Hi Everyone, We're having a very wintry and frosty day here, in Prague, this morning. The current temperature is -9 C/16 F, and the weathermen say we're experiencing a freezing fog. Looking out the window, I can confirm the freezing fog. Mornings like this make me want to curl up under the covers and read away the day. However, I have work to get done, so no reading the day away today. Every so often I like to tell you about gizmos that help expats. Today, I'd like to tell you about a gizmo that has literally changed and enhanced my expat life. This gadget was a birthday present, and I now have almost 6 months experience using it daily.
Love my Kindle
I have the version of the Kindle known as Kindle 2nd generation. This Kindle version offers GSM technology to connect to Amazon's Whispersync network all around the world. I've used my Kindle in rural parts of the U.S. (including my home in the Rockies of New Mexico), as well as in rural parts of the Czech Republic. The Kindle works great everywhere I've traveled.
Kindle's Enhanced my Expat Life
How has this gizmo changed my life? For one, it offers a cheaper way to obtain books in English. English books can be found in Prague, but they are very expensive. However, the Kindle offers many books for the price of $9.99 and up, but also offers access to many free books on Amazon and on other sites such as Project Gutenberg. With it's free GSM (cellular) connection, the Kindle also offers a great and free way to send emails and view the Internet. The Kindle's browser is a simple browser, but does offer a way to connect to your web-based email accounts (Google, Yahoo, etc.), and is great for viewing text-based websites such as Google and others. I've been able to send a quick email to my daughter back in the States while sitting in my doctor's waiting room--for free. The Kindle is also easy to take anywhere. It fits very easily in your purse, backpack or brief case. This e-reader also has a long-lived battery. The battery will hold a charge for up to one week with the wireless connection turned on, or up to two or three weeks with wireless turned off. The Kindle's also easy to recharge either via USB, or wall socket. One last reason I love my Kindle--it's great for people like me who have allergies, asthma and chemical sensitivities.
Recommended Kindle Version There are a couple of newer versions of the Kindle out now--the Kindle WiFi for and Kindle 3G + WiFi. Both of these would be great, but I would recommend the Kindle 3G + WiFi for expats or travelers, because it offers two wireless ways to connect to Amazon's Whispersync network and the Web.
Hi Everyone,January's been a very busy month for me here, in Prague. The New Year started off with being sick and falling up the steps from the Metro. You read that right--I fell up the steps. This happened the night before New Year's. I managed to end up with bruises from my left knee to where my boot top ended on the shin of my left leg, and a wrenched back and right wrist. It was very painful, but I didn't let this stop me from celebrating New Year's with our Czech friends. We had a great celebration with them--lots of great food, talk and fireworks. After that, while still recovering from my fall up the Metro steps, I sat down (very gingerly) and organized my daily schedule. I've started writing at some different sites, in addition to this blog, and so found it necessary to set up a writing schedule. Once this was in place, I began writing. The writing schedule has been a great help in keeping on track and writing regularly at each site where I've begun to write. One of the new sites I'm writing for is BellaOnline's Asthma site. I became their Asthma site editor back in November 2010, and am enjoying the training process and people I'm meeting there. I'm still in training there, but am moving forward. Another site I began writing for is Shervacik.com. This is site is meant to be the home for all my online work. Right now there's not much on the site, but I'm adding on a regular basis. So, with these sites and a couple of others, I'm staying pretty busy.
Updates for the Czech Republic
Austerity Package and Rising Prices
The New Year has brought some challenges for the Czech Republic. The new government has been working on an austerity package, and this has directly affected Jiri and I in a big way. The Czech austerity package, like many adopted by E.U. states, is being put in place in order to help bring state costs down, and pay off the deficit from past years. One of the main parts of this package has directly hit many Czechs' salaries with a significant reduction. Jiri's salary has been hit by this reduction, too. Along with the salary decreases, we are seeing a rise in the price of food, electricity, water and benzene. As a result, many people are trying to cut back on expenses while finding alternative ways to earn extra income.
Health Care
Along with the austerity package, the country may be losing up to one quarter of all hospital doctors in the Czech Republic. The doctors say they have lower salaries compared to doctors’ salaries in other parts of the E.U. This is true. The average salary for hospital doctors in the CzechRepublic, in 2009, was $2,412.71 a month. German doctors, in 2009, averaged $9,674.57 a month. There is definitely some disparity. The Czech Medical Chamber has organized doctors into a campaign called, “Thanks We are Leaving.” Doctors supporting this campaign have all given notice they will be handing in their resignations as of February 28th. Losing one quarter of the hospital doctors will be a hard blow for the CzechRepublic, and will cause a health care emergency. The government is trying to find ways to appease the doctors and raise the necessary funds that would increase doctor’s salaries. It will be interesting to see how it works out. The government, at present, is unsure of how to reorganize the health care sector if doctors do, indeed, leave.
New American Ambassador
The U.S. finally has a new ambassador here at the Prague embassy. We haven’t had an American ambassador here since President Obama came to office. Our new ambassador is Norman Eisen, a prominent supporter of Obama during the presidential elections, who is known as the “ethics czar.” Eisen, and his family, have moved to Prague and are settling in. Ambassador Eisen will take up his job officially on January 28th when he presents his credentials to President Klaus. It’s nice to know we finally have an ambassador here to represent the U.S.
As you can see, this year is shaping up to be a busy one for me, personally, as well as a challenging year for the Czech Republic. It will be a tough and challenging year, but you have to face Life issues with courage and flexibility in order to keep moving forward and to continue growing. If we let them, challenges can help us grow. Better to let challenges help us grow, rather than forcing us to grow. I’m hoping that the Czech Republic and I will have a great year of growth in 2011.
Have you ever heard of Jan Palach? Yesterday was the 42nd anniversary of the day Jan Palach immolated himself in protest of the Soviet invasion and occupation of then Czechoslovakia. I first became acquainted with Palach’s story after moving to the Czech Republic. Jiří told me about Palach and I was at once horrified and amazed. Jan Palach was a young student at Charles University back in 1968. At that time, Czechs and Slovaks were united in one country, Czechoslovakia, and were enjoying a time known as The Prague Spring.
The Prague Spring is a mark in history when the communists of Czechoslovakia began loosening their stranglehold on the country. Czechs and Slovaks were enjoying a time of revival and liberalization and reform. It was a time of hope and light brought about by changes initiated by then General Secretary of the Communist Party Dubček. This liberalization came in the form of freedom of the press, freedom of speech, while also ushering in a better economic plan to help revive the country’s spirit.
The Prague Spring lasted only a few short months before August 1968 when the Soviets, at the head of a Warsaw Pact army, invaded and occupied Czechoslovakia. Dubček asked Czechs and Slovaks not to protest in order to avoid a bloody invasion. Even so, Czechs did protest in silent ways—by pointing sign posts in the wrong directions to confuse invading troops, or completely painted over sign posts, and many small villages renamed themselves so as to add even more confusion. Even so, the invading army was able to find its way to Prague and clamp down on the Czechs and Slovaks. There are many pictures of the Soviets and Warsaw Pact troops marching into Prague. One iconic picture shows a young man standing in front of a tank trying stop the troops. I can’t even begin to imagine how Czechs felt in that time. I’ve never seen a tank invading my city or troops invading my home.
Invasion of Prague 1968
During the occupation many Czechs and Slovaks were demoralized, and yet the desire for democracy and liberalization still burned. People fought against the occupation with riots, protests and limited acts of violence. But after a time, the Czechs and Slovaks were brought under subjection and The Prague Spring was ended.
One young man, Jan Palach, was very unhappy at the apparent apathy shown by Czechs and Slovaks in that time. He decided it was necessary to rouse people from their complacency with a horrific act. Palach decided to make a sacrifice of his own life in order to raise public outcry against the Soviet occupation. On January 16, 1969, Palach stood on Václavské Náměstí (Wenceslas Square), in front of the National Museum and doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire. Bystanders watched in horror as Palach ran across the square burning as a human torch. Palach was saved when a bystander threw him to the ground and smothered the flames with his coat, but it was too late. Palach suffered third-degree burns over 85% of his body, and lived another three days in agony before he died on January 19, 1969. Palach was part of a group of young students who had committed to self-immolation as a form of protest to rile the Czech and Slovak people to protest against the occupation. Most of the rest of this suicide group did not follow the fiery death of Palach. From his hospital bed Palach had pleaded with the this suicide group not to go forward with this type of protest.
Jan Palach's death mask.
Palach’s funeral became a day of national protest for Czechs and Slovaks. Thousands of people attended his funeral. Soviet leaders were afraid Palach’s grave might become a national shrine, and exhumed his body, cremated it and reburied him in his home village. For a time Palach’s death did stir up the people, but eventually a period of “normalization” managed to take hold, and no significant protest took place, until 1989 brought the twentieth anniversary of Palach’s death and the Velvet Revolution. Students at the protests and riots in 1989 were moved and inspired by Palach’s sacrifice. They were emboldened, by his example, to move on with further protest which finally brought all Czechs and Slovaks into the protest against Soviets, and the subsequent overthrow of their occupation of Czechoslovakia.
Memorial to Jan Palach and Jan Zajic
Today, there is some controversy over whether Jan Palach accomplished much with his sacrifice. Some say yes, he did, while others believe he could have done more if he had gone on living. It is difficult to judge Palach’s actions, but we should consider the situation, and ponder what would we do in the same situation. Would we be inspired enough to such an act as Palach’s to save our own country? This is not a simple question, but one that takes deep thought and consideration. Palach is remembered here every year, and many people place flowers on Palach’s memorial on Václavské Náměstí—the spot where he set himself on fire.
I am moved by Palach’s story, and personally believe he did accomplish some good with his terrible sacrifice. I do not advocate suicide missions or terrorism of any kind. What Palach did was not terrorism--his death was not meant to hurt anyone but himself. He committed this act to “wake up” his fellow countrymen. And he didn’t hurt or kill any innocents. This is a heroic act, though still terrible and hard to imagine. A young man, in the prime of life, took his own life so that others might be moved to throw off the chains of Soviet rule and once again experience freedom and revival. I am not advocating this type of protest by writing this post. The purpose of this post was to relate to this story to readers (who live outside of the Czech Republic) and who may have never heard of Jan Palach. I believe in the sanctity of all Life, and believe we should not take our own lives or that of another. The situation of Czechoslovakia during the invasion and occupation was a time of great hardship for the country, and young people felt the need for some type of protest. Thus did it come about that Jan Palach decided to give his own life for this purpose. He endured an agonizing three days of unbearable pain and suffering before he died, and during the last days of his life pleaded with the others not to protest in this manner.
