Julie on Raising a Family in the Czech Republic | Pittsburgh Family and Newborn Photographer

August 10, 2016  •  Leave a Comment

Laura Mares Photography Pittsburgh Newborn and Family PhotographerJulie with her husbandLaura Mares Photography Pittsburgh Newborn and Family Photographer

I had the wonderful oppertunity to travel with my family in Europe while my husband was on short term assignment in Cologne, Germany. I have loved traveling since I was a child. I love visiting new places, trying different foods, experiencing different cultures and meeting people. The experience wasn't always easy but it was totally worth it.

Laura Mares Pittsburgh Newborn and Family PhotographerJulie cooking goulashLaura Mares Pittsburgh Newborn and Family Photographer

This summer I'll feature some of the great women that I met on my blog. The first feature is an interview with Juilie, an American from New York who is currently living with her family in the Czech Republic.  

I first met Julie last summer, while she was visiting family in Pittsburgh. My husband actually met with her husband first and came home he said, "You will not believe how much you have in common with Julie, she also majored in Communications, taught English, was a graphic designer, has three children, is married to a Czech and loves coffee!" I really wanted to meet her because I don't think I've ever had so much in common with anyone ever! This summer while we were visiting family in the Czech Republic she invited us to visit her family and served us "Czech/American Goulash." Her goulash is delicious, her hospitality is genuine and having the oppertunity to discuss our similar lives is priceless.

Laura Mares Pittsburgh Newborn and Family PhotographerCzech goulashLaura Mares Pittsburgh Newborn and Family Photographer

You have been living in the Czech Republic for around 10 years. You must have some funny experiences to share, right?

Yes! Let me tell you what I did last week. Thankfully bathrooms are all still gender specific here. But I was in a hurry and made the mistake of using a men's restroom, because the door was labeled with the Czech word for "gentlemen" which is "Páni." My quick assumption is that I am a "Paní." which is the word for "Mrs." The only difference in spelling (aside from all the grammatical differences from context) is the placement of the accent mark. Thankfully I escaped with the humiliation of language incompetence. Sometimes you don't have to speak in order to reveal you are a foreigner.

Everyone experiences culture shock. What shocked you? 

The first two things that come to mind are shopping and the concern Czech's have about drafts.

Shopping: When I moved here I quickly realized that the typical American "first impression smile," the introductory positive facial expression of a smile, actually works against you in many situations. Like walking into a store... Generally, in the states, in my experience, it's more than a facial expression, it's attached to something, it's your expectation that this will be a positive experience, you expect the salesperson will help or serve you in some way, so you want to already express your gratitude in advance for their anticipated service. In response the salesperson feel ingratiated, appreciated and wants to do all he/she can to make you, the customer happy. He might get a good review, and maybe a raise in pay, if his boss sees he has been doing more than his job.

In the States, when you encounter the "grumpy" salesperson, you just go find another one or ask to speak to the manager and you generally get satisfaction knowing your need will be met in the most gracious way. If the manager is also rude, he risks the threat of having bad reputation for his/her company.

Many customer service related jobs are motivated by the idea that better service leads to better pay and benefits.

Seems to be opposite here. I almost always feel a hostile response to my smile, as thought I'm about to try to con the salesperson or I intend to distract her while I slip merchandise into my pockets. And then even after I mastered the neutral facial expression, I still can't get used to being followed in a small shop by the salesperson. I usually forget what I came in for, when I sense the salesperson is just feet away from me, watching everything I pick up, or standing behind the register eyeing my every move.

Drafts:"Ahh, doesn't that breeze feel great?!" my thoughts which translate almost directly into Czech thoughts: "Quick, close the window! There's a draft!" A draft will be blamed for a stiff neck or any other number of maladies. If you're sniffling today, it's b/c of the draft you allowed in the room yesterday. Yes, even on a 90 degree day. Air conditioning? Certainly not. That's just a man-made draft! My first summer here, I travelled to the mountains with my husband's parents. It was very warm weather, no a/c in the car, and they kept all their windows closed and the air vents closed. I didn't even know that air vents in cars could be closed off. I thought I would die of suffocation or car sickness or both.

What aspects do you like best about Czech culture?
I appreciate the hospitality of Czechs. When you are invited to a home, you are treated very special, from the offering of slippers so your feet don't freeze on their cold floors even in summer, to the amazing home cooked meal they will serve you, including desserts and coffee and more drinks until you can't even put your shoes back on for the way home. 

Many American kids love French fries and pizza. What are your children's favorite Czech foods?

My kids' favorite Czech foods are hot buttered noodles with poppyseeds heaped on top, and a big spoon of powdered sugar. My children also love fruit-filled dumplings, gulash, and garlic creamed spinach.

Laura Mares Photography Pittsburgh Newborn and Family PhotographerFresh poppy seedsLaura Mares Photography Pittsburgh Newborn and Family Photographer

Fresh Poppy Seeds

I'm curious, what is different from raising kids in CZ than from the USA? 
When your newborn baby is born in CZ, the nurses write your last name on your newborn baby's leg in bright purple ink, and also your patient number somewhere, and your number written on your hand. So your baby can't be mixed up with another. Then all Czech moms stay the standard 5 days in the birthing hospital with their newborn baby, for all the routine checks. There is sooo much more I could say about giving birth here and also other general medical experiences. All my babies were walked daily for fresh air in their "pram" or fancy stroller (the kind where the baby lies down flat) like all Czech babies. They often slept outdoors in the front porch in the stroller. They wore cotton warm baby tights even through preschool, even the boys. Just the tights, no pants over them (until they went outside). I was immune to some things I was probably doing "wrong" only because I couldn't understand a lot of Czech in my early years here, which coincidentally where also my early motherhood years. My children were all extremely active, (my daughter is two years older than my twin boys) so I even though I tried to go to mom/tots groups which are plentiful here, I usually didn't end up chatting much with other moms, as I kept my kids from biting others, or knocking down their kids' block towers or ripping apart their train tracks. In Czech all moms qualify for maternity leave with a financial stipden which is generally 3 years. So you always see moms with their young kids. It's typical to put your kids in preschool by age 3, to go back to work, unless you have another child, at which point you qualify for another 3 years home. Some mothers actually time their children for this maternity leave benefit. I was able to benefit from it also.

Talk about your children's educational experiences.
My children each spent three years in preschool, although intermittently. It wasn't required to be there daily or even all day. So I tried to keep one home, to get one-on-one time with him/her and alternated. However, there were two of those years that my kids were always sick with strep throat and a few other serious illnesses. So I had them home more than I intended. But now my daughter has been in primary school for 2 years already and loves it. I think generally we are pleased with her education there and my boys start first grade this fall. The school day begins at 7:45 and ends at lunchtime. They get a healthy, hot lunch at school which is the typical main meal in Czech, so we just eat a light meal like pancakes or bread/cheese for dinner at home. There is an after school program which offers various activities, and we have used it occasionally for our daughter for ceramics and drama class. 

What do your kids enjoy when they are in the USA?
They love the ocean! And all the wonderful playgrounds which are in almost every neighborhood in Pittsburgh and other cities we visited. 

Have you meshed Czech and American culture to create a new culture that is unique to your family?
Yes, basically I can hardly tell the places that are meshed anymore. We eat our main meal at lunchtime every day. We go mushrooming and eat many dishes with mushrooms in them. We garden, but we don't can veggies (we just don't have the time). We cook mostly from scratch, no boxed mixes. We drink instant coffee. 🙂 But we speak English at home when I'm around. My kids and husband speak Czech to each other though. We go often for hikes, and all our vacations in CZ are centered around hiking- mountains. I hang my laundry out to dry or inside on drying racks, as we dn't have a dryer. We did finally get a Starbucks in Brno this year, finally...after the 10 years I wished for one (there were like 13 in Prague!). So now when I have my Czech lesson in Brno, I sometimes take the tram to experience a bit of my US-ness. That's a special treat. Our favorite US fast food here is KFC, not McDonalds or Subway. I would really love to have a Pizza Hut here!

Laura Mares Photography Pittsburgh newborn and family photographerFresh poppy from the gardenLaura Mares Photography Pittsburgh newborn and family photographer

Do you get to travel often? 
We haven't travelled much around Europe since moving here. Basically stayed in CZ until we made our US trip. But here in CZ we've seen so much, and I usually don't remember the names of the places/areas, because I'm keeping track of my kids and bathroom stops, but we always have a great time once we are some place the kids can use up their energy on a mountain trail. I used to love road trips in the US, but here I have to pop a motion sickness pill, and my kids, also, just to survive a two hour trip on extremely curvy roads. Now I would rather take a train.

Laura Mares Photography Pittsburgh Newborn and Family PhotographerCzech-American kidsLaura Mares Photography Pittsburgh Newborn and Family Photographer

Do you have any reccomendations on the best souvenirs from CZ?
We usually bring our family and friends wafer cookies that are sold in spa towns. They are unique. And we also bring Czech chocolate, especially the Studentska brand.

Thank you, Julie, for taking the time to share about your interesting life of raising cross cultural children!

 

Pittsburgh Photographer| Pittsburgh Newborn Photographer | Pittsburgh Family Photographer
Pittsburgh Child Photographer | Pittsburgh Baby Photographer | Pittsburgh Lifestyle Photographer


Laura Mares is an experienced photographer specializing in capturing timeless family keepsakes. Laura works on location and in her fully equipped home studio, located in Mt. Lebanon, eight miles south of Pittsburgh, PA. Laura’s style is creative, natural, and timeless. Would you like beautiful portraits of your newborn baby, to update your child and family portraits or to document a milestone in your life such as a wedding, graduation, birthday or reunion? If you are interested in high quality, timeless photographs, book your session today, call (412) 654-3367 or email [email protected]. To view a wide range of gorgeous portraits and to get great tips, advice and beautiful inspiration follow us on Instagram and Facebook.


Comments

No comments posted.
Loading...
Subscribe
RSS
Archive
January February March (1) April (1) May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January (5) February (6) March (5) April (3) May (1) June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December