Prague Diaries - 2010

After a considerable gap I am back blogging. There is one overriding factor to explain my absence since September, aside from my laziness that is and that is the fact that our new apartment was broken in to and my laptop stolen. It was a frigtening experience and one which left an indelible sensation of shock. It happened on a Tuesday night in mid October. Zuzana had been out with an old university friend and they both made their way back to the apartment shortly after midnight. After a few too many her brain was on slow mode and she forgot to lock our entrance door. This shouldn't have been a major issue because to gain access to our apartment you must first have a key for the front door or else buzz in for access. Now I was halfway to sleep when she got in to bed. Shortly after there was a buzzing from downstairs to our apartment. Half asleep I dismissed it as someone who had pressed the wrong buzzer. I later came to realise that they were just testing the waters. When they received no answer they obviously decided to proceed to enter. With Zuzana having forgotten to lock our front door their task was made easier. As I was trying to get back to sleep I heard our bedroom door open. I automatically assumed it was Zuzana's friend coming back from the bathroom who had made a mistake and opened the door to our room and not the spare room which she was staying in. I later realised that this was one of the burglars.
Fast forward to next morning and we were preparing to leave for work. I went to grab my wallet which I always left on the living room table, it wasn't there and the change that I had left on the table was also scattered. I next looked to the floor where my laptop was left. That too was missing. I immediately turned to Zuz and asked her if she had put them somewhere after coming home. I knew from her look that she hadn't and it was at that exact moment that we realised we had been burgled. I then began to search back in my mind over the buzzing and door opening from the night before. My anger immediately turned to shock at what had taken place. We called the police and they came with a 4 strong team and later by two detectives and a forensic team to take fingerprints and photographs. Along with the laptop I'd been stung for around 4k in cash (Czech Crowns), all my cards and travel pass. This wasn't what I needed just as things were beginning to settle down. We filed a report with the police later that evening but there has been no positive outcome to that particular exercise.
That was the bad of the last quarter of 2010 but there was also much to report on the good side of the ledger, none more so than the fact that I landed a plum job in early October. I began my role as a GL Accountant for the global leading Johnson & Johnson company on October 10th. I attended 1 interview and after a successful consequent negotiation I was hired. It was a great opportunity to join one of the world's biggest and most innovative companies and one which I wasn't going to turn down, despite having another offer on the table. I am glad to report that 3 months in and with my probabtion period passed that I have made the right choice. As well as learning about new processes there is a major focus on personal development in the company which can only be beneficial in to the future. My colleagues have helped me settle in quickly and despite some language difficulties we manage to get the message across. Although the business language is english most of my colleagues are czech so that is the dominant voice in the office. Speaking of Czech my courses ran twice a week up until mid december and progress, although slow, is visble or should I say audible. The language is certainly a challenge but one which I am enjoying. It's nice to see the appreciative reaction of Czech people to my efforts even if I feel like a fraud sometimes.
Those were the two major moments of the last quarter of 2010. Interspersed in all that was many good nights out, including a free bar at the Christmas party (Woops!) and my first Christmas away from home. The Czech christmas isn't all that different from home in all honesty except for the food. I really missed that banquet prepared by my mother at home. A dinner of carp and potato salad, whilst nice, pales in comparison.

Here is to 2011 and hopefully many more good nights and days.