Latvian Expat Living in Czech Republic - Interview with Olga

Olga Loucka is a blogger at goodfoodclinic.com She studied and lived in England, the Netherlands and Czech Republic. She studied international law at AAU university in Prague, obtained her Masters in Marketing from Ashworth University and received a degree in Nutrition, Diet and Health Scence.

Since 1999 she has been residing in Prague where she writes for her blog and for Prague Post. She is married and has two small children. Olga's expat blog is called Goodfoodclinic - Helping you to help yourself (see listing here)

Here's the interview with Olga...

Where are you originally from?
Originally I come from Riga, Latvia.

In which country and city are you living now?
Now I live in Prague, Czech Republic.

How long have you lived in Czech Republic and how long are you planning to stay?
I have lived here for the last 15 years, and now having my husband and children here, I am not planning to move away:)

Why did you move to Czech Republic and what do you do?
I moved here to study Law at AAU university. Now I am at home with my two babies - Mark 5 and Natalie 1.5. So I do writing and editing from home. I write for my blog, Prague Post and for freshbedynky.cz

Did you bring family with you?
I found my family here.

How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
For me it was really easy. I was 19 and I was student. I love meeting people from different countries with different backgrounds. It’s always incredible to hear the life stories of interesting people from around the world.
Also, I can never get bored – I’m constantly trying to learn about everything around me. I guess it takes years to get to know a place though.

Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
I was student, so it was really easy. We had many students from different countries. All of us had the same problems with visas, housing, czech language... My main language at that time was English. Once I started my first job I became friends with my Czech colleagues and I started to study Czech. I think once you stop feeling like a tourist and you consider the place quite familiar then you can start thinking of yourself as an expat.

What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?
Please, don’t take map…Just take a streets you like. Have a cup of coffee by the river, when the sun is setting down behind the Castle…Then see Castle and Charles bridge….Feel this place….And come back again…

What do you enjoy most about living in Czech Republic?
I love everything about Prague. May be you will say that it’s just beautiful scenery and there are more important things in life…May be you are right, but I know that this city inspires me… As we know, beauty can be expressed in many ways: flickering light on water on a lazy spring evening, some nice building you see across a railway bridge, a soft cat paw gently touching your shoulder, old factory ruins or a pair of new shoes….There are so many things that inspire me about a city that I could write a book!

How does the cost of living in Czech Republic compare to home?
The cost of living in the Czech Republic is on average comparable with other Central and East European countries.

What negatives, if any, are there to living in Czech Republic?
Since Czech is in Central Europe, it is far away from the sea. I really miss my cold, dark sea here. Although there are a lot of rivers and lakes, you will need to travel quite a long way to get to the sea.

If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving to Czech Republic, what would it be?
Start learning Czech language. It will make your life much more easier here.

What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
To start working in Czech company without Czech language. It was a big big trouble.

When you finally return home, how do you think you'll cope with repatriation?
Riga is really simmilar to Prague, but smaller. I have my family there and a lot of friends, so when I go back I feel great.

What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?

1. Learn the Language! At least some basics. You must be able to understand everyday language and just enough speaking skills to order pizza and communicate with your co-workers. The rest is up to you, your motivation and ability to learn.
2. Research the place you want to live in. By research I mean really check everything that you might enjoy (or not) and need in a particular country. For example,renting appartment can be quite complicated here in case you don't speak Czech. But health care here is less expensive, than in the Netherlands.
3. You must also become more stubborn and persistent because you can only rely on yourself. This might seem scary in the beginning, but in the end it’s a perfect way to become more assertive and self-reliant.
4. Read up as much as you can before and during your stay on Czech history. Czechs tend to be very well educated and highly knowledgeable in areas of  culture, politics and geography. In fact, the average Czech  probably knows more about your country’s history and  literature  than you do.
5. Just because Czechs do not smile all the time does not mean that they are angry, miserable or that they do not like you. Someone with a permanent smile in Czech is akin to the village idiot, but when Czechs do smile at you, they tend to be more sincere.

Tell us a bit about your own expat blog.
Goodfoodclinic- a blog about how to be fit and healthy in a big city. I write about nutrition, detox, in the joy of movement in Prague. I share my knowledge, personal experience and simple recipes. On my blog you will find information about where to eat healthy in Prague, where to buy healthy foods and where and how to train.

How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
My blog - www.goodfoodclinic.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/goodfoodclinic
Instagram - @goodfoodclinic

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