Expat

It’s official.  I’m an Expat.

In fact I’m so expat, that I went to an ‘Expats Expo’ a few weekends ago where an estimated 6,000 or so people like me jabbered away in English in a beautiful exhibition hall.

There were a lot of stalls offering services to help us expats acclimatise: - banks, gyms, English newspapers, internet services, etc.

The event was organised by Expats.cz, a website offering invaluable information to those of us looking for libraries/ yoga studios/ restaurants/ providing advice and forums, discussing everything from car insurance to clubbing.

There was a stall selling English products – tea, marmite, Shreddies, English bacon, Flakes, After Eights you name it.  I didn't feel that desperate to buy anything (just give it a year).

But the biggest surprise were the English speaking schools, offering the British national curriculum.   Not just one school - but I counted seven stalls...trying to tempt those of us with kids with face painting, 

bouncy castles, clowns, and sweets....

but also appealing to our paranoia, our inner fears, saving us from the Czech school system with its antiquated draconian style learning, non existent teaching of critical thinking, lack of creative outlets like drama and creative writing.

But of course it comes at a hefty price (even more than private schools in the UK).

And so with that I noticed a distinct difference between the expats - those working for English speaking firms who have a fat relocation packages, kids in English-speaking private schools, memberships to the gyms, investing in wineries and enjoying fine dining...and those who sit on other side of the fence whose kids go the local Czech schools, who shop like the locals do, and drink good Czech beer instead of terrible cheap wine.

Just don't ask me which side I fall on ; )