor hockey team a few years.
This made me think: Could a friend of mine ever do something like that? Could he be an abusive cop, like the ones that we would throw to the wolves if given half a chance because, for many, they represent fear and opression as opposed to the "serve and protect" idea they like to push on society. But which are they? The Enemy, or the Protector?
Reading some of the comments on the page, I noticed that many poeple are grouping all the police into one group. Specifically, all the police that have been charged with something are in the same group. I may have done this before, too, just assuming that they are all the same.
But is a policeman that beats someone near to death the same as someone who breaks someone's ribs with one single kick? Is this policeman also the same as someone who simply lets someone out of a car in inclement weather while they are intoxicated without laying a finger on them?
At the same time, when police in Los Angeles have to deal with automatic weapons artillery vs. the pistol or knife that the Calgary policemen were suspecting the plaintiff of carrying, does this give them liberties that can't be granted to cops in smaller, less "dangerous" cities or towns?
The main issue always seems to be "was the force used excessive or merited?". What determines the level of force needed in every situation? It is all opinion. There is no book on force level, as levels of force are all relative. The same force put on one person may affect them totally different than that force applied to another. It could break a bone on one man but not even bruise another. And how do you determine this possible outcome in the heat of the moment?
All these issues where nobody has the answer, while, at the same time, too many are experts in the field and all have pre-determined the cops are guilty without even knowing the general details of the story, let alone hearing any actual words out of the mouths of those involved.
One posted comment on the website said "The whole thing, both sides included, is part of a disease that just keeps growing with no end in sight." But are the involved parties responsible for this disease? Or are they simple the victims?
Officers found not guilty of assault on homeless man on the cbc.ca website outlines the decision made in court yesterday by a judge on the fate of 2 Calgary policemen, Dino Izzo and Roland Stewart. They were charged with assaulting a homeless man back in December 2007 in a police administration building stairwell.
Now you can check out the related articles on the page to give you a better idea of what happened, but I would like to just characterize the situation.
The Setting:
Calgary, Alberta, Canada...one of the fastest growing cities in the world in the last 15 years. This is a city that has been overrun with money, business, and opportunity. What does that create? Chaos. Along with the opportunity in career terms, comes the opportunity on the streets for very profitable illegal activities. The city's crime rate has risen yearly, along with its average income, and news of violent crimes almost became a weekly occurence by the time I left in 2008.
The city was, and still is, exhausted for resources, both in infrastructure and service. This includes police service. The battle against crime in the city became so overwhelming that at one point, the city's mayor had decided to organize mercenary help for the police to help clean up the streets. Respect for the police, on the part of criminals, is quite low, when the consider the fact that there is never enough of them to make a difference.
The Players:
The accusation comes from a man with a long history with the police, a homeless man that has serious addictions to narcotics and possibly other chemicals. Possibly at one point, he had a job, a home, and a family, but his personal history was not revealed aside from the fact that he was a homeless drug addict at the time of the alledged crime, but now has housing (although his addictions are still there).
The defendants are 1. Dino Izzo, a 9 year veteran of the force. No real details about either officer were offered up in the reports aside from their professional creds. 2. Roland Stewart, now a 3 or 4 year vet on the squad.
When looking at this case, I had a much different perspective than any other police case in the past. I know Roland Stewart. I don't know him, in that we are buddies, and used to go for beers. However, I grew up with him. We used to play street hockey. He was on my minor hockey team a few years.
This made me think: Could a friend of mine ever do something like that? Could he be an abusive cop, like the ones that we would throw to the wolves if given half a chance because, for many, they represent fear and opression as opposed to the "serve and protect" idea they like to push on society. But which are they? The Enemy, or the Protector?
Reading some of the comments on the page, I noticed that many poeple are grouping all the police into one group. Specifically, all the police that have been charged with something are in the same group. I may have done this before, too, just assuming that they are all the same.
But is a policeman that beats someone near to death the same as someone who breaks someone's ribs with one single kick? Is this policeman also the same as someone who simply lets someone out of a car in inclement weather while they are intoxicated without laying a finger on them?
At the same time, when police in Los Angeles have to deal with automatic weapons artillery vs. the pistol or knife that the Calgary policemen were suspecting the plaintiff of carrying, does this give them liberties that can't be granted to cops in smaller, less "dangerous" cities or towns?
The main issue always seems to be "was the force used excessive or merited?". What determines the level of force needed in every situation? It is all opinion. There is no book on force level, as levels of force are all relative. The same force put on one person may affect them totally different than that force applied to another. It could break a bone on one man but not even bruise another. And how do you determine this possible outcome in the heat of the moment?
All these issues where nobody has the answer, while, at the same time, too many are experts in the field and all have pre-determined the cops are guilty without even knowing the general details of the story, let alone hearing any actual words out of the mouths of those involved.
One posted comment on the website said "The whole thing, both sides included, is part of a disease that just keeps growing with no end in sight." But are the involved parties responsible for this disease? Or are they simple the victims?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Do I bitch too much?
I have had a tough time lately. Bitching about this or that has become sort of a past-time for me, to the point where I am bitching about the meat to the butcher and expecting them to agree...or at least the analogy gives you an idea! It is all a part of the assimilation process...or so I keep telling myself. But the endless bitching about shitty food, about the attitude of people here, about the availability of quality goods...is it really going to go away? Is it that I just need to get used to things? Or is it that I am living higher than I belong in this country?
What I mean by that is that I seem to get pissed off that certain things that I am used to - quality meat, a good selection of fresh herbs and spices, and higher quality products - are not available here. The fact is I am wrong. They are available here. They are just a lot more expensive. In fact they are priced beyond what I am willing to pay for them, based on my current salary. I am considered above average in the Czech Republic, as far as salary goes. However, this amount still leaves me below average in quality of life when I compare a person with even worse "status" in their position back in Canada. In fact, I believe that when I worked in restaurants, which has taken up 7 years of my Canada Pension Plan calculation, I think I had a higher quality of life than I have now. Should I be expecting this? Or was I just spoilt? It would obviously take some time to adjust life down a few notches to the level that suits me economically, but is that what I have to do? Am I doomed to consuming cheap oily cheese and meat in a tube for the rest of my life?
Or is there something that I should give up? When I examine things, I see that we pay a very average rent for an average flat in an average neighbourhood. It is not riddled with delights on every block, it is not poor (possibly even rich...but not our building), but, at the same time, it is not the projects. I also see that we have yet to purchase a car, we have standard tv/internet service under a great price considering the market, and really no other expenses except utilities. Should we not be able to afford quality food? I play hockey, which costs about 350 Czech koruna per week. Should I give that up so that I can buy better meat and vegetables? Or is there something wrong here?
Assimilation is a bitch!
What I mean by that is that I seem to get pissed off that certain things that I am used to - quality meat, a good selection of fresh herbs and spices, and higher quality products - are not available here. The fact is I am wrong. They are available here. They are just a lot more expensive. In fact they are priced beyond what I am willing to pay for them, based on my current salary. I am considered above average in the Czech Republic, as far as salary goes. However, this amount still leaves me below average in quality of life when I compare a person with even worse "status" in their position back in Canada. In fact, I believe that when I worked in restaurants, which has taken up 7 years of my Canada Pension Plan calculation, I think I had a higher quality of life than I have now. Should I be expecting this? Or was I just spoilt? It would obviously take some time to adjust life down a few notches to the level that suits me economically, but is that what I have to do? Am I doomed to consuming cheap oily cheese and meat in a tube for the rest of my life?
Or is there something that I should give up? When I examine things, I see that we pay a very average rent for an average flat in an average neighbourhood. It is not riddled with delights on every block, it is not poor (possibly even rich...but not our building), but, at the same time, it is not the projects. I also see that we have yet to purchase a car, we have standard tv/internet service under a great price considering the market, and really no other expenses except utilities. Should we not be able to afford quality food? I play hockey, which costs about 350 Czech koruna per week. Should I give that up so that I can buy better meat and vegetables? Or is there something wrong here?
Assimilation is a bitch!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
no skiing but hockey instead
OK. so we didn't go skiing. We didn't go to the in-laws either. We have been there once since, and it was actually a decent weekend. We ended up making a bunch of fresh pasta with our pasta machine, as well as some italian sausages and a bunch of chorizo, all of which turned out well. I got more details on my other blog here.
I have gotten into hockey, and it is a strange thing here. I never knew how bad i sucked. I am playing on a team in the worst division of all hockey that is played here. Essentially half of the team - and its probably the same on every team - skates like shit, and the other half skates well, but are just average players. I am not used to being the star on any team, and haven't been since I was probably about 8 years old. But I am used to playing on a team where everyone can at least skate. Because of this, I have always accepted the fact that I am not a top scorer, and can't deak people out at a whim. I am not, however, used to this type of situation when half of the players truly do suck. I am dealing with it, and I do think that I am better than I am playing, of course, but it will take some time for me to get back into it because of my 8 month layoff from the dislocated ac joint.
Speaking of hockey, I have had a bitch of a time trying to figure out how to watch my favourite team, the Edmonton Oilers, as much as possible. I was used to watching - or at least having the possibility to watch - about 75 out of the 82 games a year that they play. Coming over here, I was afraid that I wouldn't get more than 5. So I have been searching and searching. We invested in O2 TV, which is OK, but nothing great (I still hate the delay in channel change that you get with sat or DSL tv that isn't at all an issue with cable tv). It has NASN, which is now ESPN America (As of Feb 1 I guess), in its sports bundle, and I have found that I get an Oilers game about 2X a month, but they really concentrate on eastern teams, due to population, fanbase, and the better timeslots. Timeslots also create a problem for me because Edmonton games are primarily scheduled for about 3 AM Prague time, which means I ain't watching!
So the plan was, ever since the beginning, that I would get a DVD recorder with an HDD so that I could record all the games that are at that ungodly hour and watch them the next day after work. I have gone through so much shit to buy this thing, as a friend offered to get one for me through someone they know for a good price, and that someone took 3 weeks to even respond, until this past week where she finally said, "OK, I will check the prices of these two and get you the best one." One day later, I find the NHL Torrents website. 82 games a year of the Oilers all downloaded straight to my computer. Way to save my expat ass on that one. Nice site. Just hope Maja doesn't go nuts with all the hockey I am watching!
Check it out if you are hard up for some NHL action!
I have gotten into hockey, and it is a strange thing here. I never knew how bad i sucked. I am playing on a team in the worst division of all hockey that is played here. Essentially half of the team - and its probably the same on every team - skates like shit, and the other half skates well, but are just average players. I am not used to being the star on any team, and haven't been since I was probably about 8 years old. But I am used to playing on a team where everyone can at least skate. Because of this, I have always accepted the fact that I am not a top scorer, and can't deak people out at a whim. I am not, however, used to this type of situation when half of the players truly do suck. I am dealing with it, and I do think that I am better than I am playing, of course, but it will take some time for me to get back into it because of my 8 month layoff from the dislocated ac joint.
Speaking of hockey, I have had a bitch of a time trying to figure out how to watch my favourite team, the Edmonton Oilers, as much as possible. I was used to watching - or at least having the possibility to watch - about 75 out of the 82 games a year that they play. Coming over here, I was afraid that I wouldn't get more than 5. So I have been searching and searching. We invested in O2 TV, which is OK, but nothing great (I still hate the delay in channel change that you get with sat or DSL tv that isn't at all an issue with cable tv). It has NASN, which is now ESPN America (As of Feb 1 I guess), in its sports bundle, and I have found that I get an Oilers game about 2X a month, but they really concentrate on eastern teams, due to population, fanbase, and the better timeslots. Timeslots also create a problem for me because Edmonton games are primarily scheduled for about 3 AM Prague time, which means I ain't watching!
So the plan was, ever since the beginning, that I would get a DVD recorder with an HDD so that I could record all the games that are at that ungodly hour and watch them the next day after work. I have gone through so much shit to buy this thing, as a friend offered to get one for me through someone they know for a good price, and that someone took 3 weeks to even respond, until this past week where she finally said, "OK, I will check the prices of these two and get you the best one." One day later, I find the NHL Torrents website. 82 games a year of the Oilers all downloaded straight to my computer. Way to save my expat ass on that one. Nice site. Just hope Maja doesn't go nuts with all the hockey I am watching!
Check it out if you are hard up for some NHL action!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Hell on skis
We are going skiing this weekend and its back to the in-laws for a place to sleep. Staying with them is somewhat fascinating for newcomers, but I have grown tired of it. It is not their fault at all. They are great people and try to make me feel welcome in any way possible. The fact is that they are Czech villagers. If you are not sure what that means, in essence, watch Vesnicko ma strediskova. It will give you a great idea of what they are like. OK. They aren't exactly like that...but there are significant similarities! If you don't want to go through that effort, then just believe me. They are different. To an onlooker it is a complete comedy, but to live it is not. But as weird as I think they are, they must think the same about me, because they simply don't know anything else. Showering 2X a week is enough for them. A diet consisting of a vegetable list 2 items long (onions and cabbage) is enough for them.
A cook book with a 50 page list of different ways to cook cheap fatty meats with dumplings, and 100 ways to combine ham, butter and bread: now that is a bestselling cookbook!!
I have to get all this bitching out of the way, because I am going to quit. Or at least try. Accepting differences is part of being "cultured", and that doesn't only mean realizing that the French eat snails and the Scandinavians eat whale. It means being comfortable in any setting, whether it be a black tie affair, or the smoky, almost suffocating, party that happens on a weekly basis at the fishermen's club in the village. And cocktail weenies aside, we simply want to have a decent relationship with these people. They are, after all, family.
However, in order to accommodate our nerves (and theirs, even though the battle inside themselves pits their desire for us to be their little kiddies again vs. their natural habits making them gasp at half of the things we say/suggest), we are going skiing to break up the weekend. My wife, Maja, is, shall we say, a "skier in training". She wants to learn and that is fine because I like skiing, and I like to see her active. So we will spend the bulk of the day skiing, and possibly going for supper, and then meet her parents for a trip to the choke-dome (that fishermen's club) for a few pints, and then wake up the next morning and leave. That is if we don't get sucked back into by the black hole that is her mother's guilt!
But we will eventually get out, and hopefully it will end on a positive note with the only unwelcome addition being another crease on my forehead.
A cook book with a 50 page list of different ways to cook cheap fatty meats with dumplings, and 100 ways to combine ham, butter and bread: now that is a bestselling cookbook!!
I have to get all this bitching out of the way, because I am going to quit. Or at least try. Accepting differences is part of being "cultured", and that doesn't only mean realizing that the French eat snails and the Scandinavians eat whale. It means being comfortable in any setting, whether it be a black tie affair, or the smoky, almost suffocating, party that happens on a weekly basis at the fishermen's club in the village. And cocktail weenies aside, we simply want to have a decent relationship with these people. They are, after all, family.
However, in order to accommodate our nerves (and theirs, even though the battle inside themselves pits their desire for us to be their little kiddies again vs. their natural habits making them gasp at half of the things we say/suggest), we are going skiing to break up the weekend. My wife, Maja, is, shall we say, a "skier in training". She wants to learn and that is fine because I like skiing, and I like to see her active. So we will spend the bulk of the day skiing, and possibly going for supper, and then meet her parents for a trip to the choke-dome (that fishermen's club) for a few pints, and then wake up the next morning and leave. That is if we don't get sucked back into by the black hole that is her mother's guilt!
But we will eventually get out, and hopefully it will end on a positive note with the only unwelcome addition being another crease on my forehead.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Like a common criminal
Just got back from lunch...went to an Italian place in the mall near my work. Its the sort of Italian place that seems to want to have fresh amazing food, and describes it as such, but can't pull it off. But that's beside the point.
I have been to this place once before, and was so appalled by the drink prices (a coke costs the same as a large bowl of soup!) that I went without, choosing to wait until I got back to work.
This time, I had my "stravenky" with me. Stravenky are sort of like food ration coupons from the Great Depression, coupons that you can use towards the purchase of food from establishments that accept them as payment. However, nowadays, in the Czech Republic, they are used as an employee benefit! This is my first Czech job where stravenky was a part of the remuneration package, and I am quite happy to have them. I was always a bit jealous of Czech friends that waved them around when paying at a restaurant or something when I had to use my hard earned cash!
So when I was deciding what I was going to do for lunch, I double-checked for my wallet so that I might take out some money for the evening's events while I was out. It wasn't in my back pocket. I wasn't worried because the only other place it could be is home. And as far as lunch goes, I have my stravenky, and 100 or so crowns in my pocket. I will be fine!
So I sat down at the Italian joint and decided on a pizza for 120kc. And although I was still appalled by the price of drinks there, I ordered a soft drink. Bitter Lemon, which I tried to say in Czech to the waiter, but he didn't understand until he saw it in the menu and said, " aha...Bitter Lemon!" I won't go into detail on the meal but, needless to say, I was not impressed at all by the pizza with crust obviously bought in the Tesco freezer aisle, and such a heaping (*sarcasm) amount of mozzarella cheese, that I am not even sure if it would fall off a Ritz cracker.
This, and the realization that I probably wouldn't go back there after this meal, is one of the positive aspects of the next 5 minutes. The negative aspect is that when I was getting ready to pay, I looked at the stravenky coupon, and it had written on it "0 Kc" or "no value" on it. Oh shit! I am looking at a 160 Kc bill and have 135 or so Kc, no wallet, and a stravenky coupon that says ZERO!
Now imagine yourself in this situation at home in your native country speaking your native language. Not a very nice situation to be in. You are embarrassed, and you are expecting someone to be at least a bit pissed at you. If I was in the situation, I would probably walk up to them and say "Hey, I am in a real spot here. I am going to give you what I have, run home, be back in 15, and I will give you the rest." That is what I would do in Calgary.
However, the following issues prevented me from doing this:
1. I am not in Calgary.
2. I am not in my native country.
3. I cannot speak my native language with them.
I am in Prague, Czech Republic, where I don't have a good handle on the language, where the "service provider" in a business is very easily enticed into yelling and insulting customers, where this practise is not only tolerated, but, as my wife pointed out to me last night when explaining her own experience the day before, it is actually supported by other Czechs as "the norm" which has to be accepted. I was in a situation nobody wants to be in even with the nicest person...and embarrassing situation where you have to look like a criminal or make someone trust or forgive you in a foreign language.
Well I don't know if you would stick around to see how things played out, but it only took me about 2 seconds to decide if I was going to! I dropped my 130 and some crowns on the table and took off! Although my getaway could have been very direct and easy, my guilt made me "duck behind corners" and such...but I did make it out OK. (I know you were worried!) However, knowing what I DO know about Czechs, I would not have been surprised (in fact I was scared shitless that it would happen) if the waiter had run after me down the mall walkway screaming at me to stop! Nor would I have been surprised if he had run down the escalator after me.
That is the first time I have ever d&d'd. And if that was the same situation in Canada, I never would have. Its just another example (in a long list) of things that I simply wouldn't do, if I was in a comfortable environment. Such is the life of an expat.
I have been to this place once before, and was so appalled by the drink prices (a coke costs the same as a large bowl of soup!) that I went without, choosing to wait until I got back to work.
This time, I had my "stravenky" with me. Stravenky are sort of like food ration coupons from the Great Depression, coupons that you can use towards the purchase of food from establishments that accept them as payment. However, nowadays, in the Czech Republic, they are used as an employee benefit! This is my first Czech job where stravenky was a part of the remuneration package, and I am quite happy to have them. I was always a bit jealous of Czech friends that waved them around when paying at a restaurant or something when I had to use my hard earned cash!
So when I was deciding what I was going to do for lunch, I double-checked for my wallet so that I might take out some money for the evening's events while I was out. It wasn't in my back pocket. I wasn't worried because the only other place it could be is home. And as far as lunch goes, I have my stravenky, and 100 or so crowns in my pocket. I will be fine!
So I sat down at the Italian joint and decided on a pizza for 120kc. And although I was still appalled by the price of drinks there, I ordered a soft drink. Bitter Lemon, which I tried to say in Czech to the waiter, but he didn't understand until he saw it in the menu and said, " aha...Bitter Lemon!" I won't go into detail on the meal but, needless to say, I was not impressed at all by the pizza with crust obviously bought in the Tesco freezer aisle, and such a heaping (*sarcasm) amount of mozzarella cheese, that I am not even sure if it would fall off a Ritz cracker.
This, and the realization that I probably wouldn't go back there after this meal, is one of the positive aspects of the next 5 minutes. The negative aspect is that when I was getting ready to pay, I looked at the stravenky coupon, and it had written on it "0 Kc" or "no value" on it. Oh shit! I am looking at a 160 Kc bill and have 135 or so Kc, no wallet, and a stravenky coupon that says ZERO!
Now imagine yourself in this situation at home in your native country speaking your native language. Not a very nice situation to be in. You are embarrassed, and you are expecting someone to be at least a bit pissed at you. If I was in the situation, I would probably walk up to them and say "Hey, I am in a real spot here. I am going to give you what I have, run home, be back in 15, and I will give you the rest." That is what I would do in Calgary.
However, the following issues prevented me from doing this:
1. I am not in Calgary.
2. I am not in my native country.
3. I cannot speak my native language with them.
I am in Prague, Czech Republic, where I don't have a good handle on the language, where the "service provider" in a business is very easily enticed into yelling and insulting customers, where this practise is not only tolerated, but, as my wife pointed out to me last night when explaining her own experience the day before, it is actually supported by other Czechs as "the norm" which has to be accepted. I was in a situation nobody wants to be in even with the nicest person...and embarrassing situation where you have to look like a criminal or make someone trust or forgive you in a foreign language.
Well I don't know if you would stick around to see how things played out, but it only took me about 2 seconds to decide if I was going to! I dropped my 130 and some crowns on the table and took off! Although my getaway could have been very direct and easy, my guilt made me "duck behind corners" and such...but I did make it out OK. (I know you were worried!) However, knowing what I DO know about Czechs, I would not have been surprised (in fact I was scared shitless that it would happen) if the waiter had run after me down the mall walkway screaming at me to stop! Nor would I have been surprised if he had run down the escalator after me.
That is the first time I have ever d&d'd. And if that was the same situation in Canada, I never would have. Its just another example (in a long list) of things that I simply wouldn't do, if I was in a comfortable environment. Such is the life of an expat.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Why Am I Here?
Welcome to my blog. The first of, I am sure, many attempts to create a time filler during down time at work.
What is this blog going to be about? I don't know.
Who is going to read it? That is a better question...I don't know. If nobody reads it, at least it will have been written.
I am a Canadian that has moved to Prague...possibly for good, simply because my wife, who is Czech, missed home too much, and our life is set to be (I hope) much happier here. I have left many things behind in Canada: family, friends, hobbies, interests, habits, likes, dislikes, goals, dreams, etc. and have had to re-establish these here in Czech Republic.
I named this blog what it is because I have invaded Neruda's town, the place he wrote about, and the place he loved, and I aim to bring about new, different tales, or povidky, in this town and figure out a few things about it. Like:
What draws people to Prague? This is easy to understand, however complex in explanation.
Why do people stick around? This is much more difficult to understand when you consider the distinct desire for Czech people to watch others suffer at their hand.
And, most of all, why do they (we) come back?? Is it to be uplifted by the spirit of the city? Or to be continuously disappointed by its people and services?
That leads me to the title of this post. It is a question that comes to mind over and over, despite the obvious answer: for my wife. I may come to the conclusion at some point after my "transitional period" or, simply, once I get used to Eurodirt again - that's you Tyler ;-)
But still, as I jump the tram to find yet another alky-bum stinking up the joint, or accept the favour of a store owner unlocking his doors so that I may have the distinct pleasure, as many would love, to look at the overpriced goods he has for sale, I keep thinking to myself:
Why am I here?
What is this blog going to be about? I don't know.
Who is going to read it? That is a better question...I don't know. If nobody reads it, at least it will have been written.
I am a Canadian that has moved to Prague...possibly for good, simply because my wife, who is Czech, missed home too much, and our life is set to be (I hope) much happier here. I have left many things behind in Canada: family, friends, hobbies, interests, habits, likes, dislikes, goals, dreams, etc. and have had to re-establish these here in Czech Republic.
I named this blog what it is because I have invaded Neruda's town, the place he wrote about, and the place he loved, and I aim to bring about new, different tales, or povidky, in this town and figure out a few things about it. Like:
What draws people to Prague? This is easy to understand, however complex in explanation.
Why do people stick around? This is much more difficult to understand when you consider the distinct desire for Czech people to watch others suffer at their hand.
And, most of all, why do they (we) come back?? Is it to be uplifted by the spirit of the city? Or to be continuously disappointed by its people and services?
That leads me to the title of this post. It is a question that comes to mind over and over, despite the obvious answer: for my wife. I may come to the conclusion at some point after my "transitional period" or, simply, once I get used to Eurodirt again - that's you Tyler ;-)
But still, as I jump the tram to find yet another alky-bum stinking up the joint, or accept the favour of a store owner unlocking his doors so that I may have the distinct pleasure, as many would love, to look at the overpriced goods he has for sale, I keep thinking to myself:
Why am I here?
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