AIESEC Czech Republic Projects

Projects AIESEC the Czech Republic EDISON is a project, which brings multicultural education into Czech high, elementary schools and kindergartens by delivering interactive sessions about political, social and economic situation and student life in home countries of interns.

• Work with other interns, many high school students and teachers

• Educate Czech students in languages, Art, Math or just tell them about your homeland

• Share history and experiences of your country with people who listen • Increase cultural awareness among young people • Spread your culture among the world

Contact: [email protected] SPEAK! is a project focused on improvement of university student´s level of languages. It is an intensive language course which is lead by interns in interactive way. Whole course is based on communication and interactive methods (development of quick reactions).

• Work with other interns from all over the world • Prepare and deliver language classes for university students • Help Czech university students to improve their language skills

Who we are looking for: Intern with native or excellent English, Spanish, Italian,Russian,German or French 6 weeks in the Czech Republic Contact: [email protected]

EDISON School

SPEAK!

AIESEC in the Czech Republic│MC VP GCDPic Vendula Najtová│[email protected]

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WELCOME IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

BOOKLET FOR INCOMING INTERNS 2001/2013


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Contents Facts about the Czech Republic .................................................................................................................... 3

Culture ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Prague ...................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Czech customs ................................................................................................................................................... 10

The Czech Language ....................................................................................................................................... 13

Czech phrasebook ............................................................................................................................................ 13

DO NOT FORGET! ............................................................................................................................................. 14


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Facts about the Czech Republic The Czech Republic (short Czechia) is a country located in Central Europe. Czechia borders with Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia.

History The Czech state, known as Bohemia, was formed in the late 9th century. In 1918 the land of Bohemia became a part of Czechoslovakia, what was a common state for Czechs and Slovaks. On 1st January 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two independent states, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The capital of the Czech Republic is Prague, known as a cultural centre of Europe. Other major cities are Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň and Liberec. The Czech Republic is an industrial country and since 1999 is a

NATO member and from 2004 a member of the European

Union .


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Population: The majority of the 10.5 million inhabitants of the Czech Republic are ethnically and linguistically Czech (95%). Other ethnic groups include Germans, Roma, Poles and Hungarians and Slovaks.

Religion: Most people in the Czech Republic are without a religion, they are ateists (39,8%). Other 39,2 % of population are Roman Catholic religion (39.2%). There is also small percentage of Protestants and Orthodox religious people.

Climate and temperature: The Czech Republic has a continental climate with relatively hot summers and cold and snowy winters. Czech winter lasts from December till March, czech spring lasts from March till May. Summer in the Czech Republic typically covers the period from June till August and Autumn(Fall) lasts from September till November.

Temperatures during the year

SPRING SUMMER AUTUMN WINTER lowest highest lowest highest lowest highest lowest highest

8°C/46°F 25°C/77°F 20°C/70°F 35°C/95°F 10°C/48°F 14°C-‐57°F -‐5°C/20°F 10°C/50°F


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Culture Music:

Music is the most popular form of art in the Czech Republic and there is even a saying, "Co Čech, to muzikant", which means "Every Czech is a musician". Today’s music has its origin in traditional folk and classical music. Notable czech composers are Bedřich Smetana, Leoš Janáček or Antonín Dvořák. The most famous music festival is called "Prague Spring" and has been annually organized since 1946. Famous Czech singers are Karel Gott, Lucie Bílá, Helena and Lucie Vondráčková.

Literature:

Czech literature and culture played a major role on at least two occasions, when Czechs lived under oppression and political activity was suppressed. On both of these occasions, in the early 19th century and then again in the 1960s, the Czechs used their cultural and literary effort to strive for political freedom, establishing a confident, politically aware nation. Famous czech writers are Božena Němcová, Karel Hynek Mácha or Karel

Čapek.

Festival "Prague Spring" at Obecní dům in Prague


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Theatre:

Theatre of the Czech Republic has rich tradition with roots in the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, the theatre played an important role in the national awakening movement and later, in the 20th century it became a part of the modern European theatre art.

Cuisine:

Czech cuisine is marked by a strong emphasis on meat dishes. Pork is quite common; beef and chicken are also popular. Goose, duck, rabbit and wild game are served. Fish is rare, with the occasional exception of fresh trout and carp, which is served at Christmas.

Aside from Slivovitz, Czech beer and wine, Czechs also produce two uniquely Czech liquors, Fernet Stock and Becherovka. Kofola is a non-‐alcoholic domestic cola soft drink which competes with Coca Cola and Pepsi in popularity. Two unique Czech dishes are Vepřo-‐knedlo-‐zelo and Svíčková na smetaně.

Sport:

Sports play a part in the life of many Czechs, who are generally loyal supporters of their favourite teams or individuals. The two leading sports in the Czech Republic are football (soccer) and ice hockey, both drawing the largest attention of both the media and supporters. Tennis is also a very big sport in the Czech Republic. The many other sports with professional leagues and structures include basketball, volleyball, team handball, track and field athletics and floorball.

Famous Czech people:

Karel Gott

Lucie Bíla

Traditional Czech costume is common throughout Czec theatre

Svíčková na smetaně consisting of marinated beef with Czech dumplings


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Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk

Václav Havel

Vlasta Burian

Bedřich Smetana

Martina Sábliková


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Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic situated in the north-‐west of the country on the Vltava river and is home to about 1.3 million people.

Prague has been a political, cultural and economic centre of Europe and particularly central Europe during its 1,100 year existence. The city played major roles in the Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years' War, and in 20th century history, during both World Wars and the post-‐war Communist era.

Prague is home to a number of famous cultural

attractions, many of which survived the violence and destruction of twentieth century Europe. Main attractions include the following: Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, the Jewish Quarter, the Lennon Wall, and Petřín hill. Since 1992, the extensive historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Prague boasts more than ten major museums, along with countless theatres, galleries, cinemas, and other historical exhibits. Its rich history makes it a popular tourist destination, and the city receives more than 4.1 million

international visitors annually.


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Czech customs

• Sitting in pubs and drinking Czech beer such as Staropramen, Budvar and Gambrinus.

• Czech people like to have barbecues in the summer.

• Pointing at someone with their index finger is considered rude.

• Often take shoes off when entering a house (guests are offered "pantofle" which are house slippers)

• We can speak Czech, younger people can speak English, do not expect old to speak or understand English in general

• In general, people are not that much opened (most of them), we just say hello to each other and shake hands, but once get to know you they are very friendly and kind

• We are not usually used to hug or kiss when we meet, but we do it be-‐tween close friends; if it is more formal, we only shake our hands

• When you have any kind of meeting you are expected to be on time

• When travelling by a public transport, you should let older people to sit down even though you were sitting earlier

• Pairs holding their hands and kissing on the streets, restaurants and bars are ok, however, consider that no one is interested in that look :)

• It is not allowed to drink alcohol on the streets (but people do that quite often), during nights (esp. on Friday) you can meet a lot of drunk people

• In the restaurant: when you order, you get a slip where waiter writes what you drank and ate – you cannot lose that card (or destroy it) otherwise you pay a big fee; a tip 10% is usually expected

• Even though women emancipation is a strong topic here, any woman will be pleased if you behave gentle

• People complain about politicians a lot and use very rough words -‐ do not be surprised…if you understand them :)


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• Main dish of the day is lunch (commonly served between 1 -‐ 2 p.m.), composed usually of two courses: soup and main dish, dinner is usually smaller (6 -‐ 7 p.m.)


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Czech currency and exchange rates

The Czech Republic's currency is the Koruna (Crown) and uses the identifier CZK. Exchange rates: 1 USD = 18.95 CZK 1 GBP = 29.30 CZK 1 EUR = 24.57 CZK

Costs of living


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The Czech Language Czech is spoken by approximately 12 million people, thereof over 10 million in the Czech Republic. It is a West Slavic language most similar to Slovak and Polish. Czech belongs to the family of Indo-‐European languages with Slavish origins.

Czech phrasebook Yes Ano No Ne

Please Prosim Thank you Děkuji

You are welcome Rádo se stalo/ Není zač Excuse me, I am sorry Promiňte

Goodbye Nashledanou Hello Ahoj/ Dobrý den

Good morning Dobré ráno Good evening Dobrý večer Good night Dobrou noc Bye Bye Pa pa

Where is...? Kde je...? How are you? Jak se máš? My name is... Jmenuji se...

How much/how many kolik A lot moc A little málo/ trochu

Very expensive velice drahý Why?/ Because Proč? Proto I am thirsty Mám žízeň I am hungry Mám hlad

I dont understand Nerozumim I need help Pomoc I love you Miluji tě

I can't speak Czech well Neumím moc česky I am lost Jsem ztracen

I lost my wallet Ztratil jsem peněženku I'm sick Je mi špatně

Can I use your phone? Mohu použít váš telefon?


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The most interesting fact about Czech language is that it has lots of words which do not contain vowels. There exists a whole sentence without a single one: ‘strĉ prst skrz krk‘(put your finger through your throat). It it also the only language with the letter ‘ř’ which is a kind of soft r. Therefore it is very difficult for foreigners to learn and pronounce the language in a correct way.

DO NOT FORGET! • Passport (with visa) • Money, credit cards, checks • Special Medicines • Your Student Card (from the university) • ISIC (International Student Identity Card) if you have one • Formal dress-‐work and other appropriate clothes (especially warm clothes)

• Pocket money (About 15 000CZK/ 625 EUR/ 790 USD/ 517 GBP) • Special things from your country (national drink, food, clothes, music instrument )

• All necessary telephone numbers-‐ addresses of AIESECers • Bring please just one (max two) suitcase –you are going to travel aroung the Czech Republic and with only one suitcase it will be much comfortable :)

• Own LAPTOP!!!


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Contacts MC VP GCDPic Vendula Najtová mail: [email protected] skype: vendula.najtova

VP GCDPic Brno

Martin Brožek mail: [email protected]

skype: martin.brozku VP GCDPic České Budějovice Vojtěch Švejda mail: [email protected] skype: svejdv02

VP GCDPic ČZU Jiří Pondělíček

mail: [email protected] skype: darthvampire

VP GCDPic Hradec Králové Filip Bajko mail: [email protected] skype: f.bajko

VP GCDPic Karviná Žaneta Leová

mail: [email protected] skype: z.lajla

VP GCDPic Ostrava Martina Holbová mail: [email protected] skype: nyyckye

VP GCDPic Pilsen Jiří Viták

mail: [email protected] skype: jir.i.k

VP GCDPic Praha František Staněk mail: [email protected] skype: frantisek.stanek.jun

VP GCDPic Zlín Petr Petrák

mail: [email protected] skype:petr.petrak.cz

Documents

AIESEC Czech Republic Projects