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How a visit to Prague in 2022 made me question my preconceived notions?

There’s a Chinese idiom that goes by “读万卷书不如行万里路 ” which broadly translates into travelling enriches one’s life much more than reading ten thousand books. This phrase kept ringing in my head while I was in Prague because all my preconceived notions of Prague were invalidated by what I witnessed in the city in 2022. I have not travelled beyond the Prague city centre in my trip in September 2022. Therefore, I can’t speak for the state of development beyond the capital city. However, I must say that Prague is much more modern, clean and developed than I had imagined before I set foot in the city. 

一趟布拉格之旅令我扩充视野，纠正了我的偏见！

 

俗话说：“读万卷书不如行万里路”。这趟布拉格之旅充分展示了这句俗语的奥妙。在穿越布拉格市中心的大街小巷时，我脑海里不断想起了这句俗语，因为亲眼目睹了这座城市的发展后，把我之前先入为主的观念全都推翻了。我坦诚，布拉格比我想象得要现代化、干净和发达。

Just like in Singapore, Czech’s Public transport is very efficient and affordable. The city has remarkably preserved its old charm by restoring many of the heritage buildings. Yet, there were still many new and modern developments sprouting up all around the city. As compared to many cities I visited in Italy in June 2022, I would think that Prague is more developed and the streets are cleaner even though you may still spot human faeces occasionally in September 2022. So watch your steps!
捷克的公共交通系统发达便利，价格实惠，与新加坡不相上下。通过修复许多历史建筑，这座城市显然保留了它的古老魅力。然而，在2022年，你不时会看到现代建筑雨后春笋般地在城市周围冒出。与意大利的许多城市相比，我认为布拉格更发达，街道更干净。虽然如此，但你走在布拉格街道上还是要注意一下，因为不时你仍然可能会踩到人的粪便!
I did not really know much about Prague except through some YouTube videos which called out scams in the city. Furthermore, my impression of Prague was shaped by books such as the Prisoners of Geography and YouTube videos of Russians sharing about their lives in a post-communist country. According to several Russian YouTubers in 2021, the cost of living as a percentage of their average wages in Russia is very high and many of them aspire to move to countries that pay higher wages in the service sector. Therefore, by extension of this information and the Czech Republic being a post-communist country, I thought that the average wages and standard of living in the Czech Republic would be low as well. However, I was so wrong. In fact, the Czech Republic has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe in May 2019 at 2.2%. 
我知所以会对捷克共和国存有偏见是因为在探访之前，我观看了一些YouTube视频，提防游客不要被不归之徒诈骗。同时，我也错误的下了结论，认为捷克共和国身为前苏联国家之一，它的经济发展应该与尔罗斯大同小异。在2021年，据几位俄罗斯 YouTube 用户的分享，我了解了大部分的俄罗斯人的平均工资非常低而生活消费非常高。因此，我以为捷克共和国的平均工资和生活水平也会很低。然而，我大错特错。事实上，捷克共和国在 2019 年 5 月是欧洲失业率最低的国家之一，为 2.2%。

Several YouTubers had also come forward to share about their lives in the Czech Republic in recent years. 
近年来，几位 YouTube 用户也前来分享了他们在捷克共和国的生活。

 

Personally, I think that the government of the Czech Republic has done a great job in steering the country towards progress and improving the standard of living of the masses in the last 30 odd years post-Soviet Union rule. 

These are 2 YouTube channels that I would highly recommend you to check out before making a trip to Prague. I really love both of their videos and I am sure you will find them inspiring and entertaining as well!

就个人而言，我认为捷克共和国政府在苏联统治后的过去三十多年里，在引导国家迈向经济发展从而提高百姓生活水平方面有着杰出的表现。

这是我强烈建议您在前往布拉格之前观看的两个 YouTube 频道。我很喜欢他们的两个视频，我相信您也会发现它们既鼓舞人心又有趣！

  

As I was attending my Singaporean friend’s wedding in Prague, I had the opportunity to interact with the locals during her wedding party. These Czechs whom I had mingled with really love their country. When asked which is their favourite country in the world, the unanimous answer was their motherland. If they had asked me, I would not have been able to answer it. Deep in my heart, I know it is not Singapore right now as I experience living in different European countries. Perhaps, I would like to think of the World as my home and every country having something special to offer. 
我在布拉格参加朋友的婚礼时，有机会与捷克人交流。令我印象深刻的是，捷克人非常敬爱祖国。 当我追问他们最喜欢的国家时，一致的回答是他们的祖国。如果他们反问我，我应该答不上，因为目前在我内心深处，并没有答案。我想把世界当成我的家园，在每个国家的角落里，留下美好的回忆。 
When you get to hang out with the locals, you get to peek into what their childhood was like and the coolest places that they used to hang out. Drinking and smoking are deeply ingrained in the Czech culture. Almost everyone I met at the party drinks and smokes, regardless of gender. When we gave a toss to the couple, I was glad that my choice to clink their glasses with water instead of beer was respected. I hoped my choices and habits were not interpreted as an unwillingness to experience and assimilate into the cultures of the locals. I had not been made to feel this way among these new Czech friends. Nevertheless, I do not dismiss the likelihood that I may meet people who are less open-minded and more assertive and proud of their way of life in the future. 
这趟捷克之旅的另一收获是能和当地人追随童年时光，入乡随俗。饮酒和吸烟在捷克文化中根深蒂固。我在派对上遇到的每个人，不分性别，几乎都喝酒抽烟。当我们为新婚夫妇举杯欢庆时，我选择以水代替啤酒干杯。庆幸的是，我的选择并没有被判断成藐视捷克的文化习俗。 
A view from Prague Castle with my friend. We finally met up in person after 3 years.

Another notable difference between the upbringing of Czechs and Singaporeans is the emphasis on developing a passion and life skills beyond academic achievements. Most of the groom’s friends who attended the wedding are his childhood pals who are part of the Scout community. The groom’s father was an active member of the local Scout community and they would go camping as a family with these friends since the groom was 6 years old. I can’t help feeling envious that the groom grew up in the Czech Republic where there are more mountainous terrains than Singapore. As a result of this exposure, the groom is usually the one who plans camping trips for the couple who are currently residing in Australia. When he visited Singapore, he was amused to see people camping in West Coast Park with a Macdonald’s outlet just a stone’s throw away.

Personally, I would love to spend more time hiking and camping in the wild but I am not surrounded by like-minded people right now. I believe I would if I continue to seek out this dream. While the groom was an active member of the Scout, his younger brother was enrolled in a dance school when he was 6-year-old. Today, his younger brother is a professional and competitive dancer who proclaimed to me that he dances at least 3 times a week. I believe these life skills served them well into their adulthoods and helped them build friendships that would probably last for lives. 

My trip to Prague certainly exceeded my expectations and broke down all my preconceived notions of the city. I am planning to make another trip back to Prague next year with my parents. I would like to show them this wonderful city which is paradoxically old and modern at the same time. 

与新加坡孩子相比，捷克孩子的童年注重孩子的全面身心发展。因为地理环境，比起新加坡的孩子，捷克的孩子有更多与大自然接触的机会。大多数参加婚礼的宾客，都是新郎儿时的伙伴。他们是童子军的成员。新郎的父亲是当地童军社区的活跃成员，自六岁起，新郎就和这些朋友全家一起去露营。我不禁有点羡慕新郎在捷克长大，让他有机会与大自然接触。

同时，新郎的弟弟六岁时，开始学习舞蹈。今天，他的弟弟是一位专业的舞者。他向我宣称他每周至少会练习舞步三次。由此可见，捷克的父母比较注重培养生活情趣与技能，而一般地新加坡父母相比下，还是比较强调学术成就。

这趟布拉格之旅，超乎了我的想象，令我难忘。我计划明年和父母再次回到布拉格。我想与父母分享这座既古老又现代的美丽城市。

The view from Letna Park on my way to Letensku Sady Outdoor Pub.

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