Prague Diaries - Week 3

Wednesday August 18th
One of the many formalities a foreigner has to go through is register with the foreign police if your intended stay exceeds 30 days. I take my intrepid interpreter Zuz along to ease me through the paperwork and translate. They can only issue me with a temporary pass lasting 30 days as I don't have a permanent address yet. Our initial accommodation is for 30 days only. Once full time accommodation and employment has been found then my new employers will look after the paperwork from there, thankfully.
I do some research in to language courses upcoming. My few basic words and phrases are limiting so the sooner I get my head in to a course the better. There are intensive and more casual courses and I decide I'll jump in at the deep end. The intensive course runs for two weeks along the same times as a full working day. This is followed by 2 weeks of evening classes lasting 3 hours twice a week. The next set of classes begin in early September. I hope to be in employment by then so may have to opt for private tuition or full time evening courses.
Thursday August 19th
I apply for two open positions with Johnson & Johnson, one a reporting position and one a general ledger position. I am limited to American & British multinationals who have English as their business language. Czech is required for nearly all other positions. Thankfully quite a few shared service centres have opened up in Prague over the last few years so I'm hoping that I can find something suitable in one of them.
The rest of the day is spent browsing sites for available apartments. Our 1 month stay in the current apartment ends on September 1st so we need to start searching. There are plenty available, finding the right one though will prove to be difficult. It will be hard to match the perfection of our last place in Limerick. This time round I am anxious to get a 2 bedroom apartment so that we can have friends and family come visit when they want. The rental market is dominated by 1 bedroom apartments. The apartments are a nice mix of the beautiful old style brick, the hideous panel buildings and the increasing numbers of new developments in the suburbs. We are keen to stay close to the city centre and so limit our search to the Prague 2 district. Prague 1 is just ridiculously expensive although technically it is slap bang city centre so it's to be expected. We also include Prague 5 in our search as Zuz is working there and the area has undergone significant redevelopment in recent years.
Friday August 20th
The day starts with positive development. Karlá from the recruitment agency handling the J&J positions wants me to come in for initial interview on Monday morning.
That afternoon we go to look at an apartment in Prague 2. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the real thing didn't match up to the pictures and so it was a swift no.
We took a nice stroll back along Vinohradská with its beautiful tree lined streets and parks. It's a hot day and so a few beers will go down a treat in the superb Riegrovy Sady park. They have a couple of open air bars there but there is one particularly big one there with a stage playing music and a nice mix of a crowd. Vinohrady is ex-pat central so there are a plethora of accents floating around. A nice buzz and a few pilsner with Zuz rounds down the day nicely.
Saturday August 21st
The sun is in for the weekend, temps of 29 means there's only one place for it. Unfortunately the Czech Republic is a landlocked country so no natural beaches. There are plenty of special parks however, solely kitted out for sunbathing and swimming. We head to one about 20 mins from the apartment in Zizkov. A nominal entry fee, mainly for the upkeep of the swimming pool I imagine, and we're in. The first thing to hit me is the number of women bathing topless, they're all at it and more power to them. I bring along 'Every Dead Thing' by John Connolly which I'm reading at the moment and mix it up with some nice relaxing sunbathing. Zuz takes refuge in a shady position and reminds me of the dangers of the sun. I'm sun starved so I give her little heed.
We come back that evening to find some guy has responded to an advert we placed seeking accommodation. He is willing to show us it tomorrow. It's in a historic area of Prague 6 so we decide to plan a day around the viewing.
Sunday August 22nd
Another scorcher awaits. We have an early lunch the head to catch a tram to the city centre. Once there we catch tram 22 to our destination, Bilá Hora. This is definitely one of the most pleasant tram routes through the city. It meanders down the riverside, up by Prague Castle and out in to some pretty leafy neighborhoods. The journey takes about 20 mins in total. We arrive at the terminus for this tram and spot the high walls guarding a large green area. Beyond that is the Bilá Hora (White Mountain) site. It is the site of the decisive first battle of the Thirty Years War that was fought in 1620. Situated in the park is Letohrádek Hvézda (Hvézda Hunting Lodge),a product of the Renaissance that was built in the 1550's for Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol. Ferdinand was obsessed with numerology and the building was conceived as an intellectual conundrum - the angular walls and roof are arranged in the pattern of a six pointed star. It has been carefully maintained inside. When we visit there are many artifacts and manuscripts as well as an exhibition of local art upstairs. It provided a distraction from the melting heat for an hour. The walk back out takes a tree lined route of about a km and again provides some shade from the sun. All in all the park is huge and goes on for miles.
We make our way towards our 6pm viewing. Having walked about 15 mins beyond the tram terminus I'm beginning to wonder if we have left Prague altogether! The area is almost entirely residential with hardly a shop or restaurant in sight. This doesn't look promising. We eventually arrive to a modern apartment complex and receive a viewing from the sister of the owner. It's a beautiful spacious apartment and it's priced about the top of our budget. I'm afraid however that the location os the killer. We're looking at a half hour commute to the city centre and we both agree that that just isn't what we're looking for, especially as we don't have a car.
Monday August 23rd
Zuz starts her new job @ GE today so it's a 7.30 start for her. She starts at 8.30 and has a 25 minute commute by tram and metro. I'm also up early to do a little prep for my interview with the recruitmant company. It's another melting day outside and not exactly suit weather. I decide against the tie. I'm thankful that it's only a 5 minute walk to catch a tram and the office is only a five minute walk from my stop 2 on. The shirt is already beginning to moisten up when I reach the recruitment office. Well when I say reach I mean reach the general area where I think it is. I walk around for a few mins, all the while getting more stick and now beginning to panic because it's almost 10. I have to call the office, only for them to tell me I have passed it out. I turn on my heels and get there a few mins late. They are understanding thankfully and the receptionist leads me to an interview room to await Miss Baraková. Our meeting lasts but a half hour and is a very relaxed affair. She states that I am well suited to the roles I had applied for and that she would be forwarding my candidacy. I leave encouraged and with good reason. She calls me back an hour later and tells me that J&J wish to interview me on Wednesday.
The rest of the evening is spend browsing for that elusive apartment.
Tuesday August 24th
A day with nothing planned and as it's another hot one I decide to head for Riegrovy Sady park once more. It's only a 10 minute walk from the apartment so I head off with my Connolly novel for company. The sun goes in around 2 so I head for one of the bar's in the park and have a few beers in peace. Happy days!
I spnd that evening researching and preparing for tomorrows interview. I need to get this job situation sorted pronto.