Legend of the Brno Dragon

Legend of the Brno Dragon

Once upon a time, a huge dragon appeared in Brno . He ate poultry and strangled lambs, and people were very scared of him. Merchants started to stay out of the city, women could not go to the market. Councillors racked their brains as to how to get rid of him, and in the end announced a reward for the killing of the dragon. However, for a long time, nobody was brave enough to face such a monster. One day, a travelling butcher volunteered to try. He sewed up burnt lime into an ox skin, and hid it in the grass. The dragon smelled the ox skin, and ate the whole lot. This made him very thirsty, so he went to the river and drank so much water that the lime began to expand, and in the end his stomach burst out. People took the dragon into the city, had it stuffed, and then hung it in the Old Town Hall passage. Here is the Brno Dragon (at least that's what they thought it was at the time!)

Here are a couple photos of Brno...

Shock from Re-entry

There's something about a visit home that really puts things in perspective! I went to the states for Christmas, and spent a few weeks with friends and family. I lived in comfort, ate like a king, and basically devoured all the western comforts around me. I drove (with pleasure), I shopped (american clothes are better AND cheaper!), and channel surfed american tv in every idle minute. In short, I consumed in great quantity everything I'm deprived of here.

My first couple days back, I noticed the dreariness of this place. Don't get me wrong; I love Brno & czech life in general. But the antiquity of my surroundings seems so dark once it's initial novelty wears off....and I can't help wondering if my fascination of this place is coming to an end. Or is this merely a stage of being an expat that I'm experiencing? Who knows.

Anyway, one thing that shines here is the women. On my first tram ride after coming back, I was slightly depressed, looking at the old infrastructure around me....when I gazed out the window at the pedestrians. Let me just say...compared to the female citizens of 99% of the USA (I'm not talking Hollywood / Vegas / Miami, I'm talking Anytown, USA), the women here blow them away. The vast majority are in good shape, well educated, and friendly. Unbelievable in comparison. Just watching the crowds it's amazing how many stunningly beautiful women you see everyday here. A ray of sunshine really hit me at that moment...and instantly I felt lucky to be here. :-)

Mortgage Crisis at Home

I try to stay abreast of news back home, and lately all I seem to read about (besides the presidential primaries) is the home mortgage mess in the USA. Far from being just another headline to me, I have two people very dear to my heart in the middle of the mortgage crisis now. One of my friends lost his job and is becoming behind in his house payments, the other is a home lender with depleting business. Anyway, to all those folks back home involved in this mess, my thoughts are with you. I know losing your home is probably the worst thing that can happen besides losing a loved one, and I feel ya. Whether you choose to refinance or sell or actually declare bankruptcy, just remember that times will be better - one thing I've learned about stressful times in my life...the clouds always clear up eventually. :-)

Anyway, in Brno it's the opposite trend. Home prices on the rise like there's no tomorrow. So, probably after new year's we'll move into a rental and continue to watch home prices & really get to know this market before buying.

I know this subject isn't very exciting, lol. Being in the accounting industry, though - I think about it a lot, especially when I'm planning to buy in the coming months.

Last night, my friends and I met in a Brno pub called Pegas, which I highly recommend to anyone visiting Czech Republic & touring pubs. Not only is the pivo (beer) excellent, the atmosphere is friendly & buzzing, and the staff work their tail off to make sure that no glass is ever empty. Here is the pub, one of my favorites in Brno:

Brno Real Estate

OK, anyone living in Czech Republic, foreign or local, realizes something very quickly when entering the real estate market here - the appreciation is steady and fast. Which means, as a home buyer, every month counts in terms of finding a good buy on the home you want. Add to that the fact that 2008 Czech Tax laws will make homes considerably more expensive, and you're basically in an either hurry-up and buy mindset, or you must wait it out & hope for the best.

My situation currently is that my girlfriend and I have decided to buy a place, but have different perspectives on what & where to buy. I'd prefer an older, central Brno flat (appreciation is always highest in city centers).....something we can fix up in the years to come. She, of course, prefers a new construction home, which means outside the city (the only place where new=affordable around here). So, we've got quite the dilemma on our hands, with the good old appreciation clock ticking.

Since buying a home isn't something anyone should ever rush into, the best bet is probably to rent next year, and decide what and where we want to buy in 2009. Hopefully by then, we'll be on the same page, AND the Czech tax laws will correct themselves, especially if 2008 real estate activity stalls as I expect (due to overnight price inflation). Anyway, hopefully we figure things out in the months ahead.....I miss owning a home & there is almost no way to lose by investing in Czech Republic property (at least, for now - lol).

Brno Expat Community

To be honest, the expat community in Brno, Czech Republic is mostly eastern europeans. And, right or wrong, the czech culture seems more welcoming to those from the west than those coming from countries "worse off" than themselves.....Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, etc. Myself being American, and most of my friends (americans, germans, dutch) enjoy the highest level of hospitality here, deservedly or not. Besides that particular factor, czech people are generally friendly to everyone. I've been in the country for more than a year now, and have rarely seen any acts of violence or even hostility towards anyone, local or foreign.

Whenever anyone asks me what is better about life in Czech Republic or USA, I cringe...there are simply too many complexities to this question, one must truly live in both cultures to fully understand. To name a few of the things I like about Czech life...definitely the beer always comes to mind first, then the ladies, the peaceful / happy nature of czechs, the old architecture and history, just to name a few. What do I miss about life in America? Plenty. Mostly, the conveniences and niceties that come with established capitalism. Being a developing nation (although it's WAY ahead of further east countries), Czech Republic life can seem archaic compared to the developed lifestyle I'm used to. That being said, though, I find most of the differences exciting & tolerable. I've simply traded away conveniences & comfort for excitement and novelty!

The beer & women are definitely great enough to each warrant their own blog entries....I won't try to cover them in this initial post! But I will say, to anyone thinking of visiting or relocating to Brno, Czech Republic from an established western nation to go ahead & do it. I've not regretted it for a single day since I've been here. Of course, when I'm waiting in a slow moving, 30 person long queue for milk tomorrow, I'll think about the conveniences I've left behind. And then I'll smile & consider all the great things about life here. Maybe it's just my values, who knows.