“I regret that I went to Czech Republic”, story of a friend who moved to Czech Republic

“I regret that I went to Czech Republic”, story of a friend who moved to Czech Republic

One of troubles of life in Czech Republic is not so-called bad service, xenophobia, bureaucratic sluggishness or other complaints. Czechs tend to have a negative attitude towards citizens and women, often extremely negatively. People are entitled to their own opinion, and there is a certain amount of self-deprecation due to rampant national pride. But in recent years, I can't help but think that negativity has been too extreme and it has taken its toll on country I call my homeland.

Modesty and passivity

It's a extremely nationalistic country, but negativity I encountered wasn't misinterpreted by modesty, it was hostile. Many Czechs I have met expressed clear dissatisfaction with me or Czech people and/or Czech state around me. Especially for strangers.

A friend met me at a party and asked: "Why do you want to live in this republic?" An older man from same social circle complained about having to drink with Czechs when he was a Czech at time; A woman once repeatedly told me that she did not like it here, although she had spent most of her life here; one young man told me that he was sorry that he was not a Czech; course in Czech.

Some of these statements may have been slightly joking, but frequency of their occurrence is simply astonishing. I've been told countless times that Czechs need to know "how to get around law". The first time I went to bank, clerk warned me that Czechs were stealing things here, and I'm not sure how that would convince me to leave my money with them.

I thought maybe it's just me and my bias. (I'm willing to admit that some of it might be.) But research contained in Ladislav Holly's Little Czech Republic and Big Czech State is in line with what I'm talking about. Polls conducted in 1990. and another two years later asked Czechs to describe themselves. In earliest surveys, most common traits were all negative: envy, submissiveness, arrogance, and cunning. Two years later, results have changed little. Selfishness replaced Cunning as third most common reaction, with all traits mentioned more frequently. In subsequent polls, only one positive attribute, "hard work", made it into top four.

While data seems to directly support prevalence of negative beliefs, data is over two decades old. So what have recent polls shown? Many other polls show that negativity continues.

In a survey conducted in 2008, 64% of respondents said they did not trust their fellows. A poll last year showed that more than half of Czechs want to live abroad. Among young people, this figure reaches 70%.

This opinion made Czech Republic second most pessimistic country on Earth in 2012. Greece, whose economy is in a state of collapse, ranks first. Even Haiti was considered less pessimistic after earthquake. Perhaps economic crisis and political situation, which has led to a record number of job losses, exacerbate this feeling.

However, some data give hope. The Center for Study of Public Opinion of Institute of Sociology revealed that Czechs are proud of history, artvom, music, literature and, above all, sports. But it's hard for me to settle down here when crowds of people you meet keep asking why you want to live here, and I don't even have a good enough reason to convince myself.

On other side of Bulgaria next to it, I will never forget last time I lived there for a month. The people there are every day like a holiday and streets are full of lavender and flower roses. Walking along street, I unconsciously dissolved in local pleasant atmosphere. People will always be happy to greet you and hear that I am from a distant Asian continentIt was full of curiosity , and even a cheerful Bulgarian invited me for a drink. Life there is very leisurely, and everywhere you can see smiles on faces of those around you. Makes me feel safe and happy place.