Follow the jump links to learn more about the Czech Republic:
Lifestyle and Family Living
Teen Life
Dress and Appearance
Diet and Meals
Educational System
Geography and Climate
Population
Language
Government
Religion
Spending Money
Safety and Support
Fun Facts Lifestyle and Family Living
Students are generally placed with traditional two-parent families in a variety of settings. These can include the major urban areas such as Prague and Brno, small towns and the rural areas of both Bohemia and Moravia. Often both parents in a family work outside the home.
Families are hospitable and friendly. They are usually close-knit, and it is not uncommon for members of the extended family to be living at home, especially grandparents.
Like most Europeans, Czechs must deal with limited space. This influences the Czechs’ perception of distances. Even a one-hour drive is a significant undertaking. On the other hand, Czechs like to travel within the country as well as internationally.
Building and housing space is also influenced by considerations of geography. The vast majority of the population, even in small towns, lives in apartment block buildings.
Czechs are very conscious of the cleanliness of their private environments. When entering a home, shoes must be taken off. It is considered bad manners to step in one’s shoes on something used for sitting, or to put up your feet with shoes on.
Parents are protective of their children and expect them to help with the housework and to keep them informed of when and where they are going. Many Czechs leave the city to spend the weekend visiting family and friends or to stay at a summerhouse or cottage, called chata or chalupa.
Gardening is a common pastime, and some families grow most of their vegetables.
Modesty is an important value. For example, a proper response to a compliment is not to say thank you but to disagree. The elderly have certain prerogatives by virtue of their age such as expecting younger people to relinquish their seats on public transportation.
Traditionally, Czechs are early risers. Shops open at 7 a.m. and offices at 8. Factory workers often clock in even earlier. This practice dates to the 19th century insomniac emperor Franz Josef II who liked to start business at 6 in the morning. This practice trickled down to the entire population.
At the other end of the day, everything closes early. This affects the average Czech’s daily schedule. You may get up at 6–7 a.m. and start school between 7 and 8. Lunch is between 12 and 1. You may get home at 4 or 5 p.m., have dinner at 6 or 7 and go to bed at 10 or 11. If you want to socialize with Czechs you have to adapt to this schedule. Even your Czech friends probably will not go out later than 8 p.m. and often as early as 6 p.m. Parties rarely run past midnight; typically people go home around 11 p.m.
Czech host families, like all AFS host families worldwide, are volunteers and are not paid. They open their homes to students in order to share their community and culture as well as to enrich their own family lives.Teen Life
Czechs enjoy various sports like hiking, bicycling and swimming in the summer and skiing in the winter.
They also like to visit historic sites, go to the theater and art galleries, and participate in cultural events.
Teenagers can participate in extracurricular activities at school such as sports, drama, and computer sciences. In addition, community and youth organizations organize many out-of-school activities.Dress and Appearance
The Czech proverb šaty delaj cloveka (“clothes make a man”) is very appropriate. In general, Czechs frown on shabby or untidy clothing and disregard for appearance.
They tend to dress less formally for work and more formally for entertainment. Even a visit to the movies or a restaurant, not to mention the theater, requires better clothing. Wearing jeans in an opera house is a surefire way of identifying you as a tourist.
Czech teenagers like to dress casually. They wear T-shirts and jeans or corduroys. You should also bring a pair of comfortable walking shoes.
For the winter months, you will need a warm waterproof coat, heavy boots, sweaters, mittens and warm socks.
For special occasions more formal dress is expected: for girls a dress or blouse and skirt; for boys a jacket, slacks and tie.
Students are not required to wear uniforms at school.Diet and Meals
Czech families love to eat. Czech cuisine is basically Central European, with German, Hungarian, and Polish influences. Meat is the main dish, along with big portions of dumplings, potatoes, or rice topped with a thick sauce and a heavily cooked vegetable or sauerkraut.
The standard quick meal is knedlo-zelo-vepro (dumplings, sauerkraut and roast pork). Caraway seed, bacon, and lots of salt are common flavorings. Bread, rolls, and cheese are popular too.
There is not much emphasis on vegetables and fruits so vegetarians may find the country difficult. Many restaurants advertise “meatless” meals, which may, however, contain ham (sunka) or be made with lard (sádlo).
Table etiquette is very important. It is considered a sign of bad upbringing not to use your knife and fork in the continental manner. Making slurping noises while eating is impolite. It is considered inappropriate for individuals to request special foods, to prepare separate food for themselves, or to raid the refrigerator.
Make the Czech cuisine a part of your discoveries. You will soon begin to like it, especially if you get to sample a grandmother’s cooking. Educational System
AFS students are placed in either public or private high schools called gymnasiums. These schools are intended to prepare students for further academic education. AFSers are placed in the junior class, the second-to-last year of high school. The senior class or last year is oriented to preparing Czech students for their final examinations to qualify for entrance into university.
Other courses available include German, English, history, physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and physical education. Schools try to adjust students’ schedules so that the course content is not too heavily dependent on their Czech language ability. Even though Czech can be difficult, a lot of AFSers take State exams in the Czech language.
School runs from September to June. Classes are Monday through Friday.
Czech students, your future schoolmates, are very friendly and ready to help. Students are expected to attend classes regularly.
All instruction, with the exception of foreign languages, is done in Czech. In the beginning, you may find it hard to follow, but as you learn more of the language, school will become less challenging, so be patient, work hard, and keep at it!
While it may be possible to obtain academic credit for the coursework you successfully complete abroad, AFS cannot guarantee this. Please discuss your plans with your school before you go abroad.
Geography and Climate
The Czech Republic is located in Central Europe and is bordered by the Slovak Republic on the east, Austria on the south, Germany on the west and north, and Poland on the north. It is a beautiful country surrounded by mountains and made up of farmlands and forests.
Administratively the Czech Republic is divided into two main parts: Bohemia – with the capital city Prague – and Moravia – with the capital city Brno.
The climate is moderate. The average winter temperature is around 0°C (32°F). In summer, the weather is warm but not hot.
Population
The population is approximately 10.4 million. Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and has a population of 1.2 million.
Language
Czech is the language of the Czech Republic.
In the first weeks and months of your time abroad, you will likely be offered language courses organized at the local level by your local AFS volunteers. These are designed to help you learn the Czech language quickly and to integrate into the host community. We also recommend taking additional private classes in your new community, which are usually offered at special language schools at your expense.
It is very important to distinguish between formal and informal language and among situations to determine appropriate forms of address. Different forms of address are used even among people of same age.
Government
In January 1993, Czechoslovakia split into two sovereign states: the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy with a president as head of state.
Religion
The Czech people are predominantly Roman Catholic (26%). Other religions represented within the country are Protestant (2%) and other smaller groups.
Spending Money
The koruna is the official currency in the Czech Republic
Your program and country information packet (provided in the months prior to your departure) will give you an idea of how much spending money is appropriate and whether you should arrive with any amount of the local currency in hand.
Host families pay only for ordinary family events in which you are expected to participate. When you do such things as shopping for yourself or going out with friends, the expenses are your responsibility. Depending on the cost of living in your host country, we recommend you budget about $100 – $300 per month.
Remember: never travel with large amounts of cash. Instead, bring travelers checks or follow the advice in the country and program information packet. Another option for obtaining money while overseas is to use a debit card linked to a checking account back home (but try not to use a debit card for daily purchases since there are ATM and currency exchange fees). Or, you can transfer money using wiring services such as Western Union.
You and your parents should determine a budget and preferred money transfer plan before you depart so that you are not caught without spending money while abroad.
Be conscientious of your spending since conspicuous consumption may not be viewed favorably and spending more than your peers and family may create a distance between you and them.
Safety and Support
AFS has the utmost concern for the welfare, safety, and security of our participants. We’ve been exchanging participants throughout the world for 60 years—that’s six decades of history and experience in international education with an exemplary record of safety, security, and service.
AFS maintains a network of experienced staff and trained volunteers who provide support in each country. In the event of an emergency, 24-hour assistance is available to students, their parents, and the host families. Furthermore, your AFS tuition includes comprehensive medical insurance coverage to ensure that medical care is available to our participants anywhere in the world and at all times.
While we have the above support structures in place, we also encourage you to take responsibility for your own safety and we give you the guidance to do so. Many of the AFS orientation activities, both at home and abroad, are intended to give you the tools to stay safe. We also provide country-specific safety tips to each participant prior to departure.
Learn more about the AFS safety and support network.
Fun Facts
- The Czech town, Vêstonice, is the world’s oldest settlement. Archeologists believe it has been inhabited since 27,000 B.C., when Europe was still in the Ice Age.
- The world’s largest ancient palace is Prague Castle, in the Czech Republic’s capital city. It was built in the 9th Century and covers 18 acres.
- The world’s longest traverse—a rope stretched above a canyon or a river—measured 953.6 m. (3128.3 ft.) across the Elbe River in the Czech Republic. On July 3, 1998, Czech cave explorer Zdenek Kadlec inched his way across it, hand over hand, suspended in a harness. The feat took him an hour.
- Famous people born in the Czech Republic include Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, born in Moravia; Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychologist born in Príbor; and Tom Stoppard, English dramatist born in Zlín.
