The U.S. (American) Community

Crunching the Numbers
According to the Ministry of the Interior, as of 2011 there are 5,940 Americans with permanent or temporary residency in the Czech Republic. 3,719 of them live in Prague. The total number of residents has increased from 4,411 since 2006, when the Czech Republic entered the Schengen Zone. In addition, there are 1,278 Americans in the capital with long-term visas.

While the Ministry of the Interior was forthcoming with data on numbers and where people lived, the most I could get from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs was a link to a website which showed the number of foreigners employed for a particular month, but nothing concrete regarding professions.

Why Here?
I suppose every expat gets asked why they came to the Czech Republic. Toby Patton, a university English teacher, said he used to wish he had a card printed with his answer. The initial reason was a sense of adventure. “In my case, it wasn’t coming to the Czech Republic, it was just going abroad somewhere.” The Czech Republic provided him with a chance to experience life abroad. The country was, by European standards, an affordable option and is conveniently located in the center of Europe.

Mary Matz is a former teacher who now runs Opus Osm, an online magazine for classical music. Her publishing venture in some ways stems from her feelings for the place. She said, “The point of my magazine is to tell the world there’s something here and tell it from my own eyes.”

Others have come to Prague for the business opportunities. One such individual is Glen Spicker. After coming to Prague in 1991, he went on to establish a bar, a restaurant chain, a jazz club and a museum. He also noted the differences in the community and life in Prague then and now. He said, “It’s more accessible now for a broader range of people. Back then you had to be more adventurous to come here, whether you were an entrepreneur or just a slacker.”

Some people, like Karen Feldman, have entered into entirely new fields. Feldman originally studied photography, but now runs Artel Glass. Those who are familiar with her designs will know how much Feldman draws on Czech culture in her work. About living here, she said, “As a designer and a creative person, it makes your eyes more open.”

One other attraction was Prague’s image, rightly or wrongly, as the left-bank of the nineties. Max Munson, proprietor of Jáma, admitted part of his early ambition with the restaurant was to be part of that. He said, “The concept was, and I know it was a very strange concept, but the concept was to open up a restaurant where we’d have poetry readings and then use money from the restaurant to pay for a literary review to pay for the best of the poetry and short fiction read at the readings.” Munson admits, however, those times and the tone of his restaurant have changed.

U.S. Embassy in Prague

Establishing Roots
Just as the motives for coming vary, so do those for staying here. Some people gave relationships or starting a family as reasons. Sometimes, as in the case of Feldman, the reason is lifestyle.

The U.S. And Them (Czechs)
Living anywhere new entails challenges. Surprisingly, bureaucracy was not a common complaint; the group I spoke with all seemed to take it in stride. A more common complaint was with service, though each said they dealt with it differently. Spicker said he could be more direct, whereas Matz said she tried to make a joke of the situation.

They also had different views about learning the local language. Spicker and Munson speak it with a degree of proficiency. Spicker even appeared on Czech TV. Yet, both said that speaking the language didn’t necessarily make things easier. Feldman, on the other hand, admitted to not speaking much Czech. At the same time she has been able to engage with the culture to a significant degree.

Something from Home
Most of the people I spoke to felt that they didn’t miss much from home, and/or get their fix of American tastes from Jáma, Bohemian Bagel, or La Casa Blů. Snacks or ingredients are available from The Candy Store or from Tesco’s international food section.

We’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Other articles in this series:

– Vietnamese Community in the ČR
– Ukrainian Community in the ČR
– American Community in the ČR
– Indian Community in the ČR
– Russian Community in the ČR

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